What a time to be alive! It feels as though things are ending and things are beginning at the same time, and, at the macro level, they are.

As part of the world scrambles to go backwards into segregation, bigotry and the hate of the past, the other part of the world is forging new paths forward into a world of inclusion, reintegration and equality.

If ever there were a modern time to be on the ‘wrong side of history’, this is it. There is no neutral position and there is only going forward into the new consciousness, or going backwards into the mindsets of the past. We are at an evolutionary crossroads.

What Were Those Mindsets of the Past?

Mindsets of the past were “entitled”, belonging to people who believed themselves to be “worthy” of an elite status, “deserving” of having a privilege over others, and therefore “deserving” of their power and wealth.

These elite sections of society ruled over everyone else, operating a hierarchical ‘divide and conquer’ method, dividing less powerful groups of people from one another, so that all of those groups are easier to conquer by the oppressors.

There is no merit to the inequality among humans, despite what the powers that be might say. In fact, at this time, we are all individually being asked to decide where we stand on this perspective and how we see our collective future. (This is the ‘Second Milestone of Human Evolutionary Consciousness’ that we are all being asked to address at this time.)

The Four Stages of Equality Consciousness

If we take equality as a barometer to represent a more evolved state of human consciousness, and inequality as a less evolved or primitive one, we can trace a kind of evolutionary trajectory of collective awareness. This trajectory flows from ‘separation’ to ‘integration’ in four key stages.

At the first stage, there is a tribal, or a ‘survival’ consciousness level, where inequality might be seen as “natural”. This stage is dominated by fear, scarcity, and power hierarchies. Inequality here is not questioned; it’s seen as “divinely ordained” or “biologically fixed”. The Third Reich relied upon this perspective for the murder of around 17 million people, Hitler believing himself to be doing the “work of the Lord” by purging “impurity” from the world. Sadly, today, this is still visible in authoritarian regimes and rigid caste/class systems.

The second stage is a ‘rational’ or an ‘industrial’ consciousness that says that, while inequality isn’t ideal, it’s “necessary”. So, even though reason and science push us toward progress, the systems themselves remain “competitive”, often because they were overhangs from colonial frameworks. Key here is the systems themselves within which society is organised; the rise of capitalism, meritocracy and liberal democracy have all enshrined equality as an ideal but they do not ensure it structurally. For instance, because the legal systems are mostly combative, when legal justice and fairness coincide, it is merely a coincidence. Systemic, structural inequality, therefore, is the norm. This is the stage that currently dominates the global systems in the West, such as with corporate capitalism. Greed and ‘power-over’ thrive in this environment and it lends itself to abuse of all kinds, including racism, sexism, sectarianism, child abuse, poverty, war, etc.

The third stage recognises systemic injustice and that real change requires changing the systems. This stage understands that it is the systems themselves (which are more powerful than the individuals within them) that maintain the inequality, supported by the people controlling those systems who benefit from that inequality. Those people that benefit from the inequality often manipulate the systems for their own gain, such as we are seeing with the Republican Party in the United States right now.

To move into and through the third stage of evolutionary awareness, using equality as a gauge, there must be an integrative and ‘systems-aware’ consciousness that states that inequality is “unjust and dysfunctional” and it must put in ‘equality screening’ mechanisms to ensure that not only is equality an ideal, but it is a provable reality.

This is the stage that we are being asked to consider in the world now. The perspective of this awareness This stage of awareness moves our consciousness from “ego to eco”, that is, from “I win” (me) to “we survive and thrive together” (we).

The process of this evolutionary stage involves hearing and embracing the voices of people from historically marginalised groups. This is because these voices are essential in reshaping narratives, ethics and priorities within the systems and balancing out a representation of the collective. This mindset is emerging in climate justice movements, ‘de-growth’ economics, indigenous resurgence, spiritual communities and grassroots groups calling for radical change with regard to race, gender, homophobia, etc.

Finally, at stage four, we come to a ‘Post-Egoic and Regenerative Consciousness’, where equality becomes a reality and a prerequisite for a healthy and fully functional society.

This level of awareness is rare, but it does exist in some radical cooperation movements, Ubuntu philosophy, Buddhist economics, sacred activism and some regenerative design models. It also is a fundamental premise for a spiritually-appreciative understanding of, not just all humans, but all of life-force on this planet itself. This means that not only does this mindset extend to all humans in an essential and systemically ensured form, but it extends to all of life itself.

Some countries, including Ecuador and Bolivia, have already embraced this idea in affording ‘legal status’ to the earth, so that the rights of the earth can be defended in a court of law as though the land itself were a ‘living person’ with a right to non-exploitation.

To achieve widespread consciousness at this level requires a broad expansion of deep empathy, understanding of our interdependence and a collective intelligence. It would result in economic, political, and cultural systems that are built around mutual care, not extraction, and inequality being seen not just as a moral failing but as cognitive dissonance, incompatible with life and the systems that support that life.

If humanity continues to awaken and refuses to retreat into ‘fear-based regression’, then human consciousness will unfailingly move toward integration; from separation to solidarity, from domination to co-creation.

This will require a (growing) proportion of humanity to reject ‘extractive systems’ as obsolete and instead to encourage us to embrace relational, equitable, and regenerative ways of being.

Seismic shifts like this have happened in the past, not that dissimilar to the shift from monarchy to democracy, but this time it will be from ‘hierarchical’ to ‘distributed consciousness’.

So, if we can say that this level of awareness is worth pursuing, what can we do to help it to come about?

What Accelerates the Evolution of Consciousness?

What helps us to move towards fairness, compassion and evolved consciousness? As individuals, the most important contribution that we can make to this growing consciousness is for each of us to do our personal work. Healing our own trauma and dismantling our ego defences, helps us to stop our reactivity, to see our commonality and to break down the barriers between us.

As communities, we can develop key strategies to enable a more compassionate and evolved society, which can include: Openness: Having a focus on cross-cultural listening and solidarity Education: Teaching the ethics (it’s the ‘right’ thing to do) and benefits (“we all do better when we all do better”) for all with an equality-focused agenda in society. Developing a collective curriculum and a critical media literacy Spiritual practice: Experiences of awe, compassion, and interconnectedness (through nature, art, a devoted spiritual practice and, in some cases, even psychedelics) Working Together: Combining our tools and efforts together to break the illusion of separation.

While we have seen some significant steps forward in consciousness for our species, the overall trend toward results-focused equality in society is uneven and fragile, and is more often theoretical than structural. But by having the language around this issue and encouraging conversations about it, we will intensify the momentum for change and equality. In a paraphrased quote from Mahatma Gandhi, it is up to us to “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Benevolent Consciousness

When we have radical discourse around this issue and a committed, protective compassion for all of life, a beautiful thing happens. Yes, we evolve, but we also begin to see each other, and ourselves, differently. Instead of ‘just humans’ and societies and us playing out our lives, the blinkers that the barriers between us created fall away, and we begin see ourselves with new eyes; we begin to see ourselves as we truly are.

We are benevolent consciousness itself, fragments of the universal consciousness that permeates all living beings and all of creation. There is no duality, there is no ‘us and them’; there is only all of us, meaning all of life. And that extends not just to humans, but to all living beings and to the earth herself and beyond. And the personal consciousness that is ours to tend survives death and is eternal. The truth of it all is enormous and breath-taking. Much like life itself.

Historic Opportunity for Change

We have before us, the potential for a revelatory leap in consciousness on this planet right now. The world is divided into those who wish to move forward into this awareness and those who want to devolve. However it plays out is up to all of us. Evolution is inevitable, the question is only how much time will it take for a critical mass of the human population to reach that tipping point for the systems to change?

Sadly, as we inch closer to that precipice, the glaring horrors of devolved hate and division will become more and more undeniable. The bigotry and intentional evil, the dehumanisation of ‘other’ that enables genocide, the hate that drives war and greed, will be revealed for all to see. There will be no sitting on the fence. Even if we are not directly impacted because of our privilege, and maybe especially so, we are being asked to stand up and be counted. Injustice anywhere is happening on our watch. And if it is happening in our name, we are responsible. We are duty-bound as humans to be outraged, for instance, by what is happening at the behest of the United States, Europe and beyond to the Palestinian people right now. It is happening in our name and it is our responsibility in the West to speak for those who have no voice.

Yes, it is only when we are committed to creating a world where peace, equality and compassion are revered that we will see the change that we crave. However, how exciting is it that, for possibly the first time in our history, we have an opportunity to see that change become a reality? Life is precious and we have more power than we know in creating the change we need to protect it. To be overwhelmed is to imagine that we have to create change only as one person and that thinking belongs to the ego mindset. To create change we connect with others in the collective and make our voices heard. But first, we have to listen to what it is that our heart wants to say.