We are living through times of radical transformation. The reality we once knew no longer resembles what we are now perceiving day to day. Past beliefs and structures are falling away, sometimes rapidly, sometimes gradually—but undeniably. This is a good thing. The evolution of the human soul cannot be stopped. All that came before was merely a prelude. The pain of the past, in which differences separated us, will eventually educate our present. We can live with greater awareness and open-heartedness, beyond the shadows of history and what we’ve been told is possible.

The United States was born when various groups rebelled against the domination of the British crown and formed a new nation based in freedom and self-determination. Differences of religion and nationality were in theory accepted. The reality, of course, was much different. Before the American Revolution, explorers and colonists from European countries came to North America and pushed back the indigenous peoples who had lived here for centuries. The Trail of Tears that robbed them of their homes and identities spread from coast to coast, and children were sent to schools to have the “Indian” destroyed in them. Thousands of people of all ages were killed. Descendants of the survivors still face these attitudes today.

Over the centuries, right up to the present, those who came to America from other countries often found that “freedom” was an illusion. The African people who were enslaved here lost their freedom, and the American “melting pot” was meant not to accept and blend differences but to obliterate them. How do we step away from this long history of intolerance and violence against the integrity of each individual and choose another path? Can we instead celebrate difference and embrace connection on the other side of this broken past? As chaotic as the present times are, I believe that is starting to occur. This change is the so-called Great Shift. It’s a shift in consciousness—from closed minds to open hearts.

If you look around, you see the changes bubbling up everywhere. Those of different races, religions, cultures, ages, and sexual identities are coming together individually and collectively. I love to walk down the street and hear many languages, see biracial couples and those who are not identifiable as one sex or the other. This is the magic of soul flowering. Anything is possible—all is loved and celebrated. Yes, there are those who find these changes threatening and try to destroy them. Ultimately, they will not succeed. Love is more powerful than fear and hatred. Kindness is the wave of the future. Compassion and acceptance will prevail.

In the past, we have often allowed our beliefs to divide us, thinking that those who disagree with us are misguided and should be “corrected.” Wars, both political and religious, have been fought for this purpose. Can we finally get beyond polarization, separation into for and against, right and wrong? This world was created by an infinite Intelligence that “knows” much more than we do about how the universe evolves and expands. We are part of an interwoven tapestry of light, within which seeming opposites will finally come together in balance, and each of us will see clearly that every single piece of this planet is here for a greater reason. We are integral to that evolution, that rising harmony. Celebrate your uniqueness and that of others. Embrace the diversity and fluidity of life itself.

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”—Rumi