Hi friends,
It's that time of the year again! As you may well know, here at Openhand we don't tend to go by prophecy. Reality is determined by how we are being and by our actions. We shape our journey by the choices we make and for the current times at least, humanity in its entirety, whether integrated or not, is having a defining impact on every moment. Although it can be counterproductive to prophecise, what we can do however is accurately read the current flow of events, connect with the underlying consciousness and therefore intuit vital trends as to the way forwards. How do you feel when mirroring circumstances are presented? What do they unfold in your beingness? That's the value of accurately reading the flow. So what do we feel is currently shaping as we turn the page on 2012?...

It's time to get off the fence!
If ever we needed a reminder on why humanity needs to evolve or die, we certainly got one this week. I'm speaking of the brutal violence Police meted out to freedom protestors in Egypt. Have you seen the Youtube Video footage? I can understand if you don't want to view it. Personally I find it hard to believe that a human being could be responsible for such atrocity. But it is there right before our eyes - my saddened heart goes out to all brutalised people in this world. As unpleasant as it may be, I still feel incidents such as these important to explore. Firstly because we must process out any internal tightness we may have to them, secondly it provides priceless insight into the future course for humanity. They invite each of us to get off the fence...

I'm finding the ongoing Euro drama right now fascinating.
I do believe it demonstrates perfectly why trying to control the universe simply does not work. Control simply unwinds itself like a flag in the summer breeze. In trying to 'make ends meet', the complexity of the situation we build for ourselves eventually becomes untenable until the stress gets so great, even the most hardened control freak breaks down. To me this is extremely positive! Why?...

The current system is fracturing.
One of the great successes of the Occupy Movement, is that it's brought very clearly into light, the systematic nature of inequity, injustice and plain control that is our society. I know many awakening people have found it hard to imagine a global conspiracy to manipulate both people and the earth's natural resources, but as the evidence increasingly stacks up, it is no longer a question of whether it exists, but rather the extent to which it exists. Yes, we are witnessing an underlying agenda to shape world politics and economics to confine people to carefully configured lifestyles. This controlling conspiracy theory, although once relegated to the fringes of the awakening movement, has now become a central part of it. The two go hand in hand. To me this is a vitally important shift, and I believe it is already beginning to empower us to break apart the matrix we're living in...

Financial contagion spreads.
So the euro is sinking fast. Italy is now suffering from the mountainous debt crisis that promises to engulf the entire financial world. But as finance ministers furiously scratch their heads trying to find the 'answer', all they really need do is look for the synchronistic deeper meaning. On the same day that the European financial contagion finally spreads to Italy, the International Energy Agency has issued a stark warning:"If fossil fuel infrastructure is not rapidly changed (within five years), the world will 'lose for ever' the chance to avoid dangerous climate change." Here's the point: the debt mountain is fueled by excessive consumption, which fuels excessive carbon emissions. Economies cannot keep expanding mercilessly without there being the knock-on effect of accelerated climate change. Will society respond positively to another poignant warning?...

Revolution in our hearts
Right now there's a good deal of speculation through the grapevine that a revolution in America could be about to begin. Especially since the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is spreading to other cities and the workers unions are beginning to join it. But if a physical revolution did take place, are people really ready and prepared for what might then happen? Would it lead to a more evolved way of living? Maybe what's really needed is a revolution in our hearts...

The Transition movement growing in strength
I'm really pleased to see the Transition Movement gaining more traction in the world. It feels like an essential step forward for the future. People all over are waking up to the fact that something is wrong with the modern world of economics and the exploitation of natural resources There seem to be deepening questions about what has happened to the authenticity of community along with the upwelling passion to do something about it all. Society has fractured and is being held together by the illusionary bubble of capitalism, where effectively everyone is encouraged to milk Mother Earth until for all they can. There are alternatives. Which world do you subscribe to? The choice is yours...

The evolution of Conscious Communities
There are movements springing up all around the world of people speaking out for change - people who are becoming incredibly dissatisfied with the old ways of living, doing and sharing (or more appropriately not sharing!). Check out for example the Occupy Wall Street Movement. It is clear that with the uprising of such movements, an unstoppable consciousness revolution has begun (although it is early days). The question is, to what kind of new 'system' will it lead? In what ways might we live? Personally I see the evolution of Conscious Communities. We're all being invited to evolve, grow and change the world we live in through our own social expression...

Praying for a miracle
I read with mild amusement the headline in one of today's daily newspapers: "World Prays for Economic Miracle". It's actually already getting one. Just not the one world economists are hoping for! Switch on the TV (if you still have one), browse the internet, pick up a newspaper, governments and economists the world over have hit a new brick wall. How do they 'stimulate growth' to avoid a world recession? But what if a world recession is EXACTLY the answer to our 'prayers'? What if a contraction in growth is what needs to happen? What might the likely effects be in how we live our lives? For me, a new future is destined which is very different from that which world economists are praying for...

Pruning back for sustainable evolutionary growth
There are times when we build things up and for some unforeseen reason, they just don't want to work. No matter how we try, the pieces of the jigsaw don't seem to want to fit together anymore. It's strange because when we built the landscape, it all seemed to grow quite naturally. It may have felt like we were in the flow. Ever found yourself in such a situation? If you're quite a creative being, you may find the shoots of imaginative ideas grow quickly in the spring and summer, but as Autumn kicks in once more, you may have to prune back, gather the energy in again and let the roots strengthen once more, ready for something new to grow again. I'm often reminded that authentic evolutionary growth is a bit like being a constant gardener...