The Gaian Mind

"THE HOUR IS COMING, AND NOW IS." — John 5 (3)
Daniel Pinchbeck
Cancun Conference Abstract

"In the twentieth century, psychoanalyst Carl Jung realized 'the reality of the psyche,' the interconnection of mind and world, the psychic and the physical, expressed through synchronicities and other occult correspondences. Jung understood that a deep transformation of the human psyche was underway. According to Jungian theorist Edward Edinger, we are currently experiencing the 'archetype of the Apocalypse,' a term that has familiar destructive connotations but that is also defined as 'revealing' or 'uncovering.'

"As a negative archetype, it represents the smashing of previous forms of thought and ways of being; as a positive archetype, it represents a momentous event—“the coming of the Self into conscious realization.” In the Jungian model, the “Self” encompasses the complete expression of our being, including both conscious and unconscious elements. Our limited egos dread the coming of the Self, a process that takes place within historical time yet is, paradoxically, atemporal. As Christ expresses this paradox, ´'The hour is coming, and now is.'

"If the end of the Mayan calendar signals the completion of this archetypal process in historical time, we can begin to appreciate the momentous psychic distance we will travel in the next years. Today, most of us identify with our individual path and ego-defined goals. As we complete this apocalyptic passage, we will conceive ourselves, increasingly, as fractal expressions of a unified field of consciousness and sentient aspects of a planetary ecology—the Gaian mind—that is continually changed by our actions, and even our thoughts. When the collective shares this understanding, we will move beyond the threshold of history, with its narrative of wars, conquests, and competing belief systems. Humanity will unite as a global tribe, ensuring all of its members equal rights and equal status in a planetary community. Having resolved internecine discord, we will be ready to make our entry into galactic civilization, where we will discover new myths, new companions, and new dimensions of being."
—Daniel Pinchbeck