There is much unexplored potential in each human being. We are not just flesh and bone or an amalgamation of conditionings. If this were so, our future on this planet would not be very bright. But there is infinitely more to life, and each passionate being who dares to explore beyond the fragmentary and superficial into the mystery of totality helps all humanity perceive what it is to be fully human. Revolution, total revolution, implies experimenting with the impossible. And when an individual takes a step in the direction of the new, the impossible, the whole human race travels through that individual.
- Vimala Thakar

Each of us is a part of the collective consciousness of humanity. We connect with everyone else on our planet through our intuition.

I’ve been pondering what sorts of healng an individual can offer to the collective consciousness - in the context of global heating that is proceeding to some as yet unknown tipping point beyond which there will be no return, and humanity’s general indifference to our impending collective suicide – most likely taking with us all of life on this planet as we know it.

If you think I exaggerate about global heating, see
Vast cracks appear in Arctic ice
By David Shukman
Environment correspondent, BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7417123.stm

What could an individual possibly do in the face of this impending global disaster? How could an individual make a difference, in the face of the prevalence in our society of personal self-centeredness and addiction to and/or aspiration to achieve unsupportable Western lifestyles – that are built upon the exploitation of the human and natural resources of the rest of the world? In the face of leaders of nations who do not see beyond their next election campaign or whatever other process keeps them in power? In the face of corporations that put monetary profits above human and planetary concerns?

I’ve come to believe there are significant ways that each of us can help.

1. The first is to clear ourselves so that each of us becomes a brighter and clearer pixel on the big world screen. Many healing traditions recommend this, and WHEE is a proces that can help each of us to release our own negativity and make this contribution. If enough people do this, then the screen will become clearer and more healing will come into our world.

While utterly essential, this is a slow process. There are further ways we can contribute to healing our planetary problems.

2. I’ve been impressed with the approach of the Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono.
In a capsule version:

Ho’oponopono recommends that we view anything and everything that occurs in the world as a reflection of something within ourselves. When faced with anything that stirs our negative feelings, be they anxiety, fear, irritation, ire, anger, hurt, hatred or whatever, we can look inward and ask, “What within me might have brought me into contact/ awareness/ interaction with this negativity?” We might take this a step further, and ask, “What within me might have generated/ contributed to/ created some part of this negativity?” or just, “...this negativity?”

Having connected with that awareness, we can say in our heart,
“I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.”

How can we know whether this is an effective contribution to the ALL? People report amazing feedback they get when using this in response to interpersonal negativity. At the very least, our own negativity is released and transmuted. But much more interestingly, interpersonal conflicts resolve themselves. Healings occur for what had appeared to be insoluble conflicts. (See interesting discussions of Ho’oponopono at links below.)

3. In view of the collective homicidal and suicidal madness of mankind, it feels to me we might add to the process an invitation for healing of collective post-traumatic stress throughout the collective consciousness.

Maybe, just maybe, we can heal the collective post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of humanity that perpetuates the cycle of experiencing abuse --> hurt –-> anger --> perpetrating abuse on others --> etc.

I am incorporating these approaches into my personal and psychotherapeutic interactions with everyone I encounter. I invite others to do whatever might feel right to you. Here are invitations i have felt comfortable using:

I resonate with any and all such feelings in the collective consciousness of this world. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.

I invite anyone and everyone, anywhere and everywhere, anywhen and everywhen to clear their issues that resonate with mine.

5. At times this process arouses feelings that make it difficult for a person to be wholly present and congruent with the Ho’oponopono process. There may be hurts, angers, fears and other residues of traumas that are difficult to deal with. For example, feelings from painful experiences in my childhood sometimes get in the way of my using Ho'oponopono. I may find myself angry and blaming others and uncomfortable asking forgiveness for contributing my own part to the collective negativity i want to clear in "others."

If you experience anything similar, WHEE (Whole Health – Easily and Effectively) is a self-healing method that can be helpful personally in dealing with these feelings. One might also use the adaptation from Ho’oponopono prior to releasing these feelings.

I would be pleased to hear any other suggestions you might have, and to have your feedback on how these suggestions work for you.

Healing through the collective consciousness is limited only by our beliefs and disbeliefs. There is no reason we could not extend this healing back to our common genetic ancestor, the mythical ‘Lucy’ who has been shown by genetic mapping to be the mother of all living humans, and beyond – to whatever and whomever might have brought Lucy to be the survivor of some tragedy that wiped out all other genetic lines...

*The full version of this article is the editorial in the International Journal of Healing and Caring, September 2008.

References and Resources:

THE ANCIENT HAWAIIAN TEACHING OF HOOPONOPONO: THE MARRIAGE
Ihaleakala Hew Len, PHD, Teacher of Ho’oponopono
http://www.hooponoponotheamericas.org/article3.htm
Other articles are also available on this site.

HO'OPONOPONO by Joe Vitale
http://educate-yourself.org/zsl/hooponopono25jul06.shtml
A doctor treats hospitalized mental patients by healing that within himself resonates with the problems of each patient.

Author's Bio: 

My bio summarizes my ongoing search for ever more ways to peel the onion of life's resistances, to reach the knowing (with the inner knowing of truth which has the feel of rightness) that we are all cells in the body of the Infinite Source.

While my unique area of expertise is spiritual awareness and healing, my principal work is through wholistic healing – addressing spirit, relationships (with other people and the environment), mind, emotions and body. I am using WHEE, a potent self-healing method, with children and adults who are dealing with PTSD and other forms of stress, psychological and physical pain, low self-esteem, cravings and other issues.

Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABIHM, is a wholistic psychiatric psychotherapist who blends in his therapy elements from intuitive and spiritual awareness, spiritual healing (as in Reiki and Therapeutic Touch), WHEE - Wholistic Hybrid derived from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), transactional analysis, gestalt therapy, hypnotherapy, meditation, imagery and relaxation (psychoneuroimmunology), dream analysis, and other approaches. Dr. Benor has taught this spectrum of methods internationally for 35 years to people involved in wholistic, intuitive, and spiritual approaches to caring, health and personal development.

Dr. Benor founded The Doctor-Healer Network in England and North America. He is the author of Healing Research, Volumes I-III and many articles on wholistic, spiritual healing. He is the editor and publisher of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Healing and Caring - Online and moderator of WholisticHealingResearch.com, a major informational website on spiritual awareness, healing and CAM research.

He appears internationally on radio and TV. He is a Founding Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine, Founder and Immediate Past Coordinator for the Council for Healing, a non-profit organization that promotes awareness of spiritual healing, and for many years on the advisory boards of the journals, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Subtle Energies (ISSSEEM), Frontier Sciences, the Advisory Council of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychotherapy (ACEP), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and the Advisory Board of the Research Council for Complementary Medicine (UK), Core reviewer for BioMed Central, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Online.

Additional Resources on Pain Management can be found at:

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Daniel J. Benor, MD, the Official Guide to Pain Management