Everybody is talking about paradigm shift, and has been for quite some time, but what does that mean, and where are we going?

For the past 2000-some-odd-years, we have been entrenched to some degree in masculine, linear energy, in the push of the push-pull flow of energy. Action, linear, logic (or illusory logic), hard edges, binary thinking, hierarchical power structure, change-avoidance. Third chakra stuff – the illusion of separation, individuality, Independence. Seeking the Divine outside of ourselves.

In doing this, we have disempowered ourselves. We have separated ourselves, quite literally, from ourselves. In this paradigm, our happiness, our fulfillment, our meaning, or wisdom has to come from outside, from somewhere else, not from us. We have been ruled by the negative ego side of our third chakra, that survival-instinct-gone-haywire that seeks to deter us from growth, change, and taking chances. I can point to various places along the way where we have tried to break out of it, even in the last 100 years, and yet, each time, those efforts have been derailed.

I think we really are moving into a paradigm shift, though. If you look at something as foundational as the job market, and how people work, it’s there. People used to stay not just in a career, but at a singular company for most of their lives. Now the length of tenure at a company averages less than five years. As much as people remain change-adverse, the paradigm has shifted. And that change aversion is more a habit and a symptom of the strength of the negative ego, rather than anything else. The way we move past that is to work out the opposing muscle, which is the Free Will. I don’t mean the free will of the third-dimensional human being, that part of you that wants ice cream. I mean that part of you that knows your Purpose, the small, still voice that tells you the Truth.

We must consciously reconnect all of our aspects. We must consciously reconnect with our Soul.

Connecting with all our aspects means getting to know and making friends with our shadow self. What are those aspects of yourself that you don’t like to look at or even acknowledge? As long as you push them away, you feed them, and they sabotage you. Even when you don’t act on them, when you don’t integrate them, you remain at cross purposes, and you aren’t going to be powerful. So start to look at those parts of yourself that you’ve been ignoring. Hold them up in the light. Examine them. Get to know them. Make friends with them. Find their strengths. And turn them into allies. Then, and only then, will you be able to truly harness your co-creative energies.

Connecting with our souls is the real paradigm shift. Your Soul is your true self. Your soul is all about the experience. Your soul is empowered, messy, passionate, vibrant. In order to do this, you have to let go of the idea of safety. When we are preoccupied with safety, we are in the future, and the Soul is all about being Here Now. Your Soul is your creative Self, it’s your Divine essence, it owns its space and its destiny. In order to connect with your Soul, you have to let go of the past. The past only exists in your head at this point. Be. Here. Now. When you are here now, you know everything you need to know, or how to find it; you are completely authentic; there is no preoccupation with how things look or the opinions of others. Image and masks only matter when your power comes from outside yourself. To be connected to your Soul is to be connected to your power, because your power comes from inside you.

For over 10 years, I have taught a Goddess Empowerment Workshop. It has been a glimpse into this idea of ensoulment, although I haven’t always framed it that way. The simple, two-hour (or less, if I was offering it at Pantheacon) workshop has helped people of all genders find their power. It has helped people overcome social anxiety and fears; it has helped people get out of abusive relationships, change careers, find their true calling. It’s based on a formula Spirit gave me that helped me connect with my own power more solidly.

This fall, I am taking this to the next level. Under the framework of looking at the Goddess in various cultures around the world, I will be providing a venue for people to consciously connect with their Souls. Every other Monday, for 14 weeks, we will be seeking Her out, examining how people from all over the planet have perceived Her, and finding our way back to that connection. I’m excited to be able to offer this, and I’m incredibly curious to witness and facilitate the transition, the paradigm shift, for others. Won’t you join me?

Introduction to Goddess Sudies will meet on alternating Mondays from September 14th through December 7th, 7:30 to 9:00pm, at the Crystal Matrix in Atwater Village. Investment is $40.50 per class, but if you pay in full by August 30th, there’s a 20% discount.