THE SHIFT
 by: Aynne McAvoy

When you get more than two or three persons together with an interest in metaphysics, chances are the subject of the Shift will arise.

The Shift, or the Shift in Consciousness, is an ever growing subject of interest for those of us on the path of higher awareness. The Shift is the long awaited clearing away of past negative energies of the planet, and of self, and a new awakening as to who and what we really are.

Some people say the Shift is what will occur on December 21, 2012.  Some feel it is almost a contest of evolution, for if sufficient numbers of people have awakened,  the Shift to the next phase of evolution will occur.  However, if more remain asleep than have awakened, we could be facing worldwide disaster.

If one is to believe the impressive emails that are flowing around the internet and being shared by those interested in metaphysics everywhere, the Shift is well under way.  New Age leaders such as Patricia Cota-Robles or Barbara and Steve Rother for example, have been discussing this evolutionary phase for quite some time. Rother  'channels' The Group, which is a group of higher evolved spiritual beings. Ramtha is an enlightened being 'channeled' by JZ Knight, or Abraham, 'channeled' by Esther Hicks are two others that have been sharing the message for years.  The list of the great metaphysical authors of the last 25 years is long, and the ones I am mentioning are only the tip of the iceberg.

The Shift encompasses many ideals and forms.  It would be difficult to try to put all the
perceptions into one short article.  I believe that many do feel the Shift is our birthright; that we chose to be born at this time in history to help bring about  the change in conciousness.

Much of the Shift is a feeling.  It is a feeling of constantly growing closer to those who are on the same path with us. The World Wide Web is a good example of our connectedness with each other, as well as our understanding and knowledge of it.  It is a feeling of expanding compassion for all living things and greater awareness of our earth around us.  It is the
knowledge that we are caretakers of the planet and all that is on it.  We are finally getting our heads around the fact that there is only just one of us, and that separateness is an illusion.
It is more activism to change what is perceived as not as our highest good for our surroundings and ourselves.  It is a feeling that our energy field is changing, and our entire body, including ethereal, is changing as well.

We sense that our auras are more vibrant and stretch out farther into the world.  It is an ever-growing willingness to not only look outside the box, but to jump joyfully and bravely out of it. It is the refusal to no longer plod the same dreary daily path but to create better!  It is a growing sureness that indeed, we are the ones that we have been waiting for.

Part of what the Shift is involves finding your passion, then following it.  I remembered that James Redfield discussed this years ago in that groundbreaking novel, The Celestine Prophecy.  We were told that we needed to discover what our purpose is.  Those who read those books at that time endlessly discussed what that could mean.  What is our
purpose?  What did we plan to accomplish before we came into this existence?

The Shift raises questions.  Why did we choose to be born at this stage of time in
earth's history?    Were we here before during the time of Atlantis and blew it,
and if so are we getting a second chance?  Did we thus make sure we
returned at this point in the evolution of man and this planet to make sure this
time the Shift into the next dimension happens?

Much has been discussed about civilizations that once flourished and suddenly disappeared.  Did they experience a Shift?  Did they move on to the next dimension, the next step in the evolution of man, and our planet?  Where did they go?  What happened to them?

There are those who feel as though the Shift is happening with the help of extraterrestrials.  They feel the Quantum leap of advances in science, medicine, technology et al that has occurred in the last 100 years is the proof of their intervention, and that is also proof they would not let us get this far and fail.

There are others who feel the Shift is happening because of the help we are receiving from the angels and ascended master teachers on the other side, who also have brought us this far and will not let us fail.

My own groups of higher guides, who call themselves THEY, seem to have been in overdrive the last several years.   What started out as annoying nudges from them soon grew into full-blown projects of one kind or another that they 'assigned' me to do.  I could only guess, looking back over the projects, that their intent was to bring me 100% on board with the Shift and to make sure my own involvement was such that I affected as many others as possible in this time.  Such things as the Your New Life Expos, the several online metaphysical study groups I began years ago and still lead, the spiritual movies that I brought to Syracuse, NY are all examples of THEY's intervention through me.  Even the writing of this article was indeed inspired and encouraged by 'THEY'.

Part of the Shift is adjusting to what our lifelong feelings about what reality is.  Our concepts are indeed shifting. Eckert Tolle was a leader in shaking up our comprehension of time, by telling us that all time is now.  Although it is a very difficult idea to comprehend considering that we are a very time oriented society,  Psychics such as myself have understood for years that time is not as it is perceived.  Psychics have known all along that trying to nail down
a specific time for a specific event is like chasing mercury from a broken thermometer on the kitchen table; it is very difficult to grab hold of!

However, the new understanding that time is not linear at all is part of the whole package of the Shift.  Our old thoughts about time is just one of the ways we adjusted to life on this planet and to our lives in these bodies.  Our insistence on dualities such as 'good' and  'bad' is another part of this package.

Our bodies, these vehicles that transport us from place to place on this planet and are the great experiencers for us, are also in revolt!  So many of the people on this path have gone through various conditions such as changes in weight, achy joints, sleep disturbances, headaches and moodiness and  difficulty in concentration.  Small wonder our bodies would revolt considering the energy changes that are happening in and around it!

In our efforts to adjust to these surroundings, and our forgetfulness of where we came from and who we really are, we also invented religions.  We needed to explain the unexplained (the forgotten) and religions seemed to fit the bill. Once again, now we are slowly coming out of that tipped-over box, looking around and discovering that in our new understandings all that was ever necessary was to connect with our Source within. Books and movies such as Conversations with God came into existence to help us with that.    The Way of The Peaceful Warrior showed us our inner strengths, and how all we really need to do is to tap into
that inner well of abilities, to succeed beyond our wildest human dreams.  The Secret
opened the door wide to hundreds of thousands of people who are now asking the questions that needed to be asked!  The Secret (which really wasn't a secret) explains that not only can we create what we want and need, we've always had the ability!

There have been so many metaphysical authors that have stepped up to the plate, knowing instinctively perhaps that the Shift was near.  They have shared their wisdom with us, woven into the tales they spun, as an attempt to get our attention.  Moviemakers are bringing us more and more movies showing us that the way up and out of this self imposed confusion is from within!  I have no doubt in my mind that these moviemakers and scriptwriters
are all leaders in the march towards the Shift as well.

There are other leaders in this parade of human souls towards the Shift, which are not famous authors or singers or movie producers or lecturers.  They are to be found in any given town or village across the world. These are the people who are gently guiding you into greater awareness, sometimes just by their life example. They may be psychic councilors
or holistic healers, or writers or artists of various forms.  These are people who touch your inner core with their very essence and incline you to ask What is different about them?  What do they have or know that you do not? What makes these people noticeably special?  Perhaps all these people have finally remembered that they are not humans having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience?

The Shift is about understanding that the world as we formed it, is being deliberately shifted and reformed around us to clear away the illusions that we ourselves have built up around us.  If you can step back out of yourself for the space of a heartbeat and see the bigger picture, something glorious is happening.  Step out of the day-to-day mundane, and look at the world around us with new eyes, and see the efforts that being made to pull back the
veils of illusions.  What you may see is a world to be in love with.  What you
may feel is a grand and joyous excitement that you chose now to be born onto this
plane.  Then you may also step in to join the gathering parade of souls that are
all marching together towards the Shift.