Collective Consciousness; a phrase that never meant much to me until recent events unfolded. It’s not that I didn’t believe in it, it’s just that I didn’t have any context in which to place it — to give it meaning. As the pandemic spread and fear became the governing body, I saw rational thinking go out the door. Survival instincts kicked in and the brain went into scarcity mode. People bought everything in sight, for fear of not having it when they needed it — even if it was 1,000 rolls of toilet paper.
Our Social Agreement
But we all know what happened. The real question is why — Why did it get so out of control? The answer, I believe, is rooted in Collective Consciousness. As defined here, Collective Consciousness is a set of shared beliefs within a social group. It’s the glue that holds society together — common agreements on right and wrong, monetary value and even holidays.
Usually, this fosters a sense of connection and belonging within a social group, causing us to act in the best interest of the group. But when we feel disconnected (or in a scarcity mindset), we tend to act in self-interest, regardless of the impact to the group (i.e. hoarding toilet paper).
Experience Is Everything
Now, some might argue that if we’re all receiving the same messages from news outlets, we’ll all have similar responses. But science shows our personal experiences dictate our perceptions, and those perceptions dictate our thoughts, words and actions.
This Aeon article takes it a step further, suggesting we might not be in control of our decision making. Rather, it is the summation of our life experiences at a subconscious level which dictate our decisions — our conscious, rational mind plays no part in the process. Scientist Benjamin Libet’s experiments in the 1980s support this idea — showing we “decide” to take action at a subconscious level seconds before we decide to do so consciously.
Natural Vibrations
So if we all have different life experiences and aren’t in control of our decision making, how can we all end up at the same conclusion and take the same action? I submit we need to go a level deeper, to the energetic level, to find the answer. We are energetic beings, constantly vibrating at the sub-atomic level. And we are interconnected by those vibrations — we share frequencies which dictate our thoughts and feelings.
Ever feel anxious as soon as you walk into an airport? Or that electric feeling of a stadium before a big game? Part of it is your own anticipation, but most of it is the combined anticipation of everyone around you. You feed off of the energy of those around you and vis versa. But not only do we share energy, we share thoughts. And our shared thoughts, our Collective Consciousness, dictate how a group of people behave.
Share Your Light
The good news is, we help to shape this Collective Consciousness. Through our individual consciousness or mindfulness, we can contribute to or combat the collective. And when enough people share a thought, the tipping point is reached and the Collective Consciousness shifts. The world seems pretty dark these days, but we are already seeing people sharing their gifts, their light, with the world.
So my friends, I propose a shift. A shift from scarcity to abundance, from fear to love, from darkness to light. Now is the time to do what brings you joy and share it with the world. As simple as it seems, the impact is substantial, for you, for your tribe and for the world.
Remember, darkness is only the absence of light.