I heard the word Anthropocene for the first time recently in terms of the human impact on Earth systems and the way human presence is changing the planet. The perspective comes mainly from geologists and paleobiologists, but also anthropologists, archeologists, historians and social scientists. Basically, the argument is that human activity is now the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Indeed, “this has led to dynamic conditions in which Earth is operating under different boundary conditions than the epoch spanning the prior 11,700 years, which served as the cradle for advanced human societies under relatively stable environmental conditions.”
The implications are far-reaching for it suggests a change in Darwinian evolution, from one driven by “natural selection” to one driven by “anthropoid selection” or conscious evolution. Our presence on this planet has brought us to a clear tipping point in which environmental dynamics can change from those in which nature is the controlling principle to one in which humans are the driving force. The standard narrative at this critical junction is that we will tip over to a period of destruction, chaos, and the potential end to the human species. It is, I would argue, probably time for us to consider these dynamics from a religious and spiritual perspective to provide a more hopeful and balanced view.
Many of us drawn to the religious-spiritual sphere have felt a rising energetic change during the last several decades that we attribute to more and more people realizing their true nature as part of larger relational networks that include others, life, nature, and the cosmos. Until now, our disconnection from this great web of life has been the source of most of life’s pain, suffering, and struggles. As more people reach this new understanding and remember what we once knew, there is an increase in consciousness and in our responsibility to the planet. We notice the side benefits, including the larger numbers of people who try to do their part in recycling and cleaning up the environment, in helping others, and in turning the other cheek. The violence we see may obscure this gradual positive change, but this positivity is part of the predicted spiritual revolution that is to follow the Industrial and Information Age. Such a change coincides with a revolution in the science and understanding of the human mind. Indeed, many of us describe this period of change in spiritual terms as life becoming aware of itself. And like a toddler at this stage of development, we are making many mistakes, but we are learning quickly as well.
We find ourselves at a unique tipping point, the Anthropocene as increased awareness, in which we can either learn quickly to guide the dynamics in a positive direction or else usher in the catastrophe many predict. As I get ready to join a class of 2000 folks from all around the world, who for the next two years will focus their energies on being helpful to others by learning to be meditation teachers, I feel optimistic. My entire life, like those of many of my cohorts, has been about discovering the unity of being, the inherent divinity that we are, surrendering to the intelligence inherent in this unity, and wanting to help and inspire others. I am convinced that this small sample of the spiritual evolution is part of a larger conscious effort representing the gathering of life forces in the struggle to tip the balance in becoming conscious without destroying ourselves.
Some of you may react skeptically to this interpretation. Yet, this is not dissimilar to the message Jesus taught over 2,000 years ago. In John 14:10-12 of the New International Version of the Bible, he says, “The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” In 1 Corinthians 3:16, Jesus goes further, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest for the past 50 years and bestselling author has commented that humanity was not ready for this revolutionary message 2,000 years ago, but maybe the time is now. The beauty of rediscovering that we are all part of something larger and wiser is that one can see this force at work in everything around, guiding us toward a unique moment of singularity. This is the conscious Anthropocene revolution.