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Activating Your Human Superpowers
- A Christmas Gift

The purpose of this article is to present you with an expanded way of thinking and feeling about yourself, and to offer a view of what the present ‘moment’ in our unfolding process as individual and species truly and realistically offers if enough of us only knew how to use it well.  I believe we have the power to co-create a future worthy of our greatest aspirations by allowing ourselves to be guided by our deepest yearnings.  This power is the great gift it is to be human and alive today.  We cannot take the opportunity if we cannot see it and worse the very power that can ensure our continuance can also be used to bring about our demise.  Its time to clean the lenses of our interior and see our world anew.

Assumptions made:

  1. We are an evolving species living in an ever-evolving world in an ever-evolving universe.  Physical evolution can only be seen over big spans of time.  It is now our consciousness that is expanding and evolving exponentially - we see it everywhere.  This is happening so fast that confusion, system breakdown and fear abound even as science is penetrating our world and bringing new knowledge forth every day and conscious awareness is on the rise everywhere.  Knowledge combined with the drive to express our potential is unshackling millions from the blindfolds of ignorance - we are in a new enlightenment. 
  2. We are not seeing full global leadership from politicians, academia, media or religion because we have never been here before and our systems are not coping with emerging reality.  A ‘next chapter’ in the human story is underway.  We have the power to write it.  All of us.
  3. We have arrived at the point where we have the immediate capacity to be conscious co-creators of any future we can imagine - we are starting to ‘get it’, sense a little glimmer that we are one species heading for full co-ordination - what Barbara Marx Hubbard calls the ‘Universal Human’.
  4. This dynamic acceleration is like a new birth...it is gaining momentum - very rapidly in the scheme of things...we are closer now than we ever have been to collective conscious awareness and the potential that will unlock through individual contributions.
  5. Our individual and collective unconsciousness is creating our current problems.
  6. “You can’t solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it” - Einstein. We must learn to ‘see’ differently. Our view (inner) influences what we do (outer) so...inner first - outer follows.
  7. We are designed to continue learning and growing - we are driven towards the expression of our potential, just as a seed is into a flower.  To co-operate with our own ‘evolutionary integrity’ (to be what we were designed for) is our only real work and the path to wholeness. 
  8. Clinging to unconsciousness, denial, avoidance, past patterns of thinking and behaviour that don’t work, or outright abdication of our responsibilities driven by self-interest only, chokes our true potential (as individuals, families, communities and species). 
  9. Crises drive evolution.  We are living through multiple rolling crises all over the planet and old solutions are not working.  We are getting clear messages but we can’t seem to agree on what to do with them.  Our thought forms (attitudes, beliefs and values) are holding us back as we fight over ideas and ideals that are outdated.
  10. We can co-operate with this process of evolution (that we don’t fully understand yet) by consciously activating our ‘superpowers’.  Pressure is building and we need them - now.

Our evolved superpowers
Millennia ago the Greeks believed the Gods hid their powers inside mankind where it was thought we would never look for them.  Looking at the world and the shape it’s in today it seems they were right!  Historically, higher consciousness was explored in cultural contexts, mystic communities, monasteries, shamanic traditions and the like while everyone else went about clambering for survival, power over others and resources.  The medicine men and women, elders and wise ones, mystics and shamans’ and cultural norms evolved into religions and cultures that coordinated us in larger than family or tribal groups - a bigger than family identity.  These bigger groups gave us an evolutionary advantage.  Collectively we were stronger than alone.  Groups have shared beliefs that keep them together and hopefully strong.  Even the biggest groups we identify with are too small for us now and establishing shared beliefs is an arduous process.  We are on our way to one big One human culture with every individual in it expressing their own gifts in the mix, a conglomeration of micro cultures that together expresses humanity.  We are doing this already but the picture is getting ugly.  The shift in consciousness we need now is a huge call when we are so clearly attached (to the degree we will kill) to identities that separate us from others in our minds at the level of our beliefs and values.  I believe we have moved to a new stage in our development where it’s time to transcend our limiting identities and allow them to expand.  They are causing us to war against ourselves - not very bright.  It’s like kidneys fighting the liver - life is better when they work together.  In the same way, it doesn’t have to be a part of ourselves that wins over another part - it could be that we could instead find our way to being our Whole self in which we don’t ever lose ourselves, we actually get to be ourselves.

Just as children grow into adults and (supposedly) leave behind tantrums and self-centredness we are being called en mass to wake up and smell the roses - to grow beyond our own immaturity and limiting identities.  We live in the Garden of Eden in our known universe.  Do we really want to poison our own nest so badly that it’s worth destroying ourselves?  Are we that stupid?  Time to stop the tantrums and grow up.  It’s a long way to the next watering hole.

The great news is we have superpowers ripe and ready to be activated en mass.  We have not yet learned how to use these wisely.  Like children we have used them for self-interest directly (egoic motivations) which was great fun there for a few thousand years - for some.  That fun came at the expense of many though and it just doesn’t feel right to know that and continue to support the systems that perpetuate suffering.  I think we’re better than that. 

This is the true joy of being alive now on 21st century planet Earth and my beginnings of a sketch of our positive potential as I see it.  There is much to be done.  As R. Buckminster Fuller once said “There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth - only crew”.  He also said “If you see a job that needs doing - guess whose job it is?”

Many of us have fantasised about having Superpowers that we could use to really do some good and help good triumph over evil.  Three of what I consider incredible human superpowers are described below along with some tips for consciously activating them.

THREE OF OUR SUPERPOWERS (in no particular order)

  1. Conscious will.  Homo sapien sapien (our species) has conscious awareness: self-reflective consciousness.  This gives us huge power to both create and destroy.  How we use this superpower is determined by many factors including our early conditioning in our own bigger cultural context.  The resulting egoic sense of self as a separate entity solidifies our identity and can end up limiting our inherent potential if we believe that’s all there is to us.  Our egoic identity profoundly influences our motivations and subsequent attitudes and behaviours.  Transcending egoic motivations requires insight, the realisation of a more expanded identity.  Realising we have an ego that is a tool for consciousness to play through us is as profound a shift in consciousness as realising we have a body...or that we have emotions, or that we have thoughts...they are part of us and our expression in the world but not the whole story.  Some call the ego that is aware of itself an ‘aware-go’.  An aware-go can direct the use of will beyond the drive for perceived or reactive individual self-preservation.

  2. Intuition.  Intuition is a deep inner guidance system that operates beyond the superficial emotional responses activated via our sensory experience.  The challenge is to align our conscious will with our inner guidance system which is in itself informed by what some call divine will, or what I call evolutionary integrity.  To tune in to our deepest intuition is to respond to our own personal calling.  We do what we do because we have to rather than because we superficially want to.  The feedback mechanism that keeps us on track is our bliss or “compass of joy” (Barbara Marx Hubbard).  You know you are on track because you feel and sense it deeply and your environment and results in life reflects that.  Using this superpower to inform the conscious use of will becomes habit as we take more responsibility for our own experience.

  3. Imagination.  “Without vision the people perish” (Proverbs).  Our capacity to imagine is only as limited as we are in our own minds.  We have this superpower, to dream new futures and bring them into manifest perceivable reality.  Dreaming is not enough though.  We have to take action that takes us in the direction of our dreams.  By understanding the power of imagination and how it works we can activate a universe of support.  Goethe said it best; “Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.  Begin it now!”  We have all seen big dreams activate collaborative will and manifest miracles.  Imagine that on a larger scale than ever before.  What could be possible if we worked together to solve our problems instead of fighting each other and creating more?

Can you imagine activating these three superpowers?  Can you imagine a new future that resonates deeply with who you are, that is worthy of your greatest aspirations for yourself and your species?  Would you like to feel in the ‘flow’?...that zone where things seem to go smoothly, where challenges activate the discovery of new solutions instead of despair and disappointment.  If you can dream it - you can do it. 

A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTIVATING YOUR SUPERPOWERS (in no particular order - start with any one thing and go from there):

  • Consciously choose to engage your will in your own evolution - say YES to your Self
  • NOTICE what you notice - feel your feelings and choose your actions - pay attention - get off autopilot!  Use “notice what you notice” as often as you remember and your growth will take off.  It’s a wonderful mantra that will provoke you so be sure to treat your results like organic fertiliser for your dreams
  • Get clear about a vision of your future that is so compelling you will be powerfully attracted and motivated to take action in that direction
  • Understand the dynamic of ‘inner first - outer follows’.  Pay at least some attention to your interior life and watch it pay off
  • Take full responsibility for your life and the choices you make as an adult (right or wrong...good or bad - own them, and choose again)
  • Understand you can learn - about anything.  Aristotle once said “The unexamined life is not worth living”.  Learn what shaped you and how you tick (warts and all).  Consider the environment you were raised in...how did it shape you?  Look objectively and accept that it was what it was.  Treat yourself as a learning topic you are keen to study.  It took everything you have experienced so far to get you to here. Celebrate that.
  • Suspend self-criticism and replace it with genuine curiosity and willingness to support yourself. Get on your own team
  • Ask for grace to be present in difficult situations
  • Be present.  Accept what is.  Acknowledge the truth of your situations and make your choices consciously - you are responsible for them whether you accept that or not
  • Choose to be open to releasing resentments, grudges, guilt or the unforgivable (you and others).  Notice what comes your way to assist
  • Understand you are (and always have) done the best you can with the resources you have at any given moment in time.  As you grow your inner resources, your ‘best’ will grow in quality and value - and you’ll enjoy your self and your life more and more
  • ‘Compost the crap’ in your life - especially the early stuff.  Unresolved early ‘stuff’ can be a handbrake.  Get expert help if you need it (you will know).  The results will fertilise your dreams of a new future
  • Learn to use your environment as a powerful feedback tool, especially in the domain of your human relations. Unresolved issues that have become obstacles will show up in your relationships so make the most of the opportunity to learn and grow from them.  This requires really good communication skills - refine yours.
  • “Love brings up anything unlike itself for the purpose of healing” (A Course in Miracles).  Understand that when you choose something in life, everything in the way MUST arise to be attended to.  We call these obstacles and challenges. 
  • Engage in the challenges knowing they are just hurdles on the path to a future you dream of
  • Be still - in whatever way works for you.  There are plenty of meditation practices you can learn or just make time to be with yourself and allow your active mental realm to quieten and rest
  • Journal - writing is a great way to express your inner thoughts and track your process/progress
  • Let your creativity out.  It doesn’t matter how, just choose in a life affirming direction and you will be supported.  Nature seems to favour life so imitate nature
  • Read - there are wonderful resources available (books, articles, videos, audios, courses, ezines etc) on the net and probably where you live - ask others for recommendations and stay alert for signals from the environment (remember the ‘hot/cold’ game we played as children?  Use that metaphor to help you tune in to your own truth)
  • Trust yourself more and take some risks - especially in relationships
  • Practise your communication skills - saying what you mean and meaning what you say
  • Grow your emotional intelligence - this is very important and helps us grow out of egoic reactions
  • Find ‘soul companions’ - people wanting to walk the ‘awake’ path, and share your truths with compassion
  • Be coachable - we all have a never ending learning story if we want it
  • Notice Nature.  Be more conscious in your relationships with our ‘other relations’ - animals and plants - do you respect them?  Allow yourself to notice and be more aware of your surroundings and the ways you interact with them
  • Practise generosity of spirit - active kindness - add more love to the world rather than fear and anger - find ways to be of service to others
  • Practise gratitude - make it a habit - it’s not hard...there is so much to be grateful for
  • Revisit your values - clarify what they are (they are guiding your behaviour) Note: There is a basic values clarification exercise on this site you can use if you like - tell yourself the deepest truth you can doing this - values make up your action platform
  • Look up.  Take time to look at the sky - daytime and night. See yourself as a tiny part of something so magnificent we can’t even comprehend it - know yourself as someone able to make a positive difference by ditching ‘victim’ consciousness and activating your Superpowers!
  • Trust your personal process and the magnificently complex process of life
  • Boldly be your self.  Take a few risks.  Give up procrastination and engage with the gift that is YOUR LIFE.
  • .....what else can you think of??  As you become more aware you will notice and fine tune your relationship with relationships and environment - choose what makes you feel good inside and you can trust you’re on track

Note: By activating your superpowers you will activate an even more purposeful, meaningful and fulfilling experience of life.  Imagine being engaged in work you love, enjoying healthy human relationships with those you love and knowing you are fulfilling your purpose on this earth as a conscious co-creator - with Creation.  Imagine co-operating with the evolutionary integrity of a whole species on its way to full co-ordination.  Imagine knowing you have a part to play in that, a part that makes your heart sing and your life full.  Imagine losing your fear of mortality. 

An old Greek proverb goes “Wisdom is old men planting trees under whose shade they know they will never sit”.  We won’t always see the results of our endeavours in our own lifetimes.  That shouldn’t stop us acting.  Our collective potential is limitless.  We have a long way to go yet on our journey to a fully conscious collective species expression, many problems to solve, much that is not working to let go of and as of now unimaginable futures ahead.  I invite you to play your part as a conscious evolutionary along with the growing numbers who are already leading the way - to tune in to your evolutionary integrity - that which lies deeper than gender and race, culture, religion and nationalism, beyond superficial values and attitudes and beliefs, beyond memes and paradigms and mindsets.  Tune in to the potential of the extraordinary human species of which you are a unique part, consciousness aware of itself and capable of co-creating magic and miracles together here on Earth.

We are one human family - that’s how it is.  Let’s just accept that and get on with what we can do to make happy families - the ones we all yearn for.

I’ll leave the final word for Arthur Ashe:
“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.  It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”

Happy Christmas and may all your deepest wishes come true in 2011,
Amanda

Amanda Fleming
p: +64 21 357753
e: info@amandafleming.co.nz
a: PO Box 56064
Dominion Road
Mt Eden
AUCKLAND