An article in the June 27, 2024 edition of the New York Times had a headline.

A Rare White Buffalo Calf Arrives in Yellowstone with a Message                               

Welcome to The Soul Podcast. I’m Stacey Wheeler.

The New York Times is now writing about deeply spiritual happenings half a country away. This is one more sign of the Spiritual revolution we are experiencing.

The NY Times article talked about a calf, recently born in South Dakota. The calf was given the name Wakan Gli by the Lakota people and is said to fulfill a Lakota prophecy that brings hope. But its birth is also a sign that more must be done to protect the Earth, a Lakota spiritual leader Chief Arvol Looking Horse says. 

With the arrival of a white buffalo calf, the legend says the Earth is at a crossroads.

The White Calf is a sacred symbol which goes back before recorded history. It’s a message of hope, Looking Horse says. But it is also a warning “that a spiritual awakening must happen,”

Are we at a crossroads? Are we entering a new phase of human spiritual evolution? Many think we are.

You may have heard it put many different ways. The Age of Aquarius, The Shift, The Great Awakening, The New Earth, The Dawn of a New Era, The Age of Enlightenment, The Era of Spiritual Transformation. It’s been said many ways, but it means the same thing. 

These terms imply significant changes or transitions in consciousness and spiritual awareness.

They denote a period of increased spiritual awareness and awakening on a collective scale.

These concepts suggest a transformation or shift towards a higher level of consciousness and existence. 

They highlight a period where individuals or humanity (as a whole) undergo profound spiritual changes.

These terms and descriptions often stem from interpretations of astrological ages, spiritual prophecies, or philosophical frameworks that anticipate or describe a shift in human consciousness and spiritual awareness.

So, what does it mean to be Spiritually Awakened? 

This idea is so very open to personal interpretation.  Interestingly, I enjoyed the definitions I found in an article from Psychology Today, which I’ve found to be surprisingly spiritual in its thoughts and teachings.

Psychology Today defines, the characteristics of Spiritual Awakening (or what they call “wakefulness”) this way… (this is from an article by Steve Taylor Ph.D.):

Wakefulness is a state of expansive and intensified awareness. In my research, I have found that this state incorporates four different aspects or domains. The first domain is perceptual awareness. When a person awakens, the world around them becomes more real, beautiful, fresher, vivid, and alive. Things considered ordinary become more beautiful and fascinating. It's as if a veil falls away, and suddenly, an extra dimension of reality is added to the world.

The second domain is an intensification of subjective awareness. We become aware of a new depth and richness within our own being. We travel deeper into ourselves, becoming aware of potentials and energies we didn't sense before.

Thirdly, spiritual awakening is an expansion of intersubjective awareness. This refers to our connection with other human beings, living beings, and the natural world. In a spiritual awakening, we gain a more intense connection. We feel an intense sense of empathy and an intense sense of compassion for others. This is why awakening is associated with compassion and altruism.

So, Aspect one: We see the world differently and more vividly -and with a new appreciation.

 Aspect two: We see ourselves differently – in beautiful ways we have not previously. 

Aspect three: We feel a connection with other people and other living beings. Empathy and compassion grow in us. 

Have you felt these symptoms of awakening? 

I’ve been through all of the aspects mentioned in the article. I’ve felt this emergence for several years. And I’ve seen it working in the lives of friends. They are having similar experiences. But that is a subjective experience. I wondered if the rest of the world was feeling it. I wanted to look for evidence the awakening is happening. 

So, I went to the leading place people seek answers to questions online. This well-known search engine has a simple tool to check the status of ideas people are curious about. So, I looked at statistical data that could shed some light on the state of the world’s spirit.  

And the stats show continued growth in spiritual interest. 

This is what I found…

In Dec 2020, The search term Spiritual Awakening - Peaked, to its highest level and continues to be higher than its 20-year average

The search term Spiritual -Has been on a continuous upward trend since late 2010, with no signs of shrinking. 

And when I check the search term What is a Spiritual Awakening? -I found it had quadrupled between late 2018 -2020 and continues to be more than double its 20-year average.

If you’ve ever wondered if it was just you… it’s not. We’ve entered a time of societal spiritual ascension. 

There are many other signs we’re becoming more spiritual in the world today. The signs can be seen through various trends and behaviors in different cultures and societies. 

So, what are the signs?:

·         Increased Interest in Meditation and Mindfulness

·         Massive Growth in the Popularity of Spiritual Literature and Media

·         Growing Acceptance of Alternative Healing Practices

·         Decline in Organized Religion and Rise in Spiritual Exploration

·         Global Movements for Peace and Unity

·         Interest in Ancient Wisdom and Indigenous Practices (Ayahuasca, etc.)

·         Scientific Research on Consciousness and Spirituality

·         Community and Connection through Spiritual Groups

·         Emphasis on Personal Growth and Self-Actualization

·         Mindful Consumption and Ethical Living

These signs show a shift towards a more spiritually aware and conscious global population. People are seeking deeper meaning, connection, and purpose. They seem to be finding it in spiritual practices. 

For more than 100,000 years the human brain space and central nervous system has been nearly the same. The central nervous system has not changed as far as can be seen, and the brain pan has not grown since before saber tooth tigers and wooly mammoth roamed the earth beside early man. In fact, the brain space has been on a trend to shrink during that time, rather than grow –though this shrinkage has been small. (reference here )

As far back as we can see into the history of humans, there has been an element of spirituality to us. And we can see back quite a long way.

There was a ceremonial burial found in cave in Kenya, East Africa. It was of a child 2 ½  – 3 years old. The child was laid in the grave in a fetal position, as if sleeping. This shows reverence for the human life and the death process. And this grave is dated to 78,000 years ago. So, 72,500 years before recorded history people felt the same attachment to a child we still do today. There is a spiritual aspect to this burial.

Another grave was discovered, which was dated to around 35,000 years. Site the specific grave location name. It shows an even higher level of spiritual thought. In these graves were found grave goods. Items like weapons and beads were placed with the dead. This was a time before any written language existed so, we must make our best guess for why they would do this. There was no monetary system as there is today. Weapons and jewelry would have had to be traded for or made by hand. The items left with the dead would have been considered quite valuable by the standards of their time.

These were hunter gatherer tribes, in a time before agriculture had been developed. Weapons were one of the primary means of survival. People did not abandon a weapon without a compelling reason. So, what was the compelling reason to leave a weapon with the dead? It seems that the reason was likely for the dead to take into the afterlife. These graves are one of the earlies known references to the spiritual nature of humans.

Returning to the original point, these people were anatomically the same as us today. If you had the ability to give them the knowledge and tools we have today, they could be taught to use those tools as we do. The primary differences between them and us are, the technology available and the cultures we live in. The same can be said for every person that followed over the next 30,000 years.

If we jump forward to the great thinkers, such as Aristotle, Plato and Marcus Aurelius, who lived just 3,000 years ago –it is the same. Their intellectual capabilities were the same as ours. They could think and reason the same as we can. The primary differences were technology and culture. And even then, around 3,000 years ago, the great thinkers were asking the big questions about the meaning of life and the spiritual nature of humankind.

It seems there’s always been a spiritual aspect to our human existence.