Life is change. Our lives ceaselessly change every second we live within it. When a species that walks this planet encounters a significant change species-wide, we call that change evolution. As human beings, we have gone through several such evolutions. Some of those changes were physical as we look at our progression from the men and women of “cave man” times. Other changes were mental, as we formed complex social structures, began to rely on agriculture and farming, our progression to the Industrial Age, and our solid hold on the Information Age. There are many people in the field of human potential and spiritual development that believe the next evolution will be a spiritual evolution. However, this evolution is different from all of the known previous evolutions that have taken place.

This cycle of evolution will focus more on the individual and that individual’s ability to connect with spiritual energy. During this spiritual evolution, we will discover the oneness of all things. We’ll understand that the entity we call God is not a being, but rather an energy that exists within all things. We are a part of that spiritual energy and it is a part of us. All of our efforts in this next age, whatever it will be called, will be towards connecting to spiritual energy.

This evolution period consists of people choosing to analyze their current beliefs, exploring their true potential, becoming true individuals, and using meditation or meditative prayer as a way to connect to this infinite intelligence system. Peter Russell, author of “Waking Up in Time” describes connecting to the infinite spiritual energy through internal contemplation this way:

“The love of God. This is the love of which the great religions have spoken – the love of God. If God (and each of us has our own interpretation of that word) exists and loves us, it is not because of something we have done. God does not judge us as good or bad. Such judgments stem from our own needs, not God’s. Nor does the love of God depend on how earnestly we worship God. That is merely another projection of our needs. The love of God is a love for our being, for the inner essence that dwells within us. This is the way we want others to love us. We want to be loved just as we are. Moreover, it is the way we would prefer to love others. To know the love of God is to have unconditional love in our own hearts. We want to be able to love in this way because inside we know that it is more lasting and more deeply satisfying than any conditional love.”

Today, there are two species of human on the planet. You cannot differentiate these two species physically or by evaluation of mental capacity. One species of human believes they are a physical being. If you are a part of this species of human, you believe that you are your body, your beliefs, your cultural grouping, your socio-economic status, your race, your gender, your sexual orientation, your experiences, your memories, and your accomplishments. The other species of human believes they are one with God and that God is one with them. They believe that we are all interconnected and a part of the energy that pervades everything. This species believes that we are merely different expressions of the same energy, similar to how water can be expressed as gas, ice, mist, snow, rain, dew, salt water or fresh water. It’s all water, but in distinctly different forms. As humans, we all have different forms, different languages, and different cultures, but we are all spiritual energy. We need merely to change our perception to recognize that fact.

The species of human that believes they are physical is the majority species on the planet today. When believing that we are our bodies, beliefs, or social classification, we create conflict. Our view that we are all different is solely responsible for every war ever fought over religion, property, human rights, or national power. It is because we believe we are different from one another that we then believe one must be superior to another. Slaves from Africa were only considered to be two-thirds human in the United States, which explains why it was easy for slave owners to treat the slaves so brutally. In American society, we see examples every day of people classified as rich gaining preferred treatment in the justice system, where someone less financially fortunate would not gain such leeway.

As we look at decades of fighting in the Middle East, we see a prime example of groups that believe themselves to be separate and distinct. Each group has caused pain and suffering for the other. Each group is responsible for taking over the other’s personal property, for driving the other out of the land through force, for killing people of all ages and within both sexes, and for trying to get the world to side with their cause. The irony is that they fight over land, which is held in high esteem within Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – three of the largest religions in the world.

In the United States, we continue to deal with issues such as racial profiling, homophobia, selective hiring, exclusive neighborhoods, and a general intolerance for anything different from mainstream society. We have gotten better. We have come light years in terms of the expression of such hatred and negativity. However, lack of expression does not mean the energy of hatred and negativity has been eliminated. It is socially unacceptable to become violent for any reason these days. This is a step in the right direction, but the violence is a symptom of a deeper problem. Society is eliminating a symptom, but the problems of separatist thinking lives on and is thriving.

The species of human that lives on the planet that believes they are a part of the energy of God and that energy is a part of them is a true minority, but is growing in numbers every day. If you are a part of this species, you believe that we are not separate beings, but different expressions of the same energy. In fact, not only would humans be a part of this energy, but literally all things. All animals, all trees, the chair you sit in, the computer you work on, the car you drive, and the clothes you wear are all a part of that all encompassing spiritual energy.

Those who want to connect to this energy consciously understand that they must be at peace to do so. In reaching spiritual energy, one must let go of thoughts and beliefs that prevent them from perceiving it. Imagine an onion. At the center of the onion is your soul. You must peel back all the layers of that onion before you reach the spiritual energy at its core. Each layer of the onion represents old beliefs or ways of being that continue to promote the thought that you are separate from everything else. As you peel back each layer, you are able to experience more and more of the higher consciousness. Your life begins to change as your thoughts about life change. Peeling back all of the layers can be a life long pursuit. In fact, you may not fully experience the level of spiritual energy in this lifetime. However, just peeling back one layer will profoundly affect your life.

This evolution is a conscious one. It is an evolution that, for now, you can choose to participate in. There is something known as “critical mass,” which explains that when enough members of a species encounter the same change, the rest of the species will change with it. Therefore, it is entirely possible that at some point, if enough people choose the path of spiritual evolution, the entire human population could become one species again. A species that is reaching for its full potential, and full becoming what we know we can become…great!

Author's Bio: 

James LeGrand is the Author of "Evolve!", an Amazon.com best seller in Religion and Spirituality. He is also the publisher of http://www.SpiritualIndividual.com, a free weekly newsletter that presents solutions to life’s issues through the lens of self-help, wisdom, philosophy and spirituality. In addition, James LeGrand is a Life Strategist, an Expert Author with SelfGrowth.com & EzineArticles.com, a former Radio Personality, a Fortune 500 Vice President, and a Sifu in Shaolin Kungfu, which has been known for centuries as a pathway to spiritual enlightenment.