One of the greatest needs of humanity today is the coming into oneness, or the nurturement of a sense that the individual is intimately connected to the planet Earth and universe as a whole. The Egyptian alchemical symbol of the Ouroboros (shown here), the snake that bites its own tail, means “All is One.” Alchemy as a means to produce human transformation of consciousness is about the process of an individual coming into “oneness” through the integration of the psyche, soul and spirit. This process is called individuation. It is the ultimate goal.
The human collective is currently biting its own tail by not changing the paradigm of economic growth and excessive consumption of the Earth’s resources. According to the Global Footprint Network and WWF 2006 Living Planet Report, in 1961 humans were using about half the planet's biocapacity. We began exceeding the Earth’s life sustaining capacity in the late 1980’s. In 2003 over 1.25 times the biocapacity was being used. Moderate projections suggest that by 2050 demand for the Earth’s resources will be twice as much as the planet can supply. However, after overshooting capacity for 50-70 years, the natural capital needed to meet these needs may be depleted. Two of the most extreme environmental ramifications of this human behavior are the sixth mass extinction event currently taking place on the planet and the increasing temperatures from global climate change. Scientists have determined that this is the first time in the Earth’s history that either of these events were caused by humans. Clearly radical human transformation is required to alter the current path of destruction. Will you begin your alchemical transformation and become a part of the solution?
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