The new spiritual awakening... and poly?

[rolypoly]

This was inspired by Manno's post Paradigm Shift to Polyamory. This is what I thought that post was going to be about:

Whether or not people are aware of it, there is a significant paradigm shift occurring on this planet right now. I am feeling it in unusual ways. Synchronicities, parallel themes, people around me adopting a different language, etc.

I feel in my heart that we as a species are coming to a turning point in evolution. Recognizing the bond we all share, just beginning to acknowledge the tip of the mysterious iceberg we call our Universe....

And I wonder how polyamory may fit into this. Poly has been around for centuries, so perhaps not. It just seems to me that being open to loving many is congruent with being open to recognizing that we're all "ONE".

:p My airy-faerie rant for the morning.

roly

[greenearthal]

A new consciousness can't get here fast enough.

I have seen glimpses of it: large gatherings of folks who feel free to be themselves, mindful of the interconnected web of life around them and respectful of the individual entities therein.

[rolypoly]

I'm seeing it too.

Lately, it's been everyone experiencing synchronistically that they can no longer exist under the same rules anymore. What needs changing is going to come to a head right now.

[redpepper]

I have felt it too... people doing stuff they swore they would never do... it makes me have so much hope for our planet and the inhabitants of it... I just wish more people would get on board with making this world a whole world of huge consciousness. Not in terms of religion, but of being aware of everything on a worldly level.

[rolypoly]

Isn't it wondeful! I can't wait until it's wildfire.

[Sweetheart]

Yes, we often comment on it. There are so many changes happening, and in so many different areas of society.

In relation to the OP, poly does seem to be a part of this transformation. Who knows what role it will take in the coming years?

Perhaps it will eventually replace traditional old-world polygamy in some cultures...

[NeonKaos]

I'm just wondering what evidence there is of this.

I see this "new consciousness" happening with individual people every once in a while, but I don't see evidence of large groups and societies awakening to some sort of new-age we-are-all-one-big-happy-family type of thing.

Even the people who thought Barack Obama was going to fix everything are starting to wake up to a reality-check.

[rolypoly]

I don't see evidence of large groups and societies awakening to some sort of new-age we-are-all-one-big-happy-family type of thing

http://theshiftmovie.com/
www.emergingearthangels.com/
http://www.celestinevision.com/celestine/forum/viewforum.php?f=20

[MonoVCPHG]

http://theshiftmovie.com/
www.emergingearthangels.com/
http://www.celestinevision.com/celestine/forum/viewforum.php?f=20

I think Ygirl meant it is not visibly obvious. If I want to dig around I can also find information that there is a reptilian race disguised as humans LOL!

[NeonKaos]

I think Ygirl meant it is not visibly obvious. If I want to dig around I can also find information that there is a reptilian race disguised as humans LOL!


You are correct Mono, that is what I meant. I might add that it is not visibly obvious TO ME.

Also (and I don't mean to sound obnoxious), but I don't consider links to URL's about movies being made and message boards discussing something to be "evidence". If that were the case, anybody could write about anything and post it on a website, and it would make that thing "true".

ETA: I did click those links but I did not read everything that was on them.

[MonoVCPHG]

It's not obvious to me either Ygirl....but those creepy fucking alien reptiles are :eek:

[NeonKaos]

It's not obvious to me either Ygirl....but those creepy fucking alien reptiles are :eek:


Wanna buy home-made weather balloon?

CHEAP!

(Six-year-old not included)

[MonoVCPHG]

Wanna buy home-made weather balloon?

CHEAP!

(Six-year-old not included)

Ohhh that is soo funny!!

[NeonKaos]

Ohhh that is soo funny!!

If only it weren't so true too.

[rolypoly]

I don't get the weather balloon joke.

But, yeah, I hear ya YGirl, it's not exactly everywhere, this paradigm shift. I like to surround myself in my happy place, so to me it's everywhere. ;)

The jury's still out for me about lizzies.

[NeonKaos]

The weather balloon joke stems from Mono's comment about the reptilian aliens.

recently, there was a family in colorado who pulled a publicity stunt where they convinced everyone that their 6 year old son "accidentally" got launched in a weather balloon. The husband of the family is a nut who thinks that alien reptiles walk among the population as shape-shifters.

Google "richard heene" for more.

[rolypoly]

Sounds dramatic. :p

[NeonKaos]

Sounds dramatic. :p

That's what we were all supposed to think. For 15 minutes :P

[rolypoly]

LOL :p

[River]

I share in YGirl's open-minded skepticism about the presence of an actual global transformation for the better.... The trending direction is apparently toward an ever worsening global extinction crisis -- with global warming potentially getting worse and worse and potentially bringing out our own and most other species on the planet ... while all the while most everybody prefers to pretend that we can and should keep our fossily fueled "normal" lives just as they are.

Delusions come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

[Rarechild]

Shit, how did I miss this thread before!? I been writing papers.

YES to human beings being at a turning point in evolution. I only have to look at my own life as a woman as opposed to the blink of an eye of 100 years ago to see the compounded miasma of technology and culture has accelerated our potential wisdom as a species. Potential, I say. :)

I have seen some parallels between the less prejudicial, less male dominated, less roman catholic ideals that are held by people today and, with the debate hot over what marriage really is, polyamory for me personally is the next step in MY evolution anyway.

Gosh, i like this forum.
-R

[Sweetheart]

Thank you, Rarechild, you said it well.

[rolypoly]

I agree. Thanks for your input! This is a topic that interests me a lot. :)

[CabbageTheif]

i think that the difference between the lizard-theory and the evolution of mind is the pure bulk of it. what the skeptics of the posted hypothesis argue is that if they post something about lizard peopel then there is evidence that humans believe this. while true, i would have to point out the sheer VOLUME of things that support the hypothesis.

it is argued that a few links to movies in the works are hardly evidence to support this theory. but i argue this :would those movies have gotten backing ten years ago? twenty? thirty? although they did not have movies like we do, would a book on these topics a century ago have gotten published? two centuries ago?

it is theorized in the pagan community that the current age is comming to a close and that the following age shall have within it a large time of major chaotic shifts. shifts of power, shifts of thought, shifts of theology and philosophy... all of it. not dissimilar to what happened in europe after the fall of the roman empire.

just my thoughts.

[rolypoly]

...and change can come quickly

[NeonKaos]

it is argued that a few links to movies in the works are hardly evidence to support this theory. but i argue this :would those movies have gotten backing ten years ago? twenty? thirty? although they did not have movies like we do, There were/are movies like that, and they DID get "backing". They are called "science fiction". And there was only ONE link to a movie mentioned in this thread. The other two were to a forum and to someone's blog, which do not require "backing", only an internet connection.



it is theorized in the pagan community that the current age is comming to a close and that the following age shall have within it a large time of major chaotic shifts. shifts of power, shifts of thought, shifts of theology and philosophy... all of it. not dissimilar to what happened in europe after the fall of the roman empire.



Yea yea. The whole "Age of Aquarius" thing.

I might point out that after the Roman Empire fell, there was a period known as the "Dark Ages", where information, goods, and services became localized and scarce. This lasted for a good 400 years or more.

The end result was widespread Christianity, and domination by the Catholic Corporation in particular.


...and change can come quickly

I can believe that things can quickly change for the worse before they get better.

[Quath]

I think we are in an interesting in human devopment. We have widespread knowledge through the Internet. We have a strong lessing of power in fundamentalist religions. And we have a strong advance of science and technology.

I think "Intelligent Design" will be a better model to understand the future of humanity rather than evolution. (At least I hope.) Evolution has gotten us here, but we are changing faster than evolution works. We will start modifying our genetics - get rid of genetic diseases and gradually accept enchancements. We will become more cybornetic as we accept nanomachines and cell phones integrated into our bodies. We will change our base biological behavior. Why use evolution's solution when we can decide for ourselves what we should feel. Maybe lower our aggression? Maybe increase our desires?

Now I see this happening over hundreds of years. I can also see many ways this could all fail and we enter another dark age. However, I have a lot of optimism that we can keep advancing.

For me, polyamory is part of this change. One step on the path.

[CabbageTheif]

i think, ygirl, that you are getting caught up in the nit-picky details of it. fact is that many things considered taboo are no longer (homosexuality, polyamory), whereas many things often ignored (if not condoned) are now condemed for the better (child labor, slavery, pedophilia)

all the details you and rolypoly mentioned as proofs are just that; details. the overall is no different, and i think supports what rolypoly originally posted

[NeonKaos]

I wasn't trying to "prove" ANYthing.

Details are important. No good can come by ignoring details.

We're talking about a "global transformation", and that would include China, Africa, etc. where the population are still struggling with things like basic hygiene, human rights, and having enough to eat.

We really do need to think first of the LOWEST common denominator before cavalierly tossing around expressions like "global transformation". The fact of a small segment of the population having access to the latest technologies does not a "global transformation" make. Declaring such a thing to be so does not in fact make it so.

I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry and all that, but sorry, I can't jump on this "cusp of human evolution" bandwagon just quite yet.

Besides, I never could stand the smell of Patchouli.

[MonoVCPHG]

We really do need to think first of the LOWEST common denominator before cavalierly tossing around expressions like "global transformation". The fact of a small segment of the population having access to the latest technologies does not a "global transformation" make. Declaring such a thing to be so does not in fact make it so.

.

I'm with you Ygirl. I've been to Chine, Japan, Thailand, the Phillipines, Korea, and many countries in the Middle East and cities in the US. These broad statements of world shift do not come from a place of walking the streets of these places. If there's any major shift it's mostly internal to modern western civilization and primarily in small groups or online where many people seem to live thier lives....which makes me look in the mirror....hmmm.

Now those reptilians..they're fucking real! :rolleyes:

[River]

The best guage of generalized "spiritual" growth on our planet, I think, is how appropriately responsive we are to the global ecological crisis, including global warming. So, at present, we're not earning As or Bs. We're getting a D- at best, but an honest grade would be an F.

If you think the worst part of global warming / climate change will be sea level rise, I'm afraid you're missing the worst of it by far: climate zone shifting ... and positive feedback loops which, together, could extinguish most of the species on the planet, including, of course, our own.

All of this can be addressed -- but we're not doing it. Not by a long shot. And the governments can't lead the way, and won't. It is we, the people of the planet and not our governments, who prefer to pretend that business as usual can go on. Who refuse to transform our lives so that we can live in balance with nature. How "spiritually enlightened" is that?

[Fidelia]

The best guage of generalized "spiritual" growth on our planet, I think, is how appropriately responsive we are to the global ecological crisis, including global warming. So, at present, we're not earning As or Bs. We're getting a D- at best, but an honest grade would be an F.

If you think the worst part of global warming / climate change will be sea level rise, I'm afraid you're missing the worst of it by far: climate zone shifting ... and positive feedback loops which, together, could extinguish most of the species on the planet, including, of course, our own.

All of this can be addressed -- but we're not doing it. Not by a long shot. And the governments can't lead the way, and won't. It is we, the people of the planet and not our governments, who prefer to pretend that business as usual can go on. Who refuse to transform our lives so that we can live in balance with nature. How "spiritually enlightened" is that?

Amen to that, River! We must, each one of us, take the steps we can take RIGHT NOW to reduce our negative ecological impacts. And support one another in the effort to do so.

Fidelio and I started years ago, and have made some significant strides. We built and live in an ICF (insulated concrete form) house, which is VERY energy efficient (also very quiet and a highly defensible position). We use rainwater harvesting exclusively to supply our household water needs. As a result, we have the highest quality water and are very aware of how to conserve it. What landscaping we've done is xeriscaping (native and adapted plants that require little or no help from us, once established.).

Granted, not everyone is in a position to build a house with ecology and conservation in mind. But everyone can do something starting right where they are. CFL lightbulbs. Low flow plumbing fixtures. Public transportation. Unplug stuff you aren't using. It's not that hard, and everyone can do something.

One big challenge, maybe the biggest, we faced when we were designing and building the house was resistance and even ridicule from our friends and family, and the community at large. We caught SO MUCH flak from our nearest and dearest, trying to save us from ourselves as we pursued this goal. Of course, now that we've been doing it all this time, and they can see that it all fits together and works, they've quit giving us a hard time. Seeing how little we spend each month on energy and utilities, some have even come around and started making some changes in the ways they do things. Or at least considering the possibilities. But it was so discouraging, to me at least, to be trying to do the right thing for the right reason and be met with such consistent pessimism and resistance. I love Imaginary Illusion's signature line: “People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

It can be done. It must be done. Let's get it done! At the very least, let's stop giving the stink-eye to those who are doing it.

[NeonKaos]

CFL bulbs are the biggest environmental scam of the new millenium.

They use less electricity per lumen but the toxic waste (Mercury) more than offsets any benefit they purport to offer. If people are too lazy to put their plastic in a recycle bin, how do you expect them to save their CFL's and properly dispose of them?

Even ordinary BATTERIES are nasty; we've been dumping them into landfills for DECADES, showing no signs of letting up on their usage.

I am so "guilty" of buying into this myself; fortunately, where I work, we have a waste stream dedicated to lightbulbs and batteries and I SAVE mine and dispose of them that way. But this is not a mainstream thing. Ya think that folks who are struggling just to keep food on the table are gonna give two shits about mercury in the groundwater? I KNOW that not to be the case. Most people are living paycheck-to-paycheck and have NO CLUE where babies come from or how to prevent them. In fact, the most LIKELY "global transformation" would be one similar to what happened when the dinosaurs died off (except Humans = Dinosaurs).

Having said all that, I'll be one of the first to ride the Captain's Mystery Ship if it ever sails up to my San Francisco Bay.

[Fidelia]

CFL bulbs are the biggest environmental scam of the new millenium.

They use less electricity per lumen but the toxic waste (Mercury) more than offsets any benefit they purport to offer. If people are too lazy to put their plastic in a recycle bin, how do you expect them to save their CFL's and properly dispose of them?

Even ordinary BATTERIES are nasty; we've been dumping them into landfills for DECADES, showing no signs of letting up on their usage.

I am so "guilty" of buying into this myself; fortunately, where I work, we have a waste stream dedicated to lightbulbs and batteries and I SAVE mine and dispose of them that way. But this is not a mainstream thing. Ya think that folks who are struggling just to keep food on the table are gonna give two shits about mercury in the groundwater? I KNOW that not to be the case. Most people are living paycheck-to-paycheck and have NO CLUE where babies come from or how to prevent them. In fact, the most LIKELY "global transformation" would be one similar to what happened when the dinosaurs died off (except Humans = Dinosaurs).

Having said all that, I'll be one of the first to ride the Captain's Mystery Ship if it ever sails up to my San Francisco Bay.

Thanks for the stink-eye, YGirl. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

[NeonKaos]

Thanks for the stink-eye, YGirl. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

If there's one thing I'm good for, it's a bit of the ol' stink-eye.

I wish we had a "stink-eye" smiley!

But on topic, are you saying that Mercury in the groundwater and/or atmosphere is a GOOD thing? What exactly is your point?

MY point was that every "solution" has a downside, and we would be wise to recognize that BEFORE the solution becomes worse than the problem.

Getting all huffy because I pointed out A FLAW in part of the plan is more like giving ME the stink-eye, don't you think so? I didn't diss your cement house, low-flow plumbing or public transportation. So why are you so upset about me pointing out a fact about CFL bulbs? They DESERVE the stink-eye. You SHOULD be thanking me, for real, not sarcastically. But you're welcome anyway. Sincerely.

That is all.

[Fidelia]

What exactly is your point?
My point, YGirl, is We must, each one of us, take the steps we can take RIGHT NOW to reduce our negative ecological impacts. And support one another in the effort to do so.

Getting all huffy because I pointed out A FLAW in part of the plan is more like giving ME the stink-eye, don't you think so? I didn't diss your cement house, low-flow plumbing or public transportation. So why are you so upset about me pointing out a fact about CFL bulbs? They DESERVE the stink-eye. You SHOULD be thanking me, for real, not sarcastically. That is all.
I'm not huffy or upset, Ygirl. I do find it interesting that you assume I am.

As for CFL's, you may have information I haven't been exposed to yet. I'll look into that. But let's assume for discussion's sake that you're 100% correct and use of CFL's should be stopped. I have the same opinion for them, in that case, that I have of using corn for ethanol, or any other flawed attempts to move us toward sustainability. At least they demonstrate recognition that there is a problem, and willingness to move toward a solution. It would be wonderful if we could foresee every possible consequence before we embark on any given course of action. Occasionally we can, but many times we have to make the best judgement we can with the information we have available to us at the time. And be willing to adjust and correct as better information becomes available.

But the success or failure of any one aspect of the move toward sustainability does not negate the need for, or the urgency of, the movement as a whole.

[NeonKaos]

My point, YGirl, is


I'm not huffy or upset, Ygirl. I do find it interesting that you assume I am.

As for CFL's, you may have information I haven't been exposed to yet. I'll look into that. But let's assume for discussion's sake that you're 100% correct and use of CFL's should be stopped. I have the same opinion for them, in that case, that I have of using corn for ethanol, or any other flawed attempts to move us toward sustainability. At least they demonstrate recognition that there is a problem, and willingness to move toward a solution. It would be wonderful if we could foresee every possible consequence before we embark on any given course of action. Occasionally we can, but many times we have to make the best judgement we can with the information we have available to us at the time. And be willing to adjust and correct as better information becomes available.

But the success or failure of any one aspect of the move toward sustainability does not negate the need for, or the urgency of, the movement as a whole.

You sounded huffy the way you quoted my whole message and said I was giving you the "stink-eye".

Anyway, as far as taking steps "right now" is concerned. If you go back and re-read my post, I didn't say that we should STOP using them. I said that they should be DISPOSED OF IN THE APPROPRIATE WASTE STREAM, WHICH FOR THE AVERAGE CITIZEN, THERE IS NO EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. The way it is now, people are chucking them in the regular garbage, which does not equate to doing the best thing, even in the short term.

Now that you have been exposed to "new information" (which is not that new), will you stick your head in the sand, or will you USE the "new information" to make more intelligent choices and act more responsibly? Once you "look into it", let us all know.

Finally, I have never denied that there is a need for a "movement as a whole". This thread has evolved from a debate about "global transformation" to a debate about the need for environmental remediation, and I never had an argument with your position regarding that. I am, however, skeptical about the vast majority of people being willing to cooperate unless some sort of incentive and/or deterrent system is put in place by government and beaurocracy. Recently my city has done this by requiring trash to be confined to special containers issued by the city, and charging money for certain items to be picked up curbside (for example, it costs $60 to have a couch taken away - they sent out brochures that have prices listed menu-style what it costs for different things to be removed). I personally think this is GREAT, but there are those who moan about not being allowed to throw away as much as they please whenever they want. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I can also GUARANTEE that I am more of a recycling fanatic than EVERYONE on this forum PUT TOGETHER, so I'm not even going to GO there.

But I wish you wouldn't argue with me when I was actually AGREEING with you. That shit blows chunks.

ETA: you're going to find a lot of links that say the mercury content is not dangerous if the bulb is broken. They're talking about what if you break a bulb now and then in your own home. I'm talking about environmental hazards that are caused by a cumulative buildup resulting from the disposal of these bulbs in large quanities. These articles may not come to the surface readily in a google search.

[Quath]

I saw a good TED talk on how third world countries are currently matching industrial countries in lifespan and number of children. We still have a ways to go to get all countries on an equal footing, but in some ways we are doing better than we would think.

I do share some of Ygirl's concern on the solution of some of the problems. Sometimes we make things worse when we try to make them better. Like organic farming is an example of that. It uses a lot more land for the same food yield and it is no healthier than what was produced in the first place. It just makes food more expensive and it causes more land to be developed.

[Fidelia]

. . . I wish you wouldn't argue with me when I was actually AGREEING with you. That shit blows chunks. I was just thinking the same thing.

[NeonKaos]

I do share some of Ygirl's concern on the solution of some of the problems. Sometimes we make things worse when we try to make them better. Like organic farming is an example of that. It uses a lot more land for the same food yield and it is no healthier than what was produced in the first place. It just makes food more expensive and it causes more land to be developed.

Of course you do realize that "sustainable" farming is not synonymous with "organic" farming?

(This discussion will inevitably progress toward the topic of overpopulation so I might as well put that out there right now.)

[CabbageTheif]

every solution has a downside.... i think thats fair, and the way the whole world works.

you cant create something out of nothing. it all comes from somewhere. whether you make energy in your body by consuming food (the downside generally being for whatever it is you are eating) or you rush a vaccine onto the market because of public pressure (the downside being unexpected side effects) or what, there is always give and take.

[PittDruid]

My thoughts about the world changing, is that the bad always comes before the good. So we may be in for some rough times before everything equals out.

[Quath]

Of course you do realize that "sustainable" farming is not synonymous with "organic" farming?

(This discussion will inevitably progress toward the topic of overpopulation so I might as well put that out there right now.)
Yes. I like the goals of a lot of the enviornmentalists. I just may not always agree with the methods.

[rolypoly]

http://realitysandwich.com/polyamory_parade/

[Rarechild]

TED

Yay TED!

[Nyx]

Amen to that, River! We must, each one of us, take the steps we can take RIGHT NOW to reduce our negative ecological impacts. And support one another in the effort to do so.

It can be done. It must be done. Let's get it done! At the very least, let's stop giving the stink-eye to those who are doing it.

Unfortunately, there are a huge number of people who make up this country who are very uneducated, very ignorant, very selfish, and very lazy. I have a name for them that I will not post here as it is very offensive. You can see a lot of these people in the aisles of Walmart, for example, wandering around like zombies: their only goal is to feather their nest with bits of cheap plastic.

They care not where these items come from, the impact the mining, production, and wastes created by these cheap goods have on the environment, not to mention the lives of the people in far-off lands who are actually working to create them - people whose lives are pathetically miserable, who make no money, who are SICK and DIE because of their need to work creating these products that we take for granted.

I was in JCPenney today with my mom (black friday of all days) and I realized how obscene our consumption of cheap crap really is! The one store is filled to the brim with junk, junk, junk and there are tens of thousands of these stores worldwide! When I started to mentally envision the amount of resources being used and abused in the creation of these consumer "goods" my head started to reel.

But as I was saying, there are far too many people who can't seem to stop, or don't see any purpose in stopping, the insane consumption of this Stuff. Many people are so blind to their "need", their "desire" for useless junk that gets inevitably tossed out within months of its purchase....only to cause the "need" to go purchase even more to replace it. Our homes are FILLED with piles of THINGS. To REAL poor people in China, India, Nepal, even the poorest American is wealthy beyond belief. We take our abundance for granted.

Many people are too scared to stop. Many people are addicted, slaves to consumption. Our children are slaves to consumption. It is maddening that people, HUMANS, are trampled to death because everyone was in a rush to purchase the last Playstation in the store.

I have no faith that this attitude will change. I have no faith that everyone will wake up one day and see that the cycle is being caused by our "need" for cheap crap, our "need" to replace our computers every year, our "need" to upgrade to the latest and greatest video game system, our "need" to have the latest fashion jeans. Where do we think this stuff comes from??? And where do we think it GOES??? We are so far removed from the reality of all this that many people don't bother to think about it. And if you try to tell them, inform them, they DO NOT CARE. All they care about is the Stuff. :mad:

[NeonKaos]

Unfortunately, there are a huge number of people who make up this country who are very uneducated, very ignorant, very selfish, and very lazy. I have a name for them that I will not post here as it is very offensive. You can see a lot of these people in the aisles of Walmart, for example, wandering around like zombies: their only goal is to feather their nest with bits of cheap plastic.

They care not where these items come from, the impact the mining, production, and wastes created by these cheap goods have on the environment, not to mention the lives of the people in far-off lands who are actually working to create them - people whose lives are pathetically miserable, who make no money, who are SICK and DIE because of their need to work creating these products that we take for granted.

I was in JCPenney today with my mom (black friday of all days) and I realized how obscene our consumption of cheap crap really is! The one store is filled to the brim with junk, junk, junk and there are tens of thousands of these stores worldwide! When I started to mentally envision the amount of resources being used and abused in the creation of these consumer "goods" my head started to reel.

But as I was saying, there are far too many people who can't seem to stop, or don't see any purpose in stopping, the insane consumption of this Stuff. Many people are so blind to their "need", their "desire" for useless junk that gets inevitably tossed out within months of its purchase....only to cause the "need" to go purchase even more to replace it. Our homes are FILLED with piles of THINGS. To REAL poor people in China, India, Nepal, even the poorest American is wealthy beyond belief. We take our abundance for granted.

Many people are too scared to stop. Many people are addicted, slaves to consumption. Our children are slaves to consumption. It is maddening that people, HUMANS, are trampled to death because everyone was in a rush to purchase the last Playstation in the store.

I have no faith that this attitude will change. I have no faith that everyone will wake up one day and see that the cycle is being caused by our "need" for cheap crap, our "need" to replace our computers every year, our "need" to upgrade to the latest and greatest video game system, our "need" to have the latest fashion jeans. Where do we think this stuff comes from??? And where do we think it GOES??? We are so far removed from the reality of all this that many people don't bother to think about it. And if you try to tell them, inform them, they DO NOT CARE. All they care about is the Stuff. :mad:


Nyx, I'm really glad you took the time to make this post because I agree with everything you said, only I didn't have the energy to get into all that by myself. I quoted the whole thing in case something should happen to change your mind and cause you to edit your original post.

I'm an antiques buff, by the way :cool:

[River]

Oh-yeah! There are certainly a lot of sleepwalkers among us -- and a huge wake up call is brewing ... as this present "economic downturn" is PERMANENT, not temporary. We've arrived at peak net energy and peak oil ... and lots of other peaks ... and global warming.... And still far too many are sleepwalking.

But still I have hope that we can transition to a better world. I have to have such hope, and I also have to help make it happen.

Please, people, educate yourselves on the backstory of what's going on. The links in my signature will help with that, and offer guidance on where to turn for more. Do not despair, join the efforts of transformation instead.

[Quath]

Nyx, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I think we should learn to be happy with what we have. Sustainable happiness comes from appreciating the life you have, not the life you wish you had. You can't buy your way into happiness.

Now that being said, we need to be careful about picking on Walmart customers and Walmart itself. They used goods and services from very poor countries which could involve child labor and sweat shops. But that is not necessarily bad. When industrial countries have closed down or tried to stop sweat shops, it is really the children and poor that suffer from this effort. A lot of the time, the choice for a child is sweat shop or prostitution. I see it as the lesser of the evils. Plus over time, the country gains wealth and may eventually prosper. I am not saying that I like sweat shops, but I don't want to cause more harm by shutting them down.

River, I have been very interested in the energy problems facing the world. I got my degree in nuclear engineering & health physics. From my perspective, we need to invest in better and cleaner energy sources. It will take some time to go from fossil fuels to cleaner energy. Oil production ispeaking, so we will probably start using tar (twice the carbon emissions) or liquified coal (also bad on carbon emissions).

I think solar, nuclear and conservation will be the longer term solutions to energy production. They both can use more R&D. For example, one proposal that my lab is working on is using fusion and fission to burn fuel. It is designed to get rid of high level waste. Not real sure if it will work, but so far there are no show stoppers.

I think we are all hoping for a better world where we are happier and are getting our needs and desires met.

[MonoVCPHG]

When industrial countries have closed down or tried to stop sweat shops, it is really the children and poor that suffer from this effort. A lot of the time, the choice for a child is sweat shop or prostitution. I see it as the lesser of the evils. Plus over time, the country gains wealth and may eventually prosper. I am not saying that I like sweat shops, but I don't want to cause more harm by shutting them down.

.

I could not have said that better. Great perspective.

[River]

River, I have been very interested in the energy problems facing the world. I got my degree in nuclear engineering & health physics. From my perspective, we need to invest in better and cleaner energy sources. It will take some time to go from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.

I'm of the opinion that diligent study reveals that peaking oil and gas production represents a far more precarious, even dangerous, situation than most of us realize. Precarious and dangerous because our present economy livelihoods are utterly dependent on the immediate availability of cheap oil and gas, which -- I think -- will not and cannot remain cheap enough for very long before we have serious and permanent infrastructure failure.

Careful study reveals that alternatives (including and beyond renewables) of various kinds will almost certainly take, at least, decades before going fully "on line". And that means that we will be seeing TEOTWAWKI (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/TEOTWAWKI) before we see an energy renaissance or "technofix".

Nuclear is a bad idea for myriad reasons which shouldn't need spelling out: insurance companies won't touch it, governments would have to "insure"; no safe and effective waste-disposal solutions; uranium availability limits when in high global demand... on and on and on....

We're at peak net energy -- never again will we have the quantity and quality of energy we've had for the last hundred years. Capitalist industrialism will and must gradually put itself out of business -- and that leaves one available option, a return to much higher levels of LPLC (local production for local use) and a more or less agrarian way of life for future humans.

It will have to be a lifeway in which the baubles of consumerism are few -- but it may be a very good quality of life, nevertheless. Gardening, after all, can be fun -- as is riding a bicycle.

[redpepper]

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

just in case you haven't seen it.

[redpepper]

River, Mono and I looked at your threads here.


http://transition-times.com

http://transitionculture.org

Very interesting, what is your involvement?

[Quath]

Careful study reveals that alternatives (including and beyond renewables) of various kinds will almost certainly take, at least, decades before going fully "on line".
I think a lot of the alternatives don't become attractive until gas is over $4 a gallon. Luckily people are starting to get use to the idea that gas is going up and slowly changing their lifestyles (less SUVs and living closer to work). If gas keeps rising, new plants will open up once they become economical. But they need to feel certain that gas will stay high before companies invest in these alternatives. This will also push the market to go more for battery powered cars (but they still have a ways to goin R&D).

Nuclear is a bad idea for myriad reasons which shouldn't need spelling out: insurance companies won't touch it, governments would have to "insure"; no safe and effective waste-disposal solutions; uranium availability limits when in high global demand... on and on and on....
I have to disagree with this point. The problems with nuclear power are the result of misinformation and politics. They government needs to work out a policy to protect electricity companies from endless lawsuits. They also need to work on carbon emission taxes to push for cleaner fuels.

I am against our current implementation of nuclear power where we use a tiny fraction (1%) of the fuel and encase the rest in glass for long term storage. We should be using breeder reactors which can in theory burn all the fuel. We currently have about 230 years of uranium fuel at the current burn rate. With breeders, we can extend that to 30,000 years. Or if we don't, we can use salt water extraction for 60,000 years. The problem with breeders is they produce plutonium as they generate fuel. We have to protect the plutonium because it is chemically easier to use to make bombs than enriching uranium.

We're at peak net energy -- never again will we have the quantity and quality of energy we've had for the last hundred years. Capitalist industrialism will and must gradually put itself out of business -- and that leaves one available option, a return to much higher levels of LPLC (local production for local use) and a more or less agrarian way of life for future humans.
Local production is sometimes not the best solution. It may take more energy to grow locally than it would be to grow in another country and ship across the seas. For efficiency sake, local producetions evolve into a warehouse model over time, which is what we currently have in a global market.

It will have to be a lifeway in which the baubles of consumerism are few -- but it may be a very good quality of life, nevertheless. Gardening, after all, can be fun -- as is riding a bicycle.
I agree that we will probably have to cut back on what we consume today. A lot of the wealth in the US comes from cheap labor in other countries. However, buying the cheap labor makes them more prosperious until they are no longer cheap labor. I think this is good, but it also means that productivity growth may not stay at the same level (about 1 to 2.2% based on different definitions).

[River]

River, Mono and I looked at your threads here.

http://transition-times.com

http://transitionculture.org

Very interesting, what is your involvement?

My involvement is that I'm a serious student of the subject matter. I was very much interested in this sort of thing even before lots of folks said we'd arrived at "peak net energy" / peak oil.... Burning a lot less fossil fuels also, of course, helps to address the climate change problem.

I've been "green" and "ecological" in my thinking and lifestyle since I was a kid, pretty near. I've been reading myriad subject areas all my adult life which relate to this sort of thing. Remember Schumacher's "Small Is Beautiful"? Well, I read it as a kid -- really. (You may have never heard of the book. Sigh.)

I'm working on a blog post -- though I'm not sure where I'm gonna publish it quite yet. I could post it on the Transition US site, or maybe I'll create my own little blog...? In any case, I'm going to be rolling out some writing projects. I'm about to hit 44!--and it's overdue for me to start singing in public.

===

Quath, I'll respond to your reply as soon as time allows.

[GroundedSpirit]

I see some good stuff here from different people regarding our "hope" for change. Myself, I'm afraid I've become pretty skeptical for some time that any solution short of large scale annihilation won't happen in time. Just start over. Atlantis revisited <chuckle>
On the other hand - I try to foster hope.
For anyone interested you might find this book interesting. Although it's got a lot of material regarding capitalistic marketing etc the "concept" is there and leads you to wonder if the momentum is building in a direction that may soon "tip" in favor of survival'


The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell,

GS

[Catfish]

I believe in the collective unconscious. I believe that, in the last hundred or so years, we have begun the slow, painful process of becoming a truly global society. With technology at our fingertips, we are beginning to evolve into something the human race has never had the opportunity to become. A global village. Our interconnectedness is becoming more of a known reality everyday, but I don't think we're anywhere near the precipice of global enlightenment. In fact, I don't think this will happen for a few more centuries, but I do believe it will happen.

I am, at heart, an optimist. I believe in the innate goodness of all people, but I am not naive enough to think that goodness and technological advances are enough to bring us into a new age of spiritual awakening. That, in my experience, comes from trauma. We must make our mistakes fully to understand what is at stake. In this context, that means wars, ecological disasters, human rights atrocities and the like must all be fully experienced for the collective unconscious to shift to a place where we are one connected, enlightened community.

These are heady concepts, to be sure, but even the most ignorant Walmart shopper; even the most impoverished laboring child; even the most power hungry war-monger is subject to influence by a collective wave of mass empathy. Is this tsunami upon us? No. Is it building? I sure as Hell hope so.

I am not a religious man by any means, but I consider myself very spiritual. I have faith that every human has the capacity to look beyond how their society has taught them to act and to see what their true nature is. The more love we give to the world, the more love will be received.

Spiritual awakening? Not yet, I think. We're still dreaming.

[NeonKaos]

Our interconnectedness is becoming more of a known reality everyday, but I don't think we're anywhere near the precipice of global enlightenment. In fact, I don't think this will happen for a few more centuries, but I do believe it will happen.


According to Star Trek, it's not supposed to happen until we AT LEAST invent the Warp Drive (Faster-Than-Light travel, for those of you who don't speak Star Trek).

[Catfish]

According to Star Trek, it's not supposed to happen until we AT LEAST invent the Warp Drive (Faster-Than-Light travel, for those of you who don't speak Star Trek).

Large Hadron Collider?

[River]

Food For Thought
- My new blog
http://mind4food.blogspot.com/

[Quath]

Food For Thought
- My new blog
http://mind4food.blogspot.com/
Congrats on the blog. I am sure it will be a pretty interesting experience. :)

[River]

Thanks, Quath. ... Feel free to post comments at my new blog whenever you like. Same invitation to others here.

[redpepper]

I love you River, just saying. I too was a "green child" I'm soo happy to here others were too.

This all makes me think of Crystal Children, anyone know of that idea? theory? I read a bit about it when my boy was young. Very interesting and is becoming more and more studied.... it's rather flaky so beware, but I can't help wonder why so many are beginning to wonder what these changes are that we feel happening to our people and our earth.

[Ceoli]

I'm of the opinion that diligent study reveals that peaking oil and gas production represents a far more precarious, even dangerous, situation than most of us realize. Precarious and dangerous because our present economy livelihoods are utterly dependent on the immediate availability of cheap oil and gas, which -- I think -- will not and cannot remain cheap enough for very long before we have serious and permanent infrastructure failure.

I completely agree with this, though I'll add that another huge, globally transforming problem that is far too under the radar is the rapid privatization of water. This not only immediately affects the economies of many places, but has an immediate and direct effect on the lives and health of billions of people in the developing world.

[Ravenesque]

I completely agree with this, though I'll add that another huge, globally transforming problem that is far too under the radar is the rapid privatization of water. This not only immediately affects the economies of many places, but has an immediate and direct effect on the lives and health of billions of people in the developing world.

This trend is disturbing. This problem was highlighted in a course I took on sustainability in Africa which focused on the environmental problems that are plaguing many there. I will post the title of the book we used. It is about 20 years old but still pertinent.

In poorer areas there is a lack of running water and people (very often women and children) have to travel miles to a standpipe or creek to gather water. The lines to gather water are long. It is a heavy burden to bring back. Nearby creeks are very often riddled with disease.

And so it has become a business to sell water at exorbitant prices. It is not like buying an Aquafina here to quench a moment's thirst. It is buying your drinking water... and your cooking water and your bath water from those who want to capitalize on the situation.

It is unfortunate.

~Raven~

[Ceoli]

And so it has become a business to sell water at exorbitant prices. It is not like buying an Aquafina here to quench a moment's thirst. It is buying your drinking water... and your cooking water and your bath water from those who want to capitalize on the situation.
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It's also become a source of political struggle. There are countries that live downstream of water supplies that are finding their reserves dried up due to countries located further upstream damming those supplies for themselves. I think pretty soon we'll be finding that most of our wars will be fought over water rather than oil.

[Ravenesque]

A situation was brought up in the same course where a country was dumping their waste near another poorer country and contaminating their water.

The water situation does seems a lot scarier than the oil issue. It is something you find yourself definitely taking for granted.

[GroundedSpirit]

It's also become a source of political struggle. There are countries that live downstream of water supplies that are finding their reserves dried up due to countries located further upstream damming those supplies for themselves. I think pretty soon we'll be finding that most of our wars will be fought over water rather than oil.
I would be worth noting to everyone concerned that the big corps are also impacting local aquifers - setting up huge bottling operations fed from local aquifers and even draining THEM dry for all the surrounding landowners !
We recently passed a local ordinance prohibiting such operations but surrounding towns/cities must do the same because of the geo spread of those underground aquifers.
It's something all citizen should be aware of and make sure your local governments/councils are also.

[Ceoli]

Oh, absolutely! Corporations are a huge problem in this. A town nearby tried to fight a bottling company down here in drought ridden Florida and failed. It'll only get worse, and I doubt people are really interested in regulating the stuff.

There's a great documentary called "Flow" that's worth watching about this.

[River]

I think pretty soon we'll be finding that most of our wars will be fought over water rather than oil.

There's a lot to be said for the perspective in that quote (above), but I would like to point out a crucial difference between oil (and fossil fuels, generally) and water. Terrestrial water is part of what is called "the water cycle." It is a cycle because water never really leaves the system. It doesn't get burned up -- like oil or coal.

Instead of disappearing, or being used up, water keeps cycling. And so long as it can be filtered or purified -- by natural or artificial means, all is well.

The problem is that (a) fresh water often becomes so polluted that recirculating it for use can be impracticable -- often because too expensive to do so, (b) local sources are improperly used, as in misalocation of precious resources -- this often has an ecomomic class basis, but also ties in with other misalocations, e.g., using lots of water to grow crops for export or to feed animals rather than people....

For millennia, water has been used to carry away wastes and pollutants. The so-called "developed world" does this in a big way by furnishing almost all houses with flush toilets--even in arid deserts, or during drought. Composting toilets are a viable alternative which allows the elimination of sewer/"brownwater" systems. All household drainage could be what is called greywater, and could serve to grow gardens, orchards and nearby urban polyculture.

One has to wonder about people who piss and shit in their drinking water and who insist that this is quite a civilized thing to do.

[Justbeloving]

This was inspired by Manno's post Paradigm Shift to Polyamory. This is what I thought that post was going to be about:

Whether or not people are aware of it, there is a significant paradigm shift occurring on this planet right now. I am feeling it in unusual ways. Synchronicities, parallel themes, people around me adopting a different language, etc.

I feel in my heart that we as a species are coming to a turning point in evolution. Recognizing the bond we all share, just beginning to acknowledge the tip of the mysterious iceberg we call our Universe....

And I wonder how polyamory may fit into this. Poly has been around for centuries, so perhaps not. It just seems to me that being open to loving many is congruent with being open to recognizing that we're all "ONE".

:p My airy-faerie rant for the morning.

roly

This is an old thread but being new here and exploring this wonderful forum I would like to comment.

For some time now I too have felt that there is a "shift" happening. Significant to me personally, the awareness that has enveloped me has brought me to where I am now. Difficult to express in most circles is the fact that this inhibited woman developed into a sexually expressive woman as my relationship to my heavenly Father developed true intimacy. Never in a million years did I feel it possible or necessary to "talk" to Him about my sexuality and my feelings concerning that aspect of my life. Who prays during sex? Sadly, not many have even thought of the idea or if they have it was considered wrong. My relationship with Him, the ability to express all of my hurts, fears and desires & recieving His immense love & thoughts about me brought me to polyamory. Mind you, I was never aware that there was such a word or way of life. I only knew about polygamy. My knowledge of polygamy was limited to the oppression and control of women of which left a bad taste in my mouth.

Outside of myself and in my circle of influence, I have observed minds becoming open, an external awareness of others and the epiphanies of our connectedness they experience. I've seen church elders finally accept exciting new ways of worship, breaking away from the dogma of tradition. I could go on forever...

It's beautiful and exciting to observe in others and experience ourselves. It gives me hope in my heart that one day we can all, justbeloving.

[idealist]

I heard this recently. "Humans are the universe becoming aware of itself."

[Justbeloving]

I heard this recently. "Humans are the universe becoming aware of itself."

WOW!! Brilliant observation! The thought that came to me when I read that is... that the universe expressed itself through the creation of humans ... "humans are the universe becoming aware of itself"... would be like coming full circle wouldnt it?

Just a thought, sometimes there is no real logic behind them, but thats what makes me who I am ;)

[weareone]

Quote -It just seems to me that being open to loving many is congruent with being open to recognizing that we're all "ONE". - end quote

That is what has brought me here. I have had my spiritual awakening and was wondering how it will manifest in my love life. one of the teacher's I like Adyashanti says relationships will change from being about sex to being about oneness. So I have started to study tantric sex as I'm very interested in energy and how wonderful this oneness experience is and how to bring it into my sex life. Seems like many men are scared of me right about now. lol There is a large group of oneness blessors collecting more and more as 2012 approaches. you can google oneness blessing or Deeksha if you are interested in the movement spearheaded by Sri Amma Baghavan and the oneness university in India. Serious movement occurring but more needs to help usher in 2012. I can see poly becoming more and more normal at least for me.

[rolypoly]

This is an old thread but being new here and exploring this wonderful forum I would like to comment.

For some time now I too have felt that there is a "shift" happening. Significant to me personally, the awareness that has enveloped me has brought me to where I am now. Difficult to express in most circles is the fact that this inhibited woman developed into a sexually expressive woman as my relationship to my heavenly Father developed true intimacy. Never in a million years did I feel it possible or necessary to "talk" to Him about my sexuality and my feelings concerning that aspect of my life. Who prays during sex? Sadly, not many have even thought of the idea or if they have it was considered wrong. My relationship with Him, the ability to express all of my hurts, fears and desires & recieving His immense love & thoughts about me brought me to polyamory. Mind you, I was never aware that there was such a word or way of life. I only knew about polygamy. My knowledge of polygamy was limited to the oppression and control of women of which left a bad taste in my mouth.

Outside of myself and in my circle of influence, I have observed minds becoming open, an external awareness of others and the epiphanies of our connectedness they experience. I've seen church elders finally accept exciting new ways of worship, breaking away from the dogma of tradition. I could go on forever...

It's beautiful and exciting to observe in others and experience ourselves. It gives me hope in my heart that one day we can all, justbeloving.

This is beautiful!!

I really like this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhzj9X8vQBU&NR=1 Sex can most definitely be sacred and spiritual.

I'm glad you've opened up and found a new perspectiveE :)

I heard this recently. "Humans are the universe becoming aware of itself."

YES!! This is amazing, I've "known" this since I was little, but there were so few people I could talk to this way. I would extend this beyond humans. Everything is conscious. The Universe is expanding and learning about itself through consciousness.

When you see it this way, the stories of our lives become just stories. And you can hold within you the awareness that you are the Universe, experiencing this life. Love with others is love with yourself is.... love...

relationships will change from being about sex to being about oneness. So I have started to study tantric sex as I'm very interested in energy and how wonderful this oneness experience is and how to bring it into my sex life. Seems like many men are scared of me right about now. lol There is a large group of oneness blessors collecting more and more as 2012 approaches. you can google oneness blessing or Deeksha if you are interested in the movement spearheaded by Sri Amma Baghavan and the oneness university in India. Serious movement occurring but more needs to help usher in 2012. I can see poly becoming more and more normal at least for me.

I looked it up, thanks for the info. How wonderful!

[dragonflysky]

This is an old thread but being new here and exploring this wonderful forum I would like to comment.

For some time now I too have felt that there is a "shift" happening. Significant to me personally, the awareness that has enveloped me has brought me to where I am now. Difficult to express in most circles is the fact that this inhibited woman developed into a sexually expressive woman as my relationship to my heavenly Father developed true intimacy. Never in a million years did I feel it possible or necessary to "talk" to Him about my sexuality and my feelings concerning that aspect of my life. Who prays during sex? Sadly, not many have even thought of the idea or if they have it was considered wrong. My relationship with Him, the ability to express all of my hurts, fears and desires & recieving His immense love & thoughts about me brought me to polyamory. Mind you, I was never aware that there was such a word or way of life. I only knew about polygamy. My knowledge of polygamy was limited to the oppression and control of women of which left a bad taste in my mouth.

Outside of myself and in my circle of influence, I have observed minds becoming open, an external awareness of others and the epiphanies of our connectedness they experience. I've seen church elders finally accept exciting new ways of worship, breaking away from the dogma of tradition. I could go on forever...

It's beautiful and exciting to observe in others and experience ourselves. It gives me hope in my heart that one day we can all, justbeloving.
I so agree with these thoughts/viewpoints. I see myself as "evidence" that there are shifts happening. Is it "worldwide"? Who knows? The collective unconscious has been mentioned, and if one believes in that concept than changes or shifts typically start with a few and then seem to "spontaneously" happen with more and more of a population/species, e.g. "the 100th monkey."

My personal "evidence". I'm a 55 year old Caucasian female. I was born in small town USA with a stay-at- home mother and "bring home the paycheck, minimally involved" father. Raised in a conservative protestant Christian church, e.g. "born again". Christianity as the only "way" to salvation, to God. Not only was "interracial" marriage frowned upon, marriage between a Catholic and Protestant was suspect, bordering on "unequally yoked"!! Homosexuality was seen as a "sin", an "abomination" against God. If you were divorced, it was abnormal and you were typically seen as a potential threat to couples being a "single divorcee" (female). Remarrying, except if your original divorce was due to adultery, was considered to be committing adultery! (Heck when I was growing up there were only two families in town that were divorced in a population of 2,000!!) "Good" women were not supposed to drink alcohol and certainly never be seen with a "cigarette hanging out of their mouth"! In fact, even men who drank and smoke were considered suspect in terms of their being considered a "good Christian".

Today I no longer consider myself to be a "Christian". My spirituality is more Native American based, as I have Vision Quested, participated in sweat-lodges, etc. My "God/Goddess/Higher Power" doesn't really have a specific name or gender. There is no such thing as "unequally yoked" in my mind related to any race, ethnicity, gender or sexual persuasion/preference. I've been married and divorced twice and certainly am not shunned as a "sinner". My marriages have been based on "equality", not restrictive traditional role based.

Women were "property" who couldn't vote not all that long ago. They couldn't own property, and certainly wouldn't set foot outside the home to work without much disapproval and gossip coming their way. Legalized slavery was a part of our country not all that long ago. Vietnam brought out large amounts of protesters who refused the draft, left their country, etc. (I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this...just that it was rather atypical for one not to do as they were told by the government when it came to "serving one's country" in the time of war.) "Sex" was a forbidden topic. Heck, I remember when I started my menstrual periods in 6th grade, I didn't even know why women had periods! (No sex education or discussion with my mother. It was too embarrassing of a topic for her.) As a child I didn't even know what a female's genitals were called. All I ever heard was the word "penis", related to my brothers. Women as doctors, lawyers, upper management executives? They were certainly the "minority" when I was growing up making my career choices. Females couldn't even wear pants to school until I was in high school...and then not jeans until my senior year in high school. The creation of the birth control pill gave greater sexual and reproductive freedom that my mother didn't have in her early reproductive years.

Polyamory? I never heard of it until about 6 months ago, and now I'm considering it as a part of my life.

Yes, many in our world are still barely existing with substandard housing, food, water, etc. But change it is a coming!

[pneuma]

Polyamory and Permaculture are the new spirituality I see coming on so quickly. The first is about loving freely, responsibly and deeply with consensual partners who are into the whole spectrum of loving more, more loving. The second is about bonding, blending and vibrating with Nature . our Mother. So we are incepting a permaculture-polyamorous intentional community network that practices secular spirituality, known as "ENHANCING LIFE". It's so simple when you can focus on common values together. The idea is living for what really matters inside biocircles, extended families. eg growing food...etc We are in New England. pneuma

[neegoola]

from italy i may say we are starting in these last year seeing T-shirts or things like that pointing how some kind of foolishness in the couple love-game as it was learn to be during this last thousand years, especially.
still there are not so many input towards positive, constructive options (in terms of polyamory) but good steps in Openness to polythinking.

[ladyslipper]

My astrological 2 cents regarding the seeming shift toward non-monogamy:

Pluto is the planet of death and rebirth, destruction and power and whose purpose is to transform or deconstruct (sometimes destroy) that which is no longer just, valid or serving it's purpose. From 1972 to 1984 Pluto transited the sign of Libra which is the sign of relationships (romantic or otherwise) and of how the self relates to the other. Libra seeks that delicate balance between partnership and autonomy. It is the sign of seeing ourself through others. For those born between 1972 and 1984, whose natal Pluto is in the sign of Libra, a deep and meaningful look at marriage and relationships would be one interpration of this placement in your chart. Transformation of this aspect of society would be catalyzed by Pluto in this sign. So during this transit we saw the rise of the divorce rate and the liberation of women from the kitchen (or other traditional realms)!

Uranus is another outer planet with generational effects. Molly Hall calls it "the provocateur, the bringer of the cosmic wake-up call for both individuals and the collective as a whole". With Uranus in play we must expect the unexpected. It is the planet that rules invention and ingenuity. The great disrupter. Whereas Saturn forces us to be mindful of structures or to work within structures, Uranus would have us throw those structures out the window. This past March, Uranus moved into Aries, where it will spend the next 7 years. Aries is opposite Libra on the wheel and as it's opposite sign it embodies the opposing ideas of Libra: where Libra seeks growth and transformation through relationships Aries is there to go it alone. Where Libra is concerned with the other, Aries is concerned with the self. It is a masculine sign of freedom and autonomy.
Uranus' transit through Aries will activate (at varying times) all those Plutos in Libra!

To my mind, this all dovetails into the shifting ideas of marriage and partnership. I can't speak for global changes but certainly western culture is experiencing a shift. But I do think that all over the globe there are other signs of the shift, polyamory is less in the public eye than gay marriage but gay marriage falls under the same umbrella of challenging tradtional ideas of partnership and we've recently seen many countries declare their support for what was once a cultural taboo.

On a side note, Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2008, where it will challenge the very foundations of our society, power structures and traditions.
More on that from Molly Hall here: http://astrology.about.com/od/plutoincapricornto2023/qt/PlutoCap.htm

Just more food for thought...

[Snowdancer]

Society changes painfully slow and not always in the direction you want it to go. The most important changes are always the ones you make within yourself.