The term holotropic was coined by Stan Grof to depict the energetic movement toward wholeness, which is active at the transpersonal dimension of the human psyche.

Stan and Christina Grof chose the term Spiritual Emergency to describe the impact of  those holotropic energies upon our lives when we are in deep personal crisis. Emergence and emergency share the same Latin root, emergere, meaning bring to light, the cornerstone of healing.

Planet Earth’s present crises are, at their core, manifestations of holotropic emergence. Confusing are the primordial mother goddess Kali’s destructive winds and fits of irrational tantrums as agents of healing, but the illusions that have governed us inwardly and outwardly must be brought to light before the seeds of truth and needed change can be planted and bear fruit.

Inwardly, we must contend with the governance of ego soul, which is shaped by the values of materialistic achievement, dominance, and world view. Reason and powerful defense are its primary preoccupations.

The truths of ego soul’s disavowed wholeness, housed in the depths of the transpersonal unconscious and physical body, generate disease and chaos to shatter the repressive grip of misaligned ego soul. This is Spiritual Emergency breaking down ego soul’s delusions.

How often our dominating materialistic perspective finds us in the emergency room or under the psychiatrist’s medicating wand, as we misread the symptoms of true emergence, asking to bring truths into the light. Of course, we must always address impacts made upon the physical body and material reality, but all crises should also be considered to be the action of holotropic emergence, replete with its healing intent.

Outwardly we are dancing with apocalypse, truly playing Russian Roulette. The thrill of this vicarious brush with absolute power is both addictive and fated to be lived out. Ego soul must test its limits. Inflatedly delusional leaders, who entrance us with their dares, are the actors chosen for this ultimate showdown.

However, we must all assume responsibility as energetic players in this collective drama. We must own the authoritarian dominance of the ego soul, to the detriment of discovering and living our wholeness, as well as our materialistic bias that justifies and maintains the mismanagement of our bodies and the Earth. Through owning and reconciling with our blind spots and disavowed shadows, we are freed to open up to real love.

Reaching the place of real love is the true intent of Earth’s current spiritual emergence. However, to arrive at love, we must experience its fatal blows, as it prepares us to receive it. Mother Nature is rapidly destroying the bounty of her food and shelter. She triggers our reaction of denial and greed, which she meets with even greater conflagration.

Her true motive is to provide us the sobering experience we need to humble our inflated ego souls and align with the greater truth of our interdependent oneness. We must freely choose to come together, and not destroy ourselves. Guides, helpers and saviors cannot rescue us; ego must truly grow up to the truth. Love is a verb that requires maturity to become active.

From the true home of our holographic oneness every individual impacts and is a voting member of our world drama. Every decision and action in our individual lives, particularly the owning and reckoning with our personal shadow selves, is a vote for real love, the next stage of Earth’s spiritual emergence.

May we reach the critical mass needed to advance to love, as we  journey through nature’s pitiless onslaughts, plowing the fields for love’s planting and bearing of fruit.

Remain positive in the knowing that meeting one’s own spiritual emergence with open arms advances our continued collective dream of life on Mother Earth.

Emerging,
Chuck