Let’s deal with some facts:

• God has not blessed America—or any other country or leader.
• It is not necessary to accept Jesus—or even love him—to be eligible for heaven.
• It is not necessary to accept Allah to be eligible for heaven.
• God loves atheists and infidels as much as anyone else.
• There is no heaven or hell.
• Just about everything the Ayatollahs—Christian or Muslim—tell us about God is wrong.

The list could go on. One predictable aspect of the great Shift in 2012 is the rise of dogma—of a dark, foreboding, and controlling version of human existence that stands in direct opposition to the freedom, creativity, and self-empowerment that will hallmark the post-2012 world. The worst offenders—also predictably—are the religionists who have dominated humanity for centuries. Whether evangelical Christians, ultra-orthodox Jews, fanatical Muslims, or members of lesser known sects, they intend to impose their narrow belief systems on the rest of us, and their efforts can be expected to intensify. Potentially, it is the most dangerous aspect of the 2012 shift.

Partly, the rise in dogma is the result of fear. The energetic underpinnings of the known world are vibrating at harmonic levels and rates of change never before experienced by humanity. Every aspect of life, from daydreams and thoughts to geological structures and government institutions, are in a deep state of flux. The normal response is to hunker down, keep safe, and return to verities. For the masses of people, religion is the opiate that has kept them calm throughout the centuries. In a time of great turmoil, it is natural to return to this drug and increase the dosage.

But the rising orthodoxy is closely related to the central dynamic of 2012: the choice between love and fear. 2012 brings with it the ‘dividing of the way,’ as it is known in metaphysical texts. Every human will be forced to confront their hopes and fears, and to choose a path for themselves. No judgment is attached to the choice (God does not judge, either), but the individual choice will have soul consequences. A commitment to love and freedom will enhance the opportunity for growth and unlimitedness. A decision to abide by dogma or impose dogma on others will limit experience and very likely result in a slower entry into the next dimension of consciousness.

This is also normal. The universe evolves through polarity, the counterpoint of energies that oscillate between love and freedom, and control and dogma. Every planet experiences the Choice. In 2012, humanity—for the first time in earth’s history—is confronting this choice directly.

But it is important to know that, in comparison to other planets, religious dogma has acted as a straight jacket on human aspirations, subverting the normal human impulse to know God directly in favor of priests and texts. This control mechanism has lightened considerably in the last few decades, as more of the population breaks free and embarks on an individual spiritual path. But as the year 2012 progresses—and even beyond 2012 for several years—we should expect that the guilt, dogmatic certainty, and the narrow gateway to salvation established by organized religion to be unceasingly pushed onto the rest of us.

This is the rise of the dark side, and it is crucial that those on the planet committed to love and freedom stand resolutely against dogma. Many people will be swayed and mesmerized by the promises of religion; they will see no other way out and become more fanatical as unrest rises.

For those committed to a positive, loving future, the path is clear. Resist fanaticism of every religious stripe. Work for peace and understanding. Practice tolerance, even when tested. Remain open, appreciative, and non-judgmental.

Most of all, keep your eye on the prize: your own path to God.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 12:50 pm and is filed under default. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.