Should The Concept of Spiritual Awakening be More Mainstream? Moving the Overton Window.
- Sameer
- Apr 7, 2024
- 7 min read
In the last few years we have seen what were once fringe topics enter the mainstream, such as the UFO/UAP phenomenon and psychedelic research. The implications of this includes funding for academic research, normalisation and validation for those who have had experience, and public policy shifts to allow some of the benefits to enter society for example the medicinal use of psychedelics. This shift from fringe to the main stream is called moving the ‘Overton Window’.
The Overton Window is a concept used in political theory to describe the range of ideas that are considered acceptable and mainstream within a particular society or political context at any given time. Named after its originator, Joseph P. Overton, the window represents the spectrum of policies or positions that are deemed politically feasible or viable by the public, media, and policymakers. Ideas or policies that fall within the Overton Window are generally seen as reasonable, acceptable, and within the bounds of mainstream discourse. Conversely, ideas or policies outside of the window are considered radical, extreme, or fringe and are less likely to be seriously considered or supported by the general public or political establishment. The Overton Window can shift over time due to various factors such as changes in public opinion, political leadership, social movements, or external events. Shifts in the Overton Window can lead to changes in political priorities, policy agendas, and the types of policies that are enacted by governments. However, its application can extend beyond politics to include concepts such as spiritual awakening. In contemporary discourse, spiritual awakening often lies beyond the Overton Window, labeled as fringe or radical. Yet, moving the window to make spiritual awakening conversations aceptable can foster numerous benefits and potentially change society. Necessitating exploration and advocacy for its normalisation can we make it ok to talk about Spiritual Awakening in mainstream discourse?
Why Should we do this?
Mainstream discussion could lead to more public support and understanding for individuals going through the process, as well as to more research and funding. There is also the need for the implications of spiritual awakening to be better understood for example collective awakening suggests some kind of societal change. Here are a few examples of the benefits of moving the Overton Window on spiritual awakening:
Individual Awakening
1. Support for Individuals: Spiritual awakening journeys can be tumultuous, with individuals often navigating uncharted territories of consciousness. Normalising discussions around spiritual awakening can offer crucial support networks and resources for those undergoing such experiences. By validating these experiences in mainstream discourse, individuals can find solace, guidance, and a sense of belonging during their transformative journeys.
2. Mental Health Misdiagnosis: Misinterpretation of spiritual awakening symptoms as mental health disorders is not uncommon. By moving the Overton Window to include discussions on spiritual awakening, there is an opportunity to enhance mental health literacy and mitigate misdiagnoses. This shift can facilitate better-informed healthcare practices and interventions tailored to individuals undergoing spiritual awakening experiences.
3. Better Training and Education: Integrating discussions on spiritual awakening into educational curricula and professional training programs can equip caregivers, therapists, and educators with the necessary tools to support individuals effectively. Enhanced training can foster empathy, understanding, and competence in addressing the diverse needs of individuals navigating spiritual awakening processes.
4. Research and Integration: Allocating resources for research on spiritual awakening can deepen our understanding of its psychological, physiological, and societal implications. Investigating integration methods and outcomes can inform evidence-based practices, facilitating smoother transitions for individuals post-awakening. Additionally, integrating insights gained from spiritual awakening experiences into broader societal frameworks can foster empathy, interconnectedness, and collective well-being.
Collective Awakening
Some of us believe that this phenomena is a precursor for a coming collective spiritual awakening reflecting a bigger change and bigger questions. The answers will help us shape society and the future. Bringing these ideas into the mainstream will help us bring about this change with less friction.
Questions that need to be brought into the mainstream:
Is there something about collective spiritual awakening that is evolutionary?
Collective spiritual awakening refers to a shared or synchronised shift in consciousness and awareness among groups or communities of people. Such collective awakenings often arise in response to global crises, cultural upheavals, or transformative social movements, signalling a collective evolution in human consciousness and values.
Collective spiritual awakenings can catalyse societal transformation by fostering greater empathy, compassion, and cooperation among individuals, transcending boundaries of race, religion, and nationality. These evolutionary shifts in collective consciousness can inspire collective action towards building more sustainable, equitable, and harmonious societies grounded in principles of interconnectedness and mutual respect.
How could collective spiritual awakening affect the wider world?
Collective spiritual awakening has the potential to catalyse profound shifts in societal structures, values, and priorities, with far-reaching implications for the wider world. As individuals awaken to deeper truths of interconnectedness, compassion, and unity, they may feel compelled to address systemic injustices, environmental degradation, and social disparities with renewed urgency and commitment. Collective spiritual awakening can inspire grassroots movements, political activism, and innovative solutions to pressing global challenges, fostering a more compassionate, sustainable, and equitable world for future generations.
What does spiritual awakening tell us about the nature of our reality?
Spiritual awakening offers profound insights into the nature of reality, consciousness, and existence, challenging conventional understandings of the material world and the self. Through spiritual experiences, individuals may come to perceive reality as interconnected, dynamic, and imbued with meaning and purpose beyond the physical realm. Spiritual awakening suggests that consciousness is fundamental to reality, transcending the limitations of time, space, and individual identity. These experiences invite contemplation on the nature of reality as inherently spiritual, holistic, and participatory, inviting individuals to explore questions of existence, purpose, and the interconnectedness of all life.
The relationship between trauma and spiritual awakening
There seems to be a relationship between trauma and awakening. On one hand trauma can be a catalyst for awakening, and on the other hand repressed trauma can be released by an awakening. If we better understood this relationship we might have an important insight into how we can individually and collectively heal trauma, how the body stores trauma and how we can better understand our relationship with trauma and suffering. I think that if we can really understand what is happening to us with regards to trauma this can lead to profound social change.
How can we move the Overton Window with regards to Spiritual Awakening?
1. Sharing Stories and Networks: Encouraging individuals in the integration stage of spiritual awakening to share their stories online, create supportive networks, and engage in open discussions can destigmatise the phenomenon and promote normalisation. Providing platforms for dialogue and connection can foster a sense of community and empowerment among individuals navigating similar journeys.
2. Awareness Campaigns and Content Creation: Launching awareness campaigns and creating content that elucidates the phenomenon of spiritual awakening can reach diverse audiences and challenge misconceptions. Leveraging various media platforms, including social media, podcasts, and documentaries, can disseminate information and spark conversations that contribute to shifting societal perceptions.
3. Academic Research and Mainstream Coverage: Securing funding for academic research on spiritual awakening can elevate its credibility within scientific and academic circles. Concurrently, seeking mainstream media coverage while developing alternative channels of distribution can amplify visibility and foster broader societal acceptance. By positioning spiritual awakening as a legitimate subject of inquiry, we can catalyse dialogue and drive positive societal change.
Reclaiming our Consciousness - A Call to Awakening
In Jaques Vallee’s book ‘The Invisible College’ probably the most widely respected UAP expert in the world says this about the pattern of UAP experiences ‘…we have a pattern of manifestations, opening the gates to a spiritual level, pointing a way to a different consciousness..’. He goes on to suggest that the planet might have a way of controlling individual and collective connections with higher planes of existence like a pressure cooker. What he and many others are suggesting is that the phenomenon is connected to consciousness. Psychedelic experts talk about people taking DMT as people who are mapping hyper-dimensional worlds. For me, spiritual awakening is a sustained growth into and awareness of these realities.
In my opinion, with the growth in public interest in both the UAP phenomenon and psychedelic research, what we are witnessing is humanity reclaiming its consciousness. Consciousness, the cornerstone of reality, transcends the material world. It's intricately interconnected and exists beyond the confines of space and time. By reclaiming our consciousness, we're reclaiming our essence as humans. When we realise the interconnectedness of all things, erasing the illusion of separation, and integrate this understanding into our daily lives, we truly embody our authentic selves. Understanding spiritual awakening is the key that links the UAP and psychedelic topics. Spiritual awakening brings together all these topics under one idea of human evolution - humanity claiming or perhaps reclaiming its connection to its own consciousness.
I believe that what we perceive as collective spontaneous spiritual awakening is actually the precursor to real social and political change, in essence by having a conscious spiritual awakening we are the formation of a movement for change. By embracing spirituality as a legitimate aspect of human experience, or more importantly by reconnecting to these other planes and grounding them in this reality, we can cultivate a more compassionate, interconnected, and enlightened society. A new movement is beginning and we are all part of it.
Image at beginning of blog taken from the music video 'I do not Submit' by dub poet Michael St George / directed by Sameer Patel
This month we have a series of discussions about how we can move our collective forwards. The second of these discussions is on Friday 12th April 2024 at 18.00 (GMT+1). Here we will discuss how we as a Collective can create actions to move the Overton Window with regards to spiritual awakening.
All are welcome
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Topic: KC Meeting ‘Overton Window'
Time: Apr 12, 2024 06:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 811 4931 2918
Passcode: 619757
Since you mentioned Jacques Vallee, I thought I should bring up a fellow researcher, Diana Pasulka. They have collaborated on research projects.
Diana Pasulka is a religious scholar, who studied phenomena like visitations and apparitions, particularly within the catholic context. She soon realised that the phenomenon overlapped with the UAP phenomenon and Jacques Vallee made the same point repeatedly. This becomes important in the context of Kundalini, since during an awakening, visitations and apparitions by deities and other supernatural beings are a common occurrence.
As Diana Pasulka notes, when catholic saints are visited by an orb of light, they often interpret it to be an angel, whereas someone from a more secular and scientific background would probably identify it as…
As I began to read this blog I tried to capture my immediate thoughts and reactions to this blog .. so here goes
It feels like Sameers manifesto for the Kundalini collective.
There’s way too much written here and covers a huge agenda, knowledge, ideas and concepts that perhaps would have been better understood and digestible by me in smaller blogs. Perhaps I could have given a deeper reflective response.. but I just feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the ideas/goals and objectives.
I feel the huge agenda is not open for discussion because the ‘ discussion’ option could not give these ideas/topics/agenda the depth of reflection required and I don’t think the author is truly looking for discussion but…
Hi Sameer, thank you for this thoughtful blog. I got very interested in the "Invisible College," by Vallee. It reminded me of one of my favorite books I read a few years back, "Authors of the Impossible," by Jeffrey Kripal, who actually uses Vallee as foundational in his work. This book addresses UAP phenomena, and "the intimate relationship between consciousness and culture...a profound look at how the paranormal bridges the sacred and the scientific."
Your blog is inspiring to reread this work--and read Vallee. The idea that the planet might be influencing our evolutionary awakening is stunning--and something I've been wondering about myself for some time.
Thanks for this helpful blog, Sameer. The idea of the Overton Window is good in that it allows us to formulate a clear path for action.
I am currently reading Bernardo Kastrup's 'Decoding Jung's Metaphysics' which has a lot to say about the nature of reality and how individual and collective (including transpersonal) consciousness interface and interpenetrate. It offers a way of thinking about our small sense of self (our ego) and how this needs to find a way of engaging and collaborating with other aspects of our selves and of the collective, which have their own independent intelligence and can guide us. We are so much more deeply interconnected than we know!
One thing I would add to the…
For Catholic Church, the "Overton Window" has been moved a long time ago. Mainstream Science, in turn, did this a few centuries ago - before it was like Spiritual Sciences today.
I think most of the religions are more or less accepted.