Here we are at the beginning of 2022. I have published the website Conscious Bridge since January 2010. Back in the early days of the website, a couple of times I wrote descriptions of what I meant by the name “Conscious Bridge”. Yet through the years the meaning of that term has constantly shifted in my mind. It evolved as I evolved. That’s happening again.
When I originally intuited the name, it came with the idea that we all walk around each day with a sense of what our current lives are like while simultaneously holding a vision of what we would like our lives to really be like. Most folks have a gap between their perception of the state of their current life versus the life they desire. How do we cross that “gap”? It takes us being both “conscious” of the gap and holding firm in the idea that we want to “cross the gap” to the world that we know is possible. Hence, the idea of a bridge from the current state to the desired state.
This “gap” between our current experience and our desired future experience can be seen in both our individual personal affairs or more broadly and collectively in our sense of the state of worldly affairs. Therefore, the idea of consciously crossing a bridge to the world we want to live in applies to us as individuals and to humanity collectively.
It was with this evolving meaning of “conscious bridge” that the content over the past 12 years was focused. Important have been the ideas of what kind of world we want to live in and what things can we proactively do to create that world. Much of the content focused on the power of our free will to change our thoughts, words and actions. I frequently encouraged us all to see how we are interconnected, that we are at our basic core “all one”. Almost all of the content written over the past decade plus is still relevant today. It is still online in our archives. However, another direction is coming.
Obviously, as a New Thought minister with the Centers for Spiritual Living, the content that I have produced has been oriented towards that philosophy. Over and over my blogs have pointed out conditions in the world that were “less than” what we wanted to experience and how basic New Thought tools could help us make appropriate changes. Yet recently I have been feeling a strong pull to shift the content.
So, what is that shift? I want to write and teach more deeply on the concepts of New Thought as well as those philosophies that I see directly connected to it (Spiral Dynamics, Integral Theory, aspects of psychology and philosophy, the Perennial Philosophy and more). In a sense I want to “go back to the beginning” or “back to the basics” and explore them more deeply. I want to “mine the philosophy of New Thought” and use the findings to assist us in our personal evolution.
So, those of you who read my blogs will begin to see a change in 2022 in the direction of the content. We will be diving deeper into various books and videos, looking at old and current New Thought teachers, connecting New Thought with other areas of study and more.
So then, how does this change relate to the evolving meaning of the name “Conscious Bridge”? New Thought has always been a “practical philosophy”. It has always offered a framework for understanding the organization and deeper meaning of the universe that we live in. It has always offered us tools to help us create our desired life. New Thought has always been about building that bridge in consciousness from our present experience to the one that we know in our heart of hearts that we are called to experience.
So, although I will still get excited about the world and what’s going on from time to time and feel compelled to write about how New Thought ideas can help create a better world, I see my direction now being more of an exploration of the ideas of New Thought itself.
Those explorations will include looking at what New Thought is, how the philosophy of New Thought can help our lives (individually and collectively), how New Thought can grow and evolve to be a greater tool in the 21st century for creating the world that we all know is possible. It will pursue questions that I haven’t considered before and may not even be thinking about today. I’m looking forward to what comes up. I know it’s going to be fun.
This philosophy and teaching has changed my life for the better and continues to do so every day. Continuously New Thought is that “conscious bridge” that is helping me move to living the life that Spirit is calling me to live. I hope you continue to join me on this journey, and I hope that you find this new emphasis helpful to you on your spiritual path.
Blessings,
Mark Gilbert