I’m excited to share that my 3rd book-Self-Awareness in a New Age; Evolving Beyond Old Patterns will be available later this month.  I have known I wanted to write this book since 2020.  Yet, really wasn’t even sure I knew what that meant, as I only had a sense of what I wanted to say.  I knew that I would figure it out once I started writing it.  Writing, as you probably know from these weekly musings,  is a cathartic process for me. 

I wanted to share the first part of chapter one with you here.  And, if I can figure out a good way to do this, will try and include excerpts from other chapters in future newsletters as well.  If you have any thoughts, feedback or comments… please let me know.  I always appreciate your insights.

The New Paradigm of Self-Awareness

I have spent the last twenty-plus years of my life focused on spirituality and personal growth. I began in my early 40s, and it completely changed the quality and richness of my daily life—not from a monetary perspective, but from a sense of belonging, joy, and satisfaction.

When I first started, it felt as if I had to deconstruct much of what I had built, reprioritize my life, and examine everything. It was exhilarating yet exhausting, inspiring yet confusing. I examined beliefs, values, motivations, and the stories I had been telling myself and others for years. I searched for childhood traumas or experiences that were at the core of the repeating patterns in my life.

I had to expand my willingness to feel emotions that had been shut down or blocked, and I had to figure out how and why I had considered them off-limits. I spent countless hours catching limiting or self-deprecating thoughts that subtly influenced every choice I made.

I confronted fears that I didn’t even know existed until I began paying attention to them. And I cried—so much that I wondered if I would ever have dry eyes again. Not just tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

It took years to feel like I was becoming who I was meant to be in this lifetime. To feel comfortable and whole in my body. To accept that personal growth and self-awareness are not destinations but journeys. No matter how much I evolve and grow, there is always another layer—a deeper cut of authenticity and personal truth.

I remind myself constantly that control is an illusion. As much as I want to control everything around me, it is not only a fool’s errand but also doesn’t serve me (or anyone else for that matter!).

I wouldn’t change any of this. I am grateful for all of it.

But…

If I were starting this journey today, I truly believe it would be completely different.

Different because consciousness—especially the collective consciousness—has evolved. The collective consciousness refers to the shared pool of knowledge, beliefs, and experiences that exist within humanity. Imagine it as an invisible web that connects us all, where our individual thoughts, emotions, and spiritual growth contribute to a larger, shared awareness.

Throughout history, as individuals and groups have worked through personal struggles, gained insights, and grown spiritually, they’ve contributed to this collective consciousness. This means that the lessons, breakthroughs, and realizations that others have experienced are now more accessible to us. We no longer need to start from scratch on our spiritual journeys; instead, we can tap into this shared wisdom.

Not in some nebulous way, but specifically because millions of us have done the soul-searching work, confronted our shadows, committed to deep introspection, developed the practices, and expanded our own understanding and self-awareness of spirituality, mindfulness, and intentional living.  For example, the deep introspection and shadow work that people once had to navigate alone is now part of a larger, evolved consciousness. Those starting their self-awareness journey today have access to this collective knowledge, making it easier to understand themselves, heal, and grow without needing to relive the past as intensely as earlier generations might have had to.