Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) starts by illustrating an epic transformation of consciousness - ape to human. Then, after a tumultuous battle with AI, the protagonist travels through a psychedelic passage, dies, and is reborn as the star child - illustrating the next transformation of consciousness.
I believe this story has a great deal to tell us about our current predicament, that Kubrick understood something real, and that instead of giving up on humanity it might be better to zoom out a little right now.
Consciousness is evolving. It’s very messy business that takes a very long time. But far from our species being hopelessly doomed, I suggest that, in fact, we might be in a kind of collective labour, painfully birthing a new level of consciousness, and consequently a new type of human being.
For thousands of years there have been forerunners trying to explain this. Elaborate stories have followed in their wake, attempting to keep the insight alive. But it seems we may have entered a new phase. One where fantastical stories are the wrong treatment. And where direct knowing is increasingly available to the masses.
The hard truth is that the transformation of consciousness is necessarily chaotic and traumatic. And profound darkness, the kind which sends a shudder through our soul, is, in the end, where the new light comes from. What happens outwardly is a reflection of what happens inwardly. And the light, when it comes, is so pristine, so utterly beautiful, so entirely ineffable, that everything else fades to background. But we must face the darkness and the wretchedness first, to birth it.
You may already know what I’m talking about. And if not, I invite you to remain curious. Because we’re descending into that darkness whether we like it or not. And we need a deeper truth for this kind of journey.