In my last blog I suggested how conscious evolution might provide a pathway towards World Peace.

Now look at any issue affecting humanity and a case could probably be made for addressing it through conscious evolution. And that itself is an indicator that human consciousness could well be the underlying cause of most (if not all) of the issues affecting our species. Not only that but, perhaps paradoxically, it could also provide us with an approach to resolving if not solving them. How we think, how we engage at the level of consciousness, really is fundamental to . . . everything!

Today I’m turning attention to sustainability, the ecological issues affecting planet Earth: i.e. on our relationship with our planet and the other creatures with whom we share it.

Phrase it like that, and the parallels to World Peace become obvious: if peace between human nations and human individuals can be obtained through a consciousness of one-humanity, of what it means to be human (over and above all the other labels we might give ourselves) then the next logical step must follow. Once we are conscious of other life forms, including the living, breathing planet itself, as other facets of the consciousness that is life itself, then how can we treat it in the appalling way humanity currently does?

In our blogs Chris and I talk of cosmic consciousness: a deep and connected awareness that underlies the whole of creation: of which humanity is but a very small part. Thus, by recognizing how special another creature is, by being conscious of how well every other insect, fish, reptile or bird fits its evolutionary niche, so the unique position of humans is put into perspective. If we’re special, with a unique place in the universe, then so too are all of God’s other creatures.

Saying this is one thing, feeling it is another.

This picture is of a unicorn fish at the Malta National Aquarium. As the autumn Mediterranean storms hit during a recent holiday we escaped the deluge and spent quality time watching some of our world’s amazing sea-life. It would have been worth the visit even with good weather outdoors. To just sit and watch any fish being itself (as far as it is able in a large man-made tank) is to remind ourselves that life (and thus consciousness) comes in many forms. And there’s no question (to my mind at least) that at least some of the aquatic creatures we observed were aware of us, in their own way.

Whether in an aquarium or zoo, or in the natural world itself, connecting with other life forms is a wonderful step to take on a personal conscious evolutionary journey. To take our mind out of our own labels and beliefs and to put ourselves in a very different situation. What does it feel like to be a unicorn fish? We cannot know, because we are not one, but it is possible to observe one from within, to allow our conscious awareness of it to merge with the fish’s own consciousness. By suspending judgement, by being willing to step outside our human frame of reference, if only for a few minutes, so we can immerse ourselves in another’s world.

And once we’re able to connect, at that fundamental level, with other creatures, then we know that we are all one; that every life-form is a part of what is. The collective cosmic consciousness is what embraces and interconnects us all.

And once we have a sense of that, deep, reality, so sustainability and eco-awareness becomes possible through respecting and engaging interconnectedly. Rather than box-ticking and working things out in a way that we think makes sense, we can feel our way into a given situation, with all its complexity and nuances. From that place of connected consciousness, solutions will genuinely be ‘for the greater good’.

To obtain win-win solutions to any of the ecological challenges facing Earth, we must first recognise the myriad of factors relating to the underlying consciousness of the situation. Conscious evolution is about gaining this deeper insight through expanding our consciousness from human-centred to cosmic-centred.

And we don’t have to be a conservationist, in a position to make changes to help our planet or endangered species, to make a difference. Every time we step back from our labelling and judgements about a particular creature and instead throw our awareness around it, we are evolving. We are growing into cosmically conscious creatures ourselves.