Radical Responsibility: The Inner Path to Global Healing

Earth is currently in the midst of a massive change cycle that will affect every form of life on the planet by the end of 2012. This period, which is also known as the ending of a 25,920-year cosmic cycle (or Cosmic Year in astrology), is a time when polarities merge, dimensions shift, humans evolve in remarkable ways, and earth rearranges boundaries once thought to be solid. It is a time of great karmic opportunity and unprecedented growth for everyone.

Across the globe, deep wounds in the collective psyche of mankind are surfacing to be healed. Societies hunger not for war or peace, but for Truth to cut through the illusions of polarity and to bring about healing at the deepest levels of being.

The clarion call is sounding, calling us to action. If we wish to have a future on this planet, the time to heal our world is now.

How do we do that?Dr. David R. Hawkins, perhaps the most profound teacher on the evolution of human consciousness today, says that everything we see happening around us, is the consequence of that which we are. “Every thought, action, decision or feeling creates an eddy in the interlocking, inter-balancing, ever-moving energy fields of life, leaving a permanent record for all time,” he says.

We therefore change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we become.

This realization, when fully grasped, offers a springboard for rapid evolution in consciousness. As did Gandhi and other evolved bings, Hawkins teaches that the most effective way of bringing about change in the world around us, is by living our lives like a prayer and becoming the very change we wish to see.

To illustrate the power of becoming, I’d like to tell you about one man in Hawaii who changed his world simply by living his life like a prayer, becoming the highest expression of being that he was capable of.

This man, Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients - without ever seeing any of them! He simply studied each inmate's chart and then looked within himself to see how he created that person's illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved.

When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best therapist cure the criminally insane?I had always understood "total responsibility" to mean that I am responsible for what I think and do. Beyond that, it's out of my hands. Most people think of total responsibility that way. We're responsible for what we do, not for what anyone else does. Dr. Len practiced radical responsibility and the miracles that followed, were ample proof of the power in this perspective.

When Dr. Len joined the staff at the ward for criminally insane at Hawaii State Hospital, it was well-known as a dangerous place. Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. Staff called in sick a lot or simply quit. Workers would scurry through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was a nightmarish place to live in, work at, or visit.

During his four-year tenure at the hospital, Dr. Len never saw patients. He simply agreed to have an office and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal."

After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely," he says. "Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released, were being freed.

"Not only that, but the staff began to enjoy going to work. Absenteeism and turnover dropped. Eventually, there was no longer a need for the ward and it was closed.

What work did Dr. Len do within himself that caused those people to change?He was simply healing the part of himself that created them.

To make sense of this radical concept, you need to understand that total responsibility for your life means that everything in your life is your responsibility simply because it is in your life. In a literal sense, the entire world you perceive out there is simply a reflection of what is inside you, and therefore it is your creation. There is no “out there” there – what you perceive as out there is simply a reflection of what is in your heart and in your consciousness.

This concept can be hard to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is quite another, right! Yet you can only heal that which you take responsibility for. If you take complete responsibility for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch or experience is your responsibility because it is in your life.

This means terrorist activity, the government, the crime rate, the economy - everything you experience and don't like - is up to you to heal. Seen from the world of consciousness, they only exist as projections from inside of you. The problem isn't with them, it's with you, and to change them, you have to change you!This concept is central to understanding the field of human consciousness. We change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become.

The Course In Miracles teaches the same principle when it says, “Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world. What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking but reflects your choice of what you want to see.” Why is it difficult for us to grasp this truth, let alone accept or actually live it? Because blaming another is far easier than taking total responsibility. To change the world, we need to first stop blaming others!In his work with the criminally insane, Dr. Len never focused on blame. Instead, his radical practice of total responsibility was rooted in a deep sense of compassionate self-love. Dr. Len believed that if you want to improve your life, you have to first heal your life. If you want to heal anyone - even a mentally ill criminal - you do it by healing yourself.

He recognized the Divinity within himself as well as within every other person that crossed his path. And just as the Course in Miracles teaches, Dr. Len recognized that every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity to heal. By recognizing the Divine nature of each being, he responded in compassion by taking responsibility for whatever did not reflect the purity of Divine consciousness in himself.

This is what Gandhi implied when he said, “The only devils in this world are those running around inside our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought.”

How did Dr. Len do this radical work? Simply by looking at each patient’s file with deep compassion, accepting responsibility for their condition and saying, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you' over and over again.

That's it!This simple response embodies the core of all healing and evolution in consciousness. It starts from a place of deep compassion for self, progresses to radical self-responsibility for everything in one’s life, moves into forgiveness to dissolve false perceptions, and ends with the healing power of love to restore all to Divine perfection.

As we heal the wounds within ourselves that cause illusions of lack, duality, opposition and fear, our consciousness evolves to becoming a purer reflection of the indwelling Divinity. This work also raises the level of consciousness in the world around us. It is indeed through healing and transforming ourselves, that we transform the world!When you start living from this place of radical responsibility as Dr. Len did, your life becomes a prayer. Polarities dissolve, archetypal shadows can be integrated, and the illusions of the mind yield to the freedom of your true, Divine nature.

This is the opportunity calling to every soul on the planet today. We are asked to become the very change we wish to see. To heal our world and safely navigate through coming changes, we are challenged to take full responsibility for everything in our lives and to align with Higher Truth.

It is this inner work of transformation that brings about higher levels of consciousness to end war, greed, inequality and lack. In a world crying for healing, there is no greater service you can offer!