Soul Musing

Douglas Bonar

New Beginnings and Renewal: An Evolutionary Perspective

New implies a finite and distinct relationship to time. To grok wholeness, we open to the liminal world of nonlocality and nonlinearity. In simpler terms, we understand there is a different way of knowing, an escape from the boundaries of space and time. We’ve been told this by mystics, prophets, and ascended masters for millennium. In going beyond (transcending) linear thinking and the belief that time “flies” at a steady pace and in one direction, we begin to embrace and embody our minds’ potential. Consciousness.

As science is in the process of discovering, so-called metaphysical and psychic phenomena and abilities have ontological validity. That is to say, they are real. (While concurrently being able to discern forgeries. This emerging understanding is not “airy-fairy” or a criticism of empiricism.) We are growing into our evolutionary maturity as we now embrace our wholeness. As my previous writings relate, this is the emerging story of oneness, wholeness and interbeing. This is not a new beginning. It’s a time of renewal – “re-newing.” Time is not a straight line. It’s cyclical and it’s a spiral.

Throughout history, cultures across the globe have spoken of times of great upheaval followed by renewal. These prophecies—whether Indigenous, Eastern, or Biblical—often describe a threshold moment when humanity must choose between collapse and transformation. In recent decades, science has begun to echo these ancient insights, revealing that evolution itself is not a linear process but one punctuated by disruption and quantum leaps.

This musing explores how biological, cultural, and conscious evolution converge in a shared narrative of crisis and renewal.

Note: Admittedly and unabashedly, this musing is aided by AI research. I personally find AI to be helpful when used for conscious and ethical purposes, when used with a cautious eye, and when doctored to include the personal. I ponder, did anyone label the encyclopedia as being evil back when? Like the encyclopedia, the can opener, and the flush toilet, AI can be a tool employed for the good. The art of the productive harvest is in the wise directing and the questioning to the informative tool.

Punctuated Equilibrium: Evolution’s Rhythmic Pulse

In 1972, paleontologists Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium, challenging the Darwinian view of slow, gradual change. Instead, they argued that species often remain in long periods of stasis, interrupted by brief bursts of rapid transformation—often triggered by environmental pressures or genetic shifts. Recent studies, such as those on cephalopods and other adaptive species, have confirmed this model, showing that evolution can leap forward in response to crisis. And, yes, to grok wholeness is to acknowledge the threats to our lives caused by unchecked capitalism, global deforestation, greed, rampant sexism and racism, and other social ills. I refer to all of these ills as the symptoms of the core illusion of separation. We are now in this period of quantum leap in part necessitated by these external circumstances.

This pattern of statis and leap mirrors the mythic cycles found in cultural prophecies. Just as species evolve through rupture and renewal, so too do civilizations and consciousness.

Cultural Prophecy Cycles: Mythic Mirrors of Change

Indigenous traditions offer rich narratives of cyclical time. The Hopi speak of worlds that rise and fall due to imbalance. The Andean Pachakuti describes a world turned upside down, followed by rebalancing. The Anishinaabe Seven Fires prophecy outlines a series of choices humanity must make, culminating in a return to sacred ways. Even the Biblical narrative of Armageddon—often misunderstood as doom—can be seen as a symbolic reckoning followed by the promise of a new heaven and earth.

These prophecies are not fatalistic predictions but moral compasses. They describe patterns of forgetting and remembering, imbalance and renewal, inviting humanity to evolve in response to crisis.

Conscious Evolution: A New Species of Mind

While Homo sapiens is not currently undergoing classical speciation—due to the lack of reproductive isolation—there is growing evidence that external pressures like climate change and internal dynamics like neuroplasticity and epigenetics are driving rapid adaptive shifts.

• Epigenetics shows that environmental stress can alter gene expression, with effects passed to future generations.

• Neuroplasticity reveals that enriched environments can rewire the brain, enhancing emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and social behavior.

Together, these forces suggest that humanity may be developing distinct cognitive phenotypes—groups with significantly different ways of perceiving and relating to the world. Thus arise “islands of coherence” in the words of Ilya Prigogine, or “islands of sanity” in the words of Margaret Wheatly. This is the Sangha, or spiritual community. This is not speciation in the biological sense, but it may be a form of consciousness speciation: the emergence of new modes of being. In our practices of mindfulness, emotional self-regulation and contemplation, we are participating, biologically and socially, in the leap.

Integral Frameworks: Mapping the Leap

Developmental models like Spiral Dynamics and Integral Theory provide a lens to understand this shift. They describe stages of human values and worldviews, from survivalist (Beige) to systemic (Yellow) and planetary (Turquoise) consciousness. The transition from Green to Yellow/Turquoise mirrors the leap from Kali Yuga to Satya Yuga, from crisis to renewal, as foretold by the prophecies of ancient India for thousands of years. We are now advancing from the Kali to the Satya epoch with our growing consciousness of interbeing.

These frameworks affirm that humanity is not merely reacting to crisis — it is being called to transcend and include previous developmental stages, integrating wisdom from all traditions into a new synthesis.

Conclusion: The Time Between Worlds

We are living in a time between worlds — a liminal space where old systems are collapsing and new possibilities are emerging. Science, myth, and consciousness studies all point to the same truth: evolution is not linear — it is rhythmic, disruptive, and creative. Indigenous wisdom is also providing direction in the understanding of our relationship with a living earth – Gaia. We are one and connected.

The prophecies of the past and the discoveries of the present converge in a single invitation: to participate in the renewal of humanity. Whether through ecological stewardship, cultural healing, or inner transformation, we are being asked to become the quantum leap.

New beginnings are not given — they are chosen. We are awakening. And this is good.

Related words: #consciousevolution #quantumleap #renewal #shiftofages

Brief synopsis: This is not a time of new beginnings as much as a time of great renewal. We are in a time of possibility forged via adverse external circumstances coupled with responsive internal reprogramming. We are being forced to grow up as a human species. Again. It has happened previously and is happening now. This is a quantum leap of consciousness – the understanding and embodiment of our interconnectedness. In the words of the Hopi Elders, this is a good time. Look around and see who is with you. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.