History has a long list of protests.

“Us against them” is a natural reaction, but also a call for division, a polarized position that often brings some form of violence. As man tries to keep a system in control, dominate a person or impose an idea, he often uses violence. The sense of division is then exacerbated, the gap between both parties widens and chances for an equitable solution diminish.

That’s the unending chain of violence, the tit for tat, the eye for eye that has been ruling the world for centuries. Violence is embedded in the belief that the other party is separate from us and the cause of our issues. From an early age, we are taught to look at the world as something we must conquer, a jungle where we have to compete in order to find our place.

So it isn’t surprising to end up with 1% of the people dominating the planet. Revolutions have always been about overthrowing the oppressor, but always gave birth to a new system of power… until some rebel against the rulers. So the issue is not the systems but the basis of human behavior: separation.

Separation stems from our human incarnation. As soon as we are born, we enter the world of separation. Our mind and senses are trained to experience the world as different from ourselves.

Separation is in fact an illusion, an attribute of the physical world.

Each of us is an expression of a higher reality, a projection of the spiritual world. The spiritual world is One. Many spiritual traditions teach this, but we have a hard time applying it.

Living in oneness isn’t an easy task, it requires a rewiring of our basic behaviors, a surrender of our ego, a new look at our priorities. Yet isn’t oneness the only option now? Our separation patterns have proven detrimental to our planet, our societies and ourselves. We are faced with major environmental issues, our economic system creates drastic inequalities and wars are still raging.

Einstein said: “No problem can be solved with the same level of consciousness that created it”.

That is precisely what the world needs: more consciousness of our oneness. The needed shift is a shift in the perception of our world; it is not a shift of thoughts but a shift of experience. Consciousness builds as we experience something for ourselves. It begins with an idea, but as long as this idea is not put in action, it stays at the level of mind-ego. So to build more Oneness consciousness, we must put it in action.

What is Oneness in action?

It isn’t reflected in the actions taken against Occupy Wall Street demonstrators, nor is it in the 99%-1% separation. Oneness in action is a state of consciousness that includes the whole, a way of acting that treats the other like one would like to be treated, an awareness of our interconnectedness with each other and with the planet.

As the Occupy Wall Street movement spreads around the planet, we get a glimpse of oneness– never before have the economic and social concerns been so global, yet something is missing. The potential for healing and equality can only be reached if we become aware of our interconnectedness, not only with the 99%, but also with the 1% and the rest of the planet.

This awareness has nothing to do with the mind, whose function is to create separation by interpreting and labeling everything. Oneness awareness is a work of heart.

The leap from mind to heart is what will take us from status-quo to progress. The status-quo would be a repetition of history: different actors, same solutions arranged differently, until the new system shows its inadequacies.

Progress would be to put oneness as the ruling principle. Oneness cannot come from mind, which is a separating function, it can only come from the heart recognizing the other as oneself and the world as our own creation.

Whatever situation we’re seeing out there is our own creation. A culture that holds money and consumption as core values creates inequalities in the sharing of wealth. A culture that has oneness as a fundamental value creates equality and sustainability. Cultural changes are born when societies are in crisis. The current grassroots movements are an opportunity to review our values.

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Sophie Rose is the author of The Way of The Heart, Teachings of Jeshua and Mary Magdalene. She can be contacted through www.the wayoftheheartcourse.com