I repost a timely column and wake-up call from Linda published in 2011, to other social psychologists and lightworkers in general who are facilitating the shift in the collective consciousness. It also may be helpful to lightworkers who may be awakening into enlightenment at this time.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Dr. Linda Steiner http://drlinsteiner.wordpress.com/

As a social psychologist, I know, all too well, the mechanisms that people utilize when faced with information or concepts that conflict with, or challenge, their adopted perceptions of reality. And I also know that, from a social psychological standpoint, it’s not so much reality, as our perceptions of reality, that dictate our thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

For those who have awakened to the realities of polarity and the illusions that have been constructed to maintain our collective slumber, many feel a sense of urgency to “spread the word” to others who are still “sleeping”. Those who have responded to and embraced the call for Light Work feel “charged” with the responsibility to shed light in the dark regions that still permeate our planetary existence – but how?

While we each strive to manifest light in our own unique ways, we all share in common the purpose of raising the collective consciousness above and beyond this misguided and deliberately constructed illusion we call “daily life”. And because we must honor the dictate of “free will” – many find themselves frustrated, confused and bewildered as to how best communicate light to those who don’t fully realize the extent of the darkness.

For me, my approach has been to facilitate critical thinking and the personal investigation of the truth. I am not interested in “swaying” public opinion to conform with my own – but rather urge individuals to substantiate their beliefs, lifestyles, values and behaviors with a concrete and mindful examination of facts. While some enlightened readers may respond to this statement with the sentiment that “spiritual” domains can not be “evidenced” – as a social scientist, I realize that in order to prompt a change in perception – one must first stimulate a question in the mind of the perceiver.

Therefore, we must ask the question – why would someone who is sleeping want to wake up? What would be the motivation? It’s not enough that we would like to bring others into a state of wakefulness. We must address the causes of the “readiness to wake” in the sleeping individual.

Perceptions are like cognitive anchors. Once in place – they are difficult to move. When one is faced with information that appears in extreme opposition to one’s anchor (i.e., chemtrails, ET’s, Ascension, etc.) – the result is typically the “digging in” of one’s heels. But if the newly presented information offers a “gentle nudge” – as opposed to an aggressive “shove” – individuals are far more likely to be receptive to ideas that challenge their views of reality. The idea being that an anchor may only be realistically hoisted and relocated at the hands and free choice of the perceiver.

The struggle for many Light Workers is how to balance their own personal sense of urgency to facilitate the shift in collective consciousness with the respectful and delicate approach that aligns with free will – realizing that there are many methods to issuing a “wake-up call”. We can whisper their names, we can gently jostle their bodies, we can throw cold water in their faces or we can sound the emergency alarms and sirens. Naturally, given the choice, most of us would rather be awakened with a gentler method that eases us into consciousness rather than scaring us half to death. But herein lies the paradox.

What if we are, indeed, in a state of emergency?  If we notice that our sleeping neighbor’s house is on fire – do we gently whisper their name or do we shout from the roof at the top of our lungs? While I still struggle with the answer – I know that we must ask this question and adopt an approach to our work that is simultaneously dedicated, pure and spiritually motivated while avoiding methods that send shock-waves through the sleeping system.

A difficult balance, at best. And indeed, waking up is hard to do. But do, we must.