PBP- Week 52: Zeitgeist

I have been in love with the word zeitgeist since I was in middle school and heard it for the first time: the spirit of an age. I think that a lot can be learned by tapping into different zeitgeist, not only for use in our present lives, but also for understanding the era in which the zeitgeist was born.

One thing I see a lot, is that people will look back at the past and try to judge actions by modern standards. And on the one hand that is important, because we need to look to the past and see what actions were taken that we no longer find acceptable. This is how we draw upon the past for lessons, how we move forward with conscience. But I think it is also important to try to look at the actions of a time in the eyes of that time. To understand how the person acting might have thought. Sometimes this gives us a huge insight into how people came to the conclusions they did.

Why is this important? Because we are always making new mistakes. We can use the lessons learned in the past, apply them to a new situation and try to see how future generations might look back and view us.

But more than that, zeitgeist refers to the spirit of a time. So one aspect of the zeitgeist of WWII would be terror and conflict. It is the prevailing attitude, the energy that connects all beings in a time. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes subtle. And I think that part of what defines and age is it's zeitgeist. When the zeitgeist changes, the age changes. This, to me, is more definitive than a date or event.

So what makes up the zeitgeist of our current age? When I look around, I see a lot of change. I think the energy of today is that of radical change. The earth is changing, we have seen a lot of violent changes in the form of natural disasters. We see a lot of social changes, issues that have been simmering on the back burner for a long time are being brought into the light, are being rediscussed and re-evaluated.

I also think we are changing our spiritual viewpoint. So many things that are accepted in spiritual communities are being shared with the world and welcomed with open arms. It warms my heart to read about hospitals offering energy healing to their patients. To hear things like aromatherapy, meditation and visualization being discussed as valid and valuable.

I think we are getting ready to enter a new age, a new zeitgeist. I think that all this change is going to need time to settle, and that we will burst through into a new place and then spend some time getting used to it. I am hopeful and hold in my heart the vision of acceptance and peace that I think is within our reach. I believe that we can build this energy, that we can create the new zeitgeist and break free from the fear and judgment that is so prevalent in this time of change.

This is my last post of the 2014 Pagan Blog Project. It is the ending of the age of this endeavor for me. I found so much of myself by doing this, and I hope that anyone who has read any of my blogs has enjoyed the bit of me I have shared. It was definitely something that pushed me to think of myself in new ways, to bare parts of my self that I tend to keep inside, and to bite the bullet and post my thoughts and be true to my own heart.

But as one thing ends, another must begin, so next year, the posts will continue, and I'll share more about that soon. I wish everyone bright blessings, and much love, and may you find all that you seek in life!