How To FINALLY Wake Up To “Getting Woke”

It seems everyone these days is ‘getting woke’. Social media personalities come to mind like David Wolfe and Jay Shetty – here you can witness a very general exploration of ‘mindfulness’ on Facebook. Which is fairly ironic, since Zuckerberg’s weapon of mass distraction exists as possibly one of the least cerebral mediums that the modern world has to offer.

We are told to drink green juices, to practice yin yoga. We are presented with organic cotton merchandise, and we can waste a few idle moments watching videos on the signs of what is a healthy relationship. Which all equates to some potentially helpful advice. However, just like the hashtag ‘blessed’, there’s a bit of a superficial feel to the overall picture. After all, digital content is commercial in its orientation – always underpinned by the prevailing flavour of the moment.

That takes us to the question: If a tree falls down in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it really happen?

That is, do we need an audience to make something real, meaningful and authentic? Can we achieve success without it having to be validated by a group of people, or by society at large? Beyond this, what does being at peace within ourselves really look like?

We all recognise that social media is a tool, it is almost a ‘who drones wins’ game of crafting attention, engagement and a mass following to be garnered and used for any given agenda – whether to fuel ego or for a more enterprising purpose. The landscape can be one dominated by influence marketing, get-rich-quick-schemes and Instagram models. Whilst the platforms all undoubtedly have their applications, the game is still basically about who makes the best moves on the chessboard of popularity.

When even ‘less mainstream’ content is filtered through such a distorted prism, and every human act or accomplishment requires a tick of approval, where can we possibly find any clarity of perspective? We are always showing the idealised side of ourselves and our lives. There is an overwhelming need to display our finest moments and to sidestep our worst.

Where is the reality? Just like that tree in the forest, living in the world of social media means we can’t even fathom stepping outside the frame to understand the bigger picture.

One perspective to examine is that of Nicole Armit, Holographic Kinetics (HK) practitioner (and holistic qualified chef) of ‘The Mind Foodie’. She says “…it all starts with us. Our perceptions and reactions, the world inside our own selves – the ongoing journey. Learning how powerful we can be when we tune in the observation of what is in our hearts and in our spirits. Find what helps you do that, without giving away your own power.”

Her approach – in accordance with the central tenets of the HK as a modality as espoused by founder Stephen Richards – is to access an internal mechanism as the sovereign guide to renewed choice and intent. This refers to ‘Spirit’, an essence that is neither New Age or religious but, exists purely in its own right, belonging fundamentally to each and every individual on this planet. HK is comprised of the ancient Aboriginal knowledge of the laws or ‘Lore’ and the understanding that all things in nature are alive.

Empowerment is seen as the ability to change and manifest new cycles and patterns in an individual right down to their core, on a fractal level and on multiple timelines. It is based on the principle that there is an internal invisible world that exists alongside the external. The zero point of these worlds is always the observer.

This means empowerment is the acknowledgement that we are the creator of our universe.  This is how we answer the question of the tree falling in the forest: we are the arbiter of our own reality.

This viewpoint is echoed by Nigel Reading, a prominent architect and TEDx speaker responsible for the ‘Asynsis Paradigm’ that examines fractal geometries as embedded in complex systems and living beings alike. He states that “…we need to look at both the animate and inanimate, at the dynamical and space-time, not just the frozen and static.”

Just like the universe in and around us, we are perfectly paradoxical. No bandwagon, no predominant expectation, nor- or any form of an outwardly driven phenomenon can give us our power. It is already within.

Despite a conditioned inclination to do the opposite, it is about not shying away from our darker moments, our deepest wounds and perceived failings. Rather, it is about embracing and redefining them in the present. The process is dynamic. It is transcendental. Most importantly, empowerment is a vital force that is diametric to any extraneous viewpoint. In plain speak, it just is.

Trying to ‘get woke’? Maybe just try getting real.