Paradigm Shift - an explanation of terms.
Time and time again the term paradigm shift occurs in current writings on Spirituality - in transcriptions of channelling (particularly from USA), in articles, magazines, etc. I have found this confusing and recourse to dictionaries has not been of much help - and then I found out.
It seems that the major discoveries of the past were described by philosopher and science historian Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book 'the Structure of Scientific Revolutions' and the term 'paradigm shift' introduced by him in relation to them. Some dictionaries still refer to the term as being scientific in usage, but the definition of paradigm as a 'framework of thought' (from the Greek, paradigma = pattern) for a scheme of understanding and explaining the aspects of reality begins to make sense.
Since 1962 the term has been adopted widely as a means of expressing a new way of thinking about old problems in many fields of study.
Einstein's Theory of Relativity is an example of a paradigm shift from a mechanical Nature (as per Newton of apple fame) to a Relative Nature of uncertainty and probability.
Intuition and sudden realisation are the specific qualities of a paradigm shift, rather than simply logically working it out, and thus explains why such a shift is often met with hostility. The 'consciousness revolution' of the 1970's started the shift in recent times towards understanding that Humankind are not either good or bad but continuously transforming - the paradigm includes all aspects from birth to death, and everything from spirituality to politics, and all within a framework of the 'greater self', as children of the Universe - the ecology of the 'Grand Plan', and a wider, deepening, ascending consciousness.
The spiritual adventure of the new Millennium is a continuing process of such a change; a process of cosmic evolution of Mankind as a whole. The new ideas realised in our paradigm shift not only feel right, we realise that we have touched on something that is finally pointing to our way home.
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