What is the Spiritual Significance of 11.11.11?

I was first introduced to numerology in 2003, and was surprised at how accurately it tracked to my life and the lives of others close to me. In numerology, 11 is a Master number and carries with it the power and energy of a higher calling.  Today, we have three master numbers in our date—what profound higher calling does this signal? I don’t know. And when I don’t know, I google.

As I had hoped,  I find a few common threads flowing through the various resources, namely, the opening of a Cosmic Gateway, the activation of the Higher Heart, and a boost to our understanding of Collective Consciousness. Beyond that, however, the story jumps off in a variety of slightly different directions. So, let’s stay with the theme and broaden the scope just a bit, because I’d like to see this date in context with another significant date just a little over a decade ago.

Let’s go back in time to the dawn of the new millennium: January 1, 2000 or 01.01.00. I’m not sure if we can call that an “eleven” but what matters is that on that date, we entered the astrological “Age of Aquarius,” the so-called Age of Enlightenment, the age in which spiritual exploration and the questioning of established religion would begin to occur among the masses. Indeed.

Changing trends in Christianity in America: Because Christianity makes up the overwhelming majority of religious affiliations in the US (78%), I will focus on this group to make my point. If we look just at the US, the impact of the Age of Aquarius can be accepted as truth. In a fascinating study, George Barna, of the Barna Group (a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture), in his research series entitled “State of the Church 1991-2011” describes statistically significant general trends in Christian practice and belief systems over the past two decades in America. Consider this:

• Fewer people attend church regularly—down from 49% to 40%
• Fewer people read the Bible outside of church—down from 45% to 40%
• Fewer people volunteer at church—down from 27% to 19%
• Fewer people attend adult Bible Study—down from 23% to 15%
• More people are “unchurched,” i.e., adults who have not attended any religious events at a church, other than special ceremonies such as a wedding or funeral, during the prior six month period—up from 25% to 37%

When it comes to Christian beliefs, the following changes were also statistically significant:

• More people describe themselves as born again Christians—up from 35% to 40%
• Fewer people believe that “the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches”— down from 46% to 38%
• Fewer people believe that “God is all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect Creator of the universe who still rules the world today”—down from 74% to 67%

These changes vary by region, with the greatest decline in traditional religious practice and change in core belief systems occurring in the Northeast, Midwest, and West regions. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Southern “Bible Belt” has lesser changes, but changes nevertheless. (You can read about regional differences by  clicking here.)

Some would attribute these changes to the scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in recent decades, but that only explains a piece of the disillusionment. Many within the Protestant, Jewish, and other faiths as well have embraced a more “Spiritual” identity when pressed about religious affiliation. How often have you asked someone his or her religion, and s/he begins by saying, “Well, I was raised (fill in the blank), but I think of myself as more spiritual than religious today.” Right? Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.

What exactly does “being spiritual” mean to people? For most, it means something like: “I believe in a higher power, but I’m not sure of his/her role or mine in the whole scheme of things.” This growing group of self-identified “spiritual” people are the new seekers. If you’re here, now, reading my blog and finding it food for thought, then you too fall into this growing category of spiritual seekers. You might even feel completely comfortable with the religion you practice, but you recognize that it doesn’t have all the answers. You still have questions. You still seek answers.

The need to question. We all come to a point in our lives, when we begin to question. For me, it began long ago. I was raised in small town Minnesota as a Christian in the Protestant faith. At age 14, I was required to attend a series of confirmation classes prior to being confirmed as a formal member of the United Church of Christ. The Pastor’s wife was teaching this particular course, and the deeper we delved into the key precepts of Christian beliefs and the wide-ranging stories of the Bible, the more questions I had. If you’ve read anything about me, you’ll find that I was set on my religion-questioning path as a reaction to the tragic deaths of my brother and sister in the years just prior to these classes. Every week, I put the Pastor’s wife through the paces of my questioning mind until she couldn’t take it anymore, burst into tears and left the classroom crying. The other student all looked at me. I shrugged, and we waited quietly for little while, but she never came back. I was stung with guilt at the time, but the fact of the matter was that the Pastor’s wife was ill-equipped to provide the answers I sought. The Bible didn’t provide them, and she probably didn’t feel she had the freedom to speak outside of the religion’s well-defined boundaries.  It was an eye-opening moment for me. My religion didn’t have the answers.

So what does this have to do with 11.11.11? I’m getting to that. We’ve established that people in this country are slowly turning away from traditional religions in favor of something else…and so they seek. As a result, several interesting social phenomena are taking place:

• Facebook: on any given day, I probably see 10 different inspirational posts from my friends on Facebook—insightful quotes or photos or stories meant to stir the reader, to have him or her reflect on one’s life, one’s life purpose, one’s relationships with others, one’s responsibility to others—all things one might expect from attending church, and listening to the Pastor, or the Rabbi, or the Priest sharing insightful and inspirational messages. Hmmm. Now isn’t that interesting? Outside of the confines of religion, people are sharing uplifting messages with each other, teaching each other, learning from each other, supporting each other, serving each other. And this is all happening naturally.
  
• Volunteering and Philanthropy: It is important to note that while Mr. Barna’s research tells us that volunteerism and participation is down in traditional Christian churches, it is not down outside of the church. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! People around the country, from the super-rich to the average middle class citizen, are pursuing more philanthropic causes, and getting more involved in social service than ever before. Service learning programs can be found in just about any higher education institution in the country–in some cases because of student demand!
• The clarity of the child: One of the more interesting developments in this new era is the young age at which children are feeling a responsibility to others, and that they instinctively want to help, and to make a difference in other people’s lives. These children were born into the Age of Enlightenment; we should probably expect nothing less from them, yet still, I marvel at it.

The energizing of the Collective Consciousness–and the Collective Conscience: What was once the domain and responsibility of the church and private organizations is gradually becoming a part of our collective human consciousness, a consciousness of social connectedness and responsibility. People are giving back and paying forward; they are making a difference every day, in so many ways. If you’re interested in learning more about this phenomenon, start here: VolunteeringInAmerica.org

A boost from the Universe: My cursory research tells us that 11.11.11 is the date on which a metaphysical or cosmic gateway opens, allowing an acceleration in our own spiritual energy.  This energy activates a new chakra in our physical and spiritual  energy system called “the higher heart.” This chakra, which sits on the spine between our heart and our throat chakras, provides the energy of a “higher calling” to all who are open to it, boosting the newly enlightened awareness of our collective consciousness, and the recognition of the (energetic) connectedness of all life on Earth and in the realm of Spirit.

In my opinion, the timing for this gateway opening couldn’t be better. People are increasingly taking responsibility for their own spiritual development, and their own personal connection to the Divine. They are reading, studying, exploring, experimenting, discussing. They are being guided by their own higher self and inner voice.  They are finding good social causes that touch their hearts, and they give willingly, lovingly, and joyfully. They are participating in these passionate causes with others from all backgrounds, religions, races, ages, and persuasions and they are “energized” by it.

Now is the time to break down old barriers to understanding, and to accept that for humanity to move forward, we need only embrace the idea of a collective consciousness, and to be completely open to, and guided by, the energy of the Universe, otherwise known as “Love.”

Do you have something to share regarding 11.11.11? Or, are you a seeker? How have you taken on responsibility for your own spiritual development?  Please comment below!

With Love and Light ~ Renee Buck