Welcome to Enlightened Products Network, thought hub and business epicenter for artist, awakening change agent and solopreneur, Catherine Birkelo. The intention of this website is to highlight mentors, teachings, programs and pivotal global issues through a lense of universal truth, love and inclusion. As the auditor of its content, I hope you find resources here that help you live a life of greater peace, presence and joy. Everything and everyone I share at Enlightened Products Network is here because I personally have received tremendous benefit through utilizing the programs presented and/or because the featured article or video embodies the larger universal truth of conscious oneness.
Beyond Ideology
The more divided and divisive the United States has become, the more hijacked the world becomes by fear (which I see perpetuated by social media and news conglomerants on both “sides”), I have found myself less and less willing to identify as left or right or to affiliate with labels whatsoever.
I do not prefer the word belief in this moment. To me, it implies something heavily entrenched in being, and I am a being of universal, ephemeral, light, the same as you. My opinions on social, environmental and political issues float on the surface of who I am, and they no longer fit me safely onto a side if I were inclined to want one. At this point, I appear to criss-cross so-called belief structures, and my reasons for identifying with one “belief” over another are often different to the prevailing reasoning of the majority holders, so there is no illusory solace of belonging there, either.
Experiencing ideological homelessness has encouraged me to dig deeper, looking to transcend surface divisions and reactions, so I can experience more of what I prefer, the knowing of my oneness with all. I am you, you are me. We are all different expressions of the same light. This consciousness is all there is. Full stop (or never-ending is-ness, ha!). I am consciously choosing to create a world for myself where I do not write off another human being as viable, worthy of love, attention, understanding and a listening ear, simply because we hold divergent opinions or gasp core beliefs.
Truth can be found everywhere if we’re willing to set aside our confirmation bias for half a second and choose to be present. Even when dealing with another person, whether that’s face to face or virtual, the most important truth is that who and what that person is IS NOT the conglomeration of societal opinions and dysfunctional behaviors we may perceive we’re interacting with. All of that is an overlay on what they truly are. The consciousness that exists “underneath” and apart from all the constructs, which is ever present and always present and pervades all, they are that consciousness, the same as we are. And there are just as many destructive ways to be “woke” in our society today as there are destructive, soul-crushing methods to spread bigotry and avarise. The challenge is to see the trap in both scenarios and to love the consciousness of the beings behind both versions of unconscious behavior.
Litmus Test
Here’s a little experiment…
One of the most inflammatory words in the US at this point, other than COVID, is the word Trump…
If you consider yourself on the right, or conservative…
I haven’t yet declared that I consider Trump to be the savior of our great nation.
If you consider yourself on the left, or liberal…
I haven’t yet declared that I consider Trump to be the worst thing to happen to the US presidency, ever.
You could be feeling anything from mildly perturbed to fully pissed off after reading just those two short sentences. And you could be waiting for me to identify which of those is me, so you can choose whether or not I’m a worthwhile human deserving of existence. You’re waiting for me to declare myself so you can decide whether you should put any time or effort into listening to what I have to share or whether all of my recommendations should be written off out of hand, because we aren’t presenting as the same.
This is human nature… or rather, what human nature appears to be with thousands of years of societal overlays grabbing hold through the mind and pretending to be truth. True human nature is love. Conscious oneness. And this is the point of how I choose to share information here. If you were to research the inidvidual personalities behind the resources I share, I’m sure you would find that some of their social “beliefs” and political opinions are different from mine, different from yours. But in allowing that to shrink your landscape, you miss not only the point of the community of Enlightened Products Network, more importantly, you cheat yourself out of experiencing a world of peace, presence, understanding and truth that surpasses the small-minded world of political and social divisiveness. So perhaps you’ll consider embarking on this quest of present oneness with me. Beyond ideology, we are one.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other” doesn’t make any sense.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Rumi
Don’t go back to sleep.”
