A "New Earth" Movement

At the beginning of the year 2025, an exploration called the Spiral Collective was born. The Board of the Spiral Collective, Swann and Alex Forrester, and Marcy Calhoun, selected Catarina, Shanti, Tristan and I to receive an annual grant to pursue an inquiry into the expansion of consciousness. As a community, we share the belief that we are currently living in a time of higher consciousness-- a New Earth to use the term coined by Eckhart Tolle- which naturally expresses itself in each human,  as we become aware of its manifestation in each living moment. 

The Spiral Collective is an expression of New Earth. It is a way of being that embraces a higher reality, and the limitless potential and creative power of the universe within us all. As a member of the Spiral Collective, my mission is to explore consciousness and experiment with spiritual realities that can liberate my mind and heart from the fears that keep me bound to material consciousness. 

Tara Brach the Buddhist teacher, puts it like this, “We are habituated to seeking substitutes for freedom and love, because of all the times these have been denied to us in the past.” New Earth is an awakening of consciousness in each person, with the understanding that a greater reality of wholeness and belonging to life, in unity with all of the universe, is possible. In return, when we relinquish the counterfeit desires, what we receive is the true, pure love of the soul. 

In seeking the true reality behind the limited human experience, which is attached to stories of fear and worry, I need to constantly remind myself to move the point of my awareness from my head to my heart. I’ve found that my head and my heart are, by default, on differing wavelengths, moving at unique tempos- the mind moving much faster than the body. Getting into my heart, therefore, requires a patient slowing down that the mind initially resists. The grasping mind, aiming to control life’s outcomes, once settled, can fade into a vast awareness of life as it is, and I can finally feel my connection with the universal reality. 

I am beyond grateful to our Board for this inspiring invitation. Together we join in a wave of consciousness--happening everywhere simultaneously-- that moves humanity out of the dark age of separation and fear, into a reality that aligns with our highest potential. As the Dalai Lama said, if we taught every eight-year-old in the world to meditate, we could have peace on Earth in just one generation. While world peace and harmony are our end goal, the Spiral Collective is a testament to the wisdom that reminds us that change starts from within each person.  

With an Open Heart,

Ben Garrison 

July 15, 2025

Soquel, CA