Right now the world is in a crisis and people are in a panic around the globe. At first glance, it may seem that people are reacting in wild and unpredictable ways to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. However, none of us are reacting chaotically or randomly. We are each reacting to the threat based on our underlying Terrain Of Consciousness.
In turbulent times like this, it is crucial to understand where different people are coming from so we can have compassion for them, so we can find ways to communicate with them, and so we can all co-operate and work together. By understanding a person’s Terrain we can see what is driving them at their core, and we can feel empathy for them instead of judgment. This is what is most needed right now to keep our civilization from tearing itself apart. So we hope that this article will offer some explanation for the behaviors that you are witnessing right now around the world.
Firstly, let us explain that there are 10 Terrains in total, and people at each Terrain see the world in a totally different way. The first five terrains (Particle through to Diamond) are externally-focused Terrains, which means people at these Terrains are acting in reaction to the world around them. People at these Terrains have a deep-seated fear for their own survival and are employing strategies to keep themselves safe. They are more likely to see the idea of a ‘virus’ as something to be feared, since it is perceived as something outside themselves that can harm them. The second five Terrains (Circle through to No-Thing) are internally-focused Terrains, which means that people at these Terrains are acting in response to their own inner prompts. People at these Terrains are coming from a place of fundamental trust in Life and thus are employing thrival strategies to live more fully. They are less likely to believe in narratives that require them to fear anything outside themselves, so they are less impacted by a virus scare. Neither group of Terrains is better than the other, they are just coming from a different place.
So let’s drill down now into how a person at each of these 10 Terrains might respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. Obviously, there are always extraneous individual factors that will affect a person’s actions, but common patterns can still be clearly seen across the Continuum of Terrains.
We will skip the Matter-Based Terrain (Particle), and the Void-Based Terrain (No-Thing)—which lie at either end of the Continuum of Terrains—as you are unlikely to meet anyone at these Terrains. Therefore, we will concentrate on the eight Terrains in the middle.
While there are not many people at the Faith-Based Terrain (Radial) in the Western World, there are a significant enough number of them that we will briefly cover this Terrain. At Radial, a widespread crisis such as the Covid-19 virus will generally be seen as a punishment from God. All that can be done at this Terrain is to pray and be penitent and hope that you are spared. This is a precarious and disempowering state to be in, but it is understandable given the core belief of people at this Terrain that there is an all-powerful God outside of themselves who has full power over their fate.
At the Will-Based Terrain (Pyramid), a person’s reaction to the Coronavirus crisis will depend on the position of power they currently hold in society. Those at the top of the food chain—who some people call 'the Elites’ or the ‘1%’ or the ‘Powers That Be”—will be taking advantage of the pandemic for their own gain. They will be pulling strings to amp up the global panic, in order to keep the masses in fear and thus maintain dominance over them. But at Pyramid we can also see many ordinary men and women who are just trying to stay alive in a tough world. These people will stockpile whatever is needed for their nearest and dearest without any thoughts for the rest of the community. Both of these reactions are understandable because the core belief at this Terrain is that this is a “dog-eat-dog world” where it is “every man for himself”. So these measures are necessary in order for people at this Terrain to feel safe. Hold compassion for people at this Terrain, as they are in genuine and real fear for their survival in these turbulent times, believing that no one else has their back.
It is at the Order-Based Terrain (Square) that we start to see responses emerge to the pandemic that are caring for the wellbeing of the society at large. This is the Terrain that is legislating to keep cities in lockdown, banning mass public gatherings of people, organizing hospitals and medical supplies, and generally trying to keep civilization afloat. Yes, this is driven by fear, but it is also necessary, for at this Terrain there is a strong need to keep the collective safe. As for the common man at Square, in times of panic like this, they will turn to their government and their leaders to tell them what to do. This is the Terrain at which people sit glued to the news 24/7 to find out how they are supposed to behave. People at other Terrains need to understand that what might look like 'herd mentality' is, in fact, an honorable choice by people at Square to try to protect their families and the wider community. What must also be understood is that issues like viruses and vaccines have much more charge for people at Square than for people at any other Terrain, because their entire sense of safety comes from being ‘one of the people’ as a productive member of society. Thus the belief that “if one of us gets infected then we could all die” is very powerful at this Terrain. So hold particular compassion for your loved ones at Square during this time.
At the Reflection-Based Terrain (Diamond), there is a much greater focus on self-responsibility. The conversation here starts to turn to how we can each boost our own immune system and take responsibility for keeping ourselves healthy so that no pandemic can touch us. At Diamond, the core belief is that it is human ingenuity that keeps us safe. So from people at this Terrain we will be hearing lots of information about breathing techniques and nutritional supplements and cutting edge ingenious approaches to virus-proof our health. Once again this is necessary and offers us all helpful information. At this Terrain there is also a big questioning of the official narrative. It is here that we will find the many so-called ‘conspiracy theories’ surfacing that are offering alternative explanations for what is happening in the world right now. This is totally understandable, as people at this Terrain feel safest when able to question everything and decide the truth for themselves. However, it must also be noted that those at Diamond can feel just as strong a charge of fear about the ‘hidden agenda’ of the elites or about the potential ‘totalitarianism’ of new government restrictions than people at Square are feeling about the virus itself. So hold compassion for your loved ones at Diamond.
At the Connection-Based Terrain (Circle), we see the emphasis shift from fear to love. People at this Terrain generally trust that they will remain healthy by connecting with nature and eating simple natural foods. They are becoming aware that they need to transmute fear into love within themselves and are looking for ways to do that. At this Terrain, you will find people coming together in community—despite warnings of contagion—so as to create a vibration of love and harmony, in the heartfelt belief that this will triumph over the fear around them. There is a yearning for authentic connection even amidst the chaos. People at Circle feel a deep sadness for the state of Mother Earth and worry about the wider implications of this crisis for how we are living on this earth as a community. However, there is a strong belief at this Terrain that love will prevail and that by joining our hearts together we will be able to protect even the most vulnerable among us.
At the Coherence-Based Terrain (Spiral), we start to see the emergence of compassion. Compassion for what everybody is going through in this crisis, and understanding and acceptance of every person’s individual reaction to the situation. Ridicule and judgment fall away at this Terrain. There is an awareness that if a person wants to hoard toilet paper, that is OK. If the elites wish to manipulate events to assert control, that is forgiven. At this Terrain, all perspectives are embraced. In choosing how to personally respond to this crisis, people at Spiral will tend to tune into their own Higher Knowing, on a moment-to-moment basis. They will work vigorously to manage any fears that come up within them, checking that they are not taking on any disempowering narratives, and they will work to keep their own vibration high at all times. They will make the most of the time they are forced to spend by themselves while government restrictions are in place by continuing to do their own deep inner work, as they believe that it is their inner reality that creates the greater outer reality.
At the Fractal-Based Terrain (Toroid), it becomes evident that every single one of the above approaches is necessary if we are to survive as a species. People at this Terrain have a vast perspective that takes in the whole, and they are aware of the infinite intelligence that is playing out right now and how it is guiding the collective unfolding at all Terrains. They can see the bigger shifts that are being orchestrated through this crisis, beyond the medical, social, economic and political ramifications. They are aware of the underlying patterns that have led to this crisis, and at the same time they can see the healing of humanity that will emerge as these patterns come to their inevitable fruition. People at Toroid generally see this virus as a parable here to teach us. They see that it is showing up as a reflection of the consciousness around it, therefore they do not take on the collective fear of contagion. Ultimately, people at this Terrain feel great peace right now despite the turmoil around them, for they have a deep Trust in life and know that even the current crisis is happening for the highest good of all.
At the Unity-Based Terrain (Infinity) we see that life is a self-healing system, healing itself back to Unity. We, as the One being that we are, have dreamed this illusion into being. Whatever happens here, nothing can actually separate us from our Self or from Love. We surrender to what is unfolding in each moment, knowing that despite all the apparent panic, everything that is unfolding is actually perfect. People at this Terrain are experiencing peace within themselves, yet they are also bearing witness to the despair and chaos around them, and are holding space for all of us with Love.
So you can see from this very brief and necessarily simplified summary above, that people will have a very different reaction/response to this crisis, depending upon which Terrain Of Consciousness they are at. And that is totally fine. Humanity is a tapestry, not a thread, and each Terrain adds a crucial piece into the weave.
So if you find someone else's behavior during this crisis frightening or infuriating or inexplicable, just pause, breathe, and ask yourself: “Hmmm… I wonder if they are perhaps at a different Terrain Of Consciousness to me and are seeing the world differently?” The simple act of pausing and asking yourself this question is often enough to diffuse the charge force of fear and mistrust and to allow all anger, angst, and frustration to melt away. This allows the emergence of an openness of mind and a willingness to listen to each other, which will lead to compromise, connection, and collaboration. And that is what is most needed right now in these challenging times.
~ by Tahnee Woolf and Allen David Reed~
co-creators of the Ten Terrains Of Consciousness Written on 15 March 2020 and updated on 19 March 2020.
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Recently, I was in conversation with a friend and she mentioned a very wise man I know and said, "He's so in his head." This shocked me, as I have always seen this man as being a very Heart-centered person. I asked her what she meant by this and she said, "He is always talking about ideas rather than feelings". And I suddenly realised that there is a great misconception out there about what it means to be 'in your Heart.'
Being in your Heart does NOT simply mean feeling your emotions nor does it simple mean talking about your emotions. Although, of course, that can be a component of it for some people. Being in your Heart means being connected to a deeper part of yourself than the disconnected mind. By the 'disconnected mind', I mean the thinking mind that is cut off from the Infinite Knowing of All That Is. Sure, many people who talk about ideas are coming from their disconnected mind, rather than being connected to a deeper part of themselves. But what is less known is that many people who talk about their feelings are also coming from the disconnected mind, for their emotions are rising up in reaction to a story of their disconnected mind. Indeed, a person can be speaking for hours about their emotions in a stream of pain and sadness, but if they are simply in reaction to the stories of their head, they are not connected to their Heart at all. When we are truly in our Heart, we are connected to something deeper than the disconnected mind or the emotions that it stirs up. We are connected to our body wisdom. We are connected to the Love that we truly are. We are in a place of peace and joy, able to access truth and wisdom and truer, deeper feelings than highly-charged emotional reactions. Therefore the indication of whether a person is coming from their 'head' or their 'heart' is not whether they are talking about feelings or ideas. It is about the quality of connectedness they are bringing to the interaction, the connection they have to their body and to the listener and to Love. It is important to understand that how a person expresses being 'in their Heart' will look very different depending on their personality type. When a highly sensory person at Circle (an 'S' type in the Myers-Briggs personality system) is in their Heart, they will tend to speak of their feelings and body sensations, without being in reaction to the stories of the disconnected mind. When a highly intuitive person (an 'N' type in the Myers-Briggs system) at Circle is in their Heart, they will tend to speak of ideas and awarenesses that are coming from the deep knowing of their body, rather than the stories and speculations of the disconnected mind. Instead of being simply 'emotional', the highly S person who tends towards feelings will be deeply loving and compassionate when in their Heart. Instead of being simply 'intellectual', the highly N person who tends towards ideas will be deeply wise and perceptive when in their Heart. So do not think that just because someone is speaking to you about abstract concepts that this means they are not in their Heart. This is a very common misconception by S types and it is truly dishonouring to all the N types out there at Circle and beyond who are very Heart-centered. Indeed, some of the most Heart-centered people I know are highly N. They are brilliant, visionary, conceptual thinkers, who come from such a place of love and compassion and truth when they speak their ideas, from such a place of Heart, that if you are open to receiving their wisdom, you will find your life transformed. ~ by Tahnee Woolf ~ co-creator of the Ten Terrains Of Consciousness ♥︎ We hope you've found this article helpful. Feel free to share it with your friends using the share buttons on the right! ♥︎
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