Moving into the New ParadigmEver since the mythic year 2012, we hear a lot about a current paradigm shift. New age magazines talk about "shifting into a new area of awareness," give you lists of symptoms which indicate that your awareness is indeed shifting and give spiritual advice how to make the paradigm shift smoother. But what do we really mean when we talk about a paradigm shift? And most importantly: how does a paradigm shift influence our thinking and our lives?
In 1962, philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn published a milestone book called "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." In this book he presents the idea that science evolves in revolutionary steps: at any given time in history there is a normal, socially and academically accepted model of the world. (Once upon a time, for example, the model said that the Earth was flat and the Sun revolved around it.) However, for such a model to change, it is not enough for a genius to come up with "the truth." Usually, the establishment first fights back and labels the new thinker as heretics or unscientific and frequently removes them from academic posts (or, in earlier days, burned them at the stake). Only when more and more anomalies show up, (facts which can't be explained with the current theory) and more and more new scientists are willing to change their thinking, will the old assumptions of science be changed (called a scientific revolution), and a new scientific paradigm established.  Rupert Sheldrake
Today, the leading scientific assumption is that the universe is based on matter: everything in it consists of atoms and molecules, and what we call consciousness is nothing more but a by-product of the brain. However, it is essential to remember that this is a scientific assumption, not a fact! These days, scientific thinking is already beginning to shift, as more and more anomalies show up: we have hundreds of thousands of documented cases of near-death and out-of-body experiences, telepathic connections between humans, humans and animals, humans and the akashic field. Biologist Rupert Sheldrake is a modern-day Copernicus, a leading-edge scientist who is currently helping to shift the paradigm of science into a new world-view, which allows to legitimately study and advance our understanding of consciousness.
Paradigm Shift in SpiritualityIn spiritual discussion the phrase "paradigm shift" means more than a change in the way we think. It includes our ability, as human beings, to move into higher realms of existence,
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 Kuhn (1962)
According to Thomas Kuhn, science always progressed through revolutionary ideas which are first vehemently opposed by the leading school of thought.
When Copernicus first proposed that the Earth revolved around the Sun, he was laughed at. Galileo was threatened by the Inquisition for "vehement suspicion of heresy." It is not "the truth" per se, but social-political fights of ideas which move scientific thinking forward. 
Critiano Banti: Galileo Facing the Roman Inquisition (1857)
The diagram below shows how science evolves according to the theory of Thomas Kuhn: for example, currently, normal science does not assume consciousness to "really" exist, it sees consciousness as a mere epi-pehomenon of matter. But anomalies are already beginning to show up: we have countless people reporting to have experienced consciousness outside of the body, remembered non-physical realms, previous lives etc. Many scientists, including some leading Nobel-price laureates, advocate now a consciousness based paradigm. Once the critical mass of new thinkers is reached, the current scientific revolution will lead us into a new paradigm.
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Spiral-formed Galaxy. Source: NASA.
by shifting our thinking, our emotions and energies onto higher vibrations. Or to express it in a simpler way: we learn to think better thoughts, feel happier feelings and live more energetic lives for the benefit of ourselves and others.
The spiral in an ancient symbol, which we can find throughout culture and nature (for example, galaxies have spiral forms, there are vortices in water and air, snail houses, farns and other plants have spiral patterns). The spiral symbolizes our paradigms always shifting up higher and higher, as this is the natural form of evolution of human consciousness.
Evolution in the human realm is a choice: consciousness evolves when you decide so. Therefore the one and only really important question when it comes to the upcoming paradigm shift is:
The spiral in an ancient symbol, which we can find throughout culture and nature (for example, galaxies have spiral forms, there are vortices in water and air, snail houses, farns and other plants have spiral patterns). The spiral symbolizes our paradigms always shifting up higher and higher, as this is the natural form of evolution of human consciousness.
Evolution in the human realm is a choice: consciousness evolves when you decide so. Therefore the one and only really important question when it comes to the upcoming paradigm shift is: