The Maharishi Effect: A Formula for Transformation

I recently heard an interview with Ken Wilber where he said that he didn't believe any major shift could possibly come by 2012.  The reason he gave was because 70% of the world's population was at or below a certain stage of development (in terms of Spiral Dynamics and Ken's own nomenclature that level would be Amber, Blue, Mythic, among other designations) in terms of consciousness, which would basically make that sort of leap impossible.  This got me to thinking and meditating.  This process catalyzed some interesting insights within me, and opened me to a much clearer perspective on this whole issue.  There are certain influences that either Ken is not taking into account, or which he simply considers unimportant.

First and foremost, is the strong feeling by myself and many others that there is an very noticeable, almost palpable, exponential increase in the intensity and acceleration of our general energetic environment as we get closer to whatever this Shift is.  This is having the effect of basically forcing us to awaken and face our dysfunctional patterns and release them, or if we choose not to do this internal "house cleaning," to have to deal with ever-increasing stress and difficulties in our lives (basically a world that seems like it is careening out of control).

The second thing that Ken does not seem to take into account is the fact that we are deeply and intimately connected, (actually interconnected) with everyone (and everything) else as the consciousness that we are; that is the ground of our being.  A very significant second layer to this is our unity as a species.  From this perspective we are all part of the collective consciousness of Humanity, and we are not only affected by it, but also affect it by our every thought and action.

In my meditation, the idea (that I had heard previously) about a particular formula that expressed the minimum number of people that could affect dramatic change, popped into my mind.  The formula stated that if the square root of one percent of any given population meditated, that they could profoundly influence the surrounding population.  As I investigated further, I finally came to the originators of this concept, and the scientists who have been conducting  research worldwide to test it.  Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (who brought Transcendental Meditation to the world) originally came up with 2 formulas for affecting change in the world.  He said that only one percent of any given dispersed population meditating could have a strong effect on the whole.  Very interestingly, he also said that only the square root of one percent of a given population was necessary to effect change if these meditators came together in a group.  Apparently coming together as a group dramatically intensified their overall power of influence on the whole.

For those who are interested in some of the research and references regarding the effects of meditation on regional and global violence and conflict, here are a few useful links:

The Impact of Collective Consciousness on World Peace

One Percent for Peace - The Real War on Terror - An Interview with John Davies 

Dubrovnik Peace Project - Scientific Research - The Maharishi Effect 

Dr. David and Lee Leffler's Invincible Defense Technology

So, for those who are realizing the immense power and influence of meditation and focused intention on the whole of the collective consciousness of our species, here are the formulas to utilize in your organizational efforts:

1% of any given population (city, region, world) if the meditating group is dispersed.

√1% of any given population (city, region, world) if the meditating group is together.


To effect useful change in the world as a whole, based on a population of 7 billion people (carried forward slightly), we would need to organize 70,000,000 individuals dispersed worldwide, or 8,367 individuals in one place.


This information shows very clearly that our individual efforts do indeed have far more of an effect in the world than most of us would generally imagine.  What can you do with this knowledge?  


1.) Start a personal practice of meditating every day, even if only for a short time.  Do this for yourself as well as with the intention to awaken Humanity.


2.) Organize groups of meditators with the focused heart-based visualization and conscious intention to awaken our species.


3.) Use this information as a jumping off point to do more research that you can share with others.  Let as many people as possible know what you have learned.


What glorious possibilities await us...

Happy meditating!