by Benjamin Bernstein

It's an exceedingly rare thing, the chance to start anew. The chance to wipe the slate clean and stride into the light of a dawn never before seen by human eyes.

That opportunity, the likes of which has not occurred for thousands of years, opened for humanity early in December. (I felt the energy shift while participating in shamanic ceremonies in the Peruvian jungle.) We now stand at a tipping point, balanced between the end of the current age and the dawn of a new one. It's as if the universe is holding its breath.

And what each of us does now will make all the difference.

Will we collectively create a smooth and graceful transition to a more utopian existence? Or will we do it the hard way, with a horrific transition filled with cataclysms such as those portrayed in the recent 2012 feature film?

It's up to us. More specifically, it's up to you.

This transition is a work in progress, being shaped moment by moment by every human thought and action. When we choose fear, greed or selfishness, we vote for the hard way. When we choose love, generosity or selflessness, we vote for easy entry into something akin to Paradise.

Of course, the specific choices we make are important. But never before have our motives for those choices, and our feelings as we make them and carry them out, weighed so heavily in the balance.

Don't worry; perfection is neither required or expected. We are still human, after all (although our collective upgrade to homo luminous may be closer than we think). But by doing our best to think and act in the highest and best way we can - and getting as close to that goal as often as possible - we will each be helping to anchor this radiant new vibration on the planet now.

I don't know how long we have to shape the nature of the 2012 transition, whether this critical window will be measured in days or years. In terms of how we can best deal with it, the specific duration really doesn't matter. The strategy is the same, and feels so good that you'll want to make it a lifestyle anyway:

Choose love instead of fear

Choose generosity instead of greed

Choose selflessness instead of selfishness

If you want to expand the list, you can add these "2012 Beingways" from James Gustave Speth's marvelous book, The Bridge at the End of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability:

being, not having

giving, not getting

needs, not wants

better, not richer

community, not individual

other, not self

connected, not separate

ecology, not economy

part of nature, not apart from nature

dependent, not transcendent

tomorrow, not today

Don't dwell on what's wrong with the world; fighting against the old power structures is rarely the most successful strategy. Instead, to the best of your ability, start living the beautiful reality you want to see in the world now. Embody the change that matches your highest vision.

It bears repeating that this is a collective experiment in co-creation. There are no official leaders, no rulebook and no authoritarian hierarchy. Those who feel called to lead simply stand up and start leading; those who feel called to follow them follow.

The universe is an intelligent and naturally self-organizing entity, and we humans are integrally woven into its extraordinary design. When right intention is exercised, the means for its material manifestation naturally unfolds. The magic of synchronicity will ensure that, as each person self-selects the role that best fits them, all the necessary pieces for the 2012 transition will fall beautifully into place.

Choose love.

Choose generosity.

Choose selflessness.

Above all, choose love.