Awake the Future

by Steven Lalevich

  The light of the day must also be balanced by the darkness of night. After the sun sets, it is important to avoid exposure to artificial sources of light, especially blue wavelengths of light, so that the mind can synchronize with the natural rhythm of the sun. Exposure to artificial light after the sun sets will impair your ability to reap the full benefit of sun exposure during the day. You must balance the light and the dark. Remember that. It is important.

  With regular practice, the fire ritual will alter the mind’s perspective. The energy of the sun lights up the soul so that it can see its full potential. Without the sun’s energy, we live in the shadows, and the shadows prevent us from seeing what is possible. But with the illumination of the sun, we can see what is possible within ourselves and within others. When we see these possibilities shining at their brightest, we can transform this energy from the sun into action as the sun powers us to carry out our life’s purpose.

  The fire ritual is to spend every morning in the sun and every evening in darkness. Balance the light and the dark in your life. Balance the light and the dark in your mind.

  I must tell you one more thing about the rituals. Sharing them with your world is not your only objective. You must also share them with a specific person in your life—a person whom you have yet to meet. She will be the key to unlocking a major piece of the transformation of humanity. Without her practicing the rituals, the likelihood of our success decreases exponentially. You must bring the rituals into her life, in addition to the lives of countless others around the world.

  I’ll write again soon with the second ritual. It is now time for you to share these first two letters, and the first ritual, with the world. I have faith in your ability to carry out this task, and I look forward to listening to your podcast when I return to the future. I’m sure you’ll do a great job.

  Yours,

  Edgar

  I felt very guilty the first time I read that letter. I didn’t realize that, by not releasing the first episode sooner, it would have such an impact on the future that Edgar returned to. It solidified in my mind the true impact of our mission. We have the potential to do great good, but also the potential to mess it up. I messed up, but I think we still have time to get back on track.

  It’s encouraging to hear Edgar say that I already have some knowledge about the rituals, and that’s certainly true regarding the first one. Spending more time in the sun is something I would recommend to my patients if I wasn’t so afraid of defying the status quo. There’s a lot of research on its health benefits, including vitamin D production and circadian rhythm entrainment. Now we can add to that list its effects on powering the deepest levels of human consciousness.

  It makes a lot of sense that one of the rituals would involve light. Edgar described encountering beings of light in his time between lives, and you often hear of people who have had near death experiences seeing some sort of bright light. So it’s no surprise that an experience of light in our daily lives would impact us on such a deep level.

  The fire ritual seems to be about reconnecting us with something that humans have done throughout history, but we’ve abandoned in modern times. I also think about how ancient civilizations worshipped the sun and sun gods in their religions. I think it’s foolish to dismiss ancient knowledge and assume we know more than they did. In this case, it’s clear that we have gotten off track by not respecting sunlight for its essential power. Not only that, we now live in a world where sunlight is considered a danger to our health.

  Somewhere along the way, we’ve gone completely bonkos to think that the sun is killing us, when it’s actually going to help save us from our own destruction. Sunscreen and sunglasses are leading us down the wrong path, but drug companies can’t profit off sunlight, so research on the benefits of something that is free doesn’t get much funding.

  I also have to wonder if the government or other powerful organizations have an ulterior motive in telling people to avoid sunlight. Could they have knowledge of the ability of sunlight to promote higher consciousness? If someone wanted to keep a population under control, it would make sense to suppress consciousness and free thinking. Could it be that some very bad people at the top know the truth and are intentionally recommending things that suppress our ability to think for ourselves and express our consciousness to its fullest extent?

  I’ll set that thought aside, as its implications are too much to think about right now, but at the very least our public health authorities need to get their act together. Guess what has happened since we’ve been warning people that sunlight causes skin cancer? The rates of skin cancer continue to climb despite the fact that we’re spending less time outdoors than we ever have in human history.

  Think about it. It’s not even close. We evolved outdoors without clothes on. Now, we wake up, put clothes on to cover our body, go to work, spend all day indoors when the sun is out, and then leave the office as the sun is setting. How is the sun harming us if we’re never outside? It seems to me that a poorly developed consciousness may fail to realize these facts. If our consciousness is the key to seeing patterns and connections in our reality, then this bad advice about sunlight is perpetuating our inability to realize how bad that advice really is. It’s not less sunlight that we need, but more of it. Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise might just need a good dose of sunlight to get their mind working right.

  I’ve looked further into the research on the health effects of sun exposure, and it’s pretty clear that if sunlight were a marketable drug, the makers of it would be billionaires. The research shows that greater sun exposure is associated with lower risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world. It is also associated with lower risk of many types of cancer, including colon, breast, and prostate cancer, as well as melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. While greater frequency of sunburn is associated with increased melanoma risk, greater non-burning sun exposure is associated with lower risk. Greater sun exposure is also linked to a lower risk of death from all causes. Sunlight lowers blood pressure, it improves mood, it promotes vitamin D production. So many of us are vitamin D deficient these days, and it’s not because of a dietary deficiency. Food is not your main source of vitamin D, sunlight is.

  Sunlight also helps to prevent myopia, or nearsightedness. I find this ironic since we have collectively developed a kind of myopia regarding sun exposure. We are failing to see that sunlight is good for us even with abundant research evidence to support that fact. Now, I’m not advocating for getting a sunburn, but getting some sensible sun exposure has plenty of health benefits, not to mention what Edgar said about its ultimate benefit in fueling consciousness.

  Before receiving Edgar’s letter, I often spent time outside during the day, but now I’m even more intentional about it. I now religiously spend at least 15 minutes each morning on my patio watching the sun rise. I don’t know if religiously is the best term to use here, but perhaps that’s the best way to describe a ritual involving the sun. Even on a cloudy day, the morning daylight is still powerful, and I make sure I see it, rain or shine.

  I've found that my mental state during the day, as well as my sleep at night, are categorically better when I routinely take the time to watch the sun rise. It’s nice to know that my consciousness is also evolving as I do this. I’ve also found, and there is research to support this, that exposing my skin to the sunlight in the morning allows me to withstand more sun exposure throughout the day. It’s the infrared light of the morning sun that conditions the skin to better tolerate the higher levels of ultraviolet light present during the middle of the day. Likewise, the infrared light in the late afternoon helps repair the skin from any oxidative damage incurred throughout the day.

  Another way the body recovers from any oxidative effects from the sun is through the release of melatonin at night. Melatonin is not only a hormone that helps us sleep, it is also one of the body’s most powerful antioxidants.

  I think it’s pret
ty cool how the human body is interconnected with the rhythm of the sun. The morning sunlight primes our body to withstand the intensity of the midday sun, while both the late afternoon sunlight and darkness at night help our body recover from a day of sun exposure. This rhythm helps us achieve balance. It’s not just what you do, but when you do it. As Edgar said, we need to adhere as closely as possible to the natural rhythm of the sun.

  An important part of that process is avoiding artificial light at night. You aren’t going to get the full benefit of nighttime melatonin if you’re exposed to artificial light sources, as exposing the eyes to artificial light suppresses melatonin levels. Exposure to artificial light at night not only disrupts sleep, it is also associated with increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and cancer. It’s primarily the blue wavelengths of light that have this detrimental effect, so if you’re going to use artificial light sources after the sun sets, you can at least make sure to avoid exposure to blue light.

  In my own life, I’ve been wearing blue light blocking glasses after the sun sets to avoid exposing my eyes to blue light. I do this in addition to using blue light reduction features on my phone and computer, as well as using light bulbs that are more orange or red in color. I’m still a bit cautious about even doing these things, as I suspect just darkness, or at most candlelight, would be the best option after the sun sets. In any case, following the natural cycle of the sun—spending time outdoors in the morning and throughout the day, and avoiding blue light at night—has made a huge difference in how I feel. I can’t imagine living my life any other way now.

  I’ve set up a website at awakethefuture.com, where I’ve posted links to additional resources related to the fire ritual. These include books, research articles, and useful tools, such as the blue light blocking glasses I wear after the sun sets. Just go to awakethefuture.com/fire to check those out.

  Now, I have to talk a little about the most cryptic part of Edgar’s letter, where he mentioned sharing the rituals with someone whom I’ve yet to meet. I have no idea who Edgar is talking about, but I suppose I’ll find out soon enough. It sounds like she is someone who has the potential to do great things in the world. I look forward to meeting her, whoever she is.

  As critical as it might be for me to share the rituals with her, it is still important for all of us to bring the rituals into our own daily lives. We must take responsibility to do our part to make the world a better place. The fire ritual is a perfect example of how improving the world starts with improving yourself. This ritual isn’t about trying to get others to do things; rather, it is an inward process of improving one’s own consciousness. It makes sense that if we each work on achieving a higher level of consciousness within ourselves, then we can ultimately change the fate of the entire world. It starts with the individual. It starts with you.

  By the way, I decided to write Edgar another letter in my journal. I assume I could just talk to him through the podcast, seeing as he will likely listen to it in the future, but I wanted to make sure that he got my message. Here’s what I wrote:

  Edgar,

  I’m sorry I didn’t release the first episode sooner. As you know, this isn’t easy for me to do. Despite my hesitation, I’m fully committed to this mission. I want you to know that. I know that you are sacrificing a lot to do this, and I want you to know that I am willing to do the same.

  Sincerely,

  Adam

  I sat down last night and thought about how much has changed. A few weeks ago, I was living a comfortable and predictable life. I was satisfied with my career as a nutritionist. I had a girlfriend who I loved and could see myself marrying someday. Everything was good. Not the kind of life you just toss out and start over, but that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve sacrificed it all, and it scares me. I believe I’m making the right choice, the only choice, but there’s a chance I’m wrong. That little bit of doubt is hard to deal with when you’ve put your whole life on the line. I just have to move forward and have faith in my decision. I’m on a new path now, and I have to make the best of what lies ahead. I can’t look back.

  I mentioned in the previous episode that I don’t think I’m the best person to promote a podcast and get a ton of people to listen. I don’t have social media accounts to use for promotion. I don’t have money for advertising. I don’t even have anyone close to me who believes in what I’m doing who can support me by word of mouth. I’m probably not going to do much more than release these episodes and hope for the best. I just have to have blind faith that someone, somewhere, sometime, will listen. I hate to put any burden on you, whoever you are who happens to be listening right now, but anything you can do to share this message might just help save the world.

  I think that’s all for now. I’ll release another episode after I receive another letter from Edgar. In the meantime, develop a morning ritual that includes time outside in the sunlight. Unlock your consciousness by bathing in the light during the day, and respect the sun’s cycle by avoiding artificial light at night. And please share this message. Talk to you soon.

  ePIsodE 3:

  THE WATER RITUAL

  September 15, 2018

  When I released the first two episodes of this podcast last week, I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, people are listening, and the number of listeners continues to grow each day. People are sharing this message with each other and word is getting out. That’s a long way from definitive proof that this is changing the world, but it’s a positive sign nonetheless.

  In my own life, things haven’t been going so well. I live in a small town and work at a small hospital, where gossip travels fast. Rumors are spreading around work that I’m telling my patients crazy things, making me a liability to the organization.

  My boss called me into her office a few days ago. She said, “Adam, I don’t know what we’re going to do with you. You’re causing quite a commotion around here. I’m getting a lot of pressure from both administration and the medical staff. We’re getting to the point where you’re going to have to choose between the podcast and your job.”

  Hearing her say that upset me, but I said, “The podcast is my first priority. I don’t want to lose my job, but I’m not going to stop releasing episodes.”

  “In that case,” she said, “why don’t you use some of your paid time off while you still have it. Check back in with me in a few weeks, okay?”

  “If that’s what you think is best,” I told her. I left the hospital that day not knowing if I’d ever be able to work there again.

  I guess it gives me more time to focus on the podcast, though going to work did make for a nice distraction. This whole saving humanity thing can be overwhelming if I think about it too much. Even though my job is in jeopardy, I’m still hopeful about the podcast. I’m encouraged by the fact that the message is getting out there.

  What also gives me hope is Edgar’s third letter, which I received last night. Here’s what it said:

  Dear Adam,

  Thank you for everything you have done since my last letter. When I returned to my world after writing that letter, so much had already changed. No longer is the population a mass of blind followers; people are actually making decisions for themselves. They aren’t always making the best decisions, as violence and conflict are everyday occurrences, but I consider this a step in the right direction.

  It’s amazing to be able to walk down a street and see a diverse array of human expression. There are friends laughing, couples holding hands, and individuals engaging in intense conversation. In my old world, the sidewalk was filled with zombie-like beings, going about their lives without any meaningful interaction with each other or the world.

  I’m also happy to note that the underground community in which I lived in my former reality no longer exists because it’s not needed in this new version of the world. This new world not only accepts, but encourages, the free expression of ideas, thoughts, and emotions. It is so encouraging to see this transformat
ion.

  In my personal life, everything has changed as well. As I mentioned previously, each time I return to a changed future, my life and my past memories are also transformed. The most meaningful of these changes is that my father is now back in my life. In this version of the future, he was never taken to a rehabilitation camp when I was a child because those camps never existed. It’s amazing to have new memories of growing up with my father and to have the relationship we have now.

  In my professional life, I work for an organization that is investigating the mystical experiences evoked by psychedelics. As you may know, psychedelics commonly transport individuals outside of time and space, much like my experience between lives. My research team and I, through our measurements of cognitive processes during these experiences, have been able to create a map of the substructure of reality beyond time and space. Through this work, we have made great progress in proving definitively that there is truly another dimension of reality that lies beyond our waking conscious perception. Where this research will lead us, I do not know, but it is exciting to discover these truths and share them with this world.

  It’s incredible how different my life and world are now. I honestly had my doubts about the impact of our endeavor, but now I can literally see how powerful it is. Releasing your podcast set into motion a profound change in the future. While I have never seen humanity in such a positive state, I know this is not the limit of the potential of human consciousness. While we may have brought consciousness out of its grave, we still have much more to accomplish with our mission. Otherwise, it would be all too easy for humanity to slip back into the same position where it started. Even though there remains much work for us to do, I am confident we are heading in the right direction.