Posted by Bill Ryan
(here)
The problem is that in New Age culture, "ascension" has become confused with "rapture" ... some kind of 'beam-me-up-out-of-here-quick' belief system that seems to say that we will all somehow magically regain our abilities and awareness without having to do any personal work. It doesn't operate that way.
There
is a 100th Monkey effect in progress which means that the more people who have raised their awareness, the easier it is for others to do the same. But it's still a gradual process, and still takes a huge amount of focus and application. Ask any Buddhist Lama who's been in Tibet for a thousand years.
Anyone who thinks that this expansion of awareness (Inelia's excellent definition) will suddenly be bestowed upon them, without their having earned it - and any spiritual practice takes a lot of courage, hard work, and discipline - is being tricked. There's really no other word for it.
Believers in this magical process will be angry and disappointed when this does not happen as promised. But the good news is that after that - the real work can start.
All best wishes, Bill