This is an old thread but being new here and exploring this wonderful forum I would like to comment.
For some time now I too have felt that there is a "shift" happening. Significant to me personally, the awareness that has enveloped me has brought me to where I am now. Difficult to express in most circles is the fact that this inhibited woman developed into a sexually expressive woman as my relationship to my heavenly Father developed true intimacy. Never in a million years did I feel it possible or necessary to "talk" to Him about my sexuality and my feelings concerning that aspect of my life. Who prays during sex? Sadly, not many have even thought of the idea or if they have it was considered wrong. My relationship with Him, the ability to express all of my hurts, fears and desires & recieving His immense love & thoughts about me brought me to polyamory. Mind you, I was never aware that there was such a word or way of life. I only knew about polygamy. My knowledge of polygamy was limited to the oppression and control of women of which left a bad taste in my mouth.
Outside of myself and in my circle of influence, I have observed minds becoming open, an external awareness of others and the epiphanies of our connectedness they experience. I've seen church elders finally accept exciting new ways of worship, breaking away from the dogma of tradition. I could go on forever...
It's beautiful and exciting to observe in others and experience ourselves. It gives me hope in my heart that one day we can all, justbeloving.
I so agree with these thoughts/viewpoints. I see myself as "evidence" that there are shifts happening. Is it "worldwide"? Who knows? The collective unconscious has been mentioned, and if one believes in that concept than changes or shifts typically start with a few and then seem to "spontaneously" happen with more and more of a population/species, e.g. "the 100th monkey."
My personal "evidence". I'm a 55 year old Caucasian female. I was born in small town USA with a stay-at- home mother and "bring home the paycheck, minimally involved" father. Raised in a conservative protestant Christian church, e.g. "born again". Christianity as the only "way" to salvation, to God. Not only was "interracial" marriage frowned upon, marriage between a Catholic and Protestant was suspect, bordering on "unequally yoked"!! Homosexuality was seen as a "sin", an "abomination" against God. If you were divorced, it was abnormal and you were typically seen as a potential threat to couples being a "single divorcee" (female). Remarrying, except if your original divorce was due to adultery, was considered to be committing adultery! (Heck when I was growing up there were only two families in town that were divorced in a population of 2,000!!) "Good" women were not supposed to drink alcohol and certainly never be seen with a "cigarette hanging out of their mouth"! In fact, even men who drank and smoke were considered suspect in terms of their being considered a "good Christian".
Today I no longer consider myself to be a "Christian". My spirituality is more Native American based, as I have Vision Quested, participated in sweat-lodges, etc. My "God/Goddess/Higher Power" doesn't really have a specific name or gender. There is no such thing as "unequally yoked" in my mind related to any race, ethnicity, gender or sexual persuasion/preference. I've been married and divorced twice and certainly am not shunned as a "sinner". My marriages have been based on "equality", not restrictive traditional role based.
Women were "property" who couldn't vote not all that long ago. They couldn't own property, and certainly wouldn't set foot outside the home to work without much disapproval and gossip coming their way. Legalized slavery was a part of our country not all that long ago. Vietnam brought out large amounts of protesters who refused the draft, left their country, etc. (I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this...just that it was rather atypical for one not to do as they were told by the government when it came to "serving one's country" in the time of war.) "Sex" was a forbidden topic. Heck, I remember when I started my menstrual periods in 6th grade, I didn't even know why women had periods! (No sex education or discussion with my mother. It was too embarrassing of a topic for her.) As a child I didn't even know what a female's genitals were called. All I ever heard was the word "penis", related to my brothers. Women as doctors, lawyers, upper management executives? They were certainly the "minority" when I was growing up making my career choices. Females couldn't even wear pants to school until I was in high school...and then not jeans until my senior year in high school. The creation of the birth control pill gave greater sexual and reproductive freedom that my mother didn't have in her early reproductive years.
Polyamory? I never heard of it until about 6 months ago, and now I'm considering it as a part of my life.
Yes, many in our world are still barely existing with substandard housing, food, water, etc. But change it is a coming!