The word ‘revolution’ originally referred to the movement of celestial bodies and was also used historically, to refer to a change of heart. (1) Usage of the word in these contexts preceded the more commonly recognised political sense of ‘revolution’ in modern times.
I was an avid student of history in school, especially drawn towards stories of revolution and the people who propelled such events. Perhaps this was a result of my lineage, stemming from a nation (people) and land, that has been oppressed by Empire, to a greater or lesser extent for a very, very long time.
Over the past twenty-five years however, as I have engaged more with a spiritual path in life, my concept of ‘revolution’ has evolved (re-volved) from a worldly event, into a deeply personal journey. Nothing changes until I change. I know this to be true now. Gandhi’s words about ‘being the change’, still resonate for me as much as when I first heard them decades ago. I am ever on that quest.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise so I am changing myself.” - Rumi
Since thought precedes words and actions, it is necessary to change habitual thinking patterns in order to effect meaningful change in one’s life experience. While this sounds easy enough, it is extremely challenging for those of us, who have not yet attained enlightenment ;) A thousand little judgements filter unbidden through the monkey mind on a daily (possibly hourly) basis. Capturing them before they escape into fully-formed words, where they gain power and momentum towards action, is a monumental revolutionary feat.
In this, ‘The Work of Byron Katie’ is a useful tool - interrogating thoughts with questions such as: ‘Is this true?’ and ‘Whose business am I in with these thoughts?’ Sadly, I most often find myself in someone else’s business, or even worse, God’s business, where I have no call to be.
Projection is the natural recourse of a fractured mind and so, it is far easier to look ‘out there’ and cast blame for all that is wrong with the world. Finding a target for blame - politicians, corporations, other people, life events etc. - is, in fact, a key part of this strategy and it is exhaustingly complex; insanely fear-inducing. I cannot know the motivations of any other, let alone multiple others and the complexity of trying to work out who and what is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in such a chaotic world, hurts my head.
Heart - Breath - Earth
The greatest ally in this war-torn mind-space, is my spiritual heart, which emits only the frequency of love, connecting me to Source, when I choose to tune in. Though monkey-mind can jump up and down, shouting to be heard, heart is an ocean of peace, where I can retreat into stillness when it all becomes too loud; distilling my focus to breath and nature - always grounding, always soothing.
This practice saves me from the overwhelm of mind disarray, both personal and collective. It brings greater awareness of where my focus habitually goes and what I give my energy to, so I can see clearly, which thoughts are life enhancing and which ones deplete my life force. Then, I can choose to withdraw my energy from that which does not serve my highest good. Thus, I have agency in how I experience life.
Through this practice, my sense of personal boundary with regard to what is my business and what is not, has improved immensely. This, for me, is true revolution that brings lasting peace.
Sure what can you do? That’s just the way it is!
All of this is not to say that we should do nothing to effect change in the world - quite the opposite in fact. Countless times over the course of my life, I have heard people say “Sure what can you do? That’s just the way it is!”. Previously, in response to this, I would exhort people to get active - to become activists; to get involved politically, or at least use their vote to effect change; attend rallies; sign petitions; write to politicians etc.
I stopped saying such things the day I learned that using one’s vote at a ballot box is simply giving consent to be governed and taxed. It is opting into a ‘system’, which is both man-made and mind-made. And what is being governed only the minds of people, where ‘ment’ in the word ‘govern-ment’, refers to mind? (2) In effect, it is handing over power to an external authority to be told how to think. Much simpler then surely, to learn to govern one’s own thoughts?
‘entertainment’ means ‘to occupy the mind’
Thoughts, like everything else in the known universe, are energy in motion, forming wave patterns, measurable with the use of electrodes. Indeed, digital technology is at such an advanced stage now that a machine can assess, with alarming accuracy, what we are thinking, based on the movement of eyes, the length of a cursor hover - even the minutest pause while we decide whether to ‘click’, is registered by the algorithm.
Shiny new toys bring us ever more convenience, along with entertainment (which means ‘to occupy the mind), distracting us from our real lives, while at the same time, observing us closely, taking it all in - literally. (3) With a constant feed of human energy in the form of attention, the machine has grown monstrous. It has learned not just how we speak and act but how we think and rather dangerously, how we might act at a future point in time, based on our current thinking.
If this last bit seems a little far-fetched, or as though I am borrowing from George Orwell’s book ‘1984’, with the ‘Thought Police’; or from the idea of ‘pre-cogs’ in the film ‘Minority Report’, which is based on Philip K. Dick’s 1956 Novella ‘The Minority Report’, see below for references to three Irish companies, currently world-leaders in ‘pre-crime’ technology. (4)
Thus, humanity has reached a critical juncture. Those who would have total control and worldly power, stand poised at the final frontier. No longer content to govern the mind, full invasion and occupation is the name of the game; a world riven with fear, oppression and constant surveillance, the outcome.
In this scenario, I believe that the most revolutionary act one can undertake, is to retreat behind this last border and guard it jealously, by reclaiming authority over one’s own thoughts; to stop feeding the machine with them and imbibing a paltry stream of regurgitated mainstream opinion in return - trinkets compared with the riches of the inner world. Starved of precious energy in this way, the machine cannot complete its invasion and occupation. Game Over.
‘as above, so below; as within, so without’
Based on the Hermetic Principle of Correspondence: ‘As above, so below; as within, so without’, each small change (revolution) within, ripples out to the wider world. This is where real power and authority lies - embedded in the fabric of our own thoughts. It is nothing less than the power to create and curate our own individual and unique experience of life - not life itself, for that is God’s business - but how we experience it, because our experience is always however we think it is.
Therefore, if we, each of us, becomes the author of our own thoughts, instead of abdicating responsibility to someone or something else - government, media, church, algorithm - we effectively reclaim authority (authorship) over our experience of life. Then, we become artivists, instead of activists - tuning inwards to heart centre, which connects us to the infinite wisdom of Source and to all of life, from where coherent and creative thought may arise in harmony with our true nature. Thoughts arising from this place of peace and joy, can only lead to right words and right action, expressed in turn, outwardly onto the collective canvas of life.
Activism is, by definition, resistance because it seeks change within a system governed by an external authority, due to non-acceptance of that system, as it is. Non-acceptance is, of course, always resistance to ‘what is’.
Artivism, on the other hand, is true revolution because it engages the full creative power of Source, as uniquely expressed through the words and actions of those individuals, whose thinking is guided by their own spiritual heart, which is always and ever one with the eternal wellspring of creativity and joy. Thus, they do not expend energy resisting the old; instead, they become creators of the new.
This, is the revolution that changes the world…
DIY Revolution
The revolution starts with you
when you look within to find a solution
which resonates in deeper truth of real life
beyond the reach of 'News'.
We know it won't be televised
the silent moments not compromised
by daily intrusion of horror and fear
revolution starts inside - it's already here.
The revolution begins at home
every one of us playing our singular role
as we turn away from the Big Distraction
building anew with each small action
that leads towards a greater vision of who we might be
when not enslaved in a mind-made prison
maintained by viewing life through a prism that entertains
with a daily digest of suffering and pain.
Unlock the door, step into the light
away from the madness, continual strife
that feeds on your soul and bleeds your heart
each revolution begins with a spark.
Let go of the virtual ties that bind
embrace what is real and know it was lies
that held you tight in a digital cage
expand your heart - breathe in the new day
© Áine Fortune 2026Art Credit: Aaron Cummins - oil on canvas
References:
1. Origin and history of revolution
Late 14c., revolucioun, originally of celestial bodies, ‘one (apparent) rotation about the earth’, also the time required for this, also ‘act or fact of moving in a circular course’, from Old French revolucion ‘course, revolution’ of celestial bodies (13c.) or directly from Late Latin revolutionem (nominative revolutio) ‘a revolving’, noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin revolvere ‘turn, roll back’ (see revolve).
From early 15c. as ‘a cyclical re-occurrence, recurrent changes or events’ (in reference to seasons, etc.), also ‘the revolving of a wheel’. It is attested by 1660s as ‘action on the part of an object or person of turning round or moving round a point’.
From early 15c. as ‘to turn over (in the mind or heart), meditate’. Also formerly ‘to pass through periodic changes’, hence ‘to come around in process of time’ (1590s).
The sense of ‘an instance of great change in affairs’ is recorded from mid-15c. The political meaning ‘overthrow of an established political or social system’ is recorded by c. 1600
Source: etymonline . com
2. Etymology of ‘ment’
The suffix ‘ment’ is borrowed from Classical Latin mēns, mentem (mind; intellect, thought), from Proto-Italic mentis, from Proto-Indo-European méntis (thought). Source: Wiktionary . com
3. Etymology of ‘entertainment’
The word ‘entertainment’ is derived from the Old French word ‘entretenir’, meaning ‘to hold between’. This, in turn, is derived from the Latin word ‘intertenere’, which means ‘to hold together’ or ‘to keep occupied’ Source: etymologyworld . com; while ‘ment’, as above, refers to mind. Hence, ‘entertainment’ means to occupy the mind.
4. Three Irish tech companies global leaders in ‘pre-crime’ technology
According to ‘Silicon Republic’ and ‘Thinkbusines . ie’, Cytidel, Siren and GuardYoo are three Irish companies leading the world in ‘pre-crime technology’.