Critical Flaw: Narcissism.

You’re just. Not. that. Special. cupcake.

Patron Saint: Deepak Chopra/Abraham Hicks 

The Good News: You’re deeply committed to spiritual growth and development and the betterment of humanity. You’ve seen higher and more perfect states and potentials and you’re doing your best to manifest them here on Earth.

The Bad News: You’re just. Not. That. Special. Cupcake. Most of your cosmology wouldn’t survive first contact with reality (though it works swimmingly for the slightly neurotic Worried Well). But the most concerning part of the New Age Rapture, is how it subtly separates “awakened light workers” from everyone else, and sets up a moment in the future where you just get to bypass the whole trainwreck of our shared humanity and transcend to the next dimension of consciousness.

Solution: accept the grief and suffering of the world (yours and everyone else’s) Stop trying to airbrush your perfect life, realize that magical thinking is a child’s game in an increasingly grownup world, stop chasing “spiritual” experiences, medicine ceremonies, and personal growth retreats. Slow down look around, roll up your sleeves and help out where it’s messiest, not sparkly. Your inner work will be exponentially more potent when you also commit to the outer work––humble service.

Scroll down to the end to see how your Rapture Trap compares to the other 3 most common stories.

Critical Debrief:

‍Now that you’ve identified your own #1 Rapture Trap, it’s time to peel back the onion and see what’s underneath that story that makes it so sticky... 
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Professor John Gray at the London School of Economics has uncovered a fascinating pattern underneath all End of Times philosophies that unite everything from Old Testament prophecies, to online conspiracies to cryptocurrencies. 
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He also points out the fatal flaw that if left unchecked can turn a well-meaning ideal into destructive fanaticism. (that’s what you’ve really got to watch out for with your Rapture Trap)
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That pattern is as follows:
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– There was a time before the Fall where humanity lived in harmony
– There was a fall which removed us from that state of Grace
– To return to Grace, we will have to go through a trial or transformation
– On the other side of that trial everyone who has been faithful to the movement will be rewarded in a Heaven on Earth (or off it)
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This pattern began with Judeo Christian End Times philosophies but has become so pervasive that even “god-less” versions like Communism follow the same format!
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But the fatal flaw is that, regardless of which Rapture Ideologies we are drawn to, a) if the Ends are literally heaven on earth (or off it) then the Means are always justified, and b) a solution that only works for 1% of humanity (no matter how you count them)  ends up being sociopathic for the remaining 99%.
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Once you see this four stage framework you can spot it in your Rapture Trap, but also in all the others!
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We’re not likely to get a neat and tidy Singularity--sacred or secular. Instead, it’s gonna look and feel a lot more like The Intertwingularity–a giant muddy Meme Soup, unmoored from any kind of narrative continuity whatsoever. We might even look at the same things, agree that what we’re looking at is both real and important, but come to completely opposite conclusions about what it means and what we should all do next. 
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Whether it’s billionaire philanthropists saving the world or secretly scheming to take it over, or Deep State conspiracies plotting to hijack democracy or preserve it, or Antichrists masquerading as messiahs— it’s getting nearly impossible to sort through it all and come to trustworthy conclusions.
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As the Intertwingularity sucks us down the drainpipe of time and space, it’s not likely to play out exactly like anyone’s stories predict. It’s entirely possible that the Great Sorting Hat at the End of Time won’t give a damn which side we thought we were on—Rebel or Stormtrooper, Red Pill or Blue—but only on our intentions. Which flag we flew, which uniform we wore will yield to something much simpler. Were we coming from fear or love? Were we standing for all of us or only some of us? 
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So think about dodging your Rapture Trap and coming on over and playing for Team Human! That means growing beyond your tribal allegiances (your church, political party, online friends, or cultural class) and stepping up for humanity.  
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All of us, or none of us. This planet (no pissing off to Mars), these bodies (no computer uploads to the Singularity), these lifetimes (no life extension for a fortunate few).
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In defense of the Good, the True and the Beautiful. 
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Doesn’t that sound like a whole lot more fun (and a good bit more noble) than turning our backs on our collective challenges to grab one of the last lifeboats for ourselves?
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And if you’re interested in the bigger conversation underneath this little quiz, including the toolkits for building ethical culture that has a chance of making it through these crazy times (plus a bunch of neuroscience, optimal psychology, and wild-ass stories from NYC firefighters and vampires, magic carpet flying Tibetan princesses, hashish smoking Persian warlords, Meme Jesus, Benedictine monks on Ecstasy and a cast of characters that will blow your mind...check out: Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That’s Lost Its Mind.
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But bewarned: there’s no free lunches, and once we’ve woken up and grown up, we all have to show up.
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This book is a user manual for how to do exactly that.
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It’s the End of the World (and you know it) but we’ll be fine!