Cellular cycle - beginning 16.4 billion years ago, developed the consciousness of Action/Reaction.
Mammalian cycle - beginning 820 million years ago, developed the consciousness of Stimulus/Response.
Familial cycle - beginning 41 million years ago, developed the consciousness of Stimulus/Individual Response.
Tribal cycle - beginning 2 million years ago, developed the consciousness of Similarities/Differences.
Cultural cycle - beginning 102,000 years ago, developed the consciousness of Reasons.
National cycle - beginning in the year 3115 B.C., developed the consciousness of Law.
Planetary cycle - beginning in the year 1755 A.D., developed the consciousness of Power.
Galactic cycle - beginning January 5, 1999, developing the consciousness of Ethics.
Universal cycle - beginning February 10, 2011, will be developing the unlimited ability of Conscious Co-Creation.
Until December 12, 2012 - so that last Universal cycle doesn't even last a year.
Information from Ian Lundgold's webpage: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Ian_Xel_Lungold/id/2209
Since I've only been alive in two cycles so far I've only experienced one Consciousness Shift and that was, according to these cycles, January 5th, 1999...which is pretty accurate for myself, I have to say!
Although a watcher of my dreams and definitely on my own path for all my life I had my first huge awakening and consciousness shift early December, 1998 - I still remember it clearly. For me it is a definitely marker representing a shift within myself. When I saw these dates - that Jan 5, 1999 was the start of the Galactic cycle - woah - it sure resonated with me.
What had happened was - for my birthday I went to a western astrologer. I'd never gone to an astrologer, tarot reader, psychic, nothing like that - ever in my whole life...but a fellow-waitress said she went and that it was amazing so I thought: what the hell - it might be interesting...? And it sure was! I couldn't believe what this man told me about myself - he knew things about my parents as well which was the topper, for me...when I left his office (after some tears - what triggers - and I'm not a cryer) I felt as though the top of my head had been opened up and the universe was streaming in with all these new ideas and...MAGIC...it was the discovery that the Universe and Life was WAY more interesting than I'd previously thought that made it all soooo magical - and it was what I'd really been searching for, and new instinctively, my whole life....with dreams and taking Philosophy at university (what a disappointment that was! They didn't ask me questions and it seemed like all the philosophers we studied didn't answer MY questions - I found I liked the 'first' philosophers the best who felt like 'everything had consciousness and was filled with animation and vitality' - students in the class laughed at that...)
But, I ramble!
So that was my big shift right on time with the Galactic cycle interestingly! From that point on I taught myself western astrology, got more into my dreams, discovered some 'crazy' books (Seth/Bartholomew), discovered Mayan astrology...and the discoveries haven't stopped...
I also noticed during that period that - it seemed that it really took hold in 2000 - that even the older generation (who may have even belonged to religions their whole lives) were questioning and opening to new ideas - shifting their consciousness too...
When you think back to 1999 and 2000 hasn't everyone changed SO much? And it just keeps speeding up!
Anyone else experience something similar?
February 10, 2011 is the next shift....

This symbol is called the Galactic Butterfly which is said to represent all of the consciousness that has ever existed in this galaxy.