We have been used to thinking of ascension in terms of leaving the Earth to enter a higher plane of being or to reach "heaven." But many now feel (and Drunvalo agrees) that ascension in our time is really about creating Heaven on Earth, right here and now.

Author and spiritual consultant Jean Adrienne is one who believes and teaches the Heaven-on-Earth interpretation. She also feels that this is going to involve massive alterations in our earthly DNA and in our chakra system — changes that only became possible when we began to dream this dream.

Why would we choose to stay here on Earth? From the standpoint of the Higher Self, the answer to that question is a no-brainer. "Alchemy," says Jean, "teaches that every soul in the Universe, no matter how advanced, envies us for having a body."

Asa: Let's start by talking about what you mean by the word "ascension."

Jean: The actual definition of the word, according to Webster's dictionary, is simply "moving from one level to another."

The historical definition from a spiritual/religious standpoint has been that we die and go to heaven, but by definition, ascension of consciousness would simply mean moving from one level of consciousness to another. So if we agree that we have been living in Third-Dimensional consciousness for a number of years, then ascension could mean moving to the fifth level or ninth level of consciousness.

We've been given a preconceived notion that it is necessary to leave our bodies behind in order to travel to this better place. But ascension can take place on the physical plane just by raising the consciousness. We can choose to stay in the physical body and ascend.

So ascension doesn't necessarily mean that people who choose not to ascend will disappear from our experience. It's possible that they will simply have a different experience. And those who want to ascend without a body can possibly have that experience, too.

However it goes, there will be two different realties. And maybe we'll reach a point in the future where both realities can co-exist, but where we don't actually see each other. Perhaps one plane will be invisible to the other.

But I think how it turns out for each one of us is an individual choice — everyone will have to choose to do whatever they do. Because this is a planet of free choice.

We chose to come here and experience life in a body because we could have body experiences, and these are not available elsewhere. Alchemy teaches that every soul in the Universe, no matter how advanced, envies us for having a body. There are things one can do in a body — such as having certain physical experiences — that are not possible without one.

Asa: If we are in the Fifth Dimension now, or moving into the Fifth Dimension, what are some of the changes that will be taking place?

Jean: The beginning of this move from one state of consciousness to another state of consciousness is to admit to ourselves the importance of having a body, and then reclaim the aspects of the physical body that we surrendered in our quest for spirituality.

We have tried to lighten our selves for some time. This has been the spiritual teaching: to lighten up, to perhaps even to leave the body by forsaking certain foods or habits.

The truth is that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. We need to claim this and fully activate and feel this physical experience.

There is truly no other way to live in the present. If we can't live in the present, then we can't live in the heart space or become enlightened. And if we are totally connected between the physical and spiritual, then the present is the only experience we will have. If this connection is complete, we will experience nothing but harmony and growth.

Asa: For those who are just discovering ascension in a body — who have not had intuitive awareness of it in the past — what advice can you give?

Jean: It's all about intention. The first thing that needs to happen is that one needs to decide to be open and receive this information. As soon as this happens, the rest is history, and it will happen. The more one walks in surrender, the more rapidly it will happen.

Asa: Will changes actually occur in the DNA, as so many are saying?

Jean: I believe so. I think that in order for ascension to take place in the human form, the body must be upgraded to hold a higher vibration. This process can be started by activating additional strands of DNA — the spiritual DNA.

It is thought that we originally had more than the two strands of DNA found in our bodies today. Now, if additional strands are activated, we awaken new abilities, gifts, and powers that have been held dormant. If you unwind the double DNA helix, you can see that it looks like a ladder. Perhaps our DNA could be a ladder into the Fifth Dimension.

There are people who perform DNA activation in which they activate the twelve strands of DNA. But this twelve-strand process may just be a beginning, because it is my feeling that there are more strands of DNA even than that. I suspect there are thirty-six strands of DNA. I suspect that the DNA paradigm changed when many of us realized that it was possible for us to ascend in the physical body, and that the DNA strands are the key to ascension.

Certainly, everything that we are physically is encoded in the DNA. We have physical DNA in our cells, and spiritual DNA that is in our energy field. These two energies have to be connected, just as the left and right hemispheres of the brain must become integrated and balanced as we move into the Fifth Dimension.

All of our inner knowledge is stored in the DNA. The memory of everything "that is" is encoded in the DNA. When we become authentic, we no longer search outside ourselves for "true knowledge." It is within us.

I suspect that this true knowledge is stored within the DNA, and that as we ascend, more strands will be activated so that we can to access more of our inner, hidden knowledge.

Asa: I understand you also believe that changes in the chakras are part of the ascension process. How does that work?

Jean: I believe we need to move our attention from our higher chakras to the Root and Sacral chakras. This is the place where we begin manifesting idea into form.

For years, we were told to focus on the Third Eye and Crown chakras. But I think we have to focus on the first and second chakras now, to bring creation into form — to bring Heaven to Earth.

I'm seeing now that many people, even vegans, are being called to eat meat, or at least root vegetables, just in order to ground themselves back in the body.

And I think that as we move into this grounding, into the physical body and activation of the DNA, there will be additional chakras. If there are twelve strands of DNA, it is only logical to assume that there are twelve chakras that relate to this. And if there are thirty-six strands of DNA, then there may be thirty-six chakras.

The first chakra that becomes apparent through the process of ascension is the high heart or thymus chakra. This chakra has started opening for many people, and they often experience the opening as the feeling of having a heart attack. I see this chakra as lime green. Some people see it as aqua.

There is also a new chakra right above the lip. It can be seen from the back of the head at the occiput. It's called the ascension chakra. Other chakras may be near the spleen, and other chakras are in the energy field but haven't come in yet. The Soul Star chakra is about eighteen inches above the Crown, and there is another chakra above that one.

We don't know the location of all of the new chakras. This is exciting, and we'll find out more as we move through the ascension process.

A whole new paradigm for the physical body is being created. We are moving from a body that is controlled by the immune system to a body that is controlled or activated by the heart. We are reacting to emotions when we are in the immune system, but when we are in the high heart chakra we are connected to our inner knowing.

We thought before that we lived in a world run by forces external to ourselves. But the ascension movement is all about a world that's governed by the high heart.

Asa: I know that many people are having tumultuous physical experiences right now. How does this new paradigm affect our health?

Jean: It is possible to create more perfect health through this synthesis of the body and soul that I talked about before. But it will also be possible to create anomalies of health, if this is what the person chooses to experience in order to learn. It is all about choosing our reality with each moment that passes.

Asa: How does the Crystal Grid relate to ascension?

Jean: None of this could begin to happen until the Crystal Grid was in place. Prior to its establishment, we may have had to leave the physical plane in order to ascend.

There are other grids besides the Crystal Grid. There is an Axiatonal Grid that connects the body to the earth's meridians, to the Crystal Grid, and to the Universal Grid above that.

We are taking on a new vibratory level as we connect to the Crystal Grid. It's similar to power stations, or like moving from dial-up on the Internet to cable and DSL. We are using the vibratory frequencies at a different pace. The hertz vibration of the body is absolutely off the chart today. Two or three years ago, the average human vibrated at somewhere around 68 hertz. Now it's not unusual for me to find someone who vibrates at five million hertz!

There is another new paradigm that is open to a lot of conscious creation, one we can't even perceive, radically different from anything that's been written about the human species or that we have experienced. It's hard for us to get out of the box and release enough control to open ourselves to this new paradigm.

Seeing the new paradigm only happens when we release control. We can do that by identifying how control operates in our life. Control is operating any time things don't seem easy, peaceful, and harmonious. As soon as our world starts to get testy, we can rest assured that we are exerting our will at some level.

These uncomfortable emotions are really a signal that we are not tapping into our intuitive knowledge. When the emotions occur, I tell myself that I am having a Mortal Moment. And the only thing we can do in a Mortal Moment is nothing! Make no decisions, make no choices — because decisions and choices made during Mortal Moments cannot be for our highest and best good.

Consider that the Universal law of attraction means that our thoughts and vibrations essentially choose the systems and events that will operate around us. Another way of saying this is, "Our experience of the world is the outcome of our emotions and thoughtforms." When we relinquish control, everything falls into place. It's heaven on earth.

The new paradigm is like a new channel on television, and we lose our reception to the channel whenever we go into control. The only thing we can do is take a deep breath, surrender to our higher self, and just let go.

Asa: If one decides to move into the process of ascension, are there important steps to take or changes we need to make in our consciousness?

Jean: We have to learn to let go of fear. We have to examine our thoughts constantly. Thoughts and emotions create, and we can't give up our responsibility for creating by not paying attention to what we are thinking and feeling.

There are no victims in the Fifth Dimension. Anything that's uncomfortable is our own creation. To change it, we have to create something new and better in its place, but we can only do that by taking responsibility for our thoughts and emotions.

We have to give up our base of Third-Dimensional fear. We have to move away from judging anything as either bad or good. Whenever we have any kind of judgment, we are opening ourselves to a lower vibration. It's truly a matter of knowing that everything is, and everything is as it should be in this moment. We must learn to live, moment by moment, in the now.

As you truly ascend, you remember who you really are. You remember that you are the Creator. At this point, it's important to put your attention on creating — creating your vision of Heaven on Earth. Begin to create what you want your reality to look like, as best you can within the old Third-Dimensional paradigm.

Then — let go! Say, "My reality is this or something better." You are turning it over to your Higher Self and allowing your Higher Self to work with the vision.

We can create more wonder than we can possibly imagine. We are learning to become adept at this through the ascension process. We should create as much as we can, especially lots of joy and happiness. Remember, we can create joy and happiness. We can have a full cup.

And when we have received a full cup, we must remember to give generously so that we can continue to receive generously.

I believe that what is happening today truly is the movement to a place of Heaven on Earth. I believe this world will become what the scriptures refer to, where the Lion lies down with the Lamb.

Jean Adrienne is a healer and teacher. She holds a degree in psychology from Florida State University and also completed the University of the South for Ministry Program. She is a Usui Reiki, Karuna Ki, and Seven Rays Master. She also is the developer of Inner Speak, a modality for the creation of quantum change. She is the author of two books, Soul Adventures and Inner Speak for Everyone, and has created a "Soul Adventures" guided meditation CD. For more information, please visit Jean's website at Inner-Speak.com. You may contact her at 404-934-0714 or .