“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness….” So begins Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities. In these turbulent times we might find it easier to perceive the darkness than the light, but if we try to imagine, in even a small way, the all-inclusive, timeless view of the spiritual Guides who watch over the world, we can recognize the accuracy of Dickens’ perception: that the present age is a manifestation of both the best and the worst in humanity, and that light is indeed penetrating even the darkest of moments. Not only is this “bi-focal” vision a more accurate perception of the world today, even more importantly it is a vitally needed one if we hope to be of service during this epochal era. Buffeted by the inpouring currents of the incoming Aquarian age while still conditioned by two thousand years of the Piscean age, perhaps it’s no wonder that humanity is reacting in startling, unpredictable and sometimes distressing ways to the prevailing forces and energies.
“There has never been a period in our planetary history in which opportunity has loomed so large or when so much spiritual light and force could be contacted and utilized by humanity”, esoteric teaching tells us. We know this is true because the three conditions cited as verification of this assertion are readily identifiable in worldly experience. The first indication, we’re told, is the growth of the subjectively interrelated group of workers known as the new group of world servers. Their contributions cover all fields of human experience and world need, and their presence is visible in all nations and every race and religion.
The second condition is the pronounced cleavage between the forces of evil and the Forces of Light. Developing as a result of the world war (1914-45), the cleavage between these two powerful forces now seems more pronounced, more troubling, and more dangerous than ever. We see it in the vicious ethnic conflicts that rage in numerous places, and in the increasing cleavage between the “mega-rich” and the rest of humanity—a cleavage in which the top 1% of the world’s population now owns almost half of the world’s wealth. We see it in the depth of racial and religious hatred which underlies the suffering and fear that darken too many lives, and in the seemingly implacable divisions between the governments controlled by autocrats, and the democracies which promise governance based on the consent of the people, a system which depends upon a level of citizenship that sometimes seems unachievable.
The third condition providing a basis for hope, and perhaps the most startling of all three, was generated by the release of atomic energy, for it revealed the method for transmuting spiritual energy into matter and matter into energy, thus fulfilling H. P. Blavatsky’s statement that “Matter is spirit at its lowest point of manifestation and spirit is matter at its highest.” History documents all too well the potential for grievous harm that the atom contains, but the future holds the promise of its enormous contributions to world betterment.
These three conditions are all indications of developments resulting from an ancient recognition, going back to Patanjali’s time, that there is a “raincloud of knowable things” which hovers over humanity and overshadows the new group of world servers, much as the soul overshadows the personality. Recognition of this raincloud confirms the thought, the subtle sense, that “we are held by the universe” in some inexpressible way, but its power can be tapped only by sensitive human minds responsive to certain spiritual objectives. These include a sense of planetary relationships which span upwards towards unseen, unknown kingdoms, downwards into the subhuman animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms, and outwards into the human kingdom in its entirety. Developing an orientation to this inclusive sense of the one humanity is fostered by the daily practice of decentralization and goodwill to all.
The sense of “registered impression” is another objective that must be cultivated if we are to become responsive to new currents of energy, new ways of approaching world problems, and expectations for a future which will be vastly different from the past two thousand years. The forlorn hope of returning to the imaginary “good old days” creates a blockage to the new forms and relationships that will characterize the Aquarian age. This relates to the spiritual objective of the sense of that which is imminent. This is essentially the definition of the raincloud of knowable things, of that which is achievable in the next phase of evolution. The more clarity we can bring to the development of this vision, the more practical and realistic it can become; and it must be powered by the evocation of the spiritual will. This is not the forced determination of the selfish little will, but the recognition of the Plan as it has unfolded throughout human history and the perception of the next step we must take as a species.
Aspirants who seek to register this raincloud and precipitate it so that it makes impact on human minds can provide an important service to those who are frightened or dismayed by the changing world conditions. As well, it’s a service to the lower kingdoms, for humanity serves as a “transmitting agent” for registering the subtle appeal arising from the three subhuman kingdoms. Their worlds, too, are responding to the impact and registering the effects of the new energies, but they depend upon humanity to be the point of transmission to still higher levels of being.
Again, we need to remember that esoteric teaching says there has never been a period in our planetary history when opportunity has loomed so large or when so much spiritual light can be contacted and utilized by humanity. The highest levels of our planetary life are being energized by an aspect of the energy of Aquarius which is said to be carrying an entirely new quality of deity; while this lies beyond our comprehension now, it will filter down into human consciousness by the close of the Aquarian age, we’re assured. Until then we have the contributions of the new group of world servers, increasingly responsive to the light pouring through Aquarius. We have the raincloud of knowable things, a storehouse of energy hovering over humanity, revealing to human minds “that which is new and better and progressively right”. And we have humanity collectively sensitized by the past 2000 years of Piscean energy. We are assured, therefore, that this is “a condition of great spiritual promise” which will illuminate the present darkness and “stir into new understanding” the present consciousness of humanity. Finally, to further shore up our courage and faith, we’re told that the energies of Libra are steadily gaining strength during this transitional period, bringing balance to the emerging world order and that “there is, therefore, no need for real anxiety”.
