A “new type of thinking”, Einstein wrote, “is essential if mankind is to survive and move to higher levels.” Thought is a truly remarkable aspect of life. It is something which not surprisingly we take for granted and we don’t think about too much. It is this faculty that makes us distinctly human. It leads us not only to know our own minds but eventually to become attuned to the Mind of God too. Thought can be a focus for good, and in like manner, a vehicle for selfish motives. But, used in the pursuit of noble causes, it begins to reflect the nature of God, and to fulfil the purpose of its intended use.
Any understanding of the mind, and its role in human living, should embrace an analysis of the distinction between the thinker, thought, and the plane of thought, in conjunction with the place or position that the mind holds in relation to the states of consciousness above and below it. Only then will a truer picture emerge in our mind’s eye of this remarkable faculty. It has the capacity to propel a human being out of the depths of darkness and ignorance, to levels of understanding, and to heights of awareness that touch the majestic thought currents of God.
I Think, therefore I am
Rene Descartes, the French philosopher, mathematician and scientist, and celebrated as the father of modern Western philosophy, famously wrote in the seventeenth century: “I think, therefore I am”. For Descartes this truth was an end of a quest for a statement that could not be doubted. Since he was the one who was doing the doubting, he couldn’t doubt that he existed.
On the surface this may seem a rather contorted way of approaching the fact that human beings are, by their very nature, self-conscious lives. They are, in other words, conscious that they are conscious. But, in time, a long period of time at that, self-consciousness leads to group consciousness. A preoccupation with our own concerns and immediate environment evolves to a focus on a group spiritual project, served by a worldwide community of like-minded thinkers, who aspire to give something back to life, rather than to take from it. All such progressive initiatives add to the evolving rich tapestry of spiritual colour and texture in the outer world. They anchor forward looking ideas in consciousness which materialise in such diverse areas as government, education, religion or perhaps science.
God Immanent and Transcendent
Only the human stage of evolution holds out the prospect to become consciously aware of the presence of God. In the early dawn of life (and probably for much of the path of evolution), this manifests as a belief and gravitation towards God transcendent, of a God in the heavens, to which we look for solace, comfort and relief from the difficulties and sufferings of the world. But, in time, and over a very long period of time, this rationale gives way to an awakening of God immanent. It leads to a recognition that ‘The Thinker’ is in reality the soul, the God within. There emerges the revelation that we not only have a soul but we are the soul whose presence has nurtured, developed and guided us for untold aeons.
Perhaps, only when there is a measure of cohesion between the soul, the mind and the brain, can we begin to understand God transcendent in the universe. Without this connection, it is as if a door is closed to the realities that lie within and beyond our planet. For, surely, its secrets are revealed only to those who possess the selfless attributes and the purity of motive that characterise those initiated into the Mysteries of Life and who willingly shoulder the solemn responsibilities that these truths reveal.
As understanding of ourselves grows, we begin to see the correspondences between solar, planetary and human lives. One of the outstanding similarities that human and more advanced Lives share is the power to think and to use thought in a constructive and beneficent manner, but ever in different spheres of influence and areas of responsibility.
The Power to Think
Humanity’s contribution to the planetary Whole, to the Purpose of God, is to develop the power to think. It is to construct thoughtforms in line with the evolutionary flow, which have at their core the good of the whole, and which help to move the human family ever closer to its divine origins.
But, it is not surprising that our thinking today is confused and bewildered in the face of the overpowering challenges that lie all around. This maelstrom of conflicting energies, ideas and mindsets is both the cause of the problem(s), and at the same time, the catalyst for change. Yet, out of this chaos, humanity can emerge into a brighter future. The cry for freedom, for social responsibility, for cooperation and sharing, for truth, and above all for goodwill, is palpable.
All the obstacles that hold back the human family from its spiritual heritage, are rising to the surface, and from which there is no escape. That there are enough people of goodwill around the world who have the potential to bring about constructive change is probably true. But can they mobilise and concentrate their efforts in a concerted and focused way to offset the weight of age-old and entrenched separative thinking?
A New Type of Thinking
A ‘new type of thinking’ that Einstein alluded to perhaps heralds a future in which purely materialistic thinking begins to give way to a more enlightened and inclusive mindset. In which the light of the incoming Aquarian Age reveals those new truths and ideas, principles and values, which will carry humanity further on the path of evolution.
The past colours the present and the present determines the future. Will we be part of a worldwide movement in consciousness today to help shape a better world for those who come after? Will we embrace the ‘new type of thinking’, so that the human family can ‘move to higher levels’, to those ‘broad, sunlit uplands’ in which every human being can realise his or her inner potential, as someone born in the ‘image of God’?
Only the thinking that touches and is inspired by the realms of God, that senses the inner meaning behind the outer events, and that has for its implicit purpose the wellbeing of the many, is perhaps what Einstein had in mind.
