Many millennia ago, before the starlit arrival of The Christ, homo sapiens survived the great terrors of the wilderness by banding together and forming an instinctual code of physical and moral conduct. Girls were the gatherers, the gentle healers and the child-bearers; boys were the hunters, warriors, and the intimidating protectors of tribal ways.
Today, in the twenty-first century, many women and men have evolved beyond this code of conduct and forged a new, kinder, more inclusive way forward. Yet, many millions more remain locked inside a painfully outdated consciousness whose sole purpose is survival. It is this very consciousness which promotes self-absorption, separation, hoarding, and the violent acquisition of natural resources.
Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the world (which at that time existed largely in the east) was blessed with the lyrical, uplifting voice of an Indian sage who left behind a precious gift for all mankind: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
“Understanding of mind consciousness comes from one-pointed meditation upon the heart center” (Book III, Yoga Sutra 34). One hundred and ninety-six sutras which, when woven together, reveal the essential Oneness of all Life expressions regardless of form utilized. Many people listened; and a spiritual path of return was carved into the wilderness. Many others ignored the call to Light and chose the familiarity of darkness.
When Christ arrived and walked this earth a violent and often cruel clash between the forces of light and dark broke out across the lands. Faith versus fear, other versus self, sharing versus greed. Sound familiar? He too quite generously left behind an irreplaceable gift for the benefit of all mankind: the Resurrection of Pure Love. Once again, many listened; many didn’t.
In the fourteenth century, a Christian theologian arrived with a similar message. Meister Eckhart spoke in mystical terms about the natural synthesis between old and new thought, frequently offending the church hierarchy. Yet, for many, his words still resonate: We Are Bathed in God. Meister Eckhart did not say I; he spoke of We. These five words had a powerful impact on the lives of so many struggling through the Middle Ages and they still shimmer with the light of truth today.
Within two hundred years a renaissance of consciousness would sweep through humankind. Through the arts, music, scientific discoveries and other avenues of exploration, an intellectual awakening would begin to shape the course of human life and the expansion of human consciousness.
Human beings began to elevate their minds above the harsh terrestrial plains of instinctual survival; and took an intellectual deep dive into imagination, creation, and collaboration. It was during this period that many of the world’s cherished masterpieces were born. It is also the same time-frame when mankind began to recognize the earth as round, and not flat.
In subsequent centuries, the religious powers deleted all liturgical references to the truth of reincarnation, the scientific community published a tome on a solar-centric view of the heavens, and the global economic forces of the day began the horrific incarceration of non-white races. So deeply embedded in the human psyche was the ancient raw fear for self-survival, that as we steadily traveled forward into light we repeatedly returned into our own darkness. Yet, with each step forward, more minds and hearts began to question our roots, ponder our purpose, and seek out the true source of our very existence.
By the time we arrived into the nineteenth century, a world-wide explosion of pent-up interest in spiritualism was capturing the attention of the global public. There followed an abundance of clear voices responding to the desperate clarion call for humanity’s awakening. Eastern Hindu yogis and Buddhist monks travelled west, while European and American voices relocated to India and China. The anticipated and long-awaited integration of thought had begun.
By the twentieth century, one clear demanding voice spoke to the urgency of the times through a series of books known as the Alice Bailey blue books. This was a voice beyond sympathetic patience and lacking in any concern for the little self. This voice spoke of empathy and of group; and laid out a disciplined path forward into human unity, spiritual wholeness. Many took heed and listened and learned.
Now in the twenty-first century, as we witness the profound desperation of our turbulent times and question everything all over again, it does appear that human consciousness is finally ready for another leap forward. We have grown from a base of instinctual awareness slowly higher into a liberating space of intellectual knowledge.
This journey has given us ethics, character development, psychological insight, and modern, comfortable lifestyles. Yet, this same journey has also unleashed a raging current of destruction in the darkly lit shapes of transactional relationships, wildly noncommittal belief systems, preoccupation with imaging, astral glamours, and extreme material greed. Is it really surprising that the planetary ecological systems are on life-support?
There is a quote in the Bailey blue books which could help us all climb from the intellectual space of knowledge onto the higher plateaus and vistas of intuitional livingness. This is the abundant land of healthy existence and enduring spiritual values.
Spiritual values are Universal and Eternal. These values contained within the seed of Spirit, living within the human soul, speak directly to the intuitive wholeness of All Life. This is the protective auric web permeating every impulse and animation of physical existence. Imagine a lighted spiritual dome encircling the entire planet; and beneath it are all religions, races, and cultures. Out of the One come many.
Climb with me from instinctual survival, beyond intellectual knowledge, into the shimmering etheric space of intuitive wholeness, pure wisdom. Bathed in God, knowing Love, direct your Will. “The Will is an expression of The Law of Sacrifice” (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol II).
As you climb, remember the meaning of sacrifice: the making sacred of all Life. When you come to a rest spot, take a moment and weave together these three quotes: Patanjali, Eckhart, and Bailey. You will uncover the golden tapestry of Love and Will woven into a powerful dynamic of joyful compassion.
