The long course of human evolution, which stretches back into the mists of time, has been frequently punctuated with periods of intense suffering and of acute distress. All of which have played out across continents, races, religions and nation states to shape our modern world today. So, it is not surprising that humanity, it is said, has “the habit of crisis”.
The ceaseless interaction of the spiritual upon the material, the play of duality, is the driving force of evolution. It is the catalyst that precipitates crises. Nothing lives in a vacuum. Vast interpenetrating energies and influences sweep throughout the planetary Whole. The very world in which we live is a reflection of the response of the human family to great conditioning impressions emanating from higher levels. A distorted picture, true, but nonetheless with the passage of each century a clearer and purer expression of reality is visible. We only have to look back 50 years or so to see the steady progress in human thinking. All the while, the focus of the human family deepens, like a lens that becomes ever sharper, to reveal spiritual reality in ever clearer terms.
The Stage of the Forerunner
So, as we approach the end of the first quarter of the new millennium, and the auspicious year of 2025, a pattern is emerging that is both a cause of hope and yet at the same time of concern. The period from approximately 1945 – 2025 marks what has been fittingly described as, ‘The Stage of the Forerunner’. This span of eighty years or so, “preparatory in nature, testing in its methods, and intended to be revelatory in its techniques and results”, is a period which has shown a fundamental shift in consciousness. As each decade passes, humanity’s responsibility to itself and to the natural world gathers momentum. In its wake, the forces that resist constructive change build barriers, creating friction, and inevitably crises play out on the world stage.
As the mental capacity of humanity develops, many more are drawn into the vortex of conflicting forces, who would otherwise remain passive. This process helps to facilitate a right sense of values and proportion, and enables people to feel that they are stakeholders and active participants in the ongoing life of a community or nation. So, whilst, humanity has the ‘habit of crisis’, these challenges present us with the opportunity to confront the obstacles to human welfare. It is only then, when recognised, that real and lasting solutions can be found. But, whilst, they lie submerged, there is little chance that they will evoke the recognition that is necessary for their eventual transformation into their higher characteristics – for example, narrow minded nationalism can transform into a balanced, rounded out patriotism that celebrates the progressive achievements of a nation, yet recognising its part to the whole.
Humanity, the World Disciple
Although the great heresy of separateness is still embedded in the human psyche, humanity, the world disciple, is equal to the task of transcending a slippery decline into the worst excesses of nationalism and isolationism. If enough people of goodwill, in all countries, rise to the challenge of expressing this quality clearly in their own lives, then it is possible to reach a ‘critical mass’, in which the energy of goodwill will be equal to or surpass the weight of the forces of materialism. Perhaps we are close to this momentous breakthrough in consciousness which only time will reveal.
Although, the tendency of more enlightened nation states is towards co-operation and sharing, in order to forge a common and fruitful future, other nations are attempting to thwart these positive trends. Not so much through physical warfare, but through propaganda, in order to undermine, to confuse and to appeal to the basest instincts. Conflict is shifting to the realm of ideals (the mind), and from certain respects this is a positive development, yet the seeds of even greater problems lie potentially dormant, unless the human family can learn to move forward together in a spirit of co-operation and goodwill. If the mental capacity of humanity increases in clarity and potency, but not towards truth or spiritual Reality, then real danger looms.
Cyclical Crises
Human history can perhaps be defined as the passage of cyclical crises, their assimilation, and working out in the affairs of the world. Crises have the tendency to repeat themselves but on ever higher turns of the spiral. And each time these challenges are encountered, opportunity is offered to transcend the lower tendencies and to establish a higher rhythm. It is, as if, a door opens slightly wider, and a ray of light shines through, to reveal lasting solutions to some of the vexing world problems. Perhaps, we can see these patterns repeated in our own lives. How often is there a sense of ‘deja vu’, of being in the same set of circumstances but in a different environment. But, there will come a time when crises are handled with a measure of wisdom, borne of experience, and wrought out in the fiery crucible of daily living. Evolution plays its indispensable part in broadening and deepening thinking.
Perhaps, the ongoing pandemic crisis is allowing many more to reflect, in silence and in the relative stillness of the outer world, on how we can emerge better prepared to face the global challenges ahead, of which there are many. There are no spectacular solutions to the pressing world problems. Crises have the potential to lead to better things or to deepen the fractures and solidify the already existing crystallisation. Yet, wise common sense, dedication to the work of human upliftment, responsiveness to the emerging blueprint of the Aquarian age, and above all, an unconditional goodwill are perhaps the measures needed to help navigate our way through the present and future challenges.
