In a time of transition between one Age and another, such as we face now as we move from Pisces into the Age of Aquarius, certain extensive thoughtforms which have conditioned human thinking face destruction to make way for the new thinking needed for the new Age. We read in The Rays and Initiations that ‘the simplest illustration…of this type of destruction would be concerned with the major ideologies which down the ages have conditioned or may condition humanity.’1 We may ask, is Capitalism one such ideology? The pursuit of money or profit is the basis of free market economics and stands at the centre of capitalistic systems that dominate national economies around the world. While free market economics has lifted many out of absolute poverty and improved living standards around the world, it has also caused the degradation of our environment to the extent that humanity’s future is in jeopardy. The system that fitted so well with the individualistic, materialistic society that predominated under the Piscean influence must now give way to new ideas that reflect the unifying energies of Aquarius. Human unity, human understanding, human relationships, human fair play and the essential oneness of all men are the concepts on which the new world order must be constructed.
Capitalism has achieved a lot for the poor but it has also led to an increasing inequality of wealth that will perhaps, contribute to its eventual downfall. As Thomas Piketty in his book Capitalism in the Twenty-First Century states, inequality is not an accident but rather a feature of capitalism which can only be reversed through state intervention. He argues that unless capitalism is reformed, democratic order will be threatened. And of course, as Pope Francis points out ‘it is the ‘poor of the world who suffer most from the self-interested pursuit of goods. It is the poor who work in the factories to make the goods at the lowest prices, it is the poor who are pushed out of local employment by large producers. It is also the poor that live in areas that are ravaged by pollution from industrial processes, and it is often those poorest countries who deal with the industrial waste that richer countries do not want to dispose of properly.’2
It is easy to stand in judgement on a system that has such negative effects in the modern world, but it is not so easy to find a way forward, to find new methods to organise and allocate resources that will meet the needs of an ever-growing world population. We read in Discipleship in the New Age, Volume 11 however, that this task is engaging the attention of disciples upon all the rays, under the guidance and the impression of the powerful seventh ray Ashram which is now in process of externalisation. 3 It is a hard job that they face, for the subtle energies of the inner worlds take much time in producing their effects upon the objective, tangible plane of divine manifestation. New methods of financial relationship that will supersede big business and private enterprise will come into being and this is being precipitated we read, by a group of adepts who are authorities upon modern financial matters. These initiates are competently preparing to institute those newer techniques and modes of financial interplay which will supersede the present disastrous methods. 4 There is much new thinking in the world of economics that suggests that this is very much underway.
What is particularly interesting about this new thinking is its focus on the global picture, encouraging international cooperation and interdependence rather than national success. For example, Rutger Bregman, the author of Utopia For Realists, who recently spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, emphasises the importance of the elimination of borders to bring about an equitable redistribution of resources. He also advocates the idea of a Universal Income and a 15-hour week to help counteract the tendency towards inequality that is inherent within the capitalistic systems. His arguments and evidence are most compelling and are well worth a read.5
Kate Raworth from the Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute work also offers a global approach, explaining that the aim of economic activity should be meeting the needs of all within the means of the planet. In her book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, she redraws the economy embedding it within the Earth’s systems and its environmental limits, a doughnut that shows the interdependence of all the players. She provides an economics where the wealth from the natural world is widely shared and inequalities in wealth and income are reduced. Money, markets, taxation and public investment would be designed to conserve and regenerate resources rather than squander them. State-owned banks would invest in projects that transform our relationship with the living world, such as zero-carbon public transport and community energy schemes. New metrics would measure genuine prosperity, rather than the speed with which we degrade our long-term prospects. 6
Charles Eisenstein is also an important thinker in formulating new ways of doing business that are kinder to the natural world. In his book Sacred Economics, he focuses on the importance of sharing, gifting (which is the giving of one’s time and resources without expectation of return) and local currencies. He writes that such activity binds people together through obligation and mutual dependence and points out that ‘the more we give, the more we feel our connections.’ He writes that, ‘The old economic regime is inimical to it, with its concentration of wealth, its exclusion of those who cannot pay, its anonymity and depersonalisation, its shattering of community and connection, its denial of cyclicity and the law of return, and its orientation toward the accumulation of money and property. Sacred economy bears the opposite of all these conditions: it is egalitarian, inclusive, personal, bond-creating, sustainable and non-accumulative.’ 7
It is important to understand the nature of the problems we face and to become aware of the new thinking and methods that are emerging. As we turn our attention to these new methods seeking manifestation, we direct light towards them stimulating them and improving their chances of success. It is a process of trial and error that will move us gradually towards the necessary forms for the New Age. Not all ideas will work and the process of adjustment to a new way of living and being will be fraught with difficulties. Many of the most established thought forms of the Piscean Age, of which Capitalism is one, are under great pressure to adapt to new and changing conditions, but equally there is significant resistance from crystallised forces, thus creating increasing cleavages within humanity.
Humanity is awakening to the perils of materialism; we are at a crossroads deciding whether to continue supporting a system that rewards the few at the expense of the many and destroys the very fabric of our earth, or whether to be led by new thinking, motivated by unselfish purpose to work for the good of the whole. This new way of living and being is coming and cannot be stopped but the process and speed of transition is within humanity’s hands.
References:
1 The Rays and the Initiations, Alice Bailey, p. 307
2 http://m.vatican.va/content/francescomobile/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato- si.html
3 Discipleship in the New Age, Volume 11, Alice Bailey, p. 222
4 Externalisation of the Hierarchy, Alice Bailey, p. 570
5 Bregman, Utopia For Realists
6 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/25/capitalism-economic-system-survival-earth?
7 Sacred Economics – C Eisenstein p. 248
