According to the teachings of the Ageless Wisdom, the period through which we are passing is the most important within the entire history of life on planet Earth—a time when a great spiritual awakening will occur that will bring about improvements in all areas of life.

But spiritual energy, being more subtle in nature, takes time to manifest upon the physical plane.  And, therefore, when we look around us at this time it is easy to feel a sense of fear and foreboding as we face the future. But the present pain and disruption are merely the birth pangs of our entry into a new age and a new and expanded state of consciousness. We’re told that future generations will look back at this time as the truly dark ages because of the extent of our blindness and selfishness. There has been an interruption of spiritual impression upon our planet, creating interference within the divine circulatory flow of energy. It is the task of all seekers, everywhere, to restore this flow and stop this interference. For many ages now humanity has turned its back upon the light, and as a result, we have suffered all the many consequences of our shortsightedness.

But things are beginning to change.  Many people intuitively understand this and sense that we are passing through the time long foretold in the Scriptures and prophetic writings of the world—a time of the parting of the ways--when great and momentous events are on the verge of manifestation. It’s a transition period, when the old forms and ways of living and being that served in an earlier age and time, are no longer proving adequate to house the incoming light and must give way to new and better forms. But the changes called for are not merely within the outer forms but more importantly within our minds and hearts. We work in accordance with Gandhi’s maxim that we must be the change that we wish to see in the world. This admonishes us to use our spiritual growth as a vehicle for planetary change. And this is happening now as significant numbers of people—across national, generational, religious and racial lines--are beginning to awaken, and are dedicating their lives to spiritual transformation. This awakening unites us at the fundamental level of the spirit and defies the separateness and selfishness of the times and provides the seed of great hope for the future of the planet and all its life forms.

Anyone who is familiar with the popular culture of the sixties will have heard about the so-called dawning of the Age of Aquarius. This is an actual event, not an invention of flower children. As Aquarian energies come into increasing dominance, we will see our planet transformed along the lines of goodwill and right relationships between all the kingdoms in nature. But obviously we’re not there yet.  There is still tremendous pain and suffering today on every side and it is the responsibility of those who understand somewhat the spiritual implications implicit in the present moment, to work together to restore a measure of balance in the planet so that the present gross disparities can begin to be addressed.

A vision for the future is always rooted in the past. And a spiritual worldview brings with it the recognition that all that ever was and all that ever will be--the past, present and future--co-exist within the present moment. It is only the limitations imposed by the lower concrete mind, the “slayer of the Real,” that constrains us to view time as a linear progression. As we attempt to view time in a more holistic fashion we will come to see that the seeds of the future are here today, ready for us to touch and call forth. This becomes possible as we cultivate the right inner conditions that will enable us to seize and make manifest those fleeting deep impressions that come upon us at odd moments, bringing with them portents of things to come.

Some of the highest ideals from the past that have yet to be realized are those that blazed across Europe during the French Revolution—liberty, equality, and fraternity. Freedom, we are told, will be one of the keynotes of the coming age. The great eighteenth-century thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote, “Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.” And it is questionable whether the situation has improved much since then for the large numbers of people upon the planet who toil and suffer to eke out a wholly inadequate existence.  Conditions will only begin to improve as we begin to take to heart the fact of the one humanity and the essential interconnectedness of all life-forms.

Liberty, or essential freedom, will begin to condition us as we come to realize how few material things are really necessary in order to live a happy existence. The power of another of Gandhi’s injunctions, that “we must all live simply so that others may simply live,” can become a mantram for those who take sustainable development as a way of life, not only a code of ethics to limit corporate power. Simplicity can become a way of life that we can implement as each individual assumes his or her responsibility for the all life that will free up so much human time and energy and shift the focus of our civilization from the present production of material things and into a civilization founded upon creative expression and the cultivation of the things of the spirit. The deeper manifestations of freedom are related to the liberation of the human spirit from the shackles of past programming that held us bound for so long to limited constructs within the mind about what we could and could not be or do.  The liberation of our creative expression will free us to move in new directions.

It’s said that the principle of sharing will be another one of the fundamental keynotes of the coming age. This sharing will come to characterize all aspects of life, beginning upon the physical plane, as humanity moves to end world poverty and redresses the many inequities that stem from the present gross economic imbalances. And indeed money is “the crux of the problem.”  And while money is really nothing more than concretized energy, the obvious problem stems from the fact that today this energy is largely concentrated in the hands of the few, while the majority of people are left largely outside the flow of its distribution. The arresting of this imbalance is perhaps the most important task that confronts us at this time and it’s said that this problem can only be solved by a group utilizing the spiritual will through which a reorientation of this golden lighted substance can occur. 

Above all else, sharing and freedom are qualities of the soul.  And it is the soul of humanity that is being born at this time.  As this happens, our priorities will change and we will no longer be so shortsighted and focused upon externals as we move into a deepened understanding of the inner worlds. It’s said that the rose of the soul flourishes in solitude as soul growth requires a measure of leisure and quiet in order to unfold. The changes of the coming age will make this possible as we will all be given more leisure time as the stress and prevaling fear characterize so much of contemporary life, will gradually begin to subside. In many ways we will return to the simpler ways of living of the past but we will do so upon a higher turn of the spiral, bringing with us the wonders of the modern world that have done so much to improve the quality of life.  Legislation to protect human rights will be enforced at all levels and the result will be the protection of the weak and innocent and the ending of the rule of tyranny.

In the coming decades changes will be instituted across the board to reflect the influence of this burgeoning soul.  An international economic order will evolve that will free up the money in the world.  As a result a redirection of planetary resources will evolve, moving them out of the hands of the corporate strongholds and into an international body that will distribute them equitably among all the nations of the world. The eventual harnessing of the energy of the atom, through the perfection of the process of nuclear fusion, as distinct from fission, will result in tremendous advances without any hazardous by-products. This will result in unlimited supplies of energy becoming available for all, at minimal costs and this will revolutionize our environment and way of life--creating quiet, non-polluting, inexpensive alternatives to the present petroleum based economy. The air, soil, and water will be restored to their clean and natural state, and as a consequence, the food supplies will be pure and health producing, rather than cancer causing, as is the case today. New and vital food sources will be created through the development of new types of high quality gardening, resulting in better food that will enable people to live more vibrant and healthy lives. Rooftop gardens and the use of public spaces for those gardens will be the norm. The organic and raw food movements are surely owed much credit for paving the way in this regard by alerting people to the overall health that can result from a natural diet. 

In the field of medicine we will see holistic methods of healing coming increasingly to be accepted and many different applications developed that will dramatically change the face of medicine, making it less invasive and highlighting the means whereby the body can heal itself through more natural means. The whole field of healing will move to incorporate a more spiritual perspective and the exacting principles of esoteric healing will become more fully understood and practised.  Esoteric methods of psychology, which bring in the teaching on the seven rays, will begin to come into being as well and this will lead to the more rapid integration of the personality and the overshadowing soul.

In education, schools will evolve that will incorporate a more well rounded approach to the education of the child, one that incorporates a heart development and which will include a strong focus upon the arts and creative expression. All this will lead to a more well rounded development. And future generations will no longer see the present disparities among the educational opportunities offered to rich and poor; the Aquarian impulse will bring true equality of opportunity.  The new education will bring about a flowering in all the arts and the new painting, the new poetry and the new music, will come into manifestation—bringing great joy and creative expression to people everywhere.

Today it’s said that all eyes are upon humanity, waiting for us to awaken to the opportunity that is being offered to us. And this awakening depends upon our ability to understand the new group methods of working, which are primarily work in meditation, and these developments will be another key element to the Aquarian Age. The future will see us moving out of the present stage of individual self-focus and the powerful control by the concrete mind and into an age of group work, group consciousness and group initiation. It is through the group that the rapid forward progress of the planet as a whole becomes possible as we reorient our position within the great chain of Hierarchy. Through the connecting cables and strands of lighted energy that merge and blend the individual within the group and within the current of the planetary heart beat, we sense the very real potential of the work that stands before us at this time.  And huge numbers of people are not needed to accomplish our spiritual objectives.  Because of the power of spiritual group work, a relatively small number of people can accomplish much.

People throughout the world working together in meditation, especially during the time of the full moon each month, is perhaps the most effective means available to us for bringing about change. The group approach involves new ways of working, ways that are more organic in structure.  This does not alleviate the need for strong leadership (although in some cases it can), but rather places the onus of responsibility upon the leaders of groups to assure that their consciousness (as far as possible), is in alignment with the larger group and planetary purpose. If this alignment can be maintained, the life that flows through the group heart can circulate freely throughout the group. In the past there were many individuals capable of this alignment with their souls but there was little group effort. Today this is changing and we are attempting to forge a group alignment and consecration as channels for service.  The group stimulation and the united effort enable the entire group to reach a high point of realization that would be unimaginable alone.

As we come to a deepened understanding of the nature of spiritual work, we realize that our “sitting for development” has a much deeper and wider purpose and is, in fact, the most effective and powerful means available to us for bringing about planetary change and transformation. Our goal, as a group, is to “let in the light” and the hope for the future of humanity lies in the fact that increasing numbers of people today are coming to these recognitions and providing a channel through which the inflowing light can flow.    

If this group work is successfully carried forward, its growing momentum will create such a potent magnetic impulse that it will be able to reach out and contact those exalted Lives Who watch over humanity. Working silently, in unison, behind the scenes, we can release a floodtide of light and inspiration upon the world. And, as a result of this group effort we are preparing the way for the long-awaited emergence of great and enlightened Teachers into our midst, whose spiritual authority will be such that they will be able to implement even more revolutionary changes within our world. These Teachers, sometimes known as the Masters of the Wisdom and the spiritual Hierarchy, have for aeons of time worked behind the scenes to guide and protect humanity.  Now, because of the urgency of the times, they are preparing to move outward onto the physical plane in the coming decades.  This emergence will be a group endeavor, with the aim in view of preparing the way for the even greater One who comes after, the World Teacher--known by various names in the different religious traditions of the world.

These are the events of real moment for which we can prepare and which can give us all great hope and vision for the future of humanity.

Kathy Newburn

Kathy Newburn is a long-time student of the Ageless Wisdom Teachings. She is the author of A PLANETARY AWAKENING: Reflections on the Writings of Alice Bailey. She work for the Seven Ray Institute and lives in New York City.