To all intents and purposes, it would seem that humanity, life on this planet, and the planet itself, have a timeline in which to accomplish evolutionary goals in alignment with larger cosmic cycles. According to various investigations into earth cataclysms, there are regular intervals where great upheaval is experienced upon the earth, often accompanied by a magnetic reversal – or what is generally referred to as a ‘pole flip.’ These geomagnetic reversals are said to be related to when our solar system passes through a particular portion of galactic space. One perspective is that there are regions of extremely low magnetic fields – sometimes called null zones – that precede geomagnetic reversals. Another perspective, gaining popularity, is that around every 12,000 years or so our solar system passes through an energized portion of galactic space known as the ‘galactic rift’ or ‘galactic sheet.’ This zone of heightened energy is a catalyst for triggering these periodic pole shifts upon the earth. These are very brief allusions to various forms of cataclysmic perspectives. What can be proposed, without little doubt, is that the earth goes through periods of relative calm (cosmically speaking), interspersed with cyclical interventions that bring great upheaval. Within these periods of ‘relative calm,’ which span in thousands of years in human-earth time (such as 12,000 years), various human civilizations rise and fall, and the human species has the opportunity to reach particular evolutionary goals. Presumably, these evolutionary goals for the human species are then either reset (repeated or transcended) after a cosmic intervention of great upheaval. There is reason to suppose that within the last one thousand years especially, there have been efforts to assist in the raising of human consciousness to a greater level than previously during this particular window of ‘cosmic opportunity.’

It can be surmised that there was a plan to raise the conscious energy of the West, for example, in line with a specific timeline. A certain modicum of information and knowledge had to be made available for people to have access to materials suited to their own mental development. Also, preparation had to have begun in order to lay the groundwork for later actualization – or a ‘switching on’ of a new consciousness frequency. If we take just a cursory glance at history, it can be seen how the initiate path and ancient knowledge in past times was heavily guarded and very seldom were its secrets channelled into the public domain. Initiate operations were carried out behind the scenes of everyday life or released in ways not recognizable to the masses. Such operations in past epochs that were released into the social currents of life have included the Troubadour movement, the Grail Quest, the Tarot, alchemy, Cabbalah, and others. Yet from the middle of the 19^th century, from around 1850 onwards, there seems to have been a decision taken to release a stream of knowledge from the wisdom traditions into the public domain. This began with the rise of spiritualism that then led to Theosophy, Anthroposophy, occult traditions (e.g., the Golden Dawn), the Gurdjieff Work, and others. Also, from the early to mid-20^th century, knowledge and wisdom from the East arrived upon western shores and many Teachers were sent to the West to prepare the psychology and mental reception of people in this hemisphere. Why did this grand operation suddenly appear – and what were its aims?

At the end of each developmental epoch, humanity receives energy in order to activate a new organ necessary for the incoming epoch. This new organ is required to receive the conscious energy that will be part of the future era. This energy is always made available as the incumbent era is in decline. Each new developmental organ within humanity allows for it to receive a wider spectrum of metaphysical reality. This, naturally, antagonizes those forces that are intent on maintaining their current power regime. For this reason, there tends to be a counter-initiative established by certain ‘ruling forces’ to block the incoming energies and to impede the general masses in the reception of aforesaid energies. At each particular epoch there is a scale of perception, or spectrum of awareness, which is dominant. At each given transition to a new developmental era for humankind, the ‘organ of perception’ is further activated so that there is greater access to, and comprehension of, metaphysical realities beyond the current scale. It may be that in our time now, organs of perceptive clairvoyance and telepathy are due for activation within humankind. This is evidenced by this faculty already being present (activated) within a small percentage of humankind. At each stage, there are forerunners within the general populace who display the new developmental faculties. In earlier times, such people were ostracized, heavily persecuted, or even killed, for showing such capacities. Such myths and folklore around witches, sorcerers, seers, and sages come to mind in this regard. There is always a precursor wave of people displaying the properties of the new developmental organ prior to a more widespread activation as the new epoch comes closer within the timeline. In each stage of human history there have been superstitions regarding such people, or the presence of such abilities, and yet in later times people look back upon these superstitions and laugh at their ‘primitive’ nature. Also, as people in past times did not have the capacities to access direct spiritual truths, and because it is a natural law that spiritual truths must be always made available to people, such wisdom was placed into human cultures through the way of myths, stories, legends, folklore and fairy tales, etc. Cultural dissemination of metaphysical knowledge thus had to be made via particular mediums or vehicles that were either co-opted or established specifically for these means. Again, such vehicles as the Cabbala, occultism, ceremonial magic, esoteric schools, etc., can be seen as transmissions of metaphysical knowledge, alongside others that took a more indirect path and may have emerged as cultural events and artistic movements.

It also happens that within the transitional period there is increased social and cultural friction, for such energetics may assist in the activation of the developmental organs. As Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi stated as far back as the 13^th century: ‘New organs of perception come into being as a result of necessity. Therefore, O man, increase your necessity, so that you may increase your perception.’ There will be those people who are able to create the necessity by a force of will (inner drive) yet for the majority of people an external event or series of impacts (‘chaotic attractors’) may be required. It is these external impacts that frequently cause friction and upheaval, yet their presence is necessary, albeit unrecognized by most people at the time. Transitions between significant epochs within the life of humanity are thus often viewed as turbulent; and this is generally considered to be due to random or purely physical events with no metaphysical intention behind them. At the same time, there is always a portion of the populace who are unable to pass the ‘threshold of the epoch’ in terms of aligning with the frequencies of the incoming developmental impulse. This segment of society may then enter a path of devolvement for the remainder of the epoch as they have left the stream of evolutionary humanity. This process may be referred to as passing, or not, the threshold of initiation. Such a threshold could occur in alignment with a timeframe of cyclical catastrophe, as discussed above. It may well be said that a successful passing of the threshold entails entering upon a different frequency of reality, and thus consciousness. This shift to a developmental frequency (sometimes referred to as transcendence), allows for a segment of humanity to further the evolutionary goals of the species upon the new level. This necessity to pass the threshold might also occur around the same time as a catastrophic geological upheaval (from cosmic origins) yet not always. Either way, it is a time for intense active work.

The approach to such ‘thresholds’ within the overall transmutation octave can be said to be a time for immense ‘soul making’ and great activity on the part of the metaphysical impulse. It might also be framed in the context of reaping the most benefits within the timeframe available (the harvest) before the fields are to be burnt and sowed for renewal. At the same time, such chaotic periods are when the metaphysical impulse appears most absent and/or is a time of socio-cultural disarray. British historian Arnold Toynbee who, from his extensive meta-historical study on the rise and fall of civilizations, came up with his ‘Law of Progressive Simplification.’ By this, Toynbee indicated that civilizational growth was not so much measured by material resources but rather by its ability to transfer increasing amounts of energy and attention towards non-material growth, such as creativity, wellbeing, the inner life, etc. Toynbee also coined the term ‘etherealization’ to describe the historical process whereby a society learns to accomplish the same, or more, using less time and energy. This period of etherealization suggests a focus on metaphysical pursuits at the expense of deepening materialism. However, when materialistic pursuit becomes the overriding and dominant focus then this suggests a downturn into a period of civilizational decline. Such decline may also, at times, be aligned with both larger civilizational and geological periods at the end of a great cycle. Another British historian, Nicholas Hagger, has examined the last 5,000 years of world history and charted the rise and fall of 25 major civilizations that, he says, grew around a metaphysical Light/Fire impulse before declining. In his monumental work The Fire and the Stones, Hagger outlines how civilizations pass through 61 secularizing stages.¹ He examines how the metaphysical Fire/Light sustains a civilization to its peak, and when this impulse fades or is withdrawn, the civilization goes into decline and eventual decay as the Fire/Light is extinguished. These instances where the metaphysical impulse emerges can be regarded as operations – injections or transmissions – of conscious energies in a bid to raise the general conscious energy of certain peoples and communities at particular times and places across the planet during the larger arc between grander cyclic renewals.

Even a cursory glance throughout the annals of history shows a vast dispersal and transmission of esoteric and mystical doctrines and teachings from a seemingly endless array of learned figures; some of whom have appeared to act in odd circumstances and through almost inspired behaviours. There is certainly no shortage of mystics, sages, and both direct and indirect teachers of what we may call the metaphysical fire. History is littered with the names of many of these messengers; although we can also surmise there would have been many more messengers or ‘transmitters’ that acted unseen and outside of the spotlight of recognition. Although the ‘wisdom stream,’ as it is referred to, is said to have been, and continues to be, present at all times throughout human history, there are periods of greater activity as well as fallow periods where the wisdom operations take a step back from public life. It would seem fair to say, considering the external circumstances of the present age, that humanity has entered a time of intense activity upon the metaphysical plane. This suggests that interventions and operations of the transcendental impulse – the metaphysical fire – have entered a heightened phase at this specific period, with perhaps a noticeable focus upon the West.

The twenty-first century started dramatically, and quite literally, with grand explosions, and rather than ceasing or decelerating has in fact been accelerating along these trends. Alongside external geopolitical circumstances, the so-called modern world has quickened its rush into materialism to a point where we may consider the situation as being hyper-materialist. Such an environment has been less than conducive to religio-spiritual ideals; on the contrary, a deep secularism has progressed parallel, or even intrinsic to, the march of materialism. In this context, the presence of mystics, sages, and spiritual teachers has been ambiguous. It would appear that these have split into several avenues: i) they are ridiculed by mass society and/or seen as relics of a past era; ii) they are viewed as exotic or oriental icons that attract the curiosity seekers; or, iii) rogue individuals and groups have set themselves up to commercially gain from the demand of such mystique.

A genuine wisdom source is likely, in most circumstances, to have stepped back from the mode/role of the outwardly ‘Spiritual Teacher’ some time ago. Certainly, in the West at least, the ‘oriental identity’ style of wisdom transmission would now be considered a non-operational mode by genuine sources. If such schools/groupings exist then they are more than likely to be the traces or residues of earlier, original impulses that are now perpetuated through static structures. The metaphysical impulse for the current period would most probably choose a medium most in-keeping with the milieu of its time. The question remains, however: what would such mediums be, and how could we recognize them?

What can be surmised from all this is that there will be various forms of the metaphysical impulse operating throughout diverse human cultures across the globe. Many, if not all, of these will go unnoticed by most people. This is partly because so few individuals are seeking for access to a genuine developmental impulse. As it is generally known, people attract those things in accordance with their own state of being and vibrational frequency. In order to attract the energetics of a developmental impulse, an individual must first do some of the work. And this requires a minimal amount of effort and focus. Resonant attraction is a two-way process; that is, there must be that which attracts and that which receives, and both elements are required. The essence of the human being is of the same substance from which it is originally derived (it’s Source). Hence, it retains the same vibratory signature and is naturally attracted to its counterpart. Resonant attraction does not get abolished by distance – the further away the parts are – yet its strength of attraction can become vastly diminished. The dense materialism of our times, coupled with a heavy, terrestrial, somewhat telluric, consciousness, has obscured the signal (the ‘attraction’) from getting through. The metaphysical impulse therefore requires that there is a greater lightness upon the waters of this planetary sphere. It is time for the coal within the coalmine to become as diamonds; and this requires a degree of crushing of the carbon. It may be surmised then that humanity is now passing through a phase of increased pressure – of chaotic nodes and catalysts – as an accelerated means to form diamonds within the carbon life of the human being.

References

¹ Hagger, Nicholas (1991) The Fire and the Stones. Dorset: Element Books.