This post has been gestating for a while, but for whatever reason, I’ve been putting off actually writing it. Then last night, I was cleaning up some old notes I have stored in a note app on my phone and came across this quote, which I liked so much that I wrote down and saved it:

“The individual seeker after truth may gain enlightenment, but for himself alone, not for humanity. Therefore a magician confines the wisdom he acquires to his own bosom, or imparts it to a single pupil, or buries it under obscure expressions which he commits to parchment; but he neither can nor will impart it without reserve to humanity whose path appears to lead downward into a constantly deeper night.” ~ Viktor Rydberg, The Magic of the Middle Ages

That quote is even more intriguing when you take into consideration that that book was published in 1879 – long before the covid pandemic, the advent of nuclear weapons, visible impacts of climate change, etc, etc. But even back then, humanity was viewed by some as being on a path “downward into a constantly deeper night;” or at least by the mystic who wrote that book. And that’s probably an important distinction, because mystics, prophets, shamans, etc, seem to have a different view of humanity than most people. And admittedly, it can be a pretty bleak view, as is showcased by that quote.

However, that does not mean, as I have seen suggested by some people on Twitter recently, that we cynical mystics are actually RESPONSIBLE for what’s going wrong in the world because we are spreading “negativity” and “doom and gloom.” That’s like saying those who are calling out the alarm about climate change are responsible for “creating” the climate emergency we are now experiencing. That’s simply not true – they are merely calling our attention to something that has come about as a result of people IGNORING the pleas of those who have cared for decades. And the same can be said about the current psychic/moral/spiritual state of humanity. We did not create this situation – no. In fact, we have been crying out to any and all who would listen for EONS to try to call people’s attention to the fact that if our species didn’t change, if we didn’t refocus our priorities, if we didn’t learn to value life – ALL life – more than prestige or material wealth, we, the entire planet and all its inhabitants, were headed for trouble, for very hard times.

Did people listen? Certainly, a few (very few) did, and still do/are. But many of us have been crucified, burned at the stake, excommunicated, banished, silenced, persecuted, etc, etc because the fact is, it’s much easier to just go with the status quo. And let’s face it – it’s a lot more comfortable too. One has only to look at the current covid pandemic and see just how hard it is to get people in the west to make the HUGE sacrifice of wearing a mask to prevent the spread of a contagion that can kill or disable people to see just how little appetite most people have for doing anything, no matter how small, that might inconvenience them in any way. And that’s not to say that all mystics are pillars of morality or doing the right thing, and not to say I am for sure. It’s merely to serve as one example of how hard it is to get people to do anything they don’t want to, especially if it threatens their comfort.

So where we are now as a species, it was all foretold to happen, many times, by many different teachers and traditions across the ages. We were warned that if we didn’t change our ways, we would suffer severe consequences. And we were given a VERY long leash – at least 2000 years, and one could argue, even longer. What we are seeing happen now with pandemics, droughts, fires, floods, deadly heat waves, water shortages – it’s exactly what we were told was coming. I think most people are surprised to see the actual severity of what’s happening, so when someone like me posts something about it, they get angry that I’m not posting something hopeful, because that’s what they really need right now – some hope that everything is going to be ok. And I totally understand that, I do.

And here is the real rub – on a deeper level, concerning what’s truly real, everything IS going to be ok. In fact, it’s going to be awesome – eventually. I say all the time, there is something wonderful waiting for all of us just on the other side of this, and I believe that to the core of my being. That being said, no amount of prayers, energy, sending of “love and light” is going to change what’s coming now. We are living in the age of consequences – and there are several to be experienced based on what humanity has done, and not done, over the ages. There’s no “get out of tribulation free” card. It’s cause and effect, one of the the laws of the universe that applies to both the physical and spiritual realms.

This does not mean however that everything really is doom and gloom – that there’s no hope at all, that we should all be nihilistic – because there is a lot of spiritual progress to be made by individuals, or even small groups at this time. This could very well be the most challenging time ever, psychologically speaking, for a human being to live during. Daily, we are confronted with another existential threat to our continued existence as a species. And while some are in the realm of “could happen,” like the nuclear threat, what’s happening with the climate is an “already underway, going to get worse” kind of situation that we can see having worldwide impacts. One can look at all that and get despondent or anxious, which is a totally normal reaction. But one can also look to prophecy, see that this was foretold, and take comfort in knowing what time it is – and that, in the words of a Hopi elder, “This could be a good time!”

So know that we prophets and mystics don’t want, never have wanted, what’s happening now to happen. But to deny where we are, to try to avoid or wish it away, or blame it on those of us who saw it coming – none of that helps right now. We need to move on to the 5th stage of grief, past the denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, and get to acceptance. Only then can we harness the power of this moment for our spiritual development in a manner few humans have ever been fortunate enough (crazy as that sounds) to experience. It is possible to hold joy and deep sadness in one’s heart, at the same time even, and we who feel this way do so on the daily. And yes, it is important to give the positive aspect equal time, and I have perhaps been slack on that – at least in my public postings. Perhaps I will work on that, to display more balance. One might read my posts and think, as some have pointed out to me lately, that I focus too much on the negative. I’m not that way in “real life,” not at all.

We are living in a very special, albeit very difficult, and challenging time. There are many things to be endured, both externally, and internally. But there is a Source of strength and hope available to us all, at all times, if only we seek it out. Those who wish to endure unto the end of this age have that opportunity, if they so wish. Know that it won’t be easy, but the reward will be immeasurable. For none of us were created that we should perish, but that we should awaken to the Life everlasting that is the true Source of all being. I will leave you with this verse, one of my absolute favorites to give me hope when I am struggling. Many blessings to you on your Path. Know that the Light is always there, always available, no matter how dark it may seem…

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33