Musings On Predictions And Predilections

“All the bad people will have to go.” My friend was referring to the predictions of the years to come, that his teacher warned of.  Much is being said on the Internet and elsewhere, about the coming earth changes and anticipation of major shifts in consciousness  around the  year 2012, specifically on December 21st of that year. Another friend confided that she is waiting until after that date to think about starting a family. Predictions of this kind, understandably create fear, uncertainty, and uprooting of our concepts of reality. My own feelings about the coming “end times” are  far removed from either of my friends take on it.

Besides the predictions about the end of the Mayan calendar and its ensuing changes, there are some Christian sects that also believe in “end times.” Many evangelical groups focus their teaching on the rapture and the apocalypse referred to in the Book of Revelations. Another group believes that in the end times, only 144,000 good people will be ’saved’ and the rest will die forever. Some New Age groups refer to ascension into other dimensions in light bodies, and teach methods of evolving a light-body in anticipation of this event.  All of these groups polarize the good and the bad. The good will be saved and the bad will perish. In my mind this is an oversimplification, a black and white outlook on the framework of existence. Dogma is not limited to the church, you can also have dogmatism in mysticism, and New Age philosophies.

I believe that all religious stories are  metaphors for life, whether they are legendary or mythological.  The 2012 upheavals and the new age of enlightenment that is deemed to follow, can be a metaphor for personal transformation, which has traditionally been described in mythology as upheaval in the outer world of the individual, followed by the “dark night of the soul” and its transition to a state of freedom. In Hindu mythology, the current age that we are in is called the Kali Yuga or age of darkness and ignorance, and the age to follow, which is a long time from now, not within our lifetime, is the Satya Yuga or the golden age of  enlightenment and divine consciousness. Given this world-view in the Hindu tradition, I was quite surprised to learn of a couple of Hindu Gurus promoting programs in anticipation of 2012. Perhaps, like so many other teachers, they are feeding off the fear that they themselves are promoting about 2012 and the “end times.” To offset some of the hysteria about the approach of 2012, I would like to reiterate my own world-view which would perhaps bring a more balanced perspective to some of my readers.

Whether or not there is any truth in the predictions of upheaval on a mass level: rumors of turbulent earth changes, pestilence, virulent diseases and wars, we must keep in mind the nature of physical reality and the nature of the Consciousness that we are. I resonate with the words of the Vedantic master, Nisargadatta Maharaj, in which he extols the value of inner contemplation and finding out your own truth. “Get to know that “I am” without words which arises in the morning. Knowing the Self, abiding in the Self-knowledge, is not a mere intellectual knowing. You must be that, and you should not move away from it. Remain firm… There are many spiritual seekers whose aim is to acquire sufficient merit to reach a certain place, such as Heaven or Vaikuntha….Please understand that there is only one thing to be understood, and that is that you are the formless, timeless unborn. It is because of your identification with the body as an entity that your consciousness, which is universal consciousness, thinks that it is dying. Nobody is dying, because nobody was born. The millions of forms are the manifestation of  consciousness. It is the millions of forms which get created and destroyed, but universal consciousness itself is unborn and undying. Just imagine if all the million of forms which have been created were still here – how could other forms be created? It is because consciousness is unborn and undying that the million of forms get created and destroyed; it is a continuous process. Understand that what you are is this unlimited universal consciousness. Only that in which consciousness manifests itself is limited and is created and destroyed. The total potential of consciousness remains. It is unlimited. You are seeking knowledge from the standpoint of identification with the body and whatever can be grasped by the mind. When this body machine is there, the technique of using it is there, and that is what you are identifying with now, but it is not your true identity. You have no control over it, it has appeared and it will disappear. I talk to you from the perspective of the universal consciousness and I know that all bodies are the essence of food and that they will vanish.”

The teachings of the great masters give us the knowledge of the truth of physical reality and its purpose. We are multidimensional and physical existence is but one reality. As far as I understand, it is a dimension in which we are under the illusion that we are this finite being and we here to evolve into the experience of our infinite divinity. With that understanding, death and the dynamics of earth changes are but phenomena that affects the physical body. Who we are in totality is the witness to all of this. In fact, Nisargadatta Maharaj, at the end of his life, described his experience and said, “This consciousness gradually loses everything, and ultimately consciousness is no longer conscious of itself. That state cannot be described. It is called the Supreme Absolute, but that is only a name for communication purposes.”

Whether “end times” are upon us or not, and there have been many predictions in the past that have not manifested, we would be most prepared for change by focusing on the present moment, to do the work that is in front of us; taking care of our families, paying the bills, and to become the best that we can be with the abilities that  we have. I do not subscribe to the concept that the “end times” is a time of retribution, rather, I like to believe that we have choices in how we learn about physical reality. There are a million different ways we can be, and how we experience life and its consequences. The purpose of this life is about learning about love. I like the Dickinsonian character, Ebenezer Scrooge, who was shown the error of his ways, and changed to become a force of love and compassion, and became a happier man. I read of a real life story on the day following the last US  election; a woman met the daughter of a senator at his graveside, and commented that her father must be turning in his grave. The senator was known for his racism that affected policies that were hurtful to African Americans. The daughter informed this woman that her father had in fact changed his mind and his beliefs at the end of his life, and was remorseful for his deeds. I like to believe that we are given the choices and opportunities to grow if we wish to, and that our evolution would take as long as it takes. Perhaps this “end times” if it is true, is about speeding up the process, but certainly I do not believe in a God that is punishing.

There are many concepts and philosophies of life and we each must consider which world-view we want to adopt. Rather than following the spiritual path in order to gain merit as Nisargadatta cautions,whether we are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist, Jains, New Age  or Atheists, if we follow the basic foundation of the purpose of life, which all philosophies agree is love, then we will be well prepared for however life unfolds at the end and the beginning of times. Then we will have nothing to fear but fear itself.