It is interesting to see life from the perspective of the weeks after 12/21/2012 - the date the world "ended." I have gone back and read a number of the predictions of Nostradamus, apocalyptic literature, etc. Beliefs and ideas, perhaps the fundamental currents of history, are fascinating things indeed. What lessons can we learn from what we saw in the last few weeks? What gifts do we discern? What warnings and precautions should we take as well?
I was sitting up last night, watching a documentary called the Nazi Gospels on H2 (History International). It went back over some of the original founding beliefs, occult ideas dating back into the mid to late 1800s. It was interesting to note some of those ideas and how similar they are to some of the current day metaphysical beliefs I've been studying. It shows me how easily beliefs based upon love and transcendence can become corrupted and turn into evil.
The specifics of the belief system are not as important as the process of corruption itself. We have seen nearly every belief system become corrupted this way at some point in history. Christianity, Islam, Socialism, and the neo-pagan metaphysics that became part of the Nazi beliefs.
In the Nazi Gospels, they talked about the idea of proto-civilizations, the Aryans, Atlantis, Thule and other quasi-mythical lands, realms and societies in the pre-dawn of our current civilization. During the mid to late 1800s, these ideas were popular, a bit of a flip-side to the prim and proper Victorian society. During that time, Spiritualism was in vogue. This was when the Theosophical society came into being with the writings of Mme Blavatsky. It was at this time when the ideas of the root races took hold. One of these was the Aryan root race.
In recent years, it has become apparent that there was likely such an ancient civilization. While I need to explore the details a lot more, this is considered by many to be the origination of the Vedic traditions, etc.
The idea that at least some in this previous cycle of civilization had superpowers such as telepathy, psychokinesis, etc., is intriguing. It roughly correlates with the Vedic ideas of Siddhi - the extraordinary effects that are said to arise as a result of meditation practice, etc. If a civilization is based upon such practices, perhaps certain extraordinary abilities might have been common. Yet In some way, these powers were apparently lost. This appears to be the core of mythology along the lines of the Tower of Babel, the Garden of Eden, etc. Yet the desire for power is ever-present, and the belief that by some means, we can reattain these elements of power is seductive, indeed.
Another idea injected into the post-world-war-1 ideas stew, was that these powers were lost due to mixing with "inferior" humans. The superior proto-people let the bloodline somehow become diluted, causing their powers to become weakened to the point of vanishing. Unfortunately, this gave rise to the idea that the Aryan race could be reconstituted through some kind of selective breeding - the core of the Nazi beliefs.
This shows us both how ideas can evolve, and how they can become corrupted from light to dark. They can morph from a positive love-based quest for enlightenment, service to others and universal healing - the core of meditative/spiritual traditions, to the negative, service-to-self quest for superiority and the subjugation of others.
Today, I see a number of similar (though less vitriolic) themes emerging. I regularly see postings on Facebook about the New World Order, finger-pointing about economic chaos, etc. A recent Facebook post described how the Rothschild dynasty, the CIA and "International Bankers" are behind various issues of today including 9/11, etc. I have even seen articles connecting them to the recent episodes of school violence.
While I can't say how much truth is or is-not present in any given allegation, conspiracy theories are always rampant. They are convenient in that they offer easy targets to blame for whatever ill society faces. When kept on the fringe, they are harmless. And sometimes, perhaps, they hold a degree of truth. I am not asserting that such beliefs are false, only that they are easy to grab onto and form an easy, potentially toxic crutch during rough times.
As we saw during the late 1930s, it is very easy to latch onto easy solutions, quick fix ideas. It is easy to cast blame, easy to follow a leader who promises to make it all better. It reminds us that anytime we hear such ideas, we need to apply a lot of discernment.
We need to remind ourselves of this anytime we hear "us and them" ideas presented. What is the motivation behind such ideas? What are the consequences of considering one group of people to be an enemy? What happens when a belief turns from a focus on love and healing to a focus on blame and conflict? How is any given idea "refined" and "implemented" in a given group or organization. Does that group look like a cult? a political or religious (perhaps fundamentalist) movement? Above all, does the advocacy of a particular belief improve conditions for the entire world? Is it based upon love and healing? Or is it based upon something else less positive?
Whatever the case, it is vital that before accepting any belief - whatever that belief may be - that we apply due discernment to it. Ultimately, for good or ill, one of humanity's most powerful tools is belief. It is a gift - and like all such gifts, we need to use it with care, love and respect
