In 1962, a forerunner in the new thought movement, Thomas Kuhn, first coined the phrase “paradigm shift” in his book
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. He emphasized how scientific developments change the perspective with which we view the world. Like Thomas Edison’s “light bulb,” they allow us to see the world from a new, larger vantage point. The scientific discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein also profoundly altered our views on the nature of the physical world and our place in it. What followed was a new modern era. Science and technology have never been the same.
Technological innovation is a proxy for mankind’s expanded awareness. A hundred years ago no one could imagine that we would be walking around with little communication devices that would enable us to talk or send pictures instantly to someone on the other side of the world. Judging by the explosion in technology and the sheer number of books, conferences and scientists now talking about the expansion of consciousness, it is clear that human potential is accelerating. Some, like Bruce Lahn, the professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago, cites DNA analysis to find “recent evolution in the brains of some people”i. Others attribute the increase in consciousness to subtle energies affecting the planet. Whatever the reasons, it is a trend predicted by the rishis of old India and hinted at in the myth and folklore of ancestral people around the world.
Over 30 ancient cultures believed life to be cyclical, moving from a Golden Age to a Dark Age and back again. Some called it one eon and Plato called it the Great Year. Swami Sri Yukteswar, a well-known Indian saint, tells us this cycle – one precession of the equinox – is 24,000 years long and that the last low point was about 500 AD. Having progressed through most of the Dark and Medieval Ages, mankind is now transitioning from the material age (Kali Yuga or Iron Age) to the electrical age (Dwapara Yuga). Each of these ages has specific characteristics and was incorporated into the myth and folklore of indigenous people around the world.
In the current transition it is said we are moving from an awareness of self as just a physical body in a physical universe, to an awareness of self as conscious energy in an increasingly transparent universe. Thus it is not the atomic structure of the physical universe that is actually changing. Consciousness itself is becoming more refined. As a result, our awareness of subtle forces, energies and the ethereal nature of the physical universe are expanding.
Every age has a mix of consciousness. Currently, some people are barely aware of their surroundings or may have a myopic view of the world and a limited concept of self. For those who take drugs, abuse alcohol or otherwise inhibit their
"We are moving from an awareness of self as just a physical body in a physical universe, to an awareness of self as conscious energy in an increasingly transparent universe."
consciousness, this lack of awareness is self-imposed. At the same time there are many others who are choosing more conscious, healthy behaviors – meditation, natural diet, etc. – and enjoying a higher state of awareness. And of course, there are a few saintly souls who are so tuned in that they experience a level of consciousness inconceivable to the average person.
While there are always many levels of soul awareness here on earth, the general tide of consciousness moves up and down – expanding or contracting – with the celestial motion of the Great Year. According to ancient Hindu teachings and early Greek philosophers, there are four stages within each ascending and descending cycle of this grand arc.
As stated, the lowest age is the Kali Yuga when people generally perceive themselves as merely a physical body operating in a physical universe. Since it makes up most of known history little additional description is required.
The transition from the Kali to the present Dwapara Yuga officially occurred around 1700 AD but was beginning to be seen several hundred years earlier in the innovative renaissance (rebirth) period. Transitions from one age to another are usually gradual; like an official change of seasons, it may take some time to notice the effect. But they are also cumulative, and it seems we are now close to feeling the full force and effect of the next higher age.
In this present age, humankind begins to perceive itself and the surrounding reality as more than just a physical creation. Material things begin to look more transparent than heretofore believed. Since entering the Dwapara Yuga a few hundred years ago it has already been discovered that physical matter is not really solid. We have found it is made of molecules and these in turn are made of atoms. We now know that atoms are constituted of mostly empty space. The little bit of matter that does exist in the quarks that make up the proton, neutron and electron, is now thought to be principally vibrating energy, according to the latest string theory.
Everything is starting to look thinner, and more ethereal. We are beginning to realize the power of our thoughts and intentions to shape our reality. Of course, this is actually a very old concept that goes back to the prior higher ages. There are even Biblical references such as, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,” that speak to this principle.
But in the current ascending age it is gaining new momentum. More of us can now understand that our “invisible” thoughts, words and subtle energy actually do have an effect on the “visible” universe. No longer do we need to be bound by physical limitations. To the ancient Greeks this was, and is again, the “age of the Hero.”
Now here’s the catch. Consciousness can only perceive reality at its current level. We can understand the previous Dark Age mentality as well as the trends of this current age because our consciousness already meets or exceeds this level. Beyond this, however, it is difficult to grasp because almost by definition a lesser consciousness cannot behold a greater consciousness – just as a cup of water cannot hold the ocean. So we tend to extrapolate the past material when envisioning the future. In other words, we try to see it from our current level of awareness or understanding, even though we will actually have a completely different level of consciousness not that far in the future. At that time, we will be able to perceive things we are incapable of understanding now.
According to Paramahansa Yogananda, author of
Autobiography of a Yogi, “As the divine consciousness in man awakens, it disconnects itself from the senses and moves upward through the ‘gates of light’ (chakras, or centers of light and superconsciousness in the spine) to the altar of Spirit in the thousand-petaled lotus in the brain, where one beholds the ’omniscient light’ of God.” Some also realize that it is the natural order of life on earth as it moves with the sun in a vast celestial motion that indirectly affects the rise and fall of civilization (similar to the way the orbit around the sun affects the seasons). But few can conceive of the highest states of awareness without actually experiencing them.
While this is the nature of consciousness, we can still try to gain a “glimpse” into life and trends in the higher ages. We can learn a lot by looking to the Ancients.
Silver Age or Treta Yuga: The third age (from the bottom) is the Greek “age of the demigods”, or to the yogis of India, it is the age of the mind. In the Dwapara Yuga, humans realize that they are not really just flesh and bones but conscious energy animating the physical frame. In the Treta, mankind goes a step further and begins to realize that all is mind stuff; it is actually our thoughts and intentions that are the basis of energy and the physical realm. Some are gaining a profound understanding of this even now.
Treta Yuga is said to be the age of levitation, telepathy and tremendous physic and mental abilities. We have all heard stories about mythical powers of saints and sages who have these gifts. Now seen as rare, the majority of people don’t take these reports seriously or realize that we too have this same latent ability. Yet, this is exactly what Christ told us in the depths of the last Dark Age when he said; “Is it not written that ye are gods,” or “These things that I do ye shall do also.”
Golden Age or Satya Yuga: If the third age is inconceivable to us today, then the Golden Age must sound like a myth or a dream. The Greeks called it the “age of the gods” and the myth and folklore of the Vedas and ancient Egypt hint that this was a time when gods literally walked the earth and all mankind lived in perfect harmony with nature. At this time structures and technology are totally superfluous to experiencing the highest reality. It is also said to be a time when we could directly perceive and communicate with the astral or causal realms and directly know God. Again, this sounds like little more than a fairy tale given our current state of consciousness, but it is a theme common to ancient peoples who spoke and wrote of the long lost higher ages.
So the cycle goes on. Whether it is due to evolution, self-effort, the celestial winds at our back, or a combination of them all, consciousness now appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate. Let us hope the ancients were right and we are once again on our way to the “age of the gods.”
