However it is clear that during the long ages since that time of what has come to be known as the fall of man, there have been attempts to show mankind a way back. Methods have been illustrated by which man could re-establish contact with those from higher realms. Spiritual leaders have from time to time emerged who knew the truth that man was not of this physical earth plane, but his soul belonged elsewhere. Through their teachings they endeavoured to bring enlightenment, hoping to show a pathway by which the soul vibrations could be raised sufficiently to escape the trap of the lower planes. Much of this enlightenment has formed the basis of myths and religious belief.
Religious teaching though well intended, has become fragmented and distorted, appealing more to nationalistic and tribal ideologies, hinting at but not addressing the real truth of our existence. A truth which is not the result of a particular set of religious do’s and don’ts but a practical demonstration of the fundamental and immutable cosmic law that pervades all creation. In simple terms it means that the doing of good in thought, word and deed and the avoidance of evil raises the soul vibrations, then once all karma has been discharged the soul can rejoin the spirit, the door to higher realms is open and the cycle of birth, death and rebirth is broken. The converse is also true, that if the desires of the lower self are unrestrained and given in to, soul vibrations fall and higher realms are no longer accessible. Eventually the search for satisfaction becomes an addiction and in order to achieve it, lower pathways are pursued, wrongdoing and wrong thinking become habitual and the final descent into darkness is complete. There is of course always the chance of redemption and hopefully all is not lost but such are the pressures of the material world, it can be hard to find and needs to be actively sought.
The main force, which binds us to the earth, is nothing less than our own human nature and the emotions, which drive it. We have seen that humans are spiritual beings confined in animal bodies of the same order as the great apes. In order to survive, the human male as an animal is naturally programmed to compete for food, territory and mating opportunities just as any other animal. The female is likewise programmed to seek out the strongest male partner as the best provider of food, shelter and protection for herself and her children and all of this, even in civilised societies is anathema to any hopes of lasting peace, as natural male competition will always ensure conflict. Conflict for females is of course a disaster, disrupting their need to feed and rear their young though in many cases they are not beyond encouraging conflict among males so that the strongest might emerge victorious, thus becoming a desirable mate. War therefore is a completely natural state of affairs and peace merely an interlude between one outbreak and the next.
As the population of the world increases exponentially and resources become increasingly scarce, the risk of devastating war is ever present. The answer however is not to look at international situations. These are only macrocosms of our own inner conflict. We have to look at ourselves and the way we conduct our own lives. Selfishness is an inbuilt feature of us all. An extension into ordinary life of the paramount need to survive and to get the most we can for ourselves and our families at the expense of others if necessary. True there have always been souls who will sacrifice themselves for others, mothers for their children, friends for each other but ultimately, apart from the good example they set which may have an effect on an immediate situation, nothing really changes. Modern civilised societies attempt to ameliorate the situation by welfare provision and officially attending to the needs of their populations but in parts of the world steeped both in poverty and or permanent conflict, the need to survive is all that matters and the strongest prevail while the weak perish.
In the developed world, greed and the drive for more are positively encouraged through a media now thoroughly perverted. Minds are fed with a mixture of lies and images designed to inflame desire and create demand. The one feature of the lower self guaranteed to keep our soul vibration at a low level is desire and the endless quest to satisfy it. Desires are always addictive and need very careful handling if they are not to become cravings and whether it be sex, drugs, alcohol, adrenalin rushes, excitement or the need to win at all costs, it can easily become anathema to the soul and the spirit if not carefully controlled.
Since the beginning of known civilisations, some six thousand years ago, many have come and gone. Just as individuals are born, reach a peak and then die, so do all civilisations. It is the natural law of birth, death and re-birth. The problem is that within us all from birth, there is a seed of imperfection, original sin perhaps that leads ultimately to our own demise and so it is with all earthly institutions and structures created by man, they all pass away to be replaced by new visions and so the endless process continues.