For those of us who find spiritual life and practice to be a good fit and have therefore stayed with it, even when it has not been easy, there is a high function we are fulfilling—one that we may not yet be fully aware of. In all likelihood, when we set out on the spiritual path we did so primarily for ourselves. We sought to improve our life situation across the board. We hoped that spiritual practice would lead to better physical health, greater peace and equanimity, deeper relationships with others, and a more satisfying career choice. But the more our commitment to the path grew, the more we also became aware of the joy and goodness inherent in sharing with and helping others. Thus a new dimension of fulfillment and purpose opened up to us. It was not that we became steeped in dogmatism and tried to coerce others into mirroring our practice. But we nonetheless felt compelled to do what we could to try to help. Why? Because we saw that people are struggling. They are looking and hungering for a more meaningful and fulfilling life experience. Many are living in spiritual darkness and are suffering because of it. Thus we felt compassion for them and sincerely wanted to share what we had found, because it seemed to us to be irrefutably good and beneficial—a totally positive healing energy for the human condition. We saw that all people need spiritual light in their lives and thought that they would surely welcome our input, if it might ease their suffering a little.
But while we genuinely felt moved by the plight of humanity we also came to learn by experience that we needed to be gentle, gracious, and kind in our approach.
Sometimes the people for whom we felt this burden were not receptive to us at all. Some might even have been antagonistic and hostile. So we came to the conclusion that it was better not to force things. We continued to feel compassion for those people but we ceased to share proactively and instead let the example of our own lives draw them to the light.
As we did this we found that this kind of sharing by example could also be purposeful and fulfilling for us. Thus we could continue to feel confident about what we were into, while removing ourselves almost completely from the arena of human conflict and debate. We could go about our own business silently and gracefully and tend to our own garden. And in this way the light within us was actually strengthened, until little by little we came to understand that spiritual light is its own power. In other words, it is spiritual light itself that dispels spiritual darkness, not us. And so, just by doing what we do on our own and letting our light shine, we found ourselves proactively sowing the seeds of evolution.
This is not just a justification for tending our own garden. Rather it is a very important role to play in the broad scheme of things. Plus as we learn to sow the seeds of evolution we find ourselves being elevated into the company of the great spiritual masters. For, without exception that was what they were all moving in.
But in order for us to get strong in this vision we need to first see the truth that human consciousness is evolutionary in nature. This is important because it tends to dramatically change our priorities. What it means is that human life is not at all about what we were taught when we were growing up. It is not about careers, money, power, social status, or even family. It is something much bigger than these things. It is about spiritual fulfillment and fruition—not only as individuals but as a collective entity as well. It is about human beings becoming the beings of light and goodness that we were created to be. And the unseen power at work in us that will ultimately usher in our New Age of enlightenment is the power of consciousness evolution.
When we speak of evolution, however, we must differentiate between biological evolutionary processes and those of a spiritual nature. Like many life forms in our universe mankind is clearly an evolutionary creature, but ours is not so much a biological evolutionary process as it is an evolution of consciousness. This is what sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Prior to six thousand years ago man was a beast of the field, just like the other creatures that roam the earth. But then something truly monumental happened to our species. The light of spiritual consciousness clicked on within us. That is when human history, as we now know it, began. And ever since that time the evolution of human consciousness has been steadily unfolding, bringing human beings into greater and greater light.
It began with our ability to view our own behavior through the lens of moral judgment or what the Bible calls the knowledge of good and evil. We sometimes think of morality as being an unspiritual confining mindset, but in the beginning, when we were still unconscious, this ability to discern between good and evil was a highly significant leap. It was the evolution of consciousness breaking forth. But we did not stop there. We went on to be able to read, write, and keep historical records. We built cities to live in and developed technologies and inventions to assuage the harshness of the earthly environment. We conceived sciences that brought greater knowledge and power to our minds. And as our population on the earth proliferated, we sought ways to make civilized and compassionate human interaction the norm. Thus down through the age, though we have certainly struggled at times to bring these breakthroughs into manifestation, we have largely succeeded. But what many do not understand is that all this was not really our doing. We have nothing to take credit for. Why not? Because it was the evolution of consciousness at work in us, bringing greater and greater light to the human scene.
So in the bigger picture our greatest inventive minds have merely been responding and giving expression to the evolution of consciousness within them. And to the degree that their achievements propelled mankind another step forward into greater light, they too have been sowing the seeds of evolution.
But without question it has been the spiritual masters and truth teachers who have lived among us that have been most prolific at this task. Why is this? Because they had their sights set not only on the ongoing phenomenon of man’s evolution of consciousness but also on its final goal and outworking. In other words, they saw where all this is leading to. For, the masters have not only been teachers; they have been prophets as well. Thus they saw that though mankind has been slow to work out the kinks a glorious New Age of enlightenment ultimately awaits us.
But they also understood the nature of our evolutionary process. They understood that evolution cannot be pinned down to a practical, predictable timetable. It cannot be rushed along. And so its progress has been expedited foremost by the sowing of seeds. This is also how consciousness works. Consciousness cannot be manhandled. It must be gently prodded along through the insemination of truth. For, it is truth that causes consciousness to expand and thrive.
But there is another side to this equation, and that is the receptivity and responsiveness of the individual. This can be a rather complex dynamic, with many factors determining an individual’s willingness and ability to receive the light of truth into their consciousness—factors such as karma, preconceived ideas and beliefs, egoic justifications, etc. The masters knew that nearly everyone born into our world develops an inbred conditioned resistance to spiritual light. So they often used techniques that brought truth in through the backdoor, so to speak. In this way they were careful not to overwhelm their students with a nine-course meal, but rather started their teaching nice and easy with hors d’oeuvres meant to whet the appetite.
This was another reason that Jesus taught using parables or little vignettes reflective of everyday human life. Many of his parables were so subtle and camouflaged that the first thing the listener found him or herself doing was scratching their head, wondering what he was trying to say. But then suddenly the light would go on; the listener would get the point of the parable, and in that instant the truth it was meant to impart would sink down into their consciousness and bring light and expansion therein.
Many eastern mystics and gurus have also used similar “backdoor” methods to sow the seeds of evolution in human consciousness. One of their most powerful methods has been to read the thoughts of a particular student and expose his or her patterns of resistance. This then short-circuited the mind of the student, thereby creating an opening for the truth where previously there had been none.
But the masters were also wise and patient. They understood perfectly how human consciousness works. They knew that evolution has its own timetable. For them the evolutionary process had already reached its fulfillment. That was how they became
enlightened. Thus they had already come into the New Age. They knew by their own experience that the goal of spiritual fruition could be reached and that once the inbred resistance of a student had been broken down, enlightenment would not be far off. That was why the Buddha was so easy going. He knew that all the student had to do was to break down his inner barriers, and evolution would do the rest.
It was a little different for Jesus, however, because part of his teaching involved dying on a Roman cross. This was necessary on account of the peculiar brand of resistance to truth that tended to be lodged in the western mind—a brand of resistance that had been bred over many centuries of guilt and shame. Before men could receive Jesus’ teaching in full they first had to be set free from these inner demons.
But these great masters also knew their limitations. They knew that if men were not yet ready for full spiritual fruition the best they could do would be to sow the seeds of evolution. And this then is what they all did with wonderful results. They may not have been able to bring about the dawning of the New Age in their time, but they became very adept at hastening that day through the sowing of seeds—seeds that have been steadily growing throughout this age. This may seem like a slow, drawn-out process to us, but the good news is that once those seeds were sown, the ultimate outcome of fruition in the New Age to come was virtually guaranteed. Why? Because all universal evolutionary impetus is governed by immutable created laws. It is no different than what we see at work in our gardens. The seeds go into the ground, and when the conditions are just so they sprout and grow until they reach fruition, according to their kind. That is a natural law of life on the earthly plane, and so is the evolution of human consciousness.
It is for this reason that Jesus spoke of a second coming for the Christ. He knew
with certainty that the seeds of evolution that he planted two thousand years ago would grow and bear fruit. In one of his parables he compared this phenomenon to leaven working through a lump of dough. Invariably, the leaven spreads through the dough and causes it to rise and form a loaf of bread. It too works according to natural, created law.
What is the second coming of Christ? It is nothing other than the point in time when the seeds of evolution finally mature and bear fruit, not just in the lives of a few individuals but in the collective society of man as well. That is what will usher in the New Age. And it is sure to happen because it is based on created universal law.
Jesus was a prophet and saw that day coming from afar. But the precise timing of this outworking could not be known, because evolution has its own timetable. It works according to law, but its ways are still shrouded in mystery to us.
Many present day spiritual seers believe that the New Age is not only inevitable; they believe it is upon us—that we are even now standing upon its threshold. And so they are doing all they can to sow the seeds of evolution far and wide, so that when that day dawns no human being alive on the planet will be left in the dark.
May we all live to see it!