Diana Graham’s art at The Ecoshrine in Hogsback, South Africa (Archive photo: JJM)

Darkness Before Dawn (Part 2) – An Incubator for the Soul (UPDATED)

In this 6-part series, we are exploring the purpose of polarity and the nature of truth. Please see index at the bottom of the page for chapter selection. 

The Purpose of Polarity

It is important to know that the universe contains both polarity (duality) and non-polarity (non-duality) at the same time. Non-duality, in the form of harmony and stability within societies, is usually the ideal that is aimed for. Duality has the purpose of acting as a catalyst for aspiring to, and for striving towards, unity (non-duality.) Polarisation, as a manifestation of strong or extreme duality, has purpose in that it can act as a powerful evolutionary mechanism.

Unity, balance, order and harmony are all results of aspiring and working towards non-duality. The less balanced things are, the harder we have to work towards balance. Polarisation can result in a powerful reordering or reshuffling of things which otherwise could or would not have come about.

The Inca civilisation in Peru, for example, honoured both non-duality and duality as having sacred value [1], because in a dualistic paradigm everything always has an opposite. The ancients knew that sometimes stability and order were dominant – and at other times instability and disorder were dominant.

The Mayans, for example, understood that the dominant energy in each age ‘ruled’ in the sense that it strongly influenced people’s behaviour and events to the extent that each age took on specific characteristics. They also observed that these ages returned time and again after having been absent for specific time periods – and they recorded these cycles in their calendars.

The Yin and Yang Balance of Forces

There are always counterbalancing energies at play in every age, notwithstanding the dominant energy of the particular age. In times of polarisation, oases of calm can always be found; however, during stable and orderly times, hot-spots of conflict can always be found, too. This phenomenon is symbolised in the Eastern Yin and Yang sign with its smaller dark and light spots being present inside the larger dominant opposites.

Even during prolonged times of peace – as has been the case in North America, Western Europe and parts of Asia – there has always been an almost constant dichotomy (an oscillation) between duality and non-duality. This manifests in many spheres of life as a societal tension between the opposites. Some examples are the tensions between the individual and the collective, between integration and separation, and between the political left and the political right.

It is – perhaps, ironically so – exactly the tension-causing polarities that enable the potential for balance, because balance cannot exist without the tension of opposites. It is finding the right balance first and then maintaining it which is the ongoing challenge. If there were no polarity, one could not aim for stability. If there were no duality, one could not aim towards unity.

Once unity or stability has been achieved, it never seems to last for very long. It is this phenomenon that is often experienced as one of the most frustrating factors of life which seems to have no obvious purpose or explanation. (For a case study, please see: Unity in Diversity vs. Disunity in Ideologies.)

An Incubator for the Soul

The earth was created to bring souls to their divine destiny; it is carrying a heavy burden.. – Paramahansa Yogananda (“World Crisis”) [2]

The purpose of shifting energy can be further understood by considering a spiritual perspective held by some of the most ancient civilisations regarding the real purpose of this planet that we live on.

It is believed that we humans are here on earth to evolve and to grow – mentally and spiritually so. Said differently, we are here for personal development. The earth is a learning ground. It is a training platform. On a higher level, it could be described as an incubator for the soul. Which platform and level we transition to after this one may very well depend on – or be influenced by – the level of development that we achieve here on this earthly plane, which is why fulfilling our individual purpose and destiny here is so important. (For more on this, please see: The Keys to Conscious Co-creation.)

The shifting energies throw up continuous challenges. Having to continuously rebalance and readjust to circumstances motivates and prompts personal development by having no choice but to work through the challenges in order to once again arrive at a balanced state.

If everything remained static, there would hardly be any development. As a rule, people do not voluntarily place themselves in difficult circumstances to purposefully prompt personal growth. Although they may do so a few times in their lives, the overall general objective of the majority of people is to be comfortable and to be happy, which usually means that they aim to create for themselves as much practical and material comforts and conveniences as possible.

Growth Stimulation

Being in stasis permanently would, however, eventually result in regression and degeneration for individuals, cultures, societies, nations and – ultimately – civilisations. It can, indeed, be observed that over time, spiritual development tends to stagnate in nations once they are fully developed. A strong emphasis on materialism, combined with a loss of deeper values, tends to eventually set in.

In spite of all the modern progress and advancing technologies in the world, if humans are not also evolving themselves spiritually at the same time then they are not evolving at all. Spiritual stasis causes meaninglessness – and meaninglessness can lead to nihilism.

However, being challenged by circumstances that are changing continually and that are sometimes really difficult to work through, or at the very least not always very comfortable, can eventually lead to the discovery of one’s life purpose through all the struggles.

Living one’s life purposefully usually leads to living life more responsibly. Living life purposefully and responsibly can lead to meaning and fulfillment, which is the closest that one can get to experiencing genuine contentment and happiness. Two of the most renowned Western psychologists, Carl Gustav Jung and Victor Frankl, considered this tenet to be one of the most important observations about the human condition.

The Rise and Fall of Civilisations

If nations and civilisations did not rise and fall, there would be no growth opportunities for subsequent generations. History has shown that, as a rule, generations tend to not learn very well from those that came before them. When similar circumstances come around due to the recurring nature of cycles and ages, the same mistakes are often made again. Every generation has to go through its own learning processes, which are often the very same learning processes that prior generations had to go through. If energy and circumstances did not keep on shifting, our planet would cease to function as a learning platform for human souls.

The fact that energy cycles always return means that history very often repeats and that humans are given the opportunity many times over to learn how to resolve problems and to grow. Wise people, cultures and nations would, indeed, consult history and would try to not repeat the same mistakes again. They would attempt to do things differently the next time around – hopefully, with better results. And those who manage to improve on past efforts are, indeed, the ones who evolve.

By J.J. Montagnier

(Published on July 16, 2019. Updated on April 17, 2020)

In the next chapters, we will continue to take a deep dive into how polarity facilitates human development and growth; we will consider how we as individuals can find our purpose and maintain balance within our polarised times; we will contemplate the nature of truth in a ‘post-truth’ world and we will consider how we can get ready for the incoming light of truth. Please subscribe to receive alerts for updates.

[Please note that this series is a work in progress. Some edits may occur after publication. Sometimes, content earmarked for follow-up chapters only makes it into later chapters.]

J.J. Montagnier is a futurologist and travelosopher. His writings are inspired and influenced by his world travels, personal and social observations, intuitive insights and the deep study of relevant and related subject matter.

INDEX

Part 1-A
Part 1-B

Part 1-C
Part 1-D 
Part 1-E
Part 2  <<
Part 3 
Part 4
Part 5

Bibliography:

[1]“Tambomachay”– theancienttraveller.wordpress.com. Web. 9 March, 2020
<https://theancienttraveller.wordpress.com/tag/tambomachay>

[2] “World Crisis – Paramahansa Yogananda Best Quotes– yogananda.com.au. Web. 9 March, 2020 <http://yogananda.com.au/gurus/yogananda_quotes38crisis.html>

Copyright © 2019 · All Rights Reserved · Gypsy Café

Painting by Diana Graham – The Ecoshrine – Hogsback [Archive photo: JJM – 2014]
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Explorer, Philosopher, Photographer

8 Comments

  1. Thank you Jacques – This is what I wanted to review again now, and just asked via a comment. So, it’s perfectly on time. I pray there is an unlimited possibility for consciousness to propel beyond the laws of time, so every miracle is always possible now. What helps me keep from being mad is remembering how much suffering is held inside and how much beauty is missed when there’s no intention to love each other.
    Thank you again – love, in lak’ech, Debra

    • Debra, thank you for your comment and for mentioning love, because without love we cannot evolve spiritually and we cannot move closer to harmony. I believe, just as you, that as individuals there is an unlimited possibility for consciousness to propel us beyond the laws of time and that every miracle is always possible now – perfectly expressed. The more individuals there are that raise their consciousness and vibration, the more the planetary consciousness is raised. We are in the perfect time and space to follow our individual destiny by going deep inside to know ourselves better and by doing so to contribute to the whole of creation.
      in lak’ech,
      Jacques

  2. norral rathan Reply

    thanks for the article . i find this planet extremely frustrating because we focus on the wrong things. instead of focusing on loving each other helping each other we focus on acquiring things thinking that things can save us. they wont i want a world where truth and kindness are valued . a world where we appreciate mother earth. we are far far away from that right now. as you say though when we raise our own consciousness we benefit the whole planet. may you and all who work for the light be blessed

    • Norral, thank you for your thoughts – you are right, we are far away from that right now. It is true what you say – this planet can be incredibly frustrating for people who care about the preservation of the earth. My view is that the only way to turn the frustration into purpose is to campaign for the preservation of the earth – that way you are transforming your frustration into purpose. The tide will turn – eventually. There is no guarantee that it will be in our lifetime, but if we lay the foundations then we have done our bit.
      Best wishes and blessings to you
      J.J.

  3. Great article, Jean-Jacques. Look forward to the next installments! Amazing how similar our interests are. Swami Sri Yukteswar was Paramahansa Yogananda’s mentor/teacher and was quite astounding in his own right. (Autobiography of a Yogi was one of my favorite books.) Your other sources are solid also as you further explore the function of polarization and the astro-predictions of the Mayan Calendar and the Vedic energy cycles. I do agree with you, Collective Consciousness only evolves when spurred by challenges that allow people to realize their true dissatisfaction with their current status quo; and sometimes it takes serious discomfort to shake us into a desire to change our lives. And I do personally find abhorrent the present societal apathy toward determining what constitutes TRUTH and what is NOT TRUTH. But I also know that as you mentioned, societies tend to cycle from one extreme to the other, so hopefully we start turning that tendency back toward valuing TRUTH again. Look forward to your next installment! Great article. Hope you don’t mind if I mention you in my next post and list your article html there for others to check out.

    • Thank you for reading, Rebecca! It is only in recent years that I discovered the work and legacy of Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Sri Yukteswar. I was looking for correlations with Mayan cosmology. In fact it was the work of Walter Cruttendon at the Binary Research Institute that led me to their great works:
      http://binaryresearchinstitute.com/bri/
      Highly recommended is their podcast show on i-tunes (free) – you can link to it from here:
      http://binaryresearchinstitute.com/bri/home/about-us/radio/

      I think that it is exactly the lack of truth everywhere that will call us back to it, because I think deep inside of us is a deep desire for truth – in a vacuum of truth one can only but set yourself on a path to seek it out – so in that way the universe also assists us in returning to the truth. If the truth was all around us we may have taken it for granted.

      For me the takeway from the nature of polarity is that we can always see a positive side to the dark side in terms of it being a catalyst of some sort to bring about improvement or positive change – but it only works that way if we see it that way. Sometimes things are so dark that it’s very difficult to see any light to it – it can be very difficult, but this is an advanced training platform that we are on, and so it’s perhaps not meant to be an easy one.

      I always remind myself that due to the nature of the cycles there is always light after dark / after dark there is always light. It can just take longer than we wish it to, but in the meantime we can seek out the light in the dark – moreover we can bring the light in through our own compassion and love for the world, since that is the light that we carry within.

      Thank you very much for considering to list my article – you are most welcome, Rebecca. The next chapter should be ready by next Friday.

Over to you...