Crossroads Crises in Perspective – Part 2
The Greatest Trek: A Crisis in Thinking and The Way Out [Updated]
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The view from the Global South: Looking from the outside in. This series of essays is based on readings of reports, articles, and presentations that are in the public domain, with provided references. The content contains futurology based on cycle science and the mystical sciences. Readers are encouraged to approach the text with critical, yet open minds.
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Introduction
In times of transition, there are many shadows dancing on the walls, mirages shimmering on the horizon, and apparitions appearing out of the dark. Navigating the Greatest Shift not only requires out-of-the-box thinking but also a willingness to embrace diverse perspectives, even those that may challenge one’s beliefs. While everyone grapples with blind spots in one way or another, many people are in possession of essential partial truths, or parts of the essential truth.
We are all products of our environments, and for most individuals, their thoughts are constrained by the boundaries of their professional and social associations and commitments. Additionally, nearly all intellectuals are members of echo chambers or silos that shape or influence their thinking. Consequently, there are only a handful of truly independent analysts out there.
Viewing our individual thinking through the lens that it is inherently restricted by the widespread human inclination toward collective thought, we may gain an understanding of the importance of breaking free from our group-oriented thought silos.
To transcend the black and white thinking prevalent in both the mainstream and alternative media, Shift Navigators cannot afford to throw the baby out with the bathwater and miss the forest for the trees. Their task is to identify and draw on valuable aspects of truth wherever it may be found. The diverse fragments and components of truth must be integrated into a foundational framework of understanding that uniquely addresses the challenges of our extraordinary transition times.
Escaping the confines of collective thought requires adopting an open-minded perspective and engaging in objective analysis. However, numerous individuals encounter difficulties due to a tendency towards binary thinking. Frequently, they dismiss or overlook information associated with the other side. Only a limited number of people possess the inclination or fortitude to venture beyond the boundaries of socially-oriented thought-chambers, driven by a perceived safety in numbers and a sense of community.
A Way Forward
The oblique rays of the sun still illuminate the glory of the passing epoch. But the light is fading, and in the deepening shadows it becomes more and more difficult to see clearly and to orient ourselves safely in the confusions of the twilight (Pitirim A. Sorokin, Social and Cultural Dynamics, 1937) 1
In theory, all the crises in the world could be solved through improved thinking. An effective antidote to a crisis in collective thinking is to elevate one’s personal thinking to higher levels of autonomy, enabling a detachment from the artificial social spheres that constantly shape our thinking.
The discernible trend of a gradual dimming and darkening of human consciousness has become particularly apparent since 2020, as evidenced by the behaviour and conduct of a substantial number of individuals in response to current events. The dark side of humanity is increasingly being revealed. Nonetheless, there are also cyclic reasons contributing to this collective regression, as outlined further below.
The Path of The Remnant
The remnant has, theoretically, never consisted of a majority. While the majority may unknowingly undergo devolution along with the mainstream’s inner decline, those who consider themselves as part of the prospective remnant will carve out their own path. They will choose to purposefully evolve independently. In the process, they will transform into self-guiding, autonomous beings, as The Hero’s Journey has always been a distinctly personal one.
Energy Shifts Recapped
For new readers, the following summary and update provides insight into the cyclic context currently shaping our world.
We are approaching the end of the current 26,000-year Precession of the Equinoxes Cycle, expected to conclude between 2027 and 2032 (see Preparing for the Hero’s Journey). Presently, we find ourselves in the midst of a 19.7-year katun-age (Katun 2-Ahau), from 2012 to 2032, characterised by strong polarising influences on human consciousness. This dynamic sheds light on the binary thinking within societies in recent years (explored in Paradigm Shifts in The Age of Polarity and The Rise and Fall of Polarization).
Notably, the years 2022 and 2023 contain the highest levels of polarity (see Fig. 1 above). In 2023, a significant half-katun shift occurs, and the surge in polarisation and darkness observed in the latter part of 2023 could be attributed to this phenomenon, considering the inherent volatility of the peak-energy years in a katun.
Since 2020, the world has transitioned from one crisis to another, with the resolution of one crisis often coinciding with the emergence of a new one. The 3-year COVID crisis that commenced in 2020 was succeeded by the Ukro-Russo conflict in 2022. Following closely, a significant conflict flared up in the Middle East in October of 2023. These events could be interpreted as signs of the times. Notably, significant conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East are mentioned in important prophecies that deal with the End Times.
The second half of the 7-year peak-period spanning from 2020 to the beginning of 2026 may prove to be even more formidable than the first half due to the approaching mid-point of the underlying Dark Rift Transit in 2027 (for details see Preparing for the Hero’s Journey). Typically, under normal circumstances, polarising energies would have been on a declining trajectory post-2025/2026.
Beyond 2027, marking the Dark Rift mid-point, we will be heading towards the year 2032, entering a phase characterised as the most spiritual and potentially most capricious 19.7-year katun-age (discussed in The Cyclic Reordering of Civilizations).
A realistic prognosis of our current position within the context of several shifting cycles suggests that the world has entered a period of sustained volatility. This time of upheaval can be attributed to The Shift of the Ages, a cyclic phenomenon characterised by multiple consecutive energy shifts. Noteworthy years such as 1998, 2000, 2012, 2020, 2023, 2027, 2032, 2042 and 2052 mark major energy-shift years, all encompassed within the overall Shift of the Ages.
The Children of the Sun
The Shift of the Ages should be recognized as a transition journey spanning decades – a relay marathon toward a better world. Symbolically, the baton must be passed from navigator to navigator. Presently, the remnant comprises each individual consciously contributing to an evolved post-transition New World (see also The Lights Along the Way).
Eschewing Bread and Circuses
On a more practical level, the general decline in human thinking is, in part, fuelled by the biggest mass addiction 2 ever to impact the human race, a phenomenon that, as of now, has not been fully recognised.
Smartphones and online addictions usurp the amount of time that individuals would typically allocate to thoughtful studying, contemplation, and careful consideration of important issues. Additionally, digital technologies and platforms also amplify binary thinking and partisanship, contributing to the social problems currently prevalent in the world.
Given these circumstances, critical thought may not be embraced by everyone. However, the more that exceptional present-day individuals prioritise their inner development and thinking amidst numerous external distractions, the greater the likelihood that highly inspired and enlightened souls will be counted among the future remnant.
Working With the Energy of the Age
Since contradictions and discrepancies are more conspicuous than usual due to the polarised energy of the age, adept Shift Navigators can leverage this phenomenon positively. Identifying contradictions and generalisations stemming from collective thinking highlights blind spots, necessitating individual critical reasoning. Weighing up discrepancies can disintegrate chimeras and false constructs, bringing Shift Navigators closer to Paths of Truth.
Naturally, such a journey requires autonomous thought, a quality that must be cultivated and developed personally. Great Transitions are notorious for being disorienting and tumultuous, especially for collectives. Yet, when generalisations and contradictions are meticulously assessed on an independent level, illusions are shed, and mirages fade away, revealing new horizons with clearer outlines.
How Things Are Defined
The following segments discuss some of the generalisations and contradictions that are reflective of centralised perspectives when it comes to speaking of ostensible global crises. It should become evident to the reader that each matter perceived as a crisis by the mainstream warrants careful consideration by individuals. This scrutiny is essential for determining whether a given issue is genuinely a crisis or not.
Probing Global Perceptions
1. The natural environment is typically spoken of in all-encompassing terms. It is often referred to as ‘our environment’, or ‘our nature’.
In reality, an untold number of natural environments and habitats exist. Urban areas have their city parks, botanical gardens, and estate gardens. Beyond cities and towns, there are grasslands, savannas, wetlands, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, tropical forests, deserts, tundras, alpines, estuaries, seas, oceans, coral reefs, and more.
Whether a crisis exists in any of the mentioned environmental categories would depend on the specific country or locality under assessment. To determine the status of any particular habitat, its conditions would have to be analysed separately.
The idea that the environment is a singular universal concept, is simply a mind construct – a sort of chimera that disappears when approached with critical thinking.
There are indeed many local environmental crises, but none of them encompass the entire globe all at once. On the contrary, vast areas on the planet boast well-maintained or even pristine conditions due to nations with commendable environmental track records. Moreover, many natural habitats are flourishing in areas with limited human activity, although it is acknowledged that even these places are experiencing a decline in numbers. Contrary to the mainstream perception that all natural environments are universally in an acute crisis, the reality is quite different, despite the severe negative impacts of industrialisation over the last 150 years.
The point being made here is that crises, wherever they exist, can be effectively addressed only in a local context by individuals within local institutions and governments or who act privately who possess a genuine love for their own environments coupled with local expertise.
2. Similarly, the climate is often spoken of in singular terms, as if there is only one climate (regularly referred to as ‘our climate’). However, the same reality check could be applied to the subject by thoroughly thinking it through.
There are diverse climates such as city climates, coastal climates, mountain climates, valley climates, desert climates, oceanic climates, island climates, jungle climates, and more. Many of them encompass microclimates. For example, no continent maintains the same climate everywhere. Similarly, no valley, mountain, or island exhibits a universally consistent climate. The climatic conditions of islands, for instance, often differ significantly from their inland or mountainous areas and coastal regions. Likewise, large cities feature a range of warmer and cooler areas within their boundaries.
The idea of Earth having one climate stems from global thinking on climate matters. Climate and environment are frequently conflated, but they are distinct categories that require separate analyses, despite some natural overlap. This brings us to the contentious question of whether there is a global climate crisis.
Rome Was Flourishing:
Many people are under the impression that climate change is the biggest threat to humanity. Yet, few pause to consider why, despite the absence of cars, planes, or industries causing massive carbon emissions during the Roman Empire (as is the case in our era), temperatures were generally higher back then.3-5 Moreover, Rome was flourishing.5,6
Furthermore, carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere were also higher during that period.7 The decline of the Roman Empire coincided with a subsequent drop in overall temperatures, suggesting a cyclic pattern of empires rising and falling in conjunction with temperature fluctuations.6,8-11 The timelines are so extensive that they are often imperceptible to the average observer who doesn’t take the time to study historical climate cycles.
The cycle shifts have occurred roughly on schedule whether CO2 levels were high or low. Based on this 1,500-year cycle, the Earth is about 150 years into a moderate Modern Warming that will last for centuries longer. It will essentially restore the fine climate of the Medieval Climate Optimum (Unstoppable Global Warming – Every 1,500 years)12
Further Discussion:
People know what they know because of what is presented to them, not because of what they verify for themselves. They choose to believe what they are told because that simplifies their lives. It allows them to participate in social activities such as environmental campaigns and climate activism. Present-day environmentalism and scientism are, for all intents and purposes, consensus-driven ideological movements, not necessarily set on paths of truth. For them, the science is settled on many issues.
Fig. 3: Average Northern Hemisphere Temperature 39
Beginning an independent fact-finding mission on climate issues, a crucial insight is that the further one delves into historical records of worldwide temperatures, the more apparent it becomes that they were higher than today during specific past stages in history. This was the case during the height of the Egyptian, Maya, and Roman Empires.9 In sum, the Earth’s fluctuations in temperatures and carbon dioxide are long-term, cyclic phenomena that are influenced by a range of factors not caused by humans,13 with the impacts of human activities considered marginal.14-16
When venturing off the beaten (climate) track, intrepid trekkers may quickly encounter several anomalies supported by real data that diverge from consensus-based views. Suffice to say that as the information mountaineer ascends to higher altitudes of understanding, the idea of a climate crisis steadily dissipates with each information-milestone reached.17-22
3. The population is yet another subject that regularly suffers from a lack of differentiation. It merits extra attention for reasons that will be pointed out.
In reports and discussions about global crises, human inhabitants of Earth are commonly referred to as ‘our’ population (meaning the global population), or ‘our’ civilisation. Nevertheless, there are almost 200 countries in the world, each with varying population numbers, population densities, fertility rates, consumption levels, and life expectancies, many of them constituting distinct civilisation models.
That the human race constitutes one species is not in doubt, but it’s a very differentiated one. Thinking of humanity as a single collective is a mental construct that doesn’t hold much water when interrogated critically.
Humanity could be considered a collective from philosophical or spiritual standpoints (this writer employs the term liberally in that sense as well). However, in practical terms, various components of humanity give rise to uniquely different cultures, civilisations, and communities. This is why genuine diversity persists in the world, despite the widespread standardisation and ubiquitous consumer culture brought about by decades-long globalisation. One only has to travel extensively to know this to be true.
Population Matters:
Some counties are underpopulated while others are overpopulated. Nevertheless, a prevailing and widespread belief is that there are too many people in the world, leading many to conclude that there is a worldwide overpopulation crisis. This assumption often ‘logically’ leads to the determination that the world’s population should somehow be reduced. This stands out as a clear example of how collective presumptions can arise from mindless groupthink.
How many citizens take the time to learn about population growth and decline factors on a country-by-country basis? The answer is that very few do so because, generally speaking, individuals tend to be lethargic thinkers individually but become highly motivated ‘thinkers’ when part of a collective. Going with the flow of mainstream thought (i.e. ‘common knowledge’) is the easiest route to take, as it involves little risk and avoids standing out from the crowd. The consequence of not thoroughly considering population matters is that all nations are categorically grouped under the same overpopulation banner without affording them a say in the matter.
Similar to climate and environmental issues, overpopulation is primarily a preoccupation of the developed world projected onto the rest of the world. As elaborated before, this stems mainly from centralised thinking.
The truth is that many countries have low population densities23 combined with sufficient resources and food production capacities, which would make them relatively self-sufficient (although some adjustments would be required) when there are few outside interventions. Similar to environmental issues, understanding the population status of any single country requires studying it in isolation from other nations. Attention must be paid to the unique local and regional complexities, given the numerous variables at play.
It could be speculated that the implication of having to weigh up real population factors in each location separately might, apart from being a lot of work, show that overpopulation is only really a problem in some places. One possible ramification may be that affluent countries could count among them. Consumption rates per capita are usually much higher in wealthier nations – a data set that mainstream analysts might prefer to sidestep, resulting in an eagerness to frame overpopulation as ‘a global problem’.
Further Discussion:
The answer to anyone who talks about the surplus population is to ask him whether he is the surplus population; or if he is not, how he knows he is not (GK Chesterton) 24
A notable irony, as pointed out by critical thinkers, is that individuals who advocate for a reduction in the world’s population often fail to include themselves in the equation. When addressing overpopulation, it frequently appears to be a problem attributed to people far away. The most interesting thing is that when all the above points are discarded and one looks only at global fertility rates, they have been collapsing across virtually all metrics since the 1950s.25,26
Fig. 4: Historic Fertility Rates – Number of Children Born Per Woman 27
Ironically, a recent report by the Club of Rome titled ‘Earth for All’ confirms this. The report acknowledges that population growth has been declining in the majority of nations and admits that the problem is not as big as once presumed.
So, when will the population double again to 16 billion? It will not. It will not even get close to this number. In short, the good news is that the “population bomb” that many feared has been defused. The last forty years has seen a huge change in demographics. The growth rate peaked in the sixties and has been falling steadily since (Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity) 28
The mainstream seems to have not gotten the memo, so they say, probably because few citizens read reports, including those intended for the mainstream. That said, it is quite likely that many people would actually be reluctant to let go of the global overpopulation idea because it serves as a popular talking point during social interactions that everybody can ‘agree upon’ because there is already social consensus on the matter.
In actuality, one of the significant challenges posed by declining fertility rates is the reduction in the number of people available for the workforce.29 This often leads to governments having to resort to immigration policies30 to compensate for the lack of working-age people, resulting in a number of adverse social issues and related controversies.
4. Food production is a topic that has received similar treatment of late, with discussions often framing it as ‘our food production’. However, countries, regions, and continents significantly differ in how they manage their agricultural systems and food processing. Farming methods, soil quality, and the use of fertilisers vary greatly across the globe, even though commercial farming is implemented in many places.
Furthermore, local communities continue to preserve and maintain their cultural or religious practices with regards to their traditional food cultivation and production processes. However, there are indeed local food related crises in a number of separate locations in the world, but none of them encompass the entire globe (just as with the other crises already covered).
Since food production does not happen in one central place from which food is distributed globally, the notion of a global food production crisis is not only unconvincing but also far-fetched, particularly when we think it through. It sounds quite plausible at first though, especially when one is already convinced that all sectors are in a crisis.
Crises Creation and Mass Neuroses
The continual creation of crises through global thinking leads to centralised and collectivised conceptual mental frameworks that, upon objective analyses, are mostly chimeras and mirages. Thinking globally all the time can result in muddled thinking, contributing to what could be considered a crisis in thinking. Hence, global thinking is part and parcel of a global crisis in thinking.
A polycrisis31 or a metacrisis32 is discussed in some collectives, but these concepts often arise from excessively removing the boundaries between various assumed crises. When everything is continuously perceived as an emergency, it can result in a collective neurosis.
Mentally amalgamating all perceived crises conceptually into one all-encompassing mega-crisis can create an imagined monster-threat that looms so large it is bound to devour the human collective entirely. Simultaneously, a sense of powerlessness may prevail, as the threat appears to be omnipresent, distributed everywhere but nowhere in particular.
Cultivating Differentiated Perspectives
Centralised mindsets frame all of the world’s local issues as universal problems that should be managed centrally, preferably through global policymaking. Such thinking leads to the mental ownership of the entire world’s problems due discounting boundaries between nations, countries, and continents, with the prolific use of the word ‘our’ being a case in point.
Conversely, when the mental constructs of ‘our environment’, ‘our climate’, ‘our population’, and ‘our food production’ are clearly defined within their applicable categories and local contexts, the term ‘our’ literally only pertains to the villages, towns, cities, counties, provinces, or countries that we are in.
Should the word ‘our’ reclaim its proper meaning in the minds of thinkers, anything beyond our local environments would then turn into ‘their’ environments, climates, populations, food production systems, and so forth. The global prism through which local issues are viewed would then fall away, and a proper perspective would be regained.
It’s a matter of refocusing one’s attention on real, tangible, identifiable problems in specific local environments, as opposed to vague, difficult-to-pinpoint, unspecified problems everywhere. A natural drawback of the latter worldview is that when a problem is perceived as universal, there is very little one can do about it other than pontificate about it online or otherwise.
Where there are real (local) crises, there are usually local governments, institutions, and people already in charge of resolving them. Environmental, climate, population, and food issues have always been local, municipal, provincial, or national in scope before being conceptually turned into planetary issues as a result of global thinking.
Returning to the original meaning of ‘our’, we find ourselves back in a position to do something practical about real problems. Any online activist can choose to step out of their abodes and get their hands dirty by doing useful environmental work in their own backyards, rather than being overly concerned with the entire world’s environmental problems.
Caring for the Planet as a Natural Human Need
Many people have a natural desire to care for the environment, and this inclination seems to be intrinsic to human nature. Wanting to support environmental protection campaigns is considered normal, and for many individuals, it would seem counterintuitive not to want to do so. Supporting a variety of social causes has always given individuals a sense of extra purpose and meaning. Many of us desire to feel that we are contributing something positive to the world.
Unfortunately, such sentiments can also be taken advantage of. When people have a sense of wanting to care for the environment, they are easily impressed by new initiatives with vague outcomes.
Major blind spots persist within mainstream environmental consciousness movements as adherents to environmentalism frequently embrace new policy approaches thoughtlessly and vigorously promote them. Rarely are examples that have already been piloted as test cases properly evaluated. Consequently, perfectly well-meaning people at times end up unthinkingly supporting policy-driven proposals, resulting in the opposite of what they hypothetically campaign for.
Put differently, the commercialised nature of environmentalism gives rise to several social and ideological bandwagon movements, leading to a widespread obliviousness to the cause-and-effect principles, resulting in activists inadvertently promoting actions contrary to what they believe they are campaigning against, potentially contributing to the creation of environmental destruction zones (known as ‘sacrifice zones’).33-36
Global Power Imbalances and Centralised Mindsets (Revisited)
Global thinking undertakes the task of planning in advance for problems perceived to be of an international nature because centrally-based minds see the entire world as an extension of the centres or the countries where the analyses are conducted.
The belief that centrally perceived problems would be equally valid in all localities is a general default position held by people who speak of global crises. This perspective is evident not only in analyses conducted by influential think tanks and work groups but also in the discussions and talks held by popular online pundits and bloggers, as well as by citizens engaging in debates about the issues of the day.
External or foreign views are not regularly entertained or sought out, which could be explained by the fact that the needs of the peripheries often run contrary to the needs of global centres and their inhabitants. Voices from the periphery often go unnoticed as they attempt to penetrate the walls of centrally located echo chambers, typically bouncing off silo walls and remaining unheard.
As a result, blanket coverage of standardised solutions for centrally perceived issues of a global nature are widely promoted, overlooking the unique localised needs and aspirations of people in a multitude of faraway places.
Decentralised Crisis Management
Global assessments often fall short in properly evaluating localised contexts due to centralisation biases and indifference to local contexts. Regional or localised crisis analyses, though, would shift the focus away from global perspectives, directing attention mainly toward local and regional issues.
Localised assessments conducted by local experts familiar with their own environments and with an affinity for their habitats are more intensive, comprehensive, specific, and accurate. Locals, drawing from their own trial-and-error experiences, have a deep understanding of the best remedies for their unique environments.
Locally devised solutions are small-scale and tailored to local particularities, taking into account what works and what doesn’t. Issues and problems are addressed in accordance with local norms, customs, and practices, rather than applying generic one-size-fits-all solutions that may not be suitable everywhere.
Two Types of Decentralisation
We are all products of our environments. People living within centralised frameworks may struggle to conceptualise anything beyond them. Even when contemplating regionalism or localism from a centralised perspective, it is often thought of as having to be managed and administered centrally.
The result would be centralised decentralisation, essentially encapsulating the current form of the concept of ‘multipolarity’. However, real decentralisation would involve a thorough decoupling from centrally managed systems, giving rise to decentralised decentralisation (i.e. authentic multipolarity).
If several diverse countries were to join an enlarging group of nations, intending to preserve their unique civilisation models, this process would still result in a form of centralisation. Sooner or later, the outcome would mirror the existing structures. This structural aspect of centralisation has been discussed in previous chapters.
Central expectations for standardisation and universal compliance inevitably increase over time, as these are usually the original long-term objectives. Otherwise, centralisation projects would lose their purpose. Structurally, the centralisation trajectory can only lead in one direction – the opposite (and the antidote) being authentic decentralisation.
In practice, within the current framework of increasing centralisation, ‘multipolarity’ would inevitably result in a dilution and loss of depth for incorporated civilisations, despite stated objectives to the contrary. For example, all member states of major country groupings on the world stage (East and West) are presently engaged in accelerating standardisation processes in line with global centralisation trends.
The fact that developed countries within country blocs (such as within the EU) are wholeheartedly committed to advancing globalisation, and the eagerness of peripheral nations to join expanding groups of nations (BRICS being a case in point) continues to be observed. Furthermore, the majority of citizens in member states on both sides of the equation seem to support these centralisation projects in which their nations participate. It can therefore be concluded that the majority of people continue to desire centralisation.
To conclude this segment, there are two types of decentralisation: (a) centralised decentralisation (a current trend within the context of ‘multipolarity’) and (b) decentralised decentralisation (a future trend), and only one of them could be considered truly authentic. In the long run, centralised decentralisation will structurally yield to decentralised decentralisation.
Nations, cultures, and communities will eventually return to more sovereignty and independence, but first a shift in the spirit of the nations must take place. The duration of this transition is uncertain, but there are indications that turning points could be reached toward the end of this decade, as discussed in a chapter titled ‘The Cyclic Reordering of Civilizations’.
The Greatest Trek
The longer the trek through new information, the more individuals are confronted with unexpected yet undeniable facts that defy their old perspectives. Over time, this exposure leads to the development of a new awareness that grows into an expanded comprehension with greater depth. Once we have reached a certain number of peaks, it becomes inevitable to (want to) reflect upon the journey and gain a full realisation of where we have come from.
Upon reflection, we understand that the ascent to the peaks of understanding is a personal journey that no one else could have undertaken on our behalf. While reading about others’ journeys and discoveries can offer signposts, each new pioneer must embark on their own trek, overcoming challenges and reaching their own milestones.
The climber who attains a higher understanding achieves this by forging a path that bypasses mainstream distractions and thinking. The most difficult part of such a path is that the trekker would have to leave behind some of their fellow travellers, even though they may wish to bring them along. Higher altitudes are not for everyone, and that is to be expected.
For those who prefer higher grounds, the only way forward after reaching major peaks is to conquer additional mountains of common knowledge, ascending to even more peaks of authentic truth. Shift Navigators are thereby in a position to act as beacons, providing signposts for those who embark on similar journeys later (cf. The Lights Along the Way).
Serenity, Courage and Wisdom
God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other (Reinhold Niebuhr, The Serenity Prayer) 37
These essays are written for autonomous individuals with a sincere interest in fostering a positive future for the world. In the face of such enormous processes unfolding on Earth, it could be difficult to imagine how any one person would be able to effect positive change in the world. However, according to Carl Gustav Jung, individuated persons are considered the most effective change agents within their nations.38
It is therefore worthwhile to embark on a path of personal development and individuation in order to contribute perspectives based on a depth of understanding derived from personal experience, proactive study, targeted research, and deep contemplation. Additionally, a Mystical Path could provide an alternative route, leading to the arrival of a New World Within ahead of a New World Without.
By J.J. Montagnier
[First published: 16 December 2023]
[Updated: 06 November 2024]
J.J. Montagnier is an independent researcher and writer based in the Global South, at a mid-point between West and East. The views and opinions are those of the writer. (This content is made available for free as a public service and is not intended for commercial use).
Note: References for further reading are a necessary complementary feature due to essays having limited scope. Resources are carefully selected with the reader in mind based on their relevance for a deeper understanding. Readers are encouraged to access the referenced materials as needed.
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. GypsyCafe.org
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14 Comments
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Greetings, Jean-Jacques – I love the research you invested into this and all the factors you have taken into consideration. Can I please share? Besides the tite, I wanted to share a small paragraph from your introduction. This is a stellar piece of work. much love, in lak’ech, Debra
Good evening Debra, you are most welcome to share an excerpt from the introduction.
Thank you – very happy you are gaining value from this piece!
Jean-Jacques
Thank you for letting me share!
Good evening Jean-Jacques,
I just wanted to thank you for your highly interesting observations concerning the human beings diminuishing consciousness or the black and white thinking. I haven’t finished reading your post, but I will continue later on.
All the best and very good health in the future or in 2024.
Martina
Much appreciated Martina. It’s a long article and should preferably be read in a quiet time – and possibly more than once – take your time 🙂 .
I’m wishing you a very warm and fulfilling festive season – may 2024 indeed bring an elevation of consciousness, notwithstanding a general decline.
Thank you for being part of the remnant! 🙂
Energy Pyramid – I was curious whether the illustration was generated by software for the possibility of looking at a wider range of dates. Time that flows in waves would be an influence on what we think we know. I took an environmental science course in 1987, which forecast a population catastrophe within a decade. The academic study of environmental science began in 1960’s. So, what they taught in 1987 was based on 30 years of study – barely a slice of time in the big picture. I was wondering where we were on the pyramid in 1960. The 10 steps up could be like the tzolk’in pyramid… perspectives of duality.
4ahau.com was my favorite resource for analytics – supporting Ian Lungold and Carl Callemon’s work. He published a sine wave of Time and 9th wave theory. The website disappeared a few years ago. (Maybe you remember it.)
We can’t know much. I like the illustrations.
Debra
Thanks for your thoughts and your question Debra. I worked with a graphic designer to create the Energy Pyramid after drawing it. This one only depicts this Katun (2012 to 2032) but if one places a range of Katuns following each other it would make a wave. Perhaps I will have one like that created for an article I’m planning to write next year. I worked with the Short Calendar dates (The Katun-Cycle). On this page about 2 thirds down you can see a list of all the Katuns according to their years:
https://archive.is/U9BrD
The 13-day Trecena’s also work in a wave (pyramid) form – day 7 is at the top of the pyramid. This information originally prompted me to have a pyramid created to depict the Katun’s rising and falling energy, see for example here:
https://thefourpillars.net/7-kej-26th-march-2023/
Yes exactly, every 20 years has it’s own general ‘mindset’ and as we know this current 20-year period features polarization (because we are in Katun 2-Ahau). The Katun-tones work in the same way as the Tzolkin’s tones energetically, but the time range is just much longer and the sequence is different as you can see from the archived page above. In 2032 we will enter the highest most spiritual Katun of all, Katun 13-Ahau … Could be very interesting!
I think the issue with population and climate issues is that cyclic influences are not factored in by mainstream analysts resulting in wrong forecasts. There seems to be a Population Cycle which why the fertility rates have been collapsing as nobody can explain just why it’s been happening so drastically.
In the 1960’s we were in Katun 8-Ahau (between 1953 and 1973). After that Katun 6-Ahau started in 1973 and then Katun 4-Ahau in 1993 (until 2012). For me Katun 4-Ahau seemed very balanced compared to this current one. A couple of years after 2012 mindsets started shifting to partisanship and binary thinking. Ironically everyone thought we would go into a period of harmony after 2012.
SO … in 2032 mindsets will shift again. Tone 13 which as you know is highly spiritual but can also be temperamental and kind of unstable. Would you agree with this assessment?
I remember 4Ahau.com. I visited it from time to time, but not very often. It might be archived somewhere, I remember it had good resources on it. I found this resource recently that gives the entire year for the Tzokin dates which can be handy as a quick reference:
https://calendar.zoznam.sk/mayan_calendar-en.php?ly=2024
I had some difficulties with Carl Calleman’s 9th-wave concept as I couldn’t actually find the Mayan calendar foundational sources for it. I asked him about it on his blog but didn’t get any clear answers. For that reason I decided to rather do my own deep study of the Katun-cycle which is absolutely verifiably a Mayan cycle and avoid Calleman’s 9th Wave. Kenneth Johnson has a great book on the Katun-cycle which I used as one of my main resources:
https://www.jaguarwisdom.org/en/books-by-kenneth-johnson-en?view=article&id=161&catid=2
Generally there’s been a decline in online Maya Calendar resources which is a shame but perhaps interest will pick up again as we get closer to Katun 13-Ahau. What I like about the Maya and Yuga cycles is that they can provide us with some general frameworks of understanding for the directions things are likely to go. I have learned though that ultimately these are only very rough outlines but as far as mindsets is concerned it’s very useful as a study of societal changes and cultural shifts.
We can’t know much, but every bit helps! 🙂
Thanks for the discussion Debra!
Jean-Jacques
Thank you for the resources, Jean-Jacques. As you said, the framework for understanding the ups and downs was my fundamental interest. I’ve focused on the small-scales from an experiential perspective. I appreciate your insight on the katuns. “1960’s we were in Katun 8 Ahau (between 1953 and 1973). Katun 6 Ahau started in 1973 and then Katun 4 Ahau in 1993 until 2012. For me Katun 4 Ahau was a very balanced compared the the current one.” It’s hard to measure a sum-of-the-whole for 20 years. ’53 to ’73 had some extreme highs and lows. I had a “recall” of lost childhood memories, that fit more as a debt of karma. I’m still working through some of the facts of the matter with more clarity on the reason why. I was the kid that never forgot a thing, impossible to keep “family secrets” – and asking too many questions. That Truth was a major healing in Jan 2022.
Regarding 2032 and the 13 Ahau – I lean toward the Pollyanna Perspective. LOL So, you help me here with a more accurate view. Jaramillo taught that energies become increasingly less stable after Tone 10 – why the ceremonies are held on the 8 and 9 (or peak tones). I can vouch for that from the Pilgrimage to Ek’ Balam – the ceremony to honor Ian’s 12 Ahau on Halloween. I actually carried it out MY way in the hotel room on the 11th as the writing was on the wall for the odd cast of characters that asked to meet me there (me included). (Ek’ Balam is an Initiation of an Illumination of Darkness – shined a light right on the shadow. It was chaotic, yet divine for the heightened senses of life all around me. It changed my life… after. I’m unrecognizable in all ways to the “me” of that 12 Sun/AHAU – I experienced Ian as ascended to 13 Sun/AHAU (which is why I’m relating the experience to 13 AHAU.
I haven’t been drawn to Callemon’s work so much. The same with Kenneth.
I’ve had a mission to prove you can change your life, just by using the perspectives and intentions of the Daily Tzolk’in as Ian wrote them. My curriculum is whatever I’m interested in exploring at the moment. LOLOL I must love doing everything the hard way to prove the worst case scenario.
On the other hand – on the highest scale, we’ll be swept to higher ground by a power of divine agency – no choice but to go with the flow. I hope I age backwards some more by 2032 (I’ll be 82). There was no stopping me from getting to Ek’ Balam. I hope it feels like that.
The one thing I took away from the 9th wave, was related to Ian’s teaching about the peak of the Tun pyramid. The top of the pyramid was a transformation to telepathy, when there’s an unlimited number of choices all at once and we HAVE to operate by intuition. The higher the frequency of a wave, the closer together and higher/lower thee wave will be. So, I was thinking that’s what we’re going through – passing through a vortex – extreme highs balanced by extreme lows all at once. We are a vibrating sine wave – from all the different sources of consciousness – plant beings, animals, rocks, etc. The end/beginning of Dec 2012 was the zero point, so maybe we’re getting spit out of the other side. (Have you got a resource for that?) LOLOL
I appreciate the conversation.
Debra
Thank you for your further thoughts Debra. Yes, agreed, weighing an entire 20-year period’s stability is not so easy and all Katuns have their major ups and downs. It can also depend where one finds oneself in the world and which life stage one is in. My years growing up (similar to yours because I was often questioning things …) were very volatile yet it was quite a stable Katun relatively speaking. My thought is that the one important thing that we can learn from the Katun-cycle is that duality will always exist, with forces and counter-forces – and would make an age of complete harmony and balance very unlikely (regardless of idealistic aspirations for a Golden Age). This is a reality-check that I believe we all need to face in the spiritual communities too, or perhaps especially. ‘Harmony’ and ‘peace’ must be fostered and worked towards by every one of us every moment of the day, every day. Expecting it to arrive all by itself, considering duality, is to an extent escapist.
Although I fully get the Pollyanna approach too for its positive energy that can be very exhilarating; it can also result in being disappointing with outcomes sometimes (as I’ve experienced it, for example with regards to the wonderful ‘Unity in Diversity’ which my country was meant to be experienced post Apartheid … (and of course few people want to address the not-so-stellar outcome).
Thank you for mentioning the stability of the energies with regards to their numbers. Kenneth Johnson says the same in his books – the uneven numbers after 8 are unstable (but Tone 9 is an exception). Tone 13 is actually one of the most ‘temperamental’ and just too powerful for the elders to conduct ceremonies, with exceptions (my personal view is that Tone 11 is the most unstable and that will be the Katun that follows 13 Ahau, so from 2052 to 2072 …). Nevertheless Tone 13 is incoming in 2032. Since we can’t avoid it and because all energies have their positives and negatives the best solution would be to concentrate on its positives.
You are of course right in that we all draw on spiritual or religious systems in different ways and utilize aspects of them differently for our own growth. For years I also had a very flexible approach. I think it was the fact that so many embellishments were a feature of the 2012 phenomenon (and because the Dreamspell system confused so many people) that I decided to become much more ‘purist’ and critical in my approach and to not mix up systems too much (although making comparisons can be very useful). I watched a recent interview with Kenneth and he actually states that the Mayas themselves used to mix things up a lot so he seems quite open to the approach. So there are differing views, my view is that just like with people mixing up climate and environmental issues, mixing spiritual systems can result in a lack of clarity and focus.
You can watch Kenneth’s interview here – very long but some good parts in it – you can see the timestamps below the video:
I’m about 20 years behind you so would have passed sixty by 2032 – let’s make it and see how it turns out! 🙂
I like how you described your sense of Calleman and Ian’s sense of the 9th Wave even though I don’t prescribe to the system, but I think on some level it does resonate intuitively in a general sense. Interestingly though, the Zero-Point was apparently actually in 1998 (close to 2000 which is what brought about so many people intuitively expecting a shift then) but many people including John Major Jenkins projected it on 2012 due to the Maya’s Long-Count shift. Of course, at the time they did not know the exact date, but accurate astronomy software later pinpointed it back to 1998 – see here:
https://astunit.com/astrocrud.php?topic=2012
Here is an interesting image illustration showing the Precessional Cross shift-point in 1998:
(Looking at this chart it’s clear that on the spiritual plane things can only get better as we move forward – it’s just taking a bit longer combined with much more volatility than expected).
The article is here:
http://archive.today/2020.05.19-082017/https://www.lunarplanner.com/HolyCross.html
Thanks Debra – much food for thought in your comments! 🙂
Wishing you a great Festive Season!
Jean-Jacques
Thanks again – the resources, thoughts and graph. I agree again on a singular point of reference. It seems every religion believes its the true and only one. So, maybe we were intended a “one and only” as our “control” of highest faith, upon which we have the most faith – to compare and find there are no exceptions to the fundamental rules. It’s hard to switch with full confidence from one lifetime understanding to another. (BTW – Deer/MANIK the giver of Spiritual Tools has been noted – that the Deer’s shadow is too many tools. In teachings from the Andean shaman, every piece on the altar has a name, a written story, a conversation, of hours to establish their identity and purpose. So, a stronger symbol to the unconscious mind.)
Also, regarding time – what we discern the time to be is also a factor. Now yoo have me thinking about the next Haab Year – northern count, is 13 Earth/CABAN (movement). And, the New Year date (zenithal sun) shifts from 03/31 to 03/30.
Best wishes and Light for the holidays. It’s a season of expectations for me – some bright idea or new understanding has always come with the territory.
Debra
I found a very interesting reference to the ancient count of time – that once years were measured by rulers. That would be another possible discrepancy in the conversion of Gregorian time. I found the reference searching “Archon” on wikipedia. Debra
Hi Debra, indeed, which is why the Gregorian and Julian calendars are basically artificial calendars without any depth of meaning, when compared to the Maya’s Tzolkin. I remember seeing this point also explained in the movie Decoding Baktun:
Jean-Jacques
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