The Portal to New Beginnings

We are living in tumultuous times as one era ends and a new one seeks to emerge. We are experiencing a particular period of transition in the cosmic calendar as the Piscean Age gives way to the Aquarian Age and when, according to the Vedic teachings, the dark era of Kali Yuga finally finishes to usher in the golden cycle of Satya Yuga. The Agni Yoga teaching describes the passage between these two cycles:

“Falsehood and darkness fill the end of Kali Yuga. One must realize this in order not to lose one’s strength. It is impossible to avoid the dark days. And only a knowledge of their cause will give one the patience to survive them... Hence, in this Kali Yuga cycle of death and destruction for the Age of the Mind, there is already emerging a new paradigm of the Satya Yuga cycle – or golden age, a renaissance for the human spirit that will set the tone for the Age of Aquarius.”

Great turmoil and upheaval reign during these critical times of transition as the old passes away and new and more fitting forms emerge. The ending of an age or the death of a civilization is not the death of the Human Spirit, but simply the dissolution of the forms that have carried that Spirit to this point. Manifested life is governed by the Law of Periodicity – the continuous and cyclical outworking of the deep promise and purpose of the Soul of Humanity through the rhythmic dance of death and re-birth. Civilizations rise and fall and these movements marks the natural process of regeneration and renewal that we experience as individuals and as a global family.

Given all that is taking place around the world, we can easily look upon this state of affairs and describe it as apocalyptic in nature. It feels like the end times. However, it is useful to remind ourselves that the word ‘apocalypse’ is of Greek derivation and means ‘unveiling’ or ‘revelation’ rather than exclusively referring to catastrophic destruction. In this respect, we could accurately declare that these are both the end times and the beginning times. It all depends on which way we are facing.

If we stand and gaze backwards – looking upon the destruction of all that existed in the past – then these global events definitely signal the end of a particular passage of time. If we turn our gaze to the future and what is seeking to emerge Phoenix-like out of the ashes, then these are most assuredly the beginning times.

To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go. ~ Mary Oliver

Etched somewhere in the collective psyche is an iconic image of a person walking up and down a city street wearing an advertising board with the words, “Repent – the end is nigh.” In light of recent happenings, we may wish to create a new sign with bold text that emphatically states, “Rejoice – the beginning is nigh.” So, where do we begin?

New societal forms, to be truly new, must be born out of ‘new thinking’ so that the new is not simply a presentation of the old that has been repaired, re-painted and re-polished. We need a new mythos: a new creation story based on the principles and qualities of the Soul to guide us through the labor pains of this moment in history and inspire us to build our preferred future together that honors and celebrates all Life.

We have a golden opportunity to start afresh and create a new life for ourselves and for our community. One of the missing elements in our existing social fabric is that of love – not the conditioned love that masquerades as emotional need but that fiery presence abiding deep in the human heart that, when ignited, warms and illumines the world around us. This is the eternal flame of Unconditional Love that pervades the whole of creation and causes us to care and inspires us to serve.

The soul has been described as a magnificent flower containing the sublime beauty and perfume of Divine Love that begins its journey of revelation with tightly closed petals. Whether this is envisioned as the lotus blossom featured in the spiritual teachings of the East or the rose that represents the soul within the Western mystery tradition, the process of unfolding is the same. With each lesson learned and quality embodied over the course of a life, or lifetimes, another petal opens.

The Ageless Wisdom informs us that three distinct types of petals need to be activated and unfurled for the full flowering of the human spirit to occur. They are referred to as the Knowledge, Love and Sacrifice petals and correspond to the spiritual energies of Intelligent Activity (Light), Love-Wisdom and Will. These are the primary colors of the Creator that make up the triune aspect of the One Life as it manifests in time, space and substance. The Teaching hints that it is our destiny for each one of us to give joyful expression to the innate Truth, Goodness and Beauty that lives as a promise inside the deep heart of humanity. The Garden of Gaia is where this revelation and blossoming will take place.

In our recent history we have been on an intense quest for knowledge that has yielded numerous insights into how the universe operates – from the release of atomic energy to unlocking the secrets of DNA – and yet, we still do not understand the deeper reason for our existence. The mind has played a vital and necessary role in exploring this world of knowledge and in illumining our consciousness. Our mental faculties, however, need to be placed inside the chalice of the heart for the next set of petals to unfold. We cannot analyze life and arrive at its purpose merely by cutting it open with the keen blade of the mind. It is the loving and wise heart that connects and binds the disparate elements into one cohesive field of meaning and belonging. In the words of the poet Rumi:

“Love is the bridge between you and everything.”

Pondering the splitting of the atom that revealed the awesome power inherent in matter from a spiritual perspective, we might surmise that true nuclear energy is the Power of the Fire of Love residing in the heart – generated and released through a loving fusion with other hearts and with the Heart of the Universe. This unlimited source of universal energy is liberated by a synthetic action of love and not through fission – that violent act of breaking asunder the elements of life.

We have been journeying for centuries at the speed of light into this wondrous realm of knowledge and are now being asked to open the heart and travel at the Speed of Love into a new field of human exploration and group endeavor. We are poised to enter the domain of love in which more of the mysteries of life will be revealed as we remove the emotional and mental veils which temporarily obscure the lighted love of the Soul from reaching us as its incarnated and evolving agents on Earth.

The good news is that traveling at the speed of love takes absolutely no time at all. Connection and union with everything, happens instantaneously through the activated instrument of the heart as love unites all things. When we are in heart resonance with something or someone there is an immediate at-one-ment – time collapses and infinite Space enfold us in complete coherency through Her compassionate embrace.

Consciousness and self-awareness are born out of relationship – the deep relationship with our soul, with each other and with the subtle and sentient world around us. As offspring of the One Life, we are related. You are my brother and my sister and therefore we are relatives. Perhaps we are discovering a new General Theory of Relativity: namely, that we are all related through Love. In the words of the Lennon and McCartney song, “Love is all you need” because LOVE IS ALL THERE IS.

It is the consistent daily practice of conscious and loving relationship with all of life that is key to understanding and embodying the Principle of Unanimity that affirms the coherency of everything while the Principle of Goodwill seeks to be expressed as ‘love in action’ through everything that we think, say and do.

Standing at the threshold of a new day, we have been issued with an invitation to shift the locus of living from the head to the heart and rise in love together. By rising in love, we are able to embrace more of the world in our outstretched heart. By rising in love, we lift others with us on the wings of caring – as we ourselves are simultaneously lifted by those Great Lives who embody a vaster capacity to Love than is presently possible through our partially opened petals.

Thus, we participate in the great and endless Chain of Love that blesses and sub-stands all Creation – from the deep reaches of inter-stellar Space to the atoms comprising our blood and bones.

As mentioned, here at Meditation Mount, one of the three Principles we work with is that of Goodwill. This Principle affirms that Love is the golden lifeblood that flows throughout the entire Universe and which circulates, nourishes and sustains all Creation. Goodwill is how you and I demonstrate the Presence of that Eternal Love through the daily practice of being present in the world. This corresponds to the Buddhist practice of ‘Metta’ – loving kindness – that cultivates goodwill, compassion, and universal love toward oneself and all beings. 

The injunction to “love one another”, is one of the most profound and prosaic scientific teachings ever given to humanity as all evolution proceeds through the power of Love.

Love is the progenitor of all that is good, true and beautiful. Love is the new beginning and the universal key to continuous regeneration. Without the authentic Presence of Love in our lives, genuine renewal is not possible. As we welcome 2026 with all of its potent possibilities for new beginnings, let us close with this wise reminder from the Buddha to guide our steps:

Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

Michael Lindfield

Board President

Meditation Mount