The Age of Awakening
by Michael Mamas

For thousands of years, seers have been predicting a “New Age,” beginning around this time. The modern New Age movement has even derived its name from that notion.

Every individual would do well to reflect upon what that New Age might look like. Are your visions based on lofty ideals, perhaps even fantasy or escapism? Or are they based on pragmatic, grounded viewpoints?

Even in the political arena, there doesn’t seem to be much reflective conversation about what an enlightened age would really look like. Politicians seem to view it through the eyes of social and economic ideology, ranging from communism to fascism to hard-core capitalism, each seeming to promise an optimal prosperity and justice for all.

Spiritualists are equally adamant regarding their position within another broad range of ideals, everything from religious fanaticism (which comes in many colors) to oftentimes child-like beliefs with unrealistic aspirations.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the coming of an enlightened age is that so many people have so many convictions of what it is supposed to look like, feeling it is their duty, even their right, to impose that upon the world.

I am confident there is a New Age coming. I am equally confident that it will arrive soon and will be great. Yet I must say that today, most who would hear of its nature would passionately disagree and likely be offended. It is easy to look out over the world and see clearly how other groups have a shocking revelation coming. It is not so easy to see how “The Awakening” may not be what you expect.

First, it seems the tendency is to envision it as something quite other-worldish, with angels dancing and unicorns just around the bend. Everyone would walk around holding their heart chakras wide open, meeting and greeting one another, always with a big hug and only the kindest of words.

It has been said that heaven on earth is a reality right now. Heaven on earth, you see, is not a matter of external circumstances so much as it is a matter of the internal state of one’s being. What we can say for sure is that the time of awakening will be a time that brings forth this internal state of individuals. It is not so easy to convey what that will look like on the surface.

A spiritually enlightened age will not just be a lofty time, but a pragmatic one. Economic policies and laws of the land will be established upon pragmatic grounds. This, for some, will be difficult to accept. Many would prefer to think that in an enlightened age, economics and politics would simply go away. I can assure you, that is not the case.

“The end is near” is often associated with 2012, the time of awakening.

In one sense, I can assure you that is correct. It marks an era of transformation – the end of one time and the beginning of another. The nature of that transformation process is not yet clearly established. Like any birthing process, it will come with some pain. It is yet to be seen how much. Our work includes striving to minimize that pain and to help bring about this transition most smoothly.

As far as I’m concerned, we are deeply enough into that era of transition that the truth of the transition is self-evident. The pendulum has been swinging from one extreme to the other in many areas—political, social, religious, economic, etc. This is a time of tremendous change and upheaval, enough that I have named this the year of change. That much churning of idea has and will continue to produce new and more enlightened insights and approaches.

December 21, 2012 is a nodal point in time. It marks a moment of transition within a wave. Yet, it is not like a switch being flipped. The wave gradually moves from one side of the nodal point, through it, and on to the next. The transition to the time of awakening will be like that. The time of acceleration has already begun and will continue on, through, and past that nodal moment in time. It will be experienced as a continuum of change, not as an abrupt shift.

It is interesting to note that different models identify slightly different times for this transition. Thousands of years ago, according to Vedic literature, Lord Krishna predicted a transition, not exactly in 2012, but within a few years. Some others have it at still another point in time. I don’t consider these to be in disagreement. Existence is multi-faceted and multidimensional. Different systems, view the same phenomena from different angles. What I do find interesting is that they are all converging to this era. What I find is more interesting is that it is so consistent with what I see happening in the world today—a communication explosion.

The impact of the internet is still not nearly as appreciated as it warrants. History will look back at the communication explosion via the internet, cell phones, etc. as the great catalyst that brought forth this time of tremendous awakening. All the pieces of the puzzle of life are on the table. Communication is fitting them all together. Soon the big picture will be visible to all. That will mark the Age of Awakening. To say it poetically, the Age of Enlightenment will fly in on the heels of Mercury.

Consider the riots in Iran and Egypt. They now involve informed people. By virtue of the internet, essentially everyone across the globe has been given the vision of freedom and prosperity. People, having tasted that, will not go back. It is simply no longer the case that a dictator can bury the heads of all the people under the sand. This, in and of itself, promises tremendous transformation for the planet. What leadership will arise next in Egypt? No one knows. But do not think for a moment that it will be permanent and stable. This is, after all, a time of great transition and evolution.

Critical points on the globe, such as Egypt, will experience the transition most acutely. History may well be repeating itself, but it is most certainly repeating in a cycle that is spiraling upward with great acceleration. The New Age will not be limited to a small, upper-middle class, social niche of “enlightened” Americans. It will be global. Social niches and caucuses within each nation will contribute in ways yet unforeseen to bring forth a new symphony entitled the Age of Awakening. It is a time when each niche will learn from the others. It is a time that warrants humility, a willingness to question your own personal ideals, convictions, indoctrinations, and limitations.

America has an interesting history. It has been approximately two hundred years since a foreign hostile army set foot upon American soil. America has a history of being a sleeping giant. It occurred prior to WWII, being awakened by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. America has quiesced into another state of sleep.

I remember a couple years ago when a panel of businessmen and economists were debating the impact of a hundred dollar barrel of oil. I was staggered to hear one businessman say, “America’s economy is so strong, it can absorb anything.” I was even more horrified to see it go completely unchallenged. That is a state of oblivious sleep.

From time to time in my lectures, I have asked the group if they could imagine the possibility of a foreign army marching down the streets of their hometown. Invariably, everyone found it unimaginable. I wonder if the French and German found it equally unimaginable prior to the world wars.

The upcoming Age of Awakening will not be a time of sleepy stupor. It will be a time with eyes wide open when we show the fruits of the lessons we are learning now.

It will be a time of great spiritual upliftment, concurrent with profound pragmatic consideration – a time when the plethora of ideological convictions find fulfillment in their own transformation. People will think differently.

The Awakening is coming. It will be great. It will be a time when freedom, happiness, prosperity, love, spiritual upliftment and inner contentment reign. Yet, to bring it forth most quickly, our current convictions of what that will look like on the surface must be transformed.

It is therefore wise to hold those convictions lightly and be willing to look deeper, perhaps even deeper than you have ever looked before.

© Michael Mamas, 02/11

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