Because each new phase of evolving intelligence
takes place in a fraction of the time
of the previous phase,
...
we can expect the dawning
of a Wisdom Age to take place
in years rather than decades.
It will be
standing
on the
shoulders
of the
Information Age.
Never before have we been able to access so much spiritual wisdom.
A century ago, the only spiritual tradition available to most people
was the one that was indigenous to their own culture.
Moreover, with rare exceptions,
they did not have the benefit of learning
from a truly enlightened being.
Today, we can access teachings from many
different traditions and cultures,
discover their common underlying truths,and translate that perennial philosophy
into the language and terms
of our own time.
Something completely new is emerging:
a single spiritual teaching
that is a distillation of the world's wisdom traditions.
This is coalescing and being disseminated globally
through a variety of information technologies:
books, tapes, Web pages, online forums, and Internet broadcasts.
At the same time,
a growing number of people
are becoming fully awake,
and proving themselves
to be excellent teachers.
Many are using the Internet
to share their wisdom and help awaken others.
Instruction in practices
that facilitate awakening
are appearing online,
and could become
much more sophisticated.
It may even turn out that darshan,
the Indian word for a direct transfer of higher consciousness,
can be transmitted via the net.
Awakening is often a sudden event.
Once a person is ready
—the necessary groundwork done,
the circumstances propitious—
the shift can happen more or less instantaneously.
It's possible that research into the neurological
correlates of spiritual awakening
will lead us to methods of promoting
the process directly.
There will likely be other unforeseen discoveries
or developments
that help us free our minds.
Whatever they may be,
the more we learn how to
facilitate a shift in consciousness,
the faster it will happen.
As this becomes a mainstream phenomenon,
...
humanity will relate to the world in wiser,
more compassionate ways.
-
A Singularity in Time; a chapter by Peter Russell
...from the book, "The Mystery of 2012."
