Solve et Coagula

UN unveils plan to release untapped wealth of...$7 trillion (and solve the world's problems at a stroke)

By Philip Thornton, Economics Correspondent
Published: 30 January 2006

The most potent threats to life on earth - global warming, health pandemics, poverty and armed conflict - could be ended by moves that would unlock $7 trillion - $7,000,000,000,000 (£3.9trn) - of previously untapped wealth, the United Nations claims today.

The price? An admission that the nation-state is an old-fashioned concept that has no role to play in a modern globalised world where financial markets have to be harnessed rather than simply condemned.

In a groundbreaking move, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has drawn up a visionary proposal that has been endorsed by a range of figures including Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Laureate.

It says an unprecedented outbreak of co-operation between countries, applied through six specific financial tools, would slice through the Gordian knot of problems that have bedevilled the world for most of the last century.

If its recommendations are accepted - and the authors acknowledge this could take years or even decades - it could finally force countries to face up to the fact that their public finance and growth figures conceal the vast damage their economies do to the environment.

Continue to read:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...icle341967.ece

Solve et Coagula

The Concept of a Pan-World

One of the things I find reassuring today is the fact that one meets more and more people who have achieved a certain degree of wisdom. Yes, even scientists and materialists are beginning to be a little more prudent, a little more reasonable. They no longer presume to lay down the law with such self-assurance or to greet every hypothesis that does not conform exactly to their own view with derision and scepticism. Only a few years ago the world most often on their lips when they were faced with something new was 'Impossible!' But now they are beginning to acknowledge that nature may still have some surprises up her sleeve - even for them - and as they are more cautious. They say, 'Well, it is possible... We do not know... We must wait and see.' At last they are acquiring a little wisdom; at last there is some hope. Yes, and I can go even further and say that only a few years hence they will all adopt our ideas and speak our language.

Well, perhaps not all, but many of them will share our ideas, and once they have chewed and digested them thoroughly, they in turn will propagate them. A few years from now we shall see some tremendous changes.

The other day I even heard the idea of universal brotherhood - an idea that hardly ever occured to anyone before - being discussed on television. I do not know who was talking because I was late for the beginning of the programme, but someone was saying that with things as they were in the world today, with the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the only solution was universal brotherhood; the only hope for mankind was for all men and women to unite and extend the hand of friendship to each other. I was astounded and above all delighted to hear this, for it proves that the idea is beginning to spread. Yes, one day human beings everywhere will be obliged to make their voices heard to force the issue; there is no other solution.

The Universal White Brotherhood ceaselessly emits currents of unity and brotherhood, and one day those whose receivers are already tuned in to these currents are finally going to make up their minds to do something about it. This will be the brightest day in the history of mankind. Think of the tremendous changes that will be possible once the whole world becomes a single family. All those billions that are being wasted on arms and espionage will be used to transform the earth into a Garden of Eden. At the moment such a thing still seems impossible and unrealistic, a Utopia.

Yes, but one fine day it will not only be possible, it will happen, and everyone will be astounded. The idea is going to take hold and dig itself in, and little by little everyone will accept it. If human beings refuse to accept it they will be condemning themselves to annihilation - and events will prove this. All around us we hear talk of plans for a Pan-Europe, Pan-Asia, Pan-America, or Pan-Africa. Such schemes represent immense progress, but they are not the ultimate solution. The only solution to all the world's problems is a 'Pan-World', the whole world gathered into one single family.

Otherwise, instead of an individual country going to war with another country, we shall have a whole continent declaring war on another continent: Asia at war with Europe, for instance. Will that be any better?
Yes, I believe in all these unrealistic achievements.
I believe in all that is unattainable and impossible. I have no faith in the rest. I throw myself heart and soul into such impossible achievements because they are the best, the most grandiose, the most solemn and glorious, and you cannot tell me that I am not right to do so. In fact I say to every head of State, 'Do you really want to be great and glorious? If so, be the first to propagate this idea of a Pan-World, and you will be immortal.'

I assure you, the realization of universal brotherhood is possible today because human beings have reached a stage of technical evolution that makes it possible. All the modern means of communication, which enable people on opposite sides of the globe to talk to each other, have made unity possible by reducing the distance between countries and continents to an astonishing extent.

You will say, 'Yes, but there are still so many things that we cannot agree about. Look at the European Common Market or the division of Germany into East and West (As can be seen from the date, this lecture was given at the height of the Cold War). And there are so many other examples; how can we possibly hope for universal brotherhood?' Of course these little problems exist, and it is precisely the little problems that are always the most difficult to solve. A problem caused by nationalism and chauvinism (by petty individual interests) is always more difficult to solve than one that concerns the world as a whole, because everyone wants the biggest slice of the cake; everyone puts his own interests first. But all human beings throughout the world have a common interest in being free to live in peace and plenty, and if they all put this interest first, the whole situation would change and everything would be possible. If you object to my idea of a Pan-World on the grounds is not valid, for they are not at all the same thing. It is obvious that when the negotiators in Brussels have to calculate the price of wheat, butter, and eggs, they can never agree or understand each other. But in the case of the Pan-World there are no longer any little details to quarrel about. The only thing that matters is the well-being of all human beings, freedom and peace for all, and this is something that all human beings can agree on.

Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

Solve et Coagula

Concept of a Pan-World II

The people you meet in life are like shops. You visit them in the expectation of finding a little hope or consolation, a little love or faith. Sometimes you are disappointed because you are greeted with a metaphorical kick on the shins, and this means that the 'shop' in question does not have what you were looking for.

This is why our work here in the Brotherhood is to encourage human beings to become 'shops' that are so civilized and spiritually cultured that whenever you visit one of them you can be sure of finding the Godhead. This is the kind of humanity that we are working to create, and once we succeed, no one will want to hide away in his own little corner, because everyone will know that if they visit others they will be able to find what they need and go home happy, their problems solved.

Yes, this is the new humanity that we are preparing here in the Brotherhood. The brothers and sisters who are here are all 'shops', and each one offers his or her own particular brand of energies, fluids and qualities. One is working to cultivate purity, and when you are with him you feel yourself becoming pure. Another is full of love, and with her you are influenced by love. With yet another you find yourself becoming wiser or stronger. In this way you are nourished by all the qualities and virtues you need and can continue to grow towards perfection. Nature has designed us in such a way that if we lack something we need we can look for it in others. Why do men look for wives?

Because a man lacks certain elements that he can find only in a woman. And the same is true of women: they look for husbands in order to find something that they lack. But marriage is an inadequate solution - very inadequate. The only way to find everything you need is to maintain fraternal relations with a whole collectivity.

To be sure, you cannot cease to exist as an individual in order to melt into the collectivity. You will always be an individual, but that individual must learn to vibrate in unison with others and share fully in the life of the collectivity. It is possible to become a collective being while remaining an individual. A man and his wife, for instance, will always be seperate individuals; in spite of the love that unites them they will always be two separate, different beings. When they get on a bus, go to the theatre, or eat in a restaurant, they will always have to pay for two tickets, two seats, two meals. In fact if they tried to object, claiming that they were one, not two, they would never convince anyone else of that unity; they would be more likely to end up in a lunatic asylum. when I talk about being part of a collectivity, therefore, you must understand what I am saying. It is not a question of cutting yourself up in little bits and scattering yourself throughout the collectivity. No, you must always be an individual, with your own name and your own body, but inwardly you can live a collective, cosmic, universal life. It is only in your thoughts that you can become one.

I have studied many spiritual movements, and I have seen that they all stick to their antiquated ideas. They do not seem to realize that we need something new today, because life is new, life has changed. The forms and rhythms of life today are so different that the methods of the past can no longer help people to become better. It is because human beings themselves are not the same that the old forms and old explanations offered by the Church no longer satisfy them. Young people especially need something new, something that the Church is incapable of giving them, because it has not real will to change. All the established Churches and doctrines try to nourish people with 'tinned food', spiritual nourishment that was dried or salted or bottled thousands of years ago.

But there are no tinned foods on the menu in the Universal White Brotherhood; on the contrary, in this restaurant all the fruit and vegetables are freshly harvested and the bread is just out of the oven.

Archaeology is very fashionable today. In fact it sets the tone in every area, and people are being fed on archaeological remains - tinned foods. If someone tells me that he is a painter, a musician, or a philosopher, I know that this means that he is an archaeologist; he is only interested in old ideas. But here in the Brotherhood we breathe and eat the sun; we contemplate living nature; we are in communion with the divine forces of today. What is the point of cutting oneself off from the living reality of today in order to go and look for what has been extinct for ten thousand years? All that is dead and gone. What is it that makes people want to poke about among the rotting remains of the past? Of course, you must not misunderstand me. Archaeology is a legitimate science, and there have been archaeologists who have made some extraordinary discoveries. What I have said about archaeology must be understood symbolically.

I can see that this point of view is new and rather surprising to you. Yes, because we are talking about what is new. Everything I tell you is new and will always be new - one day you will find this out for yourselves. Do you know why it is all new? Because I am not an archaeologist; because the water I give you to drink is always fresh, newly drawn from the source. Everybody chases off nowadays to study the ancient Egyptians and Persians, the Druids, Bogomils, or Cathars, and never thinks of studying the realities of today. They are proud to be seen as people of the past. They have no interest in learning about what is new, about the new life springing from the fountainhead about the new message that God is sending humanity today. They cannot see that God is still with us, that the same truths are still with us today; and the reason why they cannot see this is that they are archaeologists. In fact, if an initiate came with even more to offer than the Bogomils, Cathars, and Albigensians, they still would not recognize him, simply because he was alive.

Everybody is eager to seek out the dead; the living are of no interest to anyone. People glorify those who are dead and gone and despise the living. They wait until they are dead before building temples in their honour. Yes, this mentality is truly amazing. Of course, when I was young I was an archaelogist like everybody else, but the truths taught by the initiates of the past are accessible to me today because I am open to what is new. And this can be true for all those who open themselves to what is new.

The truths that I see all around me will become visible to them too. Why have they never been able to see them before?

You will say, 'But this new life that you are talking about, the collective, fraternal life, is still a long way off. It is still too difficult to understand.' Difficult to understand? How can it be difficult to understand? A hundred people all looking at you with such love that you feel so happy you would like to die - is that so difficult to understand? To die and be buried... Yes, but you will have died of love and that is far better than dying of anger or hatred. We still do not know all the divine treasures human beings contain and that they will one day be capable of producing.

Do you not think that every pretty girl you see in the street is burning to let others see all the charming and adorable treasures of her heart? She is, but the trouble is that she is not allowed to; she is obliged to hide all these treasures and keep them locked up inside, because she has to obey those idiotic archaeologists, whose narrow archaeological wisdom teaches that she must always distrust everybody and never smile at a stranger. This is why I say that mankind in its true form still does not exist. An evil mankind exists, yes, and that is why, in spite of all his culture and civilization, man is still a troglodyte, a caveman.

When the new era comes, human beings will allow all that is good in them to manifest itself without fear of danger or harm, and it will be the kingdom of heaven on earth. The world will be filled with love, joy and song. You will say, 'But that is bound to degenerate into debauchery.' No, just the opposite; debauchery exists today because people do not know the true meaning of love. In a world in which all human beings love each other, men and women will no longer feel the need to pounce on each other simply to gratify their lust. A true understanding of love prevents man from behaving like an animal. Look for true love and you will no longer feel the need for such things. You will feel fulfilled, you will be bathed in splendour.

You will never achieve very much all by yourself; you can accomplish much more when you are part of a collectivity. Have you not already experienced this for yourselves? You are feeling dicouraged, tired, or let down, and then you come to the Brotherhood and the sight of all those friendly smiles, all those faces shining with ardour and enthusiasm, soon restores your courage. Whereas you can curl up and bemoan your fate all alone in a corner for years, and nothing will ever change; no one will come and console you. Why are people so stupid that they fail to understand this? They say, 'I do not want anything to do with a collectivity, thank you. I'm perfectly happy by myself.' All right, if you insist, but you will see what is in store for you. So many men and women, even when they are still very young, have their own ideas and plans and systems, and they are absolutely convinced that everything will work out exactly as they planned. But later in life they see things differently. Even distinguished philosophers are forced to change their philosophy and admit that they were mistaken.

Of course, some people are quite happy to be alone. But suppose a young man who was once content with his solitude meets a ravishingly beautiful young girl. As soon as he compares this new sensation of well-being to the satisfaction that he experienced in his solitude, he will find that he much prefers his present state. Ah yes, he is much better off with his beloved in his arms than when he was all alone. And to have his beloved in his arms is already the beginning of the collectivity, for it is not long before a whole brood of little ones arrives. Of course there are people who do not want to get married because they are too selfish and do not want to work to support a family; but they do not know that selfishness does not give them the right to remain single and that they will be punished for it. It is sometimes legitimate to remain single, but only if your motivation is divine. Otherwise it is much better to marry and have children, for then you are obliged to do something for others instead of shutting yourself away in selfish isolation.

We must make it quite clear to human beings that the collectivity is in their best interest, for the only thing they understand is what concerns their interest. You can reveal all kinds of truths to them, but you can never be sure that they will allow themselves to be convinced. Except in a few rare instances, the fact that something is true does not carry much weight. If you can show people where their interest lies, then the battle is won, they will be convinced for ever after; whereas if you only show them that something is true...

Years ago I used to meet people at receptions, and many of them were magnificent, highly educated, cultured people. But let me give you an example of the kind of conversation I would sometimes have with them. I am talking to an elderly man who tells me that he is seeking truth. I immediately look suitably impressed, ecstatic even, for as you well understand, it is a very honourable occupation to seek truth; it is greatly to his credit. Then I ask him, 'And have you not found it yet?' No, alas.' 'But you are still seeking?' 'Yes.' 'Ah, that is wonderful. But is it so difficult to find truth? How old are you, sir?' 'Seventy-five.' 'Seventy-five, and you still have not found truth?' 'No. Well, at this point my expression begins to change and I say, 'My dear sir, let me tell you that you have found truth several times in the course of your life but you have never accepted it. I can also tell you why you have never accepted it.' At that he looks at me with astonishment. 'Yes,' I go on, 'it is very easy to find truth, for it is everywhere. You have certainly met it and seen and heard it, but you have never accepted it because you have had too many others things in mind.
You have been looking for your own brand of truth, and when you met the truth and it failed to match what you had in mind, you said, ''No, no I am looking for a different truth, one that will be my servant and allow me to be the master.'' But truth, my dear sir, is not a servant; it is a princess, and it is we who must be at her service. The trouble is that you do not want to serve; you want to be served. I can only conclude, therefore, that you have never really sought truth; you have only sought a servant to gratify would have found it a long time ago, for it is always there. Even now, today, it is there if you want it, but you do not really want it.' Well, I will not tell you how such a conversation ended.

So, as I was saying, we have to show human beings where their interest lies. We have to show them that a collective way of life is wealth, that it is a blessing.

The face, the eyes, the voice, the thoughts of each individual emanate something and contribute something to the whole.

For my part, I have been nourished by this life for years and years; my brothers and sisters give me so much love. You will say, 'Yes, but for you it is different. What about us?' You too. If you know how to behave, you too will receive so much love from all the others that by the time you leave you will be filled to overflowing.

What is stopping you? Your wife? Do you think she would not let you love or be loved by someone else? Do you think she would be jealous? No, you do not understand. It is not a question of being loved by another woman but by all the brothers and sisters of Brotherhood. Your wife cannot possibly hold that against you. She could not be jealous, because she too would receive the same love.

The trouble is that people just do not know how to live. They think that if they had just a little nich of their own, all their problems would be solved. No, they do not know how to love, you could move freely about the world and be welcomed with open arms in every country as members of the same family; whereas, as things are today, you are a stranger in every country but your own. Foreigners find all doors closed to them.

Let me give you the example of an experience I had one winter night during the war. One evening I took a late train from St Lazare statino in Paris, intending to go back to Sèvres. I do not quite know what happened, because I took the train from the same platform as usual, but I soon realized that it was not going the right way. I got out at the first stop only to find that there were no more trains to Sèvres that night. I thought that if I told the man who was selling tickets what had happened, ho would tell me if there was a nearby hotel where I could spend the night, but he refused to listen to me or answer my questions and shut the window in my face. He must have been frightened because of my foreign accent (after all it was wartime, the country was occupied, and nobody felt safe). I went out to the street hoping to find somebody who could tell me where to go, but everything was closed, people had barricaded themselves indoors. What could I do? I walked about for a while wondering where to go. It was no great hardship to spend a night out of doors - I could always meditate. The only trouble was that this particular night was very cold and my overcoat was not very warm.

Finally I sat down on a bench and began to pray, asking the invisible world to come to the rescue. Within a few minutes I heard footsteps coming closer, and I could tell from the way they rang out on the cobbles that it was a German patrol. I thought to myself, 'If I start to walk away they will see me and it will look suspicious,' so I got up and walked briskly towards them. When I found that they understood French, I explained what had happened to me, and they must have sensed that I was telling the truth, because they took me to a house that they seemed to know and knocked on the door. When an upstairs window was opened, they explained my problem to whoever was inside, but without a word the person slammed it shut again at once. 'It doesn't matter,' the Germans said; 'Come with us.'

They then took me to a mansion where there were a lot of people, mostly German officers, I believe, and gave me a bed. On another bed in the same room was a German, who woke up from time to time in the night and spoke to me, but not knowing German I did not understand a word he said. As for me, I lay there unable to sleep very much, thinking how strange it was for me to be there in the middle of the war, benefiting from the hospitality of the Germans. The next morning I was invited to join them for breakfast, and once again I was astonished to find that nobody questioned me. I had expected at the very least to be asked why I was there having breakfast with them, but not a word; and after breakfast one of them walked to the station with me. Why had they treated me so kindly when not a single Frenchman had even listened to me?

If human beings persist in their refusal to understand that their best interest lies in brotherly relations between all peoples, life itself will intervene to teach them a lesson. And life is relentless.

Why do people still cling to notions that date back to the Stone Age when their only concern was to survive, when their only task was to find food and protect themselves against the wheather, wild animals and their own kind? Today, civilization, things must change. All the elements necessary for a world-order of universal brotherhood are now in place. The only obstacle is the ill-will of human beings who refuse to let go of their atavistic tendencies.

Universal brotherhood is just around the corner, but they will not consent to it. They refuse to participate in this work, because they are always busy with other things. Each individual is absorbed in his own affairs, and the rest does not interest him. How can universal brotherhood ever be achieved in such conditions? And yet, if all human beings gave their consent, it would happen very quickly.

Yes, the key to the whole thing is consent. Take the example of what happened with Hitler: do you think Hitler had any really outstanding qualities? No, and not only was he quite unexceptional, but he was sick and deranged into the bargain. The one thing he had in his favour, the things that made him so powerful, was the consent of millions of Germans. He himself was not a powerful man, but for a few years the consent of others made him almost the ruler of the world. If this could be repeated, if this massive consent could be given not to a Hitler but to an initiate, in order to put the idea of a Pan-World into effect, you would soon see the results. Unfortunetly, when it comes to plundering, sacking and burning, there are always plenty of volunteers willing to participate; but for an idea, especially for a divine idea, no one is willing to lift a finger. If you stop on a street corner and start to make a speech against the government of against the rich, you will soon have a crowd round you ready to lend a hand and demolish everything. But try talking about Christ or the Kingdom of God and no one will bother to stop and listen, except perhaps two or three old ladies who have nothing else to do. And if I started a club for all those who had lost their teeth or their hair or their waistline, I would have millions of members; but for this idea of the kingdom of God I have had no success at all.

You must not think that I am so naive that I do not know how difficult it is to convince and stimulate people to work for good. I do know it, but should I stop trying just because it is difficult? The greatest difficulty lies in getting human beings to give up certain pastimes, certain pleasures that are a waste of time, and persuade them to commit themselves to this gigantic, useful work.

Yes, but the fact that it is difficult is no reason why I should stop trying, stop talking about it. No, I am not so naive - a little, no doubt, but not so much as all that. I know that what I am calling for is almost impossible to achieve, but we must achieve it. When will it be achieved? Before very long: when life's difficulties are even greater; when people see that it has become truly impossible to live together and start seriously looking for solutions. When this day comes they will find the solution in the teaching of the Universal White Brotherhood. There is no other way. And when they find this, the only solution, they will have all the methods they need to start making things better.

Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

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