Note: The following is an excerpt from the book Starting Point; A Guide to Metaphysics, the Golden Time and Love. This was from my first book written in - gulp - 1989. Wow - 33 years ago, back when the "New Age Movement" was all aflutter. Interestingly enough, many of the predictions in the book are coming to fruition as the globe goes through its growing pains, and interestingly enough "love" continues to be one of the main answers to our problems.
Love and compassion. That's what we must talk about.
The trend, the push, the striving must point toward loving our fellow friends of the planet. The real goal is to reach a point at which you can see the Divine intermingling throughout everything, wherein you must act in accordance with your newfound knowledge. The idea says: You will act out of a kind heart … not because you have to, but because that will be the only action possible. It will be the only action that coincides with logic, emotion, belief and truth.
Underneath all the novelties and oddities of what some call a "New Age" is a beating, blossoming heart, an awakening to the deepest reality inside of us: love and compassion. This, my friend, is what's really important here.
First of all, we'll need to know about this "compassion." It's been defined before: empathy for others; doing onto others; displaying a social consciousness; showing concern and hope for the welfare of all – people, animals, our air, our planet, our universe.
I tend to put compassion in heroic terms, but I can see it another way too. Compassion: not slamming the door on anyone, even the pushy salesman; helping up the fallen soccer player; treating the patron with fairness and honesty, not deception; acting on the understanding that everyone and everything counts in this world. In short, compassion can be defined as "actively expressed love."
Yes; and then there's love. Oh my, here is my favorite subject.
Love is this light inside of you, a light incomparable, that shines in the eyes and the heart. It is a light that is always there, but one that is often veiled by our fear, worry, guilt and hate. If discovered inside, it can break the barriers between you and others. It can tear down the walls; it can release the old you to give birth to a new you. Love is that power that brings people together in empathy and sympathy, a power that fuses hearts together.
But many times the lessons of love can be a pain. This is because we have to first learn what love isn't. The ride definitely can get rough, as we discover the dark, hidden aspects of ourselves that would prevent that love from shining: the egos, the fears, the pride, the jealousies, the controls. Through all the troubles and the heartaches and the power struggles, we may even forget that a true, higher love exists.
But ultimately we always come back to it. We have to. It's what we were born to do. The higher love is like the Sun hidden by clouds. If allowed to break through the haze, love can shine a light that will raise you up, higher ever higher. Like the Sun, it will influence everything it shines upon. Your thoughts will be lighter; your emotions will reach a peak level; your physical senses will intensify; your concern and compassion will propel to new heights. Basically, with love you are released to think positively, feel ecstatic and grow spiritually. Everything and everyone around you will be blessed by your newfound energy.
Many times, we leave it up to another person to act as the catalyst to spark the light inside of us. At this highest point of ecstasy – that which is called "falling in love" – we experience the release and the realization of a Divinity Within. Here, love isn't an emotion or a decision or a thought; it is a realization and an expansion.
You have unconditional compassion and care for your significant other. You want the best for each other. It's not that you feel "needy" for another person, just sadness when separation limits the chances to share. In love, you experience an expansion within the heart. The heart is opened, and a Divine Energy is allowed to flow free.
At these glorious times, you feel on top of the world, like all of creation is in perfect alignment. The world is brighter. You see a typo in the newspaper and think: "Oh well, I'm sure the editor was tired." You open a flat 7 Up, and you tell it: "You know, you'll do better next time." When engulfed in love, there is no traffic, no ornery red lights, no nagging commercials.
Only love is there. But it has always been there. Waiting for you to discover it. People complain that this "falling in love" isn't real because it doesn't endure. People say this form of love – this euphoric, ecstatic, consuming love – doesn't last for long, maybe three months and then the honeymoon is over. They wonder what went wrong, why the love ended. But this impermanent quality to romance and love is more of an indication of human limitation than a testament to the power of God and love. Relationships and attractions are temporary. Objects of love can come and go, but the capacity to love stays with you forever.
The trick to life is to associate your love with something other than an attraction, a novelty, another body. We must identify our love with that which never fades away. We must fall in love with the deeper parts of a partner. We must fall in love with life, nature, the Force behind it all.
When you can find the forever love within, you must be vigilant and diligent in keeping it alive. When you can find it in you, you'll see it in others too. And this awareness will automatically restrict you from bringing any harm to others. You won't have to think about the decision to give or take, hurt or help. The only action consistent with your inner being will be to assist and uplift others. When the inner light is finally turned on, it can be projected out for everyone else to see. Love can be nurtured, and then beamed like a light unto the people of the world.
You see, love comes from that pure, uplifting energy of God that lives within us all ... and before we can share this, we must find it ... we must be it.
The time is coming when we will all be able to discover that love within. This blossoming will bring the bright future so many of us talk about. It will bring a new age or what I like to call the "Golden Time."
At its heart is a bonding that will bring together people of different backgrounds and faiths, all under one umbrella. Just as we feel an unquestioned desire to love all in our genetic family, we will feel the same sort of wish to love all people of the Earth, our planet's family. We will go beyond all the distractions and decisions that are presently being slammed into our face and that are presently rushing up from an inner wound.
The Golden Time will see each family member opening up to an enlivened heart and a Higher Mind, both showing a connection to our fellow humans, our home planet and the Divine mingling throughout it all. A burgeoning compassion will usher in the changes for a future in which the real power transfers from governments and mankind to the all of our true inner nature and the Divine Creator itself.
That's how one man sees the Golden Time, a New Age, anyway.
