Beyond the Veil
by Deni Gross
The veils of Isis sevenfold, to them as gauze shall be,
where through, clear-eyed, they shall behold
the ancient mystery. – Rosicrucian saying -
For eons, the human race has been changing and evolving – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually – and with each successive age, we move closer to reaching our fullest potential. At the end of this current 2,500-year cycle, we can expect to be drastically different from the way we perceive ourselves today. Parallel with these changes, our planetary home will also evolve, and the human race will need to be ready to respond accordingly. We are in the process of building suitable new human bodies as well as a new planetary home to accommodate them.
While evolutionary changes normally proceed at a monumentally slow pace, there are always certain periods in planetary history when important modifications must be more quickly implemented in order to keep pace with the progress of the Divine Plan. This is sometimes referred to as a “crisis of opportunity,” in which adaptations – physical or otherwise – on the part of humanity and/or the planet itself are required in an accelerated fashion. We find ourselves in this position at the start of this 21st century.
Humanity does seem to be aware, at least subconsciously, that we are experiencing great changes. Although most people might not be able to articulate it, they would probably agree on some indicators of these changes. For instance, most people say they constantly feel rushed, never seeming to have enough time to accomplish everything on their schedules. How often has someone said to you that they feel as though time seems to be “moving faster” than they’ve ever experienced? In this instance, people are reacting to the fact that during this new age, we will have to become accustomed to interpreting many things in a completely different way, including our concept of time. Our current understanding of time as a linear construct will no longer be compatible with the paradigm shift towards fluidity that we will experience in this upcoming cycle.
Like everything else, humanity’s understanding of religion and spirituality has been strongly linked to the linear time construct. Most teachings promise a future reward for having lived an ethically sound life – somewhere “down the line,” so to speak, like reaching the next platform stop on the train – whether in the form of good karma accumulated during this or a future lifetime or a stay in a heaven world somewhere beyond our understanding. On the other hand, relatively new teachings, influenced by the energies of the incoming Seventh Ray and Synthesis, suggest that we no longer need to feel caught between two worlds in some sort of linear time trap. Rather, we are gradually developing the abilities to precipitate those conditions which will make Earth a sacred planet and our time associated with Earth, whether physically incarnate or in a higher vehicle, a fluid, beautiful and fulfilling experience.
The last 2.500-year cycle was greatly influenced by Third Ray energies, which prompted humanity to build many concrete forms in order to navigate daily life. This next 2.500-year cycle is one in which the energies of the Seventh Ray, that of Divine Law and Order, are going to be the major influence. Thus, the emphasis on forms will gradually decline, replaced by a more organic, fluid paradigm. Humanity will see great shifts in almost every aspect of our perception. It is, as yet, difficult to verbalize what some of these changes will involve; but it is of the utmost importance that we begin to educate and ready ourselves for these changes so we can help humanity adjust with the least amount of disturbance or confusion.
One change we can expect to experience is a thinning of the veil between the astral and physical planes. Around 1960, under the influence of the Master R., Lucille Cedercrans in The Disciple and Economy explained this in greater detail.
One of the conditions in existence today and which will be increasingly so, is the breaking, in one sense, of the barrier between the astral and the physical planes. Humanity is orienting itself to an entirely new set of conditions. The astral consciousness is being integrated with the physical plane consciousness and is taking physical incarnation. This is preceded by the emergence of those conditions heretofore manifested only on the astral plane. This is the greatest reason for the increased sensitivity and the ability to interpret that which is sensed. You are quickly passing into a period when even time itself must be reoriented. A new set of coordinates must be established in order that the consciousness can manifest Divine Law and Order. Until those coordinates are established, there will be the appearance of chaos in every form.
Any individual whose physical instrument is composed largely of substance which is dominated by the Seventh Ray is responding to this much more rapidly than are others. For it is the Seventh Ray that is bringing in the new age. Anything that comes into manifestation takes the path of least resistance, so that the Seventh Ray form is always, in this particular crisis, the first to manifest that which is new. Where there is no understanding, the manifestation is apparent chaos, until there have been new coordinates established and the proper reorientation of the consciousness to that which is happening.
These changes will, no doubt, be accompanied by confusion and even, perhaps, distress. I recently was involved in just such a situation. One Saturday, a friend and I spent a very long and busy day together. We attended a competitive swimming event, stopped for dinner and then went to a movie. The next day we spoke about Saturday’s activities. During our conversation, my friend reconstructed the day in great detail. To my bewilderment, however, she stated that it was one of the longest, most detailed dreams she had ever had! Thinking she was joking, I laughed; but she insisted that she had dreamt the entire thing, down to each tiny detail. Even stranger, she described other things we had supposedly seen or done that day…none of which happened. At this point in our conversation, she apparently related to me her actual dream of the evening after our outing. My friend had somehow “flipped” the sequence of events between her waking and sleeping states of that day. Naturally, after I recounted the real sequence of activities, my friend was extremely agitated, and it took me a long time to calm and reassure her.
Now this friend had been working long hours for many weeks, and I’m sure the fatigue she had been experiencing allowed her waking brain consciousness to let down those natural barriers which separate the sleeping and waking states. I believe that, for my friend, the astral and physical planes were briefly merged and, in her understanding, she had experienced both without the constraints of time or space. Of course, I didn’t immediately speak about this to her, but rather encouraged her to maintain a better sleep schedule, watch her health, and see a doctor if she had any concerns about the effects of this incident. Only many days later, when she was confident that she was physically healthy and had instead experienced something beyond immediate understanding, did we talk about the possible “metaphysical” aspects of what had happened. We both agreed that we probably should expect others to report similar incidents over the next few years, for changes which might feel strange or even frightening right now will soon become the norm for the new human racial type slowly developing.
Many newly incarnated Souls already exhibit characteristics supporting this idea. For instance, journalist Scott Pelley recently presented a segment on the American television show Sixty Minutes, in which he interviewed a young English girl, Alma Deutscher, who is being hailed as “the next Mozart.” Only 12 years old, Alma plays and composes original music. By the age of three, she could play piano and violin; by six, she composed her first piano sonata; and by ten, her first opera. There have always been isolated cases of “child prodigies,” but what seems to make Alma different is her physical, emotional, mental and spiritual makeup. Cheerful, poised, bright and articulate, Alma’s aura is strong, pure and magnetic. She seems to have pierced the veils between the worlds and hears in her mind the otherworldly melodies of her compositions. Even more importantly, she appears completely devoid of ego and humbly views her extraordinary abilities as a way to be of service to others. She told Scott Pelley: I know that life is not always beautiful. There’s also ugliness in the world. That’s why I want to write beautiful music, because I want to make the world a better place.”
TRIUNE member Sylvia Charlewood also feels the nearness of the other planes and explains what the average person may expect to experience during a thinning of the veils.
In my own experience, the veil is always thin. It is we who believe it to be thick, even impenetrable, and so we assume that we cannot see through it or even hear through it. But the veil is already thin and passable. How else do we get through it when our bodies die? Of course, we do not come into contact with the astral plane until we pass through it at physical death, unless we have learned to go there, and few people actually do learn that. If an opening occurs, more people may see “ghosts,” those passing through on their way to the Spiritual, or those who are lost in the astral. They are usually unhappy and sometimes mischief-making, but they can all be dealt with by trained mediums. Such a thinning may make people more aware of their own souls, which would be a good thing. More people are now aware of the “other” in their lives and with luck they are beginning to realize that this means that they must change their lives in some ways, perhaps become more aware of others in the world, more generous minded.
The thinning of the veil between the astral and physical is, of course, not something to be taken lightly. For our own safety, we need to practice patience and great caution as we allow things to develop and progress naturally with no undue forcing. Obviously, our main focus should continue to be our service to others. TRIUNE member Fiona Odgren shared the following about this particular point, including some comments made by the Master D.K.
DK’s comments particularly refer to the thinning of the etheric, which acts as a protective buffer between the astral and denser levels of the physical. This has been brought about by unnatural means such as the din of war and also the dramatic increase in our cities of the use of artificial light and sound due to the development of machinery and industry, transportation, the media, the transmission of music, etc. A weakening of the etheric also brings about at the same time easier accessibility to the astral, the seeing of psychic visions and so forth. Subsequent results are an increase in lower psychism and incidentally also in mental ailments. DK did predict there would be a notable increase in mental instability (such as schizophrenia) and I think we are seeing the results of that today. My opinion is that these changes in the dimensions of consciousness are inevitable especially during this time of significant transition, but we still need to be vigilant about claims that can be misleading and serve only to distract us.
In this transitional period, our job as disciples of the Ashram of Synthesis is to help bring in the new civilization, which comes with both many challenges and opportunities. The following – again from The Disciple and Economy – may help us navigate any chaos or confusing changes with which we are faced, particularly those involving moving beyond the veil.
The disciple must be fearless. He must have the ability to discriminate between that which is a part of the new way of life and that which is on its way out. Do not hold to those old forms. Do not fear that which is new, but become acquainted with the new forms, the new activity. As you put them into manifestation, do not fear the conflict which they create, but realize that the conflict is the passing of those old outmoded thought-forms which have been giving the race so much trouble for so long a period of time. These new forms may appear strange, may be difficult to become adjusted to, but only because of your own crystallization. Do not plan, but accept that which comes and work as intuitively guided. You are facing conflict, but I would remind you that within every storm, there is a center of equilibrium. Establish your own center and from there work. Accept the passing from your life of the old forms, which are no longer of benefit to you. Release them and look to the Light with joy.