Shambhala the Resplendent:
Finding our Sacred Balance
By Deni Gross
Certitude has vanished. Now nothing is certain, and even the very concept of certainty is debatable. In a world in which all boundaries are dissolving, all values becoming ambiguous, all sign-posts illegible; in which centrifugal forces of destruction are flinging us outward, unwinding civilization; and in which change and instability are endemic – in such a world as ours is today, the need for a new centering principle is paramount. In every conceivable context – spiritual, ecological, political, social – our need is for a magnetic center, for a zone of order within the primal chaos of possibilities. – Victoria LePage/Shambhala
The new energies entering the earth's atmosphere are forcing Light into the darkest corners, and we can expect much turmoil and confusion before things settle into a new state of balance. This process is increasing the pressure on institutions, governments and the general populace, many of whom are already stressed to their limits. So where do we turn in our time of need "for a magnetic center, for a zone of order within the primal chaos of possibilities," as Victoria LePage calls it?
The esteemed Russian painter, esoteric and explorer Nicholas Roerich believed that we could look to a magnetic center, a "zone of order," wherein we might regain some sense of equilibrium as we navigate trying times. And he called this place Shambhala, the Resplendent.
For ages, people of different faiths have looked towards the Himalayan mountain ranges of Asia as a place of wonder, beauty and spiritual refinement. Many have said it is the general location of an ethereal and mystical land called Shambhala, inhabited by great and wise Adept teachers and sages who watch over humanity's spiritual and cultural progression, periodically pouring upon humanity great healing energies and blessings and infusing the human race with ideas that advance our knowledge and our quality of life here on Earth.
Legends abound of the rarefied atmosphere surrounding Shambhala, nestled, barely accessible between huge, snow-covered mountain peaks ; of wonder-working Beings who inhabit the area; of numerous caves and underground tunnels leading to great chambers where the Adepts work and conduct research, maintain detailed records of humanity's progress, store objects from humanity's past and chart its future course of evolution
For some, however, Shambhala is more than just a legend, more even than the abode of the great Watchers over humanity. Nicholas Roerich said," We know the greatness of Shambhala. We know the reality of this indescribable realm. But we also know about the reality of the earthly Shambhala…do not speak to me about the heavenly Shambhala only, but also about the one on earth; because you know as well as I, that on earth Shambhala is connected with the heavenly one. And in this link, the two worlds are unified."
For people like Roerich and Victoria LePage, Shambhala is a point where the physical and the etheric come together, where great cosmic energies enter the body of this planet, and the veils between worlds blur.
LePage believes that Shambhala is both a state of mind, as well as an actual geographical location with a very important scientific function relating to our planetary axis and the stability – the balance – of the earth and its inhabitants. It performs the function of the most important chakra of the planet itself. In addition, she explains, "it acts on the rest of the world in the role of a catalyst, a hidden alchemical reagent that interacts with history, yet is never changed by it, that remains at the unmotivated center, intervening and regulating as the need arises, but indirectly, without being trapped in its own machinery…at perfect peace, acting yet actionless."
This is a difficult theory to understand and requires that we approach it not with our heads, but with our intuition and our hearts. We have to tear down the veils between the worlds and view the mundane and spiritual at the same time, recognizing that the causes and effects occurring in one plane of existence are closely related to those occurring in the other. Just as we humans (whether or not we are consciously aware of it) operate in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual worlds all at the same time, so too does the planet. And just as the planet and we exist as individual entities, so too do we function at the same time as one combined entity.