How each aeon, or major period of history, brings with it a particular mode of consciousness; and each of these periods framed how people perceived the world around them and the forces within it. Such periods establish what we may call ‘consciousness structures’ (reality or belief sets) that then influence the worldviews, behaviours, and environments that emerge from this. This affects how cultures and communities are formed; how value systems are agreed upon; and other moral and ethical implications. 

As human civilization passes further into a materialized existence, particular forces shall arise that find their domain within such an environment. That is, each epoch of civilization contends with forces, known and unknown, according to humanity’s state of development, awareness, and in correspondence to the form of existing cultures and societal structures. Forces that impinge and participate within human life in this realm do so relative to the time and place. In other words, it can be said that consistent forces involved within the evolutionary journey of humanity are consistently adapting according to the epoch. Human life upon this planet is now transitioning into an era of techne (technē).

It is a natural, yet incorrect, assumption to accept physical events at face value. Influences come to us upon many varied levels, and the visible, physical carrier or medium is the most superficial form. All of life is a play of forces; we may call these ‘universal forces’ for they act both within and beyond the physical. We have become accustomed to giving personal forms to many of these forces, and we believe that we are independent and free from their influence. The Greek-Armenian mystic G.I. Gurdjieff used to say that humankind lives under 48 laws, of which they are mostly unaware or ignorant of.

The exercise of such purpose-driven will is a conscious act, an attempt to break out of conditioned traits, opinions, and the consensus narrative. It is the will to acquire insight, and to perceive those societal conditions that push people to conform and to place their dependency and authority onto external systems. Yet, at the same time, such a purposeful will can be a conscious, secular inner drive, based on rational cognition. It need not be related to an inner impulse or a metaphysical impulse.

We are familiar with the concept that a person has no real choice, and we generally regard this in relation to our commercial choices. That is, what we choose to buy is generally a decision based on a selection of limited choice. This has also been referred to as ‘curated needs.’ What we think or believe we want, or need, is conditioned into us – or ‘curated’ – so that we are merely responding to managed external stimuli to acquire certain goods. Whilst this is valid, and is indeed an operative modality, it remains within the material realm. 

It seems that we can talk about consciousness and consciousness studies so long as it remains within the ‘reality remit’ and does not push against the ‘barriers of perception.’ This is why so much of our modern societies and the media marketplace are filled with pop-spirituality as they function as cultural remedies rather than revolutions. That is, they provide a band aid plaster rather than seeking to find a permanent cure. Many easy ‘self-help’ practices offer a ‘false exit’ revolving door so that people are given the sensation of finding a way out of the ‘system’ only to be brought back into it again. Such teachings or offerings act as auto-tranquilizers – they act as auto-tranquilizing mechanisms to provide an alternative treatment, or pleasing sensation, that appears as fringe or ‘outside’ the system but is not. Rather, it is another sub-set within the overall program; but a subset that does not constitute a threat or provide a means to perceive through the programmed reality set. In other words, it is an allowed anomaly.

There is little sense in trying to fathom what is the ‘rational’ in today’s world. The threshold from a realm of rationality has been crossed, and we have entered the Theatre of the Absurd. Nothing seems to make sense; or rather, no one in authority is now trying to appear rational or making sense. The façade of sense-making has been dropped because everyone knows the consensus narrative is based upon a lie and even those upholding it cannot be bothered any longer to uphold the lie. It is as if the irrational has become the new standardization, so why bother to pretend things are otherwise?

We are moving into significant times, and I feel it will be critical how we come to understand and perceive what is to come. How we frame the external ‘happenings’ that continue to erupt across the world will decide how we respond and cope with the effects. 

It is increasingly difficult in these times to speak of ‘non-verifiable’ or unprovable matters, especially concerns of the spirit-consciousness, for too many people are inculcated with fixed beliefs and thinking patterns. This is itself a sign of social conditioning and of a certain ‘management of mind.’ We should not be surprised that this situation is rife throughout our societies and cultures and is becoming increasingly predominant. Social norms are persuading many people to prefer safety and security rather than the potential discomfort that comes from gaining new realizations and understanding.

It is time to consider how to cultivate a right relation to the things of this world. That is, we should recognize that there are conditions specific to our physical existence – to matter-reality – that may not need apply to our existence as a human being if we can cultivate a particular inner state and relation to that which exists beyond physical reality. As Jesus is quoted as saying: ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.’(Matthew 22:21) There are those relations that exist (and often ‘must’ exist) with the outer physical world – we can call this the realm of Caesar. And there is the connection that a person can cultivate in relation to that which is beyond the physical – what we can broadly call the realm of spirit, or the transcendental impulse. There has been a growing tendency in outer life to deny the existence of anything beyond the physical.