we can become in the future. In looking at our past, I examined the how and why of our creation, our purpose for existence, and the true nature of our being. In looking to our future, I focused on three areas of change: a change in the sensory perception of the human species, a change in human cognition or consciousness, and geophysical changes on a global level. The first two represent developments within microcosmic (species) evolution while the latter is evolution on the macrocosmic (global) level. The main premise of the book is that humankind is standing at the threshold of a quantum leap in our evolution, a transformation in terms of physical, cognitive, and spiritual development, as well as geophysical change on a global level. I also took an evolutionary perspective by proposing that these changes are the result of millions of years of preparation and development on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels of our being.
In conducting my research, I drew upon both scientific studies and religious teachings. I then tried to find a common ground of understanding between the two by applying the interpretive lens of metaphysics to scientific findings and cross-cultural religious material. A metaphysical approach considers an issue from a factual perspective and then evaluates it in terms of symbolic meaning, mental states of consciousness, and spiritual awareness. A metaphysical approach, therefore, provides a holistic framework through which we can study the spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of any issue.
While this approach was considered somewhat unorthodox ten years ago, the methodology is very similar to that used by a number of scholars and authors whose writings fall under the broad umbrella of what can be called “evolution of consciousness” studies. Major works in evolution of consciousness theory include the Spiral Dynamics of Don E. Beck and Christopher C. Cowan, who based their work on Dr. Clare W. Graves’s Value Systems theory of levels of human existence, the calibration of consciousness theories of psychiatrist David R. Hawkins (Power versus Force), and the Integral Psychology of Ken Wilber. Related studies include the multisensory perception theories of Gary Zukav, James Redfield’s insights from The Celestine Prophecy, the unified field theories of Rupert Sheldrake, and the paradigm shifts of Steven Covey, Thomas Kuhn, and Joe Barker.
These studies, which have gained a popular following in recent years, take an integrative approach and apply a biological-psychological-spiritual framework to the study of human development. They also adopt an evolutionary perspective, demonstrating that changes in human thought and culture are the result of adaptation to environmental conditions. As such, they provide a holistic map of who we are, where we have been, and where we are headed. They demonstrate our evolutionary potential for positive change through new models of individual and collective transformation.
All propose a new self-view of humanity, a view that acknowledges the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of our being, recognizes the development of new cognitive and sensory abilities that allow us to perceive phenomena beyond the five physical senses, and advocates the belief that we can harness and direct our creative abilities to bring about a positive transformation of the human species. Together these have a global impact on the development of human thought and culture.
I believe that this new self-view will prove to be one of the most important paradigm shifts human thought has ever experienced. It not only enables us to recognize the true scope of our creative potential, but it also empowers us to work to bring about positive change in our lives. It further demonstrates the interconnectedness of all existence at the spiritual or energetic level and shows us how each individual can affect the whole of humanity by his or her thoughts and actions.
The Mosaic of Human Experience
I acknowledge there are those who will be uncomfortable with the approach taken in this book. Hard-core scientists will reject it outright as being subjective speculation based on unverifiable myth, legend, and psychic nonsense. I would remind them that “one generation’s miracle may be another’s scientific fact.”1 Orthodox religious purists will reject it as being contrary to the word of God as recorded in scripture. I ask them not to denounce something they have not taken the time to understand. Science is not the tool of the devil; it is the product of human reason seeking to understand the world around us.
I believe a synthesized approach to the study of humankind is necessary, for each body of knowledge—religion, science, and metaphysics—addresses certain aspects of our being. Any one by itself does not encompass the whole of who we are, how we came to be, why we are here, and where we are going. Yet take the pieces of each and blend them together, and you have a magnificent mosaic which encompasses all aspects of the human experience.
“I see science and mysticism as two complementary manifestations of the human mind, of its rational and intuitive faculties. The two approaches are entirely different … However, they are ‘complimentary,’ as we have learned to say in physics. Both of them are necessary, supplementing one another for a fuller understanding of the world.”2
As this quotation of physicist Fritjof Capra demonstrates, the time is ripe for acceptance of a methodology that considers religion, science, and spiritual principle. Medical science is the first area to demonstrate the effects of this quiet revolution, which began with discoveries in quantum physics that showed support for ancient metaphysical principles concerning the unified nature of the universe. Evolution of consciousness studies are continuing this integrative, holistic approach.
The greatest minds known throughout history, whom I call the “Great Teachers,” recognized the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions of human existence. The Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato, Pythagoras, the Stoics Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, the religious innovators such as Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Jesus, St. Thomas Aquinas, the mystics of Christian and Islamic traditions, and the modern-day scientists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Schweitzer, and Albert Einstein, all knew that the human experience was much greater than that taught by religious tradition or observed through scientific measure. They did not allow themselves to be limited by the narrowly defined beliefs of their day but sought to rise above their contemporaries, understanding that there were times when religion and science could join hands and learn from one another. As we examine our past and look to our future, I believe we must learn to put aside restrictive, outmoded ways of thinking and embrace the totality of human experience. It’s time to join with the Great Teachers who tried to show us that we are more than we appear to be.
A Time of Transformation
There are many sources, both ancient and modern, which agree that humanity is standing on the brink of a most important time in its history, a time of significant change and transformation. According to the Mayan calendar, the year 2012 C.E. marks the end of our present age of the Fifth Sun, followed by a shift or movement that will create a new world order. One need only point to the establishment of Israel as an independent nation to realize that this is but one of the many biblical prophecies that was to precede the “end of the world,” and it has come true in this generation. Further, according to the Hopi prophecies, many events that signal the end of this, the Fourth World, and the subsequent Purification Day, have occurred in the last one hundred years. The Hopi belief in their prophecies is so fervent, that they sent delegations to the United Nations in 1948, 1973, and 1992, seeking to share this knowledge with other nations.
In addition to these ancient prophecies, more modern prophecies, such as the quatrains of Nostradamus, the Edgar Cayce psychic readings, and the Marian revelations, to name only a few, all indicate that this time in history will be marked by world change and transformation. Modern interpretations of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh have proposed the idea that it was built as a “chronogram,” whose timeline indicates that the current “age” of humanity will come to a close by the year 2033 C.E. when a new era begins. In terms of astrological cycles, which are determined by the constellation in which the sun rises on the vernal (spring) equinox, our sun is moving out of the constellation of Pisces, which it entered 2,000 years ago, and into the constellation of Aquarius, signaling a shift in the paradigms of human thought.
I do not believe that the changes we will experience will be instantaneous or magical, for these changes are actually the culmination of thousands, if not millions, of years of natural and orderly development on this planet. As a part of God’s divine order and plan, they are a result of the natural evolutionary