What is going on with people?

By Yogi Baba Prem Tom Beal Veda Visharada, CYI, C.ay, C.va

It seems that the new millennium ushered in a new era of violence in society and worldwide.  It is difficult to say if this is correct, as perception is often not the reality.  Violence is almost as old as the world itself, and to expect violence to end anytime soon is a bit Pollyannaish.   Aside from the terror activities that have plagued much of the world for twenty plus years, it seems that individuals are becoming overstressed and a bit “unglued” at times, as it does seem that bizarre behavior amongst people has increased.  Are there any tools that can provide insight into this process?  Can we gleam insight utilizing yogic tools?  There are a few tools that can provide some insight into the current mentality of the world.  The techniques I will use are applied to a western society and altered to match a western society.  This will not be applicable to all cultures, but with the westernization of the world it will continue to become more the norm over time. 

Combining a few factors from Vedic astrology and some numerology systems from India, one can gain insight into the processes at work in the world consciousness.  Initially, one must remember that the purpose of life is realization, which requires working through a variety of karmas.  While someone reading this article may not be drawn to commit the acts of violence, it is important to remember that people are at a variety of levels of consciousness, and that humanity or more correctly each person is an animal.  What separates humanity from the animal kingdom is only the fact that humans can self realize. 

Examining a date, such as today’s year date—2009, one can see 4 digits—2-0-0-9.  The greatest influence for humanity is indicated by the first number, in this case the number 2.  The number 2 lasts for one thousand years.  The second greatest influence would be the second number, which is of a hundred years duration.  The third number is only a decade and the final digit is only 1 year in duration.  This is often reflected in our language.  As we have a shorter lifetime, we often refer to periods of time as the decade of this or that, such as the 60s.  One might say, “I loved the music of the 80’s.” At best one might think in terms of the last hundred years, as this will reflect the experience of their grandparents and their personal life experience as well.  As an example, in the last hundred years we have lights becoming widely used.  Electricity became common during this period.  Cars are common, as well as airplanes.  The computer came into existence within the last 100 years and modern medicine; the list could go on and on.  We do not tend to think about a horse and carriage, gas lamps, etc. that were more common place in the previous 200 years. 

Looking back to the previous millennium, it was ruled by the number 1.   The number 1 represents the Sun.  The sun represents subjects such as the soul and the ego.  The previous thousand years were a period of development of the ego and awareness of the individual.  It was a time that western society has worked very hard to develop a consciousness of soul and what that term means.  Likewise, it has also been a period of time that great hardship has been inflicted upon humanity via the ego.  Much work has been done and remains from this period. 

With the new millennium, the ruling number is 2.  The number 2 represents the moon.  The moon represents the mind and particularly the emotional mind.  It is a period of development of the mind, but poses several challenges for the mind and especially the emotional mind.  This is why the past 9+ years have appeared to be more of an unstable period of time for many individuals.  This is also a period of fundamentalists, which is why some terror groups have risen prominently within the world.  Due to the unstable nature of some minds, this has given rise to fundamentalist groups worldwide, as they rebel against the secular mindset cultivated under the number 1 of the previous millennium.  This process will wax and wane over the next 91 years or so, until we reach 2100.  Then humanity will be influenced by the moon and a strong secondary influence of the ego or soul.  In its lower manifestation, this will be a period of ego and emotional mind conflicts.  The emotional mind (manas) and Ahamkara (ego) will rule many people.  In its higher manifestation, this can be a period of tremendous work on the ego and emotional mind. 

During the period ruled by the 2, it is important to keep the nervous system and aura strong, but the strongest affect will be on the mind.  The compulsion will be to move into an unbalanced emotional mind.  The most direct way to strengthen the nervous system and aura would be through yoga, as it offers a powerful system to keep the subtle nervous system and aura very strong.  Mantra for the moon can be beneficial, especially when combined with specific meditations. 

This process did not suddenly start with the year 2000, as it is important to think in terms of a building up and building down process.  In the past hundred years or so, the energy of the 2 was slowing building as the 1 was slowly winding down.  Now that we are in the next millennium dominated by a 2, remember that the energy of the two is still building.  It is important to remember that this is part of the natural rhythms of life.  It is not a good or a bad cycle.  As with all cycles, it presents numerous opportunities and challenges.  Also this cycle will wax and wane as this is a normal part of energy as well. 

This does not have to be a period dominated by fear, but does require the strength and fortitude developed in the last millennia to lift above these base emotions and accept our higher essence.  It is also beneficial in realizing where others are coming from, and the challenges and struggles that they are dealing with.  Aside from yoga, mantra to the moon and balancing techniques for ones Vedic Astrology chart can be beneficial as well as an Ayurvedic lifestyle to help maintain balance.  Using discrimination to control emotional outbursts is beneficial.  There are several simple techniques that can help with this.  If you have gotten away from your yoga practice, getting back into yoga can definitely help, but just going to class is not the solution.  The key is cultivate a daily home practice.  This will provide a solid foundation and provide good benefit for this new cycle.   If you do not remember sets, you can get a copy of our yoga book to help you get back into your daily practice.  (Note the book is currently not offered on the website--just email us if you need to order a copy)