Since the beginning of the 20^th century, humanity has entered an era which is pregnant with both marvellous promises and great perils. Outwardly, this has been manifested by great scientific and technological progress, which has made life easier for people in many domains. At the same time, as human consciousness has never truly progressed enough in the field of divine wisdom, humanity has known terrible wars which offset the advantages of technological and scientific progress. This is how things go in this world of duality where good and evil always go together as long as the divine soul does not rule the lives of individuals. If one adds to this the fact that the way of life of practically all human beings has been so upset for the last century, that more and more complex social, cultural and psychological problems have appeared, one will then understand how much the society is at a crossroads today.

One generally thinks that all these outer upheavals are especially caused by modifications in society and scientific progress. But they are only the effects. The main cause is to be found in the cosmic energies which are coming down on the Earth and which push things in the direction of change.

Now, it is thought that among the unfolding cycles of evolution which rule our globe, one is now ending: Kali Yuga with very little spirituality and virtue). With the ending of the energies of Kali Yuga, the gradual arc of descent from the Light and Wisdom of Satya Yuga, through Treta and Dvapara Yuga to the darkness and ignorance of Kali Yuga also ends, after which there is a period of transition followed by a gradual arc of ascent, back up through the same Yugas – Dvapara and Treta to Satya Yuga once more, but man will have gained more wisdom and spiritual maturity. We are now in the period of transition.

The four Yugas, Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali are each characterized by a distinct set of virtues, values, and spiritual qualities.

Satya Yuga (The Golden Age): This is the age of truth, virtue, and spiritual purity. Human beings are said to be at their highest level of spiritual evolution, living long and healthy lives, guided by dharma [rightousness] and wisdom.

Treta Yuga (The Silver Age): In this age, virtue and spiritual understanding decline slightly. Human lifespan shortens, and the first signs of conflict and strife emerge.

Dvapara Yuga (The Bronze Age): Virtue and spiritual knowledge continue to decline, and human lifespan shortens further. Disease and conflict become more prevalent.

Kali Yuga (The Iron Age): This is the age we are currently living in. It’s characterized by a significant decline in virtue, morality, and spiritual awareness. Humanity is plagued by greed, selfishness, violence, and disease.

Parivartan – The Shift in Consciousness

At present, we are in period of transition leading into big changes. The Parivartan (“change”), or Shift englobes these greater expansions of consciousness which will be manifested in the cycle of Aquarius, often called the “golden age” (not to be confused with the great Satya or Krita Yuga which is the one usually known as the Golden Age). It is an Age of more spirituality where man is more connected with his Higher consciousness and there is great development in his intellectual faculties. So this new cycle on the rise with its changes is progressively bringing about great modifications in people’s consciousness and also the reorganisation of the whole of human society. This spiritual initiation will bring more peace to the world by our living more through our hearts.

The old must therefore give way to the new, and in this period of transition, whatever or whoever creates an obstacle for the new energies will be swept away. So before the full light of this little Golden Age shines down upon us, the old structures and attitudes will disappear. Changes always come about progressively in God’s creation, and since the middle of the 1900s when the new energies started coming down, man has had ample time to adapt to them, but many have not done so. It is therefore possible that we see spirituality on the rise, while at the same time man-made and natural disasters also increase because of the resistance offered to these powerful energies.

Some Qualities of Aquarius

In ancient Indian Vedic astrology the significance and meaning of Aquarius are almost exactly the same as in Western astrology. Called by its Sanskrit name “Kumbha” – which means “water pot” – it is strongly associated with altruism, humanitarianism, idealism, creativity, imagination, philanthropy, social reform, service, mysticism, spirituality, philosophy, elevated thinking, unity, universalism or universality, harmony, synthesis, non-dogmatism and unsectarianism, and the breaking down and dissipation of dogmatic and traditional forms and structures.

The Emergence of Powerful Cosmic Energies and Its Consequences

From the beginning of time, cosmic energies have been coming down on the Earth to govern life on the planet. These energies vary according to the cycle the planet goes through and the goals humanity has to reach, in the spiritual, cultural and scientific domains.

It is important to note here that the aim of these cosmic energies is not to destroy, but to build a new humanity and a new civilization. However men are not spiritually ready, and that is why they will be in opposition to the direction these energies push us to follow, which will result in destructions. The only solution left now is that each one must bring about a reorientation in his life, for it is the only criterion that must be met to enter the new era, and at the same time avoid being swept away by the calamities to come. This criterion is purely spiritual, and is devoid of any fanaticism or sectarian spirit.

What is expected of each person at present is to allow his heart or inner God to express itself. This inner God is the counterpart of the universal God, whatever the name one gives Him. All truly spiritual people recognize and love one another instantly, beyond their respective religious practices, because their hearts sing the divine melody in unison. This melody is a rallying cry for all; it is the expression of the universal essence from which all comes. All religions are based on the note of the heart simply because God in this mahamanvantara or Life of Brahma, expresses Himself as Love. One deviates only if one goes away from this basic keynote.

The Necessity for Spiritual Reorientation

First of all, there is a natural reason for the human race to take the next step towards spiritual heights. Indeed, just as a child becomes a teenager, then an adult, in the same way during the long process of evolution, humanity’s consciousness reaches higher and higher stages, as the centuries and millenniums unfold. And according to those who know, the time has now come for humanity to make a big leap in this endless ascent towards the Divinity. That is why the Great Spiritual Transformation or Shift in Consciousness has started, with effective energies pushing man upwards, and the Sacha lineage is working for this magnificent goal.

Consequently, in order to make it possible to live in harmony with the new vibratory influences on the Earth, it is necessary for each one to become more spiritual. All those who do not join in and move along in this direction, will unfortunately be swept away by the powerful energies, as has always been the case during the different cycles. There is never any exception.

Every man understands perfectly well that if a variety of wheat is generally cultivated in spring, to be harvested in summer, the farmer who starts cultivating it in summer would be foolish, for he would not get anything to harvest. It is the same in the spiritual world: everything in its own time, and man should use this period of transition between the old world we are leaving and the new one to come, to accomplish specific progress. This would allow us to enter the new era more safely. Since nobody can stop the coming of cosmic energies which will rule the new epoch, they have started to pour down on the Earth and “will make all things new”, to use the words of the Bible. But the period between the present time and this new era is full of danger for all those who are not ready spiritually. (Excerpt from Chapter 47: The Implications of the Parivartan, from the book Shri Hans Raj Maharajji and The Dawn of a New Consciousness, Ashvin Saptashishya, © 2008 Sacha Hansa Books.)

Help From Great Avatars

That is why God has sent great Avatars to help humanity at this critical time. Among them, the Sacha lineage, from the beginning of the 20^th century, has been helping humanity to adapt to the more and more powerful energies. They have working on the higher planes to raise the level of spiritual consciousness, while slowing down the arrival of these energies so as to give everyone more time to become more spiritual and thus harmonize with them.

But it is impossible to slow down these energies indefinately, as Maharajji Sacha Baba and other members of the Sacha lineage (Sacha Baba Girnari and Sacha Baba Kulandaji) had been doing since the beginning of the 20^th century, and as humanity did not make enough spiritual progress, the latest great Avatar in the lineage, Shri Hans Raj Maharajji let his disciples know in 2005 at the Guru Purnima festival that the effect of these energies was already being felt by those who were not ready: disasters were happening all over the world; they should therefore regularly do their spiritual practice, at least one hour a day.

Propitious Times

But for those who want to develop spiritually, this period of transition is propitious because these strong energies are meant to do just that. What is more, from time to time, there is a particularly favourable alignment of planets which greatly help the realization of spiritual objectives for everyone on Earth. For example, On 20^th March 2020 in India, at 2 o’clock the moon was in the 7^th house and Jupiter was aligned with Mars. This is indeed pushing us into the Age of Aquarius. This is very favourable for spiritual development and some who know about it have been taking advantage of it. Others have been praying for the advancement of humanity, for we must ALL advance, humanity is ONE body on the spiritual plane. We all share the same Universal Soul (which is different from our individual soul). We are ALL in a period of spiritual advancement through initiation, everyone in the world.

Another opportunity to raise our vibrations even higher and attune our being to the new energies started off with the great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius on December 20–21, 2020 – an even bigger push into the Age of Aquarius.

This is known in many parts of the world, and spiritual elders of various peoples pray for the world and carry out ceremonies for its uplift. In Australia, on December 21^st 2020, the elders in charge of the holy Uluru site carried out a ceremony to release a great quantity of Light around the world, and beyond. This will help to send us further into the new era and will make the choice each person has to make between either living through one’s heart or living a purely materialistic life even clearer. It will boost our spiritual progress if we make the right choice.

The Age of Aquarius which we are now entering will surely bring better understanding among men, but we will still be very far from the ideal situation, for it is only a short period of time in this transition between the two big cycles.

According to Shri Hans Raj Maharajji Sacha Baba, we must first bring about a change in ourselves if we want to help humanity, otherwise we will be of no help to the world. Whenever we progress spiritually, at the same time we also contribute to humanity’s progress.