"Can we be so blind as to imagine that centuries of global warfare, strife and conflict have no lasting effect  on the life of Earth itself?"

New Age or Apocalypse?

I often think about the future. In fact, I probably think about it every day. I have no doubt this is a special time in history, a turning point, a time when multiple forces are converging, clashing, and coming to fruition. It's a time of great individual confusion and soul-searching, together with a growing sense of global community. Of course, sectarian divisions of all kinds are also raging, and many people feel their personal liberty under attack. As humanity senses our greater solidarity, we can also feel ourselves splitting apart at the seams. It is a time of sharpening polarity.

But this brief social review doesn't tell the whole story: there is also a prophetic undertone to the present time. Perhaps the loudest of the prophets crying in the wilderness are the those of various New Age persuasions sharing their dreams of imminent Utopia, and the more pragmatic scientists and futurists who predict social implosion and environmental chaos. And Christian fundamentalists, warning of fast-approaching Apocalypse and the false Messiah, are right by their side. So you might ask, what will it be -- a leap into Paradise or collapse into Chaos?

As I see it, the end of this century and the beginning of the next will treat us to both: an unprecedented, rapid decay of current civilization followed by a equally stupendous rebirth, with long-term implications beyond our wildest dreams. Ultimately, I also expect wondrous things for Earth and her people, but before that happens, a profound Dark Night of the Soul will shake humanity to its roots. In the language of Wall Street, I think we can look forward to some major "corrections" on many levels: personal, collective, and metaphysical.

While alarming for some, this kind of shakedown may not be such a bad thing after all. Without going into an extended social critique, I can only say that such crisis is not accidental, and given human consciousness and our history of conflict, it's unavoidable. Stated simply: