Beloved students, I greet you in the sunrise of a new era, the new planetary astrological cycle that began at the solstice on 12–21–12. Fortunately, the gloom-and-doom scenarios some predicted for this auspicious date did not arise. Some people are still trying to convince themselves that the planetary movement was a nonevent. That, of course, remains to be seen, does it not? There is, however, something more important than whether you — or anyone else, for that matter — received signs and wonders at a personal level. What is most important right now is what you are seeding in your own creative process as the global family moves forward.

Indeed, you may find you are wondering just what might be possible for humanity to become in this new era. It should be truly exciting to consider that you are part of the creative force that will generate a new beginning for planet Earth. Stepping into the loaded field of potentiality of any new age is a journey of wonder. While the astrological influences for a dawning new age can be predicted and projected, full comprehension of what the age is all about generally comes much later. Just as in your own life, a little hindsight can sometimes prove very helpful for the extrapolation of meaning.

Of course, every astrological age offers humanity not only new lessons but new possibilities in consciousness as well. While the Piscean Age offered many lessons in fidelity to great ones, the Aquarian Age will likely revisit most of the lessons learned in the prior age, offering new understanding. Of course, there are differences of opinion as to just where the beginning point for the Aquarian Age may lie. Specific dates aside, new energies are now flooding the planet, offering something for humanity to actualize. As the noosphere is nudged awake, humanity will likely discover that levels of spiritual attainment not previously realized will be more fully available for manifestation.

The Prototype for What Humanity Will Become

What are you setting out to master? How will humans dwelling on Earth in a thousand years differ from humans today? Indeed, you — and other folks — now constitute the prototype for what humanity will become. Thus it is probably advisable for you to enter the field of possibilities right now. Of course, looking forward to what may be possible for humans pursuant to the realization of the noosphere, or the awakened global mind, the future is likely to appear somewhat foggy — at least from the current perspective. Some are wondering just what will happen to their physical bodies in the new era that has begun. Others are looking even further into the future and are contemplating the state of physical embodiment for those who ultimately master the fourth and fifth levels of Sri Aurobindo’s ladder of ascending consciousness.¹

Since most visionaries, seers, mystics, and wise ones living today hold that new dimensions in both consciousness and love will take place within this new era, I would advise you to “dream big,” as the saying goes. In fact, this may be the very age where immortality becomes not only possible, but goes on to become the norm. As this age moves forward, many levels of collective experiencing will shift. As the potential human develops, not only will his or her relationship to other people shift, change, and develop, but so will his or her relationship to being in physical form. Gradually, humanity will come to understand the importance of perfecting the physical body.

Perfecting the Physical Body

At the present time, this notion may not seem to offer much in terms of spiritual development, since the current tendency is to think of physical perfection only in terms of a beautiful body — an image that is pleasing to the eye. Of course, this notion clearly lacks spiritual depth and sanctifies only appearances rather than reality. When the true nature of everything is apprehended, one discovers that beauty is the result of a radiance coming from a source far beyond the physical or material level.

Initially, the notion of actualizing physical perfection might sound a bit grandiose. However, before being capable of ascending, the aspirant will have learned to bring the physical body to perfection. This has nothing to do with the appearance of physical beauty, although that might also occur. Physical perfection as I am using the concept here is simply attaining the state of physical immortality. This is a state wherein the physical body, as well as the consciousness that inhabits it, has been thoroughly purified of disease and the death impulse. In truth, the notion of death is a very compelling idea — and to date, a very popular idea. Even after realizing that immortality is possible in the human state, it generally takes another three or four lifetimes to purify the body and mind of the death imprint. Thus, you may want to begin building a foundation for your own immortality right now.

The general consensus of most people is that the human state is surely a less desirable one than whatever they project to be the next step. Of course, we are peering into the collective consciousness as it presents today, prior to the awakening of the noosphere. Beyond what most people take to be attainable, there lies an immense field of unrealized possibilities. Indeed, nearly every spiritual tradition that has graced Earth has brought forth adepts who did actually bring the physical body to perfection, thus adding physical immortality to the list of their accomplishments.

In truth, humans were seeking physical immortality even before such death conquerors as Jesus, Elijah, and Enoch took embodiment. In the Hebrew book of Ecclesiastes,² the author states: “God hath put eternity into the heart of man” (Ecc. 3:11). While I would not make this a gender-specific notion, I would offer that ever since humans experienced the finality of death, they have sought the capacity for deathless continuation. Some spiritual traditions hold that eternal life is only possible after one takes the initiation of death. Indeed, all agree that something continues after death, although that projected state differs from tradition to tradition.

Backtracking historical flow even further than the prior reference, the Epic of Gilgamesh³ is a hero’s journey in which the protagonist is searching for immortality. Indeed, the quest for eternal physical continuance has been a focal point of not only religion, but of creative speculation, debate, and recently, even scientific inquiry. Why is it that the notion doesn’t simply fall out of fashion? Why doesn’t humanity simply give up this quest? Perhaps there is more to the biblical quote above than merely an ancient aphorism. Indeed, the medical frontier of today is pushing into this very time-worn quest for enduring life.

Immortality — More to the Story

If you could peer deeply into the consciousness fields of people today, you might be amazed at how many are awakening to the possibility of physical immortality. Are they just flakes, or might there be more to the story than is commonly believed? I hope that question finds its way into your thinking process on a regular basis as we, together, guide the developmental process of the awakening noosphere. As humanity deepens into the realization of its divine nature, as humans awaken to the reality of love, notions of life extension and immortality are likely be more attractive than the old, if familiar, cycles of death and rebirth.

There are many reasons why one might want to remain in a body for an extended period of time. It is fairly obvious that some people want immortality because they are afraid of dying. However, trying to avoid death on the basis of fear inclines one toward not only a fearful death, but a fearful life as well. Indeed, fear is a powerful and remarkably creative energy. It has an amazing magnetic quality, continually drawing toward one the things she or he fears.

Some folks might want immortality in order to prove something to themselves, while for others immortality appears to prove something to the world — perhaps that they have power over death. Indeed, some of the current projected solutions proposed to extend longevity involve such bizarre measures as cryogenics. While this may demonstrate the desperate lengths to which some are willing to go to prolong life, this tactic is at best artificial, and it may be missing the point altogether.

For spiritual aspirants, the capacity to continue spiritual development absent the interruptions imposed by the cycle of death and rebirth can make much more sense than the alternative. There are some very practical benefits to this proposition as well; the possibility of remaining in a body as long as spiritually expedient could also be a blessing for Earth. This could provide the very motivation needed for dealing responsibly with not only the natural environment but human, social, educational, political, and spiritual environments as well.

As an awakened noosphere is realized, it is likely that new environments will arise for careful and responsible stewardship. Thus, future humans will probably require a fuller understanding of life’s mysteries and divine encoding than most humans now on the planet hold. Some will argue that the seeds of physical immortality have already been planted and are set to sprout within an awakening global mind. Yet, all speculation aside, here is the salient point: Immortality must be mastered if ascension is to be realized.

Pushing the Envelope in This New Era

Now, why might I be offering provocative thoughts on immortality at this particular time? This new era is a potent time. As the planetary community enters it, it is important for humans to push the envelope of what is possible for humanity as a whole. While there have always been adepts who mastered physical perfection, and while humans have always dreamed about attaining immortality, those who actually pursue it are often considered quacks of one ilk or another. However, as spiritual aspirants on dedicated quests for truth, seeking to rend illusory veils and committed to apprehending life’s great mysteries, dare you overlook this one?

Ponder this: Could the age that is now dawning be the springboard for humans to actually heal into physical perfection? Healing — indeed, profound healing — will be a potent theme of the era that is now dawning, and this theme is not restricted to humans alone for its development. Your planet is also on the cosmic healing list, and since each of you is utterly connected to Earth, the healing and purification you accomplish provides healing and purification for her as well. Can you envision what the perfected body of Earth might look like?

As you know, people do heal themselves, sometimes in the face of deadly diseases and sometimes against staggering odds. While most humans have not yet awakened to their innate capacity for healing and rejuvenation, that does not mean they are forever doomed to remain asleep. Indeed, every day people are curing themselves from potentially lethal disease condi tions. From a spiritual perspective, healing is simply an act of purifying the body from the diseased state it previously experienced. Yet in every physical healing, some complementary form of healing must take place in consciousness as well, since consciousness must enter wholeness in order to support the actualization of perfect health.

Of course, perfecting the body is an accomplishment that will require both attention and intention. As previously noted, Aurobindo saw that physical perfection could be fully attained in the fifth, or supermental, level of his stages of ascending consciousness. However, he wisely did not wait until the realization of the fifth level to begin the work of perfecting the body. Indeed, anyone inclined toward physical perfection should begin that work at once. Doing the work of perfection invites the perfected state.

The Work of Perfection

Aurobindo had been working on bodily perfection — that is, immortality — long prior to his infusion of supermental wisdom. Further, his spiritual partner, Mother Mira, held achieving physical immortality as her life mission. In truth, much of her own inner work centered around filling her physical body with spiritual light. In the end, the spiritual light she so diligently applied became a physical reality. It could actually be seen and felt by those who attended her.

While she, like Sri Aurobindo, did have deep and profound experiences of all five levels of the ascending stages he mapped, her primary spiritual goal was to demonstrate immortality. Historically, the notion of physical immortality has been greeted with emotional reactions ranging somewhere between utter disbelief and suspicion to outrage. However, the collective human conscious is changing, and one by one, people all over the world are finding the proposition of bodily perfection to be quite intriguing.

As stated earlier, the notion of death is very compelling, despite the fact that throughout time, immortals taking human form have graced Earth with their presence. Students of the great Atlantean and Egyptian teacher Thoth maintain that he manifested physically, in the same body, for approximately 10,000 years. However, since none of Thoth’s students remained in a physical body long enough to observe him for 10,000 years, this claim is seen today predominantly as legend.

Yet legends of humans who have discovered the secret of immortality exist the world over. One of the most famous cases in the current time is that of Babaji, an Indian master who materialized a body in a cave in India in 1970. He taught purification to his disciples with the stated goal of reaching physical immortality. Babaji was able to materialize and dematerialize his body at will, appearing to his students and disciples who needed his guidance, no matter how far apart they may have been. Although he lived in India, he appeared to his Western disciples on several occasions.

Of course, many Western saints were known for their ability to bilocate and trilocate. This is one form of bodily perfection, since the ability to manifest a physical body simultaneously in more than a single location clearly demonstrates mastery over the generally accepted laws of matter and space. St. Germaine is an ascended master who does, from time to time, manifest physically to fulfill specific service missions on Earth. While all ascended masters certainly could do likewise, most of us do not, since taking physical form generates a sizeable interruption in the field of our respective focal points of service.

Now, I do recognize that it can be fairly confrontational for the ego to even consider bodily perfection or physical immortality. For some, even the mention of these words triggers a personal sense of failure, which often invites anger. In truth, disease and death have been fully accepted since even before the rise of human self-awareness roughly 30,000 years ago. Put simply, immortality has been and is a tricky and complicated illusion to dissolve! Yet if humans today are creating the model for future humans — those inhabiting an awakened Earth — it is time to topple a few sacred cows. When humanity is able to release its habituated clinging to the notion that death is a reality, it will discover that success at all levels requires less effort and offers more joy.

It is important to remember that as the noosphere awakens, some important changes for human consciousness will arise. This is as true at the collective level as it is on the individual level. While I previously stressed the importance of purification prior to 12–21–12, given the scope of new possibilities, most who understand the significance of the new planetary cycle will want to continue with purification practices. It turns out that continuing purification at the personal level contributes to the global level. Simply stated, the planet’s etheric body is cleansed and energized when humans engage in purification practices.

Areas of Bodily Mastery

So what might be involved, practically, in actually mastering life in a physical body? In the East, a number of yogic systems exist that teach purification and mastery through several avenues. If we simply boil all of them down into a spiritual soup, it turns out that the specific areas of bodily mastery are neither complicated nor numerous. The first — and probably the most important, since it is basic to all others — is mastery of the breath. In truth, people have healed themselves of all kinds of diseases, even after having been diagnosed as terminal, through mastering purification by breath. Thus, this area should be of prime interest to all who want to begin their preparations for bodily perfection.

Beyond breath mastery, there are a few other areas for mastery that pertain to physical perfection. These are mastery of bodily intake (food, drink, and substances), sleep mastery, and mastery in finding balance with regard to physical gratification or pleasure. For mental purification and perfection, two levels of mastery are necessary: mastery of thoughts and feelings, and mastery of forgiveness. While both these levels could be subdivided, it turns out that when realized, the mastery of thoughts and feelings and mastery of forgiveness covers the entire field. Ideally, the aspirant progresses toward mastery of body and mind concurrently.

Since the human body is an energy system, the categories for mastery are all areas that contribute to either the enhancement or the debilitation of that energy system. When the body is actually experienced as energy — some would say “light” — then activities such as bilocation and trilocation, as well as dematerialization and rematerialization, are certainly within the range of possible bodily functions. One of the most powerful and direct influences on this energy system is the use of breath. To inspire literally means to “take in spirit.” Thus, in working with breath purification, the entire process is one of taking in spirit and releasing ego, or perhaps taking in life and expelling death. In the East, some traditions even refer to purification by breath as mahayoga, since if practiced regularly, it offers the aspirant a direct experience of the divine through the vehicle of human breath.

Purification through Breathing

You may have heard terms such as “yogic breathing,” “pranic breathing,” “kundalini breathing,” “Pranayama,” or “breath of fire.” These are all forms of rhythmic breathing that connect the inhalation and the exhalation directly. In these forms of purification, cycles of breath are repeated in a faster-thannormal rhythm, effectively overoxygenating the entire system. A distinction is made between the inner breath (which is the activity of spirit) and the outer breath (which is the movement of air). In all these forms of yogic breathing, the practice is followed until spirit, the source of breath, is merged with air. When understood, this becomes a very direct and practical way of merging spirit and matter — right in the human body!

The West has also discovered the power of breath purification, predominately through the work of Wilhelm Reich and Leonard Orr. While Reich came to an untoward end, some of his work has continued through neo-Reichian practitioners. Orr’s work, called “rebirthing,” was successful under his own efforts, and he became a Western phenomenon under Stanislav Grof and company. These modern Western modalities demonstrate similar results to the older Eastern breath yoga, although they are generally framed in a different context. There are few, if any, references to God, the Divine, or to Spirit. Even so, practitioners of these modes can increase their mental clarity and cleanse their bodies.

In the West, the focus of both rebirthing and neo-Reichian bodywork has been more to affect healing from emotional traumas than spiritual purification. Yet, when set within a spiritual context, both methods are highly effective avenues to rapid transformation. Emerging into popular use in the 1970s, these modalities are less available today, since many practitioners moved into other, often more passive, healing modalities. While both Reichian work and rebirthing have reputations for triggering suppressed, repressed, or denied patterns and emotions, the upside is that they offer direct and rapid access to the blocks that prevent personal transformation. Indeed, no transcendence is possible so long as the karmic elements that block deep healing are protected or buried.

While I do recommend purifying breath work, you will need the help of a trained facilitator. Find someone well versed in either Eastern breath yoga or Western breath release techniques, and follow their instructions. Once you learn this, do longer sessions with another person or in a small group. That way, when the ego gets lazy — which I can assure you it will — someone will nag you to keep breathing. The net effect entering this work will be a clear mind and a rejuvenated body. Additionally, you may find that this clarity will allow you access to the presence of the Divine in every situation and in all physical matter around you.

As for mastery of bodily intake, which is also a form of bodily purification, this only requires a few changes in diet, and you probably already know what they are. While these were noted in the November article, it may be useful to repeat them. Simply abstain from the use of all substances such as stimulants, intoxicants, and mind-altering addictive products. These agents pollute both the physical body and the auric field. Further, they tend to block spiritual awakening. Eat mostly fruits and vegetables, with the idea of eventually becoming a vegetarian. Avoid all genetically modified or synthetic foods. Gradually decrease the amount of food you eat, avoiding sugary and fatty foods as well as processed foods. Learn to apply the energy previously used for digestion and assimilation to elevate your conciousness.

Just as breath yoga will purify your nervous system and clean your blood, so cleaning up your dietary habits will increase your mental clarity and decrease fatigue and sluggishness. Develop a richer sense of your connection to the planet through what you eat as well as the manner in which you eat it. Always eat mindfully, recognizing that you are related to what you eat. Indeed, something gave its all, perhaps its life, for you to have that meal — a feat that should not go unappreciated at the spiritual level or at the physical level.

To deepen your purification, I recommend that you do a water fast one day per week. If you cannot go an entire day on water, then fast for half the day, preferably the second half. On the day you break the fast, do so only after your morning meditation. You may notice that your early morning focus is sharpened after these fasting days. Gradually, you will come to discern that your energy comes from your breath and spiritual connection rather than from the food you consume. Of course, be wise in making these changes, and refrain from making drastic shifts in your dietary habits. Set your goal and move toward it.

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As we close this month, it is important to celebrate the voyage you have been making with Earth. Your planet entered a new era, and shortly thereafter, you entered a new year. Perhaps it is time to call yourself to a new level of engagement with your own spiritual path, set some new goals, and embrace 2013 with utter freshness. Let this be the year of your spiritual awakening, and may you be afforded many touching moments of wonder and grace.

1See “The Ascent of Human Consciousness into Cosmic Consciousness,” Sedona Journal of Emergence!, October 2012, 38–41.

2 Written in the third century BC.

3 Written in the twenty-second century BC.