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The Master's article for Share International magazine, December 2007

Preparing the future

by the Master —, through Benjamin Creme, 11 November 2007

Towards the end of an Age and the beginning of a new Cosmic cycle, everything begins to fall apart. The old and tried ways of living no longer work, or meet the needs of an advancing humanity. Certainty gives way to uncertainty, the known has lost its power to convince, and men feel bewildered, lost and filled with fear. Thus is it today as we stand, baffled, in this transitional phase between the old Age of Pisces and the new Aquarian dispensation.
The Aquarian Age will last approximately 2,350 years and will bring much benefit to men as its energies mount in potency over the centuries. However, at present, the old ways of Pisces, outworn but not as yet outgrown, still hold sway and determine the thoughts and actions of the majority of men. This being so, countless millions are held in thrall by the actions of those leaders whose nations are powerful and dominant at the present time. Thus is this a time of upheaval and stress, disharmony and strife.

Change

That this troubled time will not last much longer you may be assured. Already, the signs of change are evident to Us, your Elder Brothers. We see clearly the outlines of conditions altogether different from those that now prevail. We see a world at peace, a world where justice reigns, where freedom adorns the lives of men and women everywhere. We know that the present ills are transient and passing, that the time is not far off for the light of the New Dawn to illumine men’s lives and challenge them to action. We know also that men in their hearts are ready and longing for change, and will rise to the challenge with eagerness and will; they await only inspiration and guidance.
That inspiration and guidance Maitreya is eager to bestow, in full measure and more, as He awaits the appointed hour which, by karmic law, allows Him to proceed.

Challenge

Then will the Great Lord enter, openly, the domain of men. Then will He challenge the assumptions of the men of power and wealth. Maitreya will speak for the millions without a voice; for the destitute and hungry who live in anguish from day to day; for those who languish in the prisons of the world for daring to challenge the edicts of their ‘betters’. He will speak for all men who love justice and liberty and will raise His voice aloud in their cause. He will temper the wrath of those who govern by war; He will seal for ever the door through which war enters and defiles the realm of man. All this, through men, He will accomplish, and so restore sanity and peace to Earth.
Calmly, and with purpose, He prepares the golden future, the inheritance of men, and gathers together the ‘shining lights’, the men and women who will fashion that future.

(Read more articles by the Master)

Questions & Answers - a selection

Q. Biofuels are being heavily promoted as a viable alternative fuel source. But biofuels are cultivated at the expense of the local people, their crops, the forests and all animal and bird life in them, the air, the soil and water sources. It seems we are caught on the horns of a disastrous dilemma. Your suggestions or comments please.
A. Another wrong decision by humanity, driven, as are most of our decisions today, by market forces (the forces of evil, as Maitreya calls them) in our eagerness to find an alternative to oil dependency. It will take Maitreya to point the way to sanity.

Q. It had been thought until recently that humanity had another decade in which to prevent excessive global warming. However, according to Professor Tim Flannery, recent data shows that ­global warming pollutants passed a dangerous threshold in 2005. (1) Is this correct according to Maitreya and the Masters? (2) If humanity embraces the values of sharing and justice will the dangerous aspects of global warming be reversible? (3) Or is it more the case that Maitreya and the Masters believe humanity will be able to adapt to the changed world which global warming will create?
A. (1) No. (2) Yes. (3) No.

Q. A very recent BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries showed that four out of five people said they were prepared to change their lifestyle in order to reduce global warming and start to save the planet. Would Maitreya consider this as significant enough to warrant His allowing the first interview to go ahead?
A. Yes, as soon as possible.

Q. Could you please explain what you mean by ‘right human relations’?
A. I should have thought that the answer is known to everyone. In every lecture I have given, in every book I have written, I have stressed the need for right human relations and what prevents its establishment. We would have right human relations if we had universal justice and freedom; the end of war and terrorism; if everyone had full human rights according to the UN charter: enough food, shelter, healthcare, work and education as a right, not because we can afford to pay for these things, but because we are human.

Q. A building opposite the Basilica of St John the Baptist in Rome (San Giovanni in Laterane) holds a staircase reputed to have come from Pontius Pilate’s palace and to have been used by Christ after His trial. A chapel at the top holds a 6th or 7th century painting on wood of Christ, said to be an acheiropoeton or “not painted by human hand”. Tradition has it that the painting was started by St Luke and finished by an angel and that it arrived miraculously in Rome in 325AD. Over the centuries it has been reworked many times and embellished with silver plating.
(1) Is there any truth in the claims about the staircase? (2) Was the painting of the Christ of supernatural origin? (3) Does the reconstructed painting resemble the original?
A. (1) No. (2) No. (3) Very little. The original painting was painted by St Luke.

(More questions and answers)

Letters to the editor

Over a number of years, some of the Masters, in particular Maitreya and the Master Jesus, have appeared at Benjamin Creme’s lectures and Transmission Meditations. They also appear, in different guises, to large numbers of people around the world. Some of these recount their experiences to Share International magazine. If the experiences are authenticated by Benjamin Creme’s Master, the letters are published. These experiences are given to inspire, to guide or teach, often to heal and uplift. Very often, too, they draw attention to, or comment on, in an amusing way, some fixed intolerance to, for example, smoking or drinking. Many times the Masters act as saving ‘angels’ in accidents, during wartime, earthquakes and other disasters. They use a ‘familiar’, a thoughtform, who seems totally real, and through whom the Master’s thoughts can be expressed: They can appear as a man, a woman, a child, at will. Occasionally They use the ‘blueprint’ of a real person, but in most cases the ‘familiar’ is an entirely new creation. The following letters are examples of this means of communication by the Masters. Please note: In the absence of any indication to the contrary, the editors will assume that your name may be printed. Unless requested otherwise, some of these letters may be reproduced on the Share-International.org website. Only initials, town and country will be used.

The waters of life

Dear Editor,
In September 2006, co-workers from Salem and Eugene, Oregon, had a booth at the Eugene Celebration. One afternoon, a rather tall youth with blond hair came over to our booth and started pointing at our photograph of Maitreya in Nairobi. He was very excited and said: “That’s the guy! He’s the one I saw in the Old Quarter. Yep, that’s him, with the blue headband. In 2000, I was living in Jerusalem, and there was always this guy hanging around the Old Quarter. He was always by a certain gate, with a flask of water, pouring water for whoever needed a drink. I even drank it myself. And the funny thing was that it was always cold, even in 100-degree weather. Can you believe that? And he was an extremely kind, simple man. There are lots of crazy people hanging around the Old Quarter, but he was different. Maybe he was a prophet. He always gave to the poor around there, always gave some alms or bread to the beggars.” I told him a bit about Maitreya, but he seemed (at that moment) uninterested in the details. “That’s him! That’s the guy! I can’t believe it!” And he walked on.
Was the man in the Old Quarter Maitreya?
M. N., Oregon, USA.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the man pouring the water was Maitreya, acting out the symbol of Aquarius, the Water Carrier.)

Faith

Dear Editor,
My granddaughter, Nancy, a wonderful, happy girl, developed epilepsy when she was 13 and it gradually got worse. Just before the attacks she used to say “I’m going away for a moment” but over time she was often ‘away’ more than present with us. When she was 15 she was found to have an inoperable brain tumour, which caused epilepsy, and the attacks grew worse and more frequent. No medicine seemed to have any effect.
When she was 29 it was decided that although surgery would be very risky it had to be done. The neurosurgeon warned that the operation might leave her unable to speak, possibly paralysed to some degree. Nancy is brave and chose to have the operation.
A family member advised us to use Maitreya’s ‘handprint’ to ask for help and healing and we all prayed to the Masters. Nancy kept a card of Maitreya’s ‘hand’ with her constantly – it was her support and comfort. During the 11-hour operation Nancy was brought back to consciousness for two hours so that the surgeons could test her reflexes to see how far they could go to remove the tumour. Those long hours were torture for us waiting.
The following day I went to the hospital with a heavy heart, not knowing what to expect. To my surprise Nancy was not in intensive care but in ‘medium care’. The nurse woke her and she gave us a huge smile, fumbled under her pillow and brought out Maitreya’s ‘hand’ card. She announced: “I’m here again and now I’m really totally here.” We were so moved: she was all right, she could speak and move. It was a miracle.

Nancy told us that for the two hours during the operation when she had been completely conscious she’d experienced excruciating pain. At the worst point, when the pain was unbearable, a triangle suddenly appeared above her head and from it came light and strength and an overwhelming love. “I felt two hands,” Nancy said, “one holding each of mine and I looked up into the most beautiful loving eyes. It gave me the courage to say, ‘All right, I can bear it, I’m going to go for it.’”
The whole operating team also felt the energy, because later the surgeon thanked Nancy and told her that thanks to her strength and energy he managed to remove the tumour and he expressed his admiration for her.
On the third day after the operation Nancy was downstairs in the hospital restaurant drinking tea and a week later she was home. Fortunately, none of the terrible outcomes we had been warned about materialized. She’s doing fine. It’s obvious that she’s had an extraordinary experience – she just radiates such love.
Did Nancy have the powerful help of Maitreya or perhaps the Master Jesus?
Our grateful thanks for all the help we were given.
R.H., Hoofddorp, the Netherlands.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that Nancy was helped by Maitreya.

Child’s play

Dear Editor,
My husband and I, one of our daughters and our son went to Rome together with friends and their children. As we got off the bus to visit the Vatican, I noticed a woman and her child asleep under the dried-out leaves of a tree. They sat in the little shade the tree provided. The woman leaned against the tree and slept, the baby peacefully in her lap also fast asleep. In front of them was a folded t-shirt with some coins in it. It was extremely hot so I placed my bottle of water next to the woman, in case they were thirsty when they woke up. Then the others also walked over and put money on the t-shirt, which woke them up.
The look on the baby’s face when he saw my son was very moving: the baby greeted him as if he was an old friend. The woman’s smile was so loving and she was so modest, almost humble towards them. It was so wonderful to see the joy in the baby and the five children responded with equal joy and love. Sascha, who is seven, gave them her fan – she’d only just been given it by her mother, but she gave it nonetheless. All the time the children touched the baby and the woman held him, so he could stand on his little feet. His enthusiasm was catching.

After a while we tore ourselves away from them and sat in the shade of the Vatican square, but as we were leaving I noticed them again, now seated against the wall. I saw how she held the baby on her hands encouraging him to keep perfect balance. She repeated this over and over again: encouraging him, the boy stood perfectly still for a while, but when he fell down, she kissed him, and encouraged him to stand again. We asked the name and age of the baby: “Seven months old” she replied. The baby was called ‘Lievu’.
When we walked away the woman held the baby again on her hand and we captured this on video. All of us are profoundly touched and encouraged by this extraordinary and wonderful experience.
Can you tell us if the mother and child were really Masters in a guise?
A.van C., Leusden, the Netherlands.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the ‘woman’ was Maitreya and the ‘baby’ was the Master Jesus.)

Television miracle

Dear Editor,
My sister-in-law, Jynette and my niece, Beth, also saw the image of an African-American man on television in New Zealand [see November 2007 Share International]. Jynette said it came on during Coronation Street for about 10 seconds at a time and she initially thought it was something happening between the television channels. She said they saw it about six times over two days and that she felt ‘funny’ when she saw the person so she wondered if he could be Maitreya. Was this image seen by everyone watching that particular programme?
D. M., Los Angeles, USA.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the image seen on the television was, indeed, Maitreya. The image was seen by only a few people watching the programme.)

Signs of the time

‘Superman’ seen in Romanian sky

Police in Romania are investigating sightings in September 2007 of a ‘Superman’ figure, dressed in a shiny blue suit, flying through the sky. Around 20 villagers from Gemeni, Mehedinti county, all described the same figure.
Policeman Ion Anuta said: “We talked to people of different ages who are all reliable citizens in our village. They all said they saw this strange creature who flew over their houses in his shiny blue costume. We’ll just have to see what happens next.”
Constantin Toader, who lives in the village, said: “He looked like Superman and was flying slowly at about 100 yards from the ground in a standing position. He didn’t make any smoke or sound. Just cruising around.” (Source: ananova.com)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the ‘form’ is a manifestation by Maitreya, a sign of His presence among us.)

Miracle well in Malaysia

A disused, rubbish-filled well in Pasir Putih, Malaysia, has been miraculously transformed into a source of crystal-clear, sweet-smelling water with healing properties.
Dug by the council in 1980 near the local fish market, the well was abandoned after it was fouled by rubbish and became unfit for use. On 8 November 2007, however, a white light shone from the well, and residents found that the water had become crystal clear and was exuding a sweet fragrance.
Market trader Basri Hashim said he was performing the Subuh (dawn) prayers at a nearby surau (Muslim prayer room) when the congregation smelt the fragrance coming from the well. “After completing the prayers, many heard the sound of water gushing in the well. We went and saw that the water was clean and clear,” he said.
Since then hundred of people have travelled long distances to visit the well and drink the water, claimed to have healing powers. Some even bring buckets to fill so they can bathe in the water. Journalists visiting a few days after the story broke reported that the water was “clear with a slight, sweet scent”. Pasir Putih district health officers have taken samples for tests.
“In the past, water from the well was reddish in colour and had a foul smell. Many would not even go near the well,” said fishmonger Baharum Mamat. “Now, you can even drink it straight from the well without boiling the water first.” (Source: New Straits Times, Malaysia)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that Maitreya manifested this miracle.)

UFO sightings

Australia – Four members of the same family witnessed a UFO on three consecutive nights in August 2007. Margaret McDonald, her husband Greg, and two of her grandchildren, Tim and April Keft, of Eden, New South Wales, saw an orange star-shaped object in the night sky. April Keft first saw the UFO as it approached from the north at about 9.30pm on 24 August 2007. “When I first saw it I thought it was a star,” she said. “It was like it could see us, as it did a little dance. It was very high up when it started to move and it was heading south and then it just sort of turned gradually and left in an easterly direction over the sea.”
The following two nights at about the same time, the family witnessed a similar object in the sky. “It looked like it was more above us and it looked like it had a cross on it. It wasn’t round but more like a star. On Sunday night it did a little dance and went south,” April Keft said. (Source: The Magnet Newspaper, Australia)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms these to be authentic sightings of spacecraft from the Planet Mars.)

USA – Two residents of a small Oregon town witnessed UFOs in the night sky above their home on the evening of 22 September 2007.  Raye Laufer and her husband Derral of Lacomb, were in the backyard of their house, when they saw two long, silver, bullet-shaped objects flying side-by-side across the sky shortly after 9pm. The objects were silent and had no lights. The UFOs separated, one heading east, the other toward the northeast. They then saw another UFO floating above the treetops almost above their house. It was a large, glowing, red and orange orb, making no sound, and emitting what looked like sparks. The object hovered in the same spot for about a minute, then moved until it was directly over the roof of their house. The UFO paused, then slowly travelled north and out of sight. (Source: Albany Democrat-Herald, USA)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms these to be authentic sightings of spacecraft from the Planet Mars.)

England – On the night of 5 October 2007, several school children saw a UFO in the sky above the village of Rusper, near Horsham, West Sussex, about 35 miles south of London. A group of 10- to 13-year-olds saw what looked like a meteorite streak across the sky and go out of sight behind some nearby trees. A few minutes later, the children witnessed a fast-moving object with flashing lights in the sky. “About three minutes after we saw the meteorite, we saw the UFO, or whatever it was,” said Abigail Russell. “It definitely wasn’t a plane that we saw because the lights were different, and were flashing differently.” Abigail and her friends saw the UFO hovering in the sky just above where the meteorite had landed. “It was moving very fast. It looked like an upside-down saucer with flashing lights – purple, orange, red, blue and green. We were convinced it was a UFO. Every time it flashed it was nearer.” After the last and brightest flash, the UFO disappeared. (Source: West Sussex County Times, UK)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms this to be authentic sighting of a spacecraft from the Planet Mars.)

Cross of light in Germany

Dear Editor,
After spinal surgery in May 2006 I went for rehabilitation to the Schlüssel clinic in Bad Peterstal. The atmosphere of the clinic contributed to my well-being: I experienced friendliness and caring about the needs of the patients, a real place for healing. Many patients reported quick healing experiences.
At the end of the week I found a cross of light in the glass door of the relaxation room, and after spending an hour in there I became aware that it might be a special room. Who manifested this cross of light and does it speed up people’s healing?
A.B., Offenburg, Germany.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that Maitreya manifested the cross of light. In some cases it is speeding up the healing.)

Light blessing at Buddhist centre

At the Karuna Buddhist Centre of Monchique, in Algarve, Portugal, from 29 April to 5 May 2007, we took part in the Yagna (the Vedic ritual of fire sacrifice). Every morning at 6am there was a prayer session to Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I organized it and made sure the room was kept clean so I had to get there at 5.30am to prepare everything: light oil lamps, burn the incense and so on. A Mauritian friend offered to give me a hand.
On the morning of third day, my friend who had arrived before me noticed a strange light appearing behind the window where there was a statue of the Buddha. At first I saw a diamond-shaped light, but it was barely visible. Then, the light disappeared slowly to re-appear again – but brighter and brighter. After that it remained fixed. We then started to pray and the light was there until the end of the session to later vanish, little by little. I could not believe my eyes.
The next morning when we arrived, the light was already there and stayed until the end of our prayer session. It appeared three or four days in succession, which is why we were able to take some photos.  
Was this a miracle, and by whom?
Marie, France.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the light is a miracle manifested by Maitreya.)

From our own correspondents

excerpts from articles and interviews

The marketing of destruction

Interview with Symon Hill
by Jason Francis

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), a London-based NGO, was founded in 1974 by several groups who were concerned with the growing arms trade following the conflict in the Middle East (the Yom Kippur War) in 1973. Today, CAAT is a wide-ranging coalition of groups and individuals seeking to stop government subsidy and support of arms exports. They promote measures, both nationally and internationally, that will reduce and eventually lead to the end of the arms trade. CAAT also highlights the relationship between international arms sales and global poverty, encourages efforts towards peace, justice and democracy, and supports the resolution of all international conflicts by peaceful means. CAAT’s spokesperson Symon Hill was interviewed by Jason Francis for Share International magazine.
An excerpt from the interview follows:

Share International: How many companies are involved in marketing weapons internationally and how much money is spent on the armaments trade in any given year?
Symon Hill: Worldwide, more money is spent on weapons than on anything else – including oil. Global arms spending recently topped one trillion dollars. Literally thousands of companies are involved in the arms trade in some way, but the trade is dominated by a few hugely powerful multinationals such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and BAE Systems.

SI: What is the relationship between individual governments and private companies in the international arms trade? What role do the G8 nations play in the arms trade?
SH: The five countries that export the most arms are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Arms companies in the US have long been criticized for having too much influence over politicians, not least through campaign donations. Arms dealers also enjoy undemocratic influence in the UK, though the situation is different because the UK’s arms industry is overwhelmingly dominated by BAE Systems. Other British arms companies are smaller and mostly make parts (often to sell to BAE). This makes BAE’s power enormous. The UK’s media reported that the head of BAE had “the key to the garden door” of No.10 Downing Street [the Prime Minister’s residence].

SI: How prevalent is the use of governmental subsidies in the arms trade?
SH: Arms companies’ influence on government results in subsidies for the arms trade. Although most politicians in the UK and the US claim to believe in the free market, they seem to suspend this rule when it comes to arms dealers. Many governments offer “export credits” to underwrite private arms deals. Government support and subsidy also comes in other ways. The UK’s Defence Export Services Organization (DESO) is a marketing agency for private arms dealers funded by taxpayers’ money. After years of campaigning by CAAT and other groups, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in July 2007 that DESO would be closed. This is a great victory. We will now closely monitor the arrangements that are made as DESO is disbanded.

SI: Are military personnel or even diplomatic attachés used to promote arms trading?
SH: Yes, frequently. In the UK, government ministers and members of the royal family are expected to promote UK arms on trips abroad, even when the trip appears to have nothing to do with arms or even with trade.

SI: What are some of the socio-economic effects of arms spending on the economies of nations?
SH: Many of the victims of the arms trade are not killed by weapons. They die because their governments spend money on arms that is desperately needed for tackling poverty and providing healthcare. For example, Pakistan spends more on weapons than on healthcare and education combined. Arms purchases often occur when ministers are bribed into buying weapons they will never need or use. It has been widely alleged that corruption led the Tanzanian government to buy an expensive and largely useless military air traffic control system from BAE in 2002. More developed countries such as the UK waste millions in arms trade subsidies that could be used to fight poverty, improve public services or tackle climate change.

SI: What rationale do armament manufacturers and governments use to persuade the public to allow armament sales to continue in spite of their humanitarian and economic impact?
SH: Arms dealers often claim to be creating jobs. This is frequently linked with flimsy attempts at patriotism. BAE talks of being a “British company” protecting “British jobs”. In reality most BAE shareholders now live outside the UK and in recent years they have created more redundancies than jobs in Britain.
[End of excerpt]

Voice of the people

Humanity stands up

United Nations calling for justice

More than 43 million people in 127 countries “stood up and spoke out” against global poverty and in support of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on 16-17 October 2007. The worldwide “Stand Up Against Poverty” action was organized by the United Nations Millennium Campaign, the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), and a wide range of other groups.
Millions of people during a 24-hour period gathered in their schools, streets, market places, in front of government buildings and local councils, in workplaces and places of worship, at sports and cultural events and at public landmarks, to demand a more urgent response by governments to the growing crisis of global poverty.
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, who led a “stand up” action at UN headquarters in New York, said “Today tens of millions of people are making their voices heard by standing up and speaking out against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals. They are sending messages that call on their leaders to keep their promises. They are calling for the actions of citizens to be matched by the actions of governments, in developing and developed countries alike, to demonstrate the political will required to end the scourge of poverty once and for all.”
Among the events which took place around the world were the following:
• The largest public school system India, the Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) schools, reported that 500,000 school children raised their voices against poverty. At Kashmir University, 35,000 students stood up. 
• In Bangladesh about 850,000 people stood up, with the main event held at the Dhaka City government office led by the Mayor, followed by a concert. People called for cancellation of debt-servicing to eradicate poverty. Some 1,000 candles were lit to express solidarity with the GCAP movement.
• In Pakistan over 3.5 million people took part in events, including thousands in Bahawalpur who helped unfurl a 10km-long banner carrying one million written messages. Pakistan was one of 25 countries using giant banners to form a white band, a symbol of the global anti-poverty movement.
• In the Philippines, more than 7 million people attended various multi-faith events including an Anti-Poverty fair. Campaigners called on the Philippine government to change its position regarding the worsening condition of millions of Filipinos living in poverty.
• Palestinian children throughout the Occupied West Bank and Gaza spoke out, saying no to poverty.  The activities organized jointly with the Palestinian Ministry of Education took place for the first time in public and private schools, as well as UN-sponsored schools.
• In Ramallah, a choir from the University performed a new musical work “The Poverty Requiem” as one of a global chain of 20 performances that took place on every continent. A high school choir also performed the piece at the UN headquarters in New York.
• In Cairo, Egypt, over a million people supported the “Sailing the Nile” initiative which involved a fleet of eight boats sailing down the Nile with stops in eight Egyptian towns, promoting the eight Millennium Development goals.
• In Rwanda, youth groups organized a Stand Up soccer tournament with 20 primary schools.
• In Malawi, children were asked to bring a blade of grass to a local football match, and 15,584 responded to the call.
• Civil society delegations to government were organized in a co-ordinated global lobby against poverty. Somalia was one of 35 countries where civil society representatives organized a group to present demands for pro-poor policy change directly to their politicians.
• Many religious leaders and groups took part in the global action. At a papal mass at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI sent a message of support urging increased efforts to eliminate poverty. Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar mobilized 30,000 people at his ashram in Bangalore and millions more across the globe to raise their voices through the Art of Living Foundation. Micah Challenge, the global Christian campaign, took part. In the US, Canada and Europe, Episcopal and Lutheran churches made the MDGs their top social justice priority by appointing an MDG-focused organizer in every diocese. (Source: www.whiteband.org)

Australians demand action against global warming

With Australian greenhouse gas emissions among the world’s highest per capita, marchers across Australia have urged politicians to increase action on climate change and renewable energy targets.
On 11 November 2007 marchers thronged cities – 30,000 in Sydney, 50,000 in Melbourne, and up to 150,000 in 50 other towns and cities – in the country’s second ‘Walk Against Warming’.
Calling on the next elected government to adopt a short-term target of reduction in greenhouse gases by at least 30 per cent by 2020, Cate Faerhman, of the Nature Conservation Council, said: “Much more needs to be done and that’s what the community has said today on climate change. It’s a big message that’s being sent to the next government to get more serious on climate change and give us more than what we’ve seen today.”
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has aligned his country with the USA in withdrawing from the Kyoto protocol, and in insisting that any global agreement on climate change must include China and India. Now, with a national election due on 24 November 2007, climate change is considered a major issue at the ballot box.
In Adelaide, Greens Senate candidate for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young described the “huge momentum” of the rallies as “an indication of the concern in the community for the future of our planet and future generations”. (Source: news.com.au; ABC News; Epoch Times, Australia)

India’s poor march for land rights

Nearly 25,000 of India’s rural poor marched over 200 miles to the Indian capital of Delhi to protest their displacement from lands taken over by industrial projects. Organizers say the protest was a means of demonstrating how India’s rapid economic growth is leaving behind many of the nation’s people.
India’s rural poor have long subsisted on tiny plots of land. In the past, some of the poor have been displaced, but in recent years this displacement by both private and government-backed industrial projects has increased exponentially with land becoming a prized commodity. Whether for limestone mines or the construction of dams, many low-caste tenant farmers have been forced off their land and have lost their means of survival. “Forty per cent of Indians are now landless and 23 per cent of them are in abject poverty,” said Puthan Vithal Rajgopal, one of the march’s organizers. “Such conditions have bred Maoist insurgency in 172 of India’s 600 districts and farmers are killing themselves in 100 other districts. So we want to ask the government, where are the fruits of the reforms in these districts?”
During the 26-day march, protesters waved flags and chanted slogans such as “Give us land, give us water.” They demanded national government oversight of land reform and improved courts to settle land disputes more efficiently. In response to the demands, the Indian government announced it would establish a panel to look into “all land-related issues, including land reform.” Half of the panel would be made up of landless farmers and indigenous people. Within three months, the panel would submit recommendations on land reform policies to a council headed by Indian Prime Minister Manhoman Singh, who will oversee the implementation of the new policies. (Source: The New York Times, BBC News, Agence France-Presse, The Economic Times)

Peace rallies held throughout US

Rallies and marches took place in cities across the US on 27 October 2007 in protest at the Iraq war. In San Francisco, an estimated 30,000 people took part in peace events. Of particular note was the participation of several major labour unions who encouraged their workers to attend the march and rally. Although labour groups have been involved in other protests against the Iraq war, this was the largest effort yet in the San Francisco Bay Area. “More and more union members are seeing the war’s impact on our schools, transportation and healthcare systems because money is being spent abroad that could be spent at home,” said Sharon Cornu, secretary-treasurer of the Central Labor Council of Alameda County. Wendy Bloom, a nurse from Children’s Hospital in Oakland, said: “Our priorities are distorted. We are spending billions on an unnecessary war instead of healthcare.”
In New York, thousands demonstrated in the rain, marching to Foley Square. In Chicago, thousands gathered at Union Park and marched to the Federal Plaza. Organizers said the rallies, sponsored nationally by a coalition of groups headed by United for Peace and Justice, also took place in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Jonesborough, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Orlando, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Boston and other cities throughout the country. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle, USA)

Facts and forecasts

Over the years, Share International has printed articles outlining Maitreya’s expectations concerning political, social, environmental and spiritual changes in the world, as presented to us by one of Maitreya’s associates in the London community in which He lives. From time to time, both Benjamin Creme and his Master have shared their prognosis of future developments. In this section, “Facts and forecasts”, our staff monitors recent news, events and comments bearing on these insights.

UN environment report:
Humanity’s future at risk

“Step by step, men will set in motion the requirements of the future. These must respect the destiny and free will of all. The right to the essentials of life: food, shelter, healthcare and education, must condition the direction of all governments’ actions. The safeguarding of the environment — with all that that entails — must become a sacred duty which will allow men, in time, to nurse this planet back to health.” (Benjamin Creme’s Master, Share International October 2007)
The most comprehensive environmental report ever published by the United Nations concludes that humanity is changing the earth’s climate so quickly and consuming the earth’s resources so rapidly that humanity’s future is at risk unless urgent action is taken.
The fourth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-4) report, published by the UN Environment Programme, was compiled over a five-year period by 390 experts and reviewed by more than 1,000 other scientists worldwide.
The report concludes that the natural resources that support life on earth have suffered significantly since the first UN environmental report was published in 1987. Called Our Common Future, the report warned about the state of the planet and urged action towards sustainable development.
The new report finds that while some steps have been taken since the initial warning 20 years ago, the response to the world’s critical environmental challenges has been “woefully inadequate”, with a failure to recognize the worsening situation.
GEO-4 notes that although the overall financial wealth of the earth’s population has increased by about one-third during the past 20 years, most of the increase has been in the developed world, and it has come at an enormous environmental cost. “Much of the natural capital upon which so much of human well-being and economic activity depends – water, land, the air and atmosphere, biodiversity and marine resources – continue their seemingly inexorable decline,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner at the launch of the report….
To address these crises strong leadership by governments, industry and individuals is needed, the report says. The solutions are available, but the political will to apply them has not been expressed to date.
GEO-4 concludes: “While governments are expected to take the lead, other stakeholders are just as important to ensure success in achieving sustainable development. The need couldn’t be more urgent and the time couldn’t be more opportune, with our enhanced understanding of the challenges we face, to act now to safeguard our own survival and that of future generations.” (Source: UN Environment Programme; Reuters; The New York Times, USA; The Independent, UK; Agence France-Presse, France)

Self-sacrifice to save planet

Politicians are fond of telling the general public that they do what we want. This will be good news to all ecologists, activists and those who care about the environment since in at least 21 countries most of the asked 22,000 people said that they are willing to make personal sacrifices in order to tackle climate change.
Globescan, a polling company commissioned by the BBC to carry out a survey, found that 70 per cent of the respondents indicated that they were willing to change their lifestyles; this included participants from the world’s two biggest carbon dioxide emitters – the US and China.
Globescan interviewed 22,182 people either face-to-face or by telephone in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.
In general, 83 per cent of respondents in all the countries surveyed agreed that individuals would definitely or probably have to learn new habits and make lifestyle changes to reduce the amount of climate-changing gases they produce. Approximately 70 per cent said they were ready to make personal sacrifices.
When asked about fuel costs in the majority of European countries, and in the US, most people said they thought that the cost of fuels (which are responsible for high carbon emissions) would have to increase. The Chinese are the keenest on energy taxes with 85 per cent of those polled indicating they were in favour, putting them 24 percentage points ahead of the next most-supportive countries.
When those against energy taxes were asked whether they would change their minds if the tax revenue was used to increase energy efficiency or develop cleaner fuel, large majorities in every country said they were in favour of higher taxes. And again, when people opposed to higher taxes were asked whether they would accept higher taxes if other taxes were cut, so as to keep their total tax burden the same, the poll showed that large majorities in every country favoured higher green taxes.
“This poll clearly shows that people are much more ready to endure their share of the burden than most politicians grant,” said Doug Miller, director of Globescan, the polling company that conducted the survey on behalf of the BBC. (Source: BBC, UK)

Nordic countries alarmed by Arctic melt

Nordic nations – Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland – are adding their voice to a growing worldwide consensus by sounding the alarm about an increase in the rate at which Arctic ice is melting: the thaw, caused by global warming, could soon be irreversible. With an eye on the upcoming Bali Conference on Climate Change the five nations (who all have Arctic territories) appealed to all governments to agree as soon as possible to a more far-reaching UN plan to curb greenhouse gases as a follow up to the Kyoto Protocol.
“The Arctic and the world cannot wait any longer,” environment ministers from the five nations said in a joint statement after talks in Oslo. “The climate is hurtling towards a turning point after which irreversible processes will have been set in motion,” they said of the Arctic thaw.
The ministers pointed up the fact that the ice on the Arctic Ocean shrank to 4.13 million square km (1.6 million square miles) by September 2007; this is the smallest it has been since satellite records began in 1979, and far worse than the low point in 2005. Naturally, the ice is now expanding as winter approaches, but is nevertheless smaller than in previous years.
The melt threatens the livelihoods of indigenous hunting peoples and wildlife such as polar bears and seals. The large-scale thaw is blamed by the UN climate panel on heat-trapping gases emitted by burning fossil fuels.
Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren warned that the melting of Arctic ice might already have reached a point of no return. “We may have passed the tipping point,” he said.
The Nordic nations declared that the conference of environment ministers in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007 must reach agreement on “tangible measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases”. The Bali talks are meant to initiate two-year negotiations on a new climate treaty to take the place of the Kyoto Protocol with an eye to finalizing agreement at a UN conference in Copenhagen in late 2009. (Source: Reuters)

When the dollar falls

“The governments are not in charge of their economies because they are not in charge of their currencies. The value of any currency, or the mode of action for or against a particular currency, is in the hands of a group of about 200 men and women in every country.”(Benjamin Creme, The Great Approach)
The United States is heading for bankruptcy, and the leaders are not making any serious attempt to prevent it. The USA is constantly printing money in order to fund the American standard of living and to finance the Iraq war. At present US debt amounts to $9,000 billion. Although everyone understands that the debt will never be paid off, it continues to mount, says financial correspondent Willem Middelkoop.
Middelkoop writes in his recently published book Als de dollar valt (When the dollar falls): “At some point the US dollar will no longer be accepted and then the American currency will take a huge tumble. The United States will slide into a serious recession with enormous consequences for the world economy.”
The United States is showing all the signs of a declining empire: the Credit Wave of the past two years, the addictive and corrupting habit of throwing good money after bad, deceit in the financial world “are the classic characteristics of the end of an era”, he concludes…. (Source: de Volkskrant, the Netherlands; Taipei Times, Taiwan)

Joy – a compilation

We present an excerpt from a selection of quotations on the theme of joy – from Maitreya (Messages from Maitreya the Christ, and Maitreya’s Teachings – The Laws of Life), Benjamin Creme’s Master (A Master Speaks), and Benjamin Creme’s writings. (See Share International December 2007 for the complete selection.)

When I make Myself known, I shall express the hope of all mankind for a new life, a new start, a readiness to change direction; to see the construction of a New World in which men can live in peace; can live free from fear of themselves or their brothers; free to create from the joy in their hearts; free to be themselves, in simple honesty.
(Maitreya, from Message No.8)

Consider this: “Take your brother’s need as the measure for your action, and solve the problems of the world. There is no other course.” Into your unhappy world now steps Maitreya. He knows your agony and suffering better even than you do yourselves, for He knows, too, the joy which is your birthright. That joy would He restore to you in full and perfect measure. For that is He among you.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘The entry of Maitreya’)

When you see Us you will know that the New Time, the New Age, has begun – the time of Sharing and Justice, of Love and Brotherhood, the time of the Law of God.
I am the Instructor of this New Time.
I am its Forerunner.
I shall release to you That which will take you quickly home.
I shall give you these instructions which will release in you your divine nature.
From My Brothers will flow a stream of creative fire which will light your lamps and carry you brightly to God.
My Masters know naught but Love and Joy.
Likewise, My friends, this will be your heritage.
Make haste to claim your rights, and know the Love and Joy of God.
(Maitreya, from Message No.136)

Create conditions in which there is harmony. Harmony is the number one necessity in losing the sense of time. Whether in an individual or a nation, we cannot have an awareness and response to the nature of true time if we are in an inharmonious state. Practically everybody today is in an inharmonious state, because there is total disequilibrium in the world. That is our spiritual crisis. We have to change the world’s economic structure – not only because it seems more just to do so since it is profoundly evil and unjust; we have to change it or we will destroy the world. It is as simple as that. We must change it so that humanity can begin to live as we (as souls) intend to live – in a society based on harmony and therefore equilibrium. With that equilibrium comes greater and greater awareness of who and what we really are. That is our crisis, our problem for today – to know who we are. (Benjamin Creme, Maitreya’s Mission Volume Three)

Enjoy life – “Remain open-minded. Enjoy life. When you enjoy life, it is as if you are sitting on the beach looking at the vast ocean. At that moment you experience serenity, tranquillity, detachment within. You do not think of your bank account at that moment. Nobody lectures you at that moment. The gift of life flowers within you.
“Experience this and you will realize you are a unique person. You are unique in this creation.”
Happiness – Human beings are looking for happiness such as is found in the lap of the mother. You will find happiness when you begin to realize that the Almighty is always with you, 24 hours of the day. Then you will experience freedom from within. There is no room then for unhappiness, greed or anger.
Make yourself happy – “Do not make Me happy. Make yourself happy and you have made Me happy. If you look after yourself, you look after Me.” (Maitreya, The Laws of Life)

Each one has a part to play in the complex pattern being woven by humanity. Each contribution is uniquely valuable and necessary to the whole. However dim as yet the spark, there is no one in whom the fire of creativity cannot be lit. The art of living is the art of giving expression to that creative fire and so revealing the nature of men as potential Gods.
It is essential that all men share in this experience and learn the art of living. Until now, a truly creative life has been the privilege of the few. In this coming time the untapped creativity of millions will add a new lustre to the achievements of man. Emerging from the darkness of exploitation and fear, in true and correct relationship, each man will find within himself the purpose and the joy of living.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘The art of living’)

There is only one way to God and that, My friends, you already know.
The way to God is the way of Brotherhood, of Justice and Love.
There is no other way; all is contained therein.
Many will find this Path bitter and hard; but many more, by far, will enter upon this Path with joy and gladness at the lightness of their burden, casting away the old, the outworn and the useless, the trivia of the past; and entering into shared brotherhood and joyous communion with all that is, that vast and growing Company shall inherit their Selfhood. (Maitreya, from Message No.15)

If something good, nice, pleasant happens you feel happy, but you were not happy before and you may not be happy tomorrow, so the feeling of happiness is not the Self. The nature of the Self is not happiness, but it is continuous, unbroken joy; it never changes. Or something nasty and painful happens and you are miserable, have a sense of loss, pain, disillusionment, depression. What has happened to that happiness, where did it go? Neither the pain nor the happiness is anything to do with the Self. These are the experiences of the man or woman in incarnation, the physical, mental, emotional vehicles of the Self. The Self itself knows none of that; it has no emotions, no thoughts, it alone is, it is Being, manifesting through physical body, emotional structure, mental body. These are vehicles for the Self to experience at this level. When you are detached, the Self can go in and out of these at will. It can use these vehicles but does not get attached to them.
(Benjamin Creme, Maitreya’s Mission Volume Two)

Few today can envision a world in which trust truly reigns. Few there are who can visualize the calm, experience the beauty, of such a time.
Let your imagination conjure a world free from fear and crime, competition and greed. Open your mind to the concept of universal justice and peace, manifested joy.
Do this and glimpse a world in which the trust of the uncorrupted child blossoms again in the man free from fear. In that world all becomes possible. Man stands now on the threshold of its discovery. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from‘The need for trust’)

These are historic times, and as each day passes, a new awareness becomes ever more apparent. People will more and more be talking of peace, of living together in harmony. This is a turning point in the history of mankind. (Benjamin Creme, Maitreya’s Mission Volume Two)