The online edition of Share International magazine presents a selection of items from the printed edition. Each online edition includes a complete article by Benjamin Creme's Master. Most other articles reproduced here, covering a wide range of topics, are excerpts. The online edition usually also includes a selection of Questions and Answers, Readers' letters, and photographs of Signs of Maitreya's presence.
See the full table of contents of the printed edition at the foot of the page.
From the inception of Share International magazine, Benjamin Creme’s Master provided an article every month for nearly 35 years. They were intended to be published not only at the time they were written, but also whenever appropriate according to world circumstances. This article, written in October 1992, deals with many complex ideas, one of which is the mistaken notion that the Masters are in control of all events. BC’s Master ends by reassuring the reader and also explaining how to judge the working out of the Plan and pointing out humanity’s role in it.
It is with the greatest interest that Hierarchy watches the events now unfolding in the world. So many and so diverse are these happenings that only the practised eye and understanding mind can make the connections and see, therefore, their underlying logic and inevitability. Without such broader vision, humanity is, at best, bewildered, at worst, fearful and dismayed. When all seemed set fair for prosperity and peace, the prospect now looks bleak: economic hardship and growing ethnic strife add their daily quota of pain to perennial starvation and injustice. What has gone wrong, many ask, faith and courage shaken by events. When will the new time start, as promised?
This, a time of transition, is inevitably one of difficulty. All that we are witnessing results from the impact of great energies and forces which, playing upon humanity, call forth their various responses. These, unfortunately, are not uniform and homogeneous but are conditioned by separate interests, ambitions and desires – individual and national. Hence the plethora of nationalistic movements and ethnic demands now coming to the fore.
Looked at from Our viewpoint, these demands are the legitimate but distorted reaction to the energies engendering the desire for freedom which now saturate the world – applauded when acted upon to overthrow an oppressive political regime; condemned, and rightly so, as the instigator of fratricide, atrocity and war.
There exists the notion that, as the “inner government” of the planet, Hierarchy is in control of all events, large and small. This certainly is not the case. Nor could it ever be, without the infringement of men’s free will. The task of Hierarchy is to implement the Plan of God through “The Centre which we call the Race of Men”. This must be done while respecting, at all times, man’s divine free will. Thus, look not for perfection in the working out of the Plan from day to day or year to year. The long term aim is assured, of that there is no doubt. Man alone dictates the vagaries of the path by which it proceeds.
Soon you will see a lessening of the tensions which today grip the world. Events are nearing a crisis which will resolve these disparate forces and allow saner viewpoints to be heard. Economic necessity is forcing even the richest nations to think more globally and more in line with group need. Soon, the straits caused by greed will force a rethinking of economic theory and practice and lead the way to a fairer world. This day is not “just around the corner” but not too far off. Fear not, the Plan has not gone wrong.
The Plan, indeed, works out.
These articles are by a senior member of the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom. His name, well-known in esoteric circles, is not yet being revealed. Benjamin Creme, a principal spokesman about the emergence of Maitreya, was in constant telepathic contact with this Master who dictated his articles to him.
At every lecture he gave around the world, and virtually every day of his life, Benjamin Creme was asked numerous questions covering a vast range of topics. We draw on this large recorded resource and present here a selection of previously unpublished answers provided over the years by BC and his Master.
Written for the first issue of Share International magazine in January 1982, this article provides a unifying and far-ranging definition of spirituality, urgently needed today, since it holds the key to solving the many crises now facing the world. In it, Benjamin Creme provides one of the reasons for the magazine’s existence — to provide a re-definition of spirituality, one which may give pause for thought in challenging times.
“The word ‘spiritual’ does not refer to religious matters so-called. All activity which drives the human being forward towards some form of development — physical, emotional, mental, intuitional, social — if it is in advance of his present state is essentially spiritual in nature. …”
In that statement, from Education In The New Age, the Master Djwhal Khul (DK), I believe, focuses the complete shift in emphasis that must be made in our relationship to the world and reflects a completely new approach to activities other than the strictly religious. He also said that the monopoly of the word “spiritual”, which the orthodox religious groups seized for themselves, has been the greatest triumph of the forces of evil on this planet: the general view is that whatever is “religious” is “Spiritual”, whereas all other activities are either profane or mundane. So we can go to church on Sunday and spend the rest of the week forming the most corrupt, dishonest and irrational political, economic, and social structures and conditions. We have separated the religious life from every other aspect of our being and have relegated it to a limited role — “the inner life”. This has allowed us in our outer lives to live corruptly and dishonestly and has resulted in the difficulties which now face the world, so that we now face the possibility of total destruction at the touch of a button. We have prostituted science, just as we prostitute every aspect of divine knowledge, to the mammon that is at the opposite role to our inner divine nature — a divinity which we have recognised only in religious terms and in the religious field.
We do not see man as a spiritual being except when he enters a church or adheres to some particular religion. Therefore, all structures — political, economic, or social — that deny a religious connotation to life, for instance, the present-day system in the communist world, are considered deeply evil. Indeed, aspects of their social organization may be evil — the totalitarianism, the denial of individual freedom, is definitely evil. But, to a large extent, they are based on profoundly spiritual principles: Justice, Equality, and Fraternity, which are at the root not only of the French Revolution but every revolution since that time.
In this coming time, we shall have to make a shift in consciousness to include every aspect of our being in our definition of “spiritual”. All our structures must be based on the inner Oneness of humanity and reflect that reality. As souls we are one; there is no such thing as a separate individual soul. We have to create political, economic and social systems which allow that inner divinity to express itself. …
Share International has a large reserve of unpublished letters which were confirmed by Benjamin Creme and his Master to be genuine encounters with Masters, or a ‘spokesperson’. Other letters presented here are new, and while we cannot confirm or indicate whether a Master is involved, we present these letters for your consideration.
Dear world leaders,
I am writing to you because you all have the power to make a real difference in the world. There are loads of things that are affecting Earth and we need to put a stop to them. I am going to name two big problems and what happens if we don’t deal with them.
First up is climate change. Climate change can be caused by a lot of things, like oil burning, aeroplanes and people cutting down forests. Because of all of these things polar ice caps are melting, and sea levels are rising. If we don’t put a stop to it now more towns will get flooded and people will lose their homes.
The next big problem is habitat loss and extinctions. We are using too many of the world’s natural resources and not respecting the world that surrounds us. We are destroying the magical, amazing habitats that support the incredible creatures that live on our planet. Many creatures are becoming extinct. Wildfires are killing gorillas and koalas are endangered too. Animals here on Earth are getting weaker and weaker and if we’re not careful they will become extinct.
I really hope that my letter has exhilarated your mind to think about what you can do to solve these problems.
Yours faithfully,
Dear Editor
[written in 2005] I wonder if I could ask you about a recent visit that we made to Rome. We met a lady on her knees, begging; we gave her some euros and then she waved to us and said goodbye. Was this lady the Master Jesus?
We also met a lady and a child begging who said they had nowhere to sleep or any food. Again we gave them some money. Were they Masters?
Dear Editor
I’ve worked on the layout of the German edition of Share International for many years and, of course, I am always excited to see the new miracles. Today I want to show you my own experiences or rather what I have discovered.
About two weeks ago (on 3 November 2020) I observed something strange on our security camera. Immediately I thought — this is familiar — it looks like photographs I’ve already seen in Share International magazine.
I’ve sent you some shots from the recordings of our CCTV camera. On the left side you can see two light ‘strings’. Normally I look at the screen of our camera every day and, from one day to the next, suddenly this thing appears. I immediately ran outside to convince myself that nothing was hanging in front of the camera and indeed there was nothing that could cause this effect.
Some days later I found also an oscillating round light too. Since that day, this thing is always to be seen on our camera and I have no explanation.
I have also attached two photos of a Cross of Light, which we have had for many years in our house. You can see it from our terrace when you sit outside in the evening and take a look in the window. The Cross is in a bathroom window. When you stand before it you have the impression that you’re standing in it. It’s huge and three-dimensional. You don’t get the full effect in a photo. I realized it appeared when I started working with the magazine team, doing the layout for the German version of Share International magazine. We see it as a blessing from Maitreya and so we always have the feeling that we are protected.
[See photographs, below, under Signs]
We present here phenomena which, to the editors, are “signs of hope” and “signs of the time”. Fortunately, our current stock of phenomena confirmed as real and genuine by Benjamin Creme’s Master is fairly large. However, in future we will also present material which has not been confirmed. We undertake to be as thorough as possible in our investigation of each ‘miracle’ or ‘sign’ and will present them for your consideration only, since we cannot now make use of the confirmation and additional information which in the past was always provided by Benjamin Creme’s Master. Further details, when available, are given in the captions to the photographs.
In his new encyclical, Fratelli tutti (Brothers All), Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that market capitalism has failed, and that the world needs new approaches to promote dialogue and solidarity, and to reject war at all costs.
Released on 4 October 2020, the feast day of St Francis, the letter draws its inspiration from the saint’s teachings as well as the Pope’s preaching on the injustices of the global economy and its destruction of the planet. Fratelli tutti links these concerns with his call for greater human solidarity to confront the “dark clouds over a closed world.”
Excerpts from Fratelli tutti
“When we speak of the need to care for our common home, our planet, we appeal to that spark of universal consciousness and mutual concern that may still be present in people’s hearts. Those who enjoy a surplus of water yet choose to conserve it for the sake of the greater human family have attained a moral stature that allows them to look beyond themselves and the group to which they belong. How marvellously human! The same attitude is demanded if we are to recognize the rights of all people, even those born beyond our own borders.
…
“…We need to develop the awareness that nowadays we are either all saved together or no one is saved. Poverty, decadence and suffering in one part of the earth are a silent breeding ground for problems that will end up affecting the entire planet. If we are troubled by the extinction of certain species, we should be all the more troubled that in some parts of our world individuals or peoples are prevented from developing their potential and beauty by poverty or other structural limitations. In the end, this will impoverish us all.”
Reference for ‘Human Fraternity’ document:
Climate activist and economist, Graeme Maxton, and former director of the Jane Goodall Institute in Singapore, Bernice Maxton-Lee, are the authors of Resetting our future: A chicken can’t lay a duck egg — How Covid-19 can solve the climate crisis.
If you care about our planet, if you worry about the future of humanity — basically, whether we have a long-term future at all — then as you read this tough and challenging book, you’ll find yourself smiling, shaking your head at the insanities of the status quo, weeping or angry at the destruction, and finally encouraged to heed the authors’ call not to waste a ‘good crisis’ — the opportunity provided by Covid-19.
It is precisely the enormous scope for change provided by all that the pandemic is laying bare that has brought hope and optimism to these two deeply and stubbornly committed people. …
They lead us to explore with them a spectrum of practical concrete solutions. This is very definitely a call to action but I certainly did not feel talked at or overwhelmed by the science, so deftly is it presented.
The title makes clear that the authors are calling for radical change — to everything — to all our structures, since to apply the old ways to create a new sane and sustainable world is simply impossible. So we can’t expect a duck’s egg out of systems already disintegrating. The prevailing norms and myths keep us tied into an antiquated and inherently destructive model incapable of producing solutions and creating new ways. And this is where Covid-19 comes in as it exposes every crack and many crooks — mismanagement, lack of leadership, corruption, greed, complacency and ignorance. The difference between those in power and the average citizen is that multinationals, banks and big vested interests have exploited and ‘vandalized’ knowingly, actively, while ‘Joe Ordinary’ has been impotent in the face of these forces, or has tolerated or perhaps ignored the destruction. The pandemic plus lockdown should also force us to face a reality that industry and government continue to ignore: the idea of infinite economic growth within a finite system is fundamentally flawed and has a direct toxic and destructive impact on the natural world. We must surely see that current economics has created ecological havoc and the destruction of our environment has brought us Covid-19. It is the simple working out of cause and effect and our role in it. …
Several chapters are devoted to: laying out a blueprint for the future; a manual for the change-makers; warnings about possible obstacles to change; caveats and reminders that the collective — society — must be our priority, rather than the ‘me’ culture.
What can we do as individuals? The authors have provided a handy fact sheet and a practical outline of how to change a mindset – one’s own and others’, reminding us that we need to question and rethink everything as we join with others also determined to make the needed urgent transition to new ways in every aspect of life. If you recognize yourself in that determination, then this book is for you.
A Chicken Can’t Lay a Duck Egg — How Covid-19 can solve the climate crisis
by Graeme Maxton and Bernice Maxton-Lee
John Hunt Publishing, 30 October 2020, 136 pages, ISBN: 9781789047622.
Films about the climate crisis often leave audiences feeling helpless in the face of the overwhelming challenges it presents. By contrast, Kiss the Ground, released by Netflix in September 2020 shares an inspiring and hopeful message, as it showcases the immense potential of sequestering carbon in the soil. Featuring interviews with a wide range of authors, researchers and scientists, the film explores the key principles of soil health and regenerative agriculture.
Much of the conversation about climate change — and the means by which it can be averted — focuses on global emissions and the imperative to reduce these to net-zero in the coming decade to avoid dangerous increases in global temperatures. Yet we also face a problem at least as important as reducing emissions: how to remove carbon already in the atmosphere — while scientists have warned that many of the technological solutions so far proposed will not work on the vast scale required.
Using plants, trees and techniques of grazing and farming to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil, biosequestration renews ecosystems, increases crop yields, and has the potential to reverse climate change when applied on a global scale. In fact, the potential for biosequestration to mitigate climate disaster is truly huge. A white paper produced by the Rodale Institute in September declares that, “Data from farming and grazing studies show the power of exemplary regenerative systems that, if achieved globally, would draw down more than 100 percent of current annual CO2 emissions.” …
The practices of regenerative agriculture have the potential to rehabilitate denuded soil by increasing carbon-rich organic matter in the soil and allowing the proliferation of microbes. These include:
– Diversifying crop rotations
– Planting cover crops, green manures, and perennials
– Retaining crop residues
– Using natural sources of fertilizer, such as compost
– Employing highly managed grazing and/or integrating crops and livestock
– Reducing tillage frequency and depth
– Eliminating synthetic chemicals
This enables plant roots to grow deeper, the uptake of nutrients is improved as is the water retention of the soil, and crops have greater pest resistance.
When Gabe Brown, a rancher from North Dakota first introduced regenerative practices on his ranch, he saw a tripling of organic matter and rainwater intake, enabling him to handle five times as many head of cattle as he used to. He noticed a dramatic change in the landscape, and his previously indebted operation began turning a profit. A powerful scene in the film shows Brown standing at the boundary between his lush farm fields, and those of his neighbor, a conventional farmer, whose land — in stark contrast — appears barren.
The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) does regular national polling on public perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about questions related to climate change. It found in a 2014 survey that individuals’ attitudes are shaped by personal and social factors beyond knowledge of climate change alone. One such factor is cultural worldviews, or values regarding how society should be structured and the role of government in addressing problems.
YPCCC has identified two significant types of cultural worldview: egalitarianism and individualism. People with a more egalitarian worldview tend to believe that society should promote equality, social justice, participatory democracy, and diversity, and they are generally more concerned about environmental issues like climate change. However, people with a more individualistic worldview are more likely to believe that society should promote individual liberty, autonomy, and opportunity. They tend to be less concerned about environmental dangers and favor greater freedom for industry, often opposing government intervention and environmental regulations. …
Public responses to two questions are particularly interesting in relation to Maitreya’s priorities (even the fact that the questions were asked at all!).
First, liberal Democrats increasingly say all basic needs (food, housing, healthcare, education) should ideally be guaranteed by the government for everyone. In 2020, about half of registered voters polled (47 per cent) agreed with this statement — of whom about 83 per cent of liberal Democrats and about 59 per cent of moderate/conservative Democrats agreed. Only 32 per cent of liberal/moderate Republicans and 11 per cent of conservative Republicans agreed. From 2008 to 2020, liberal Democrats’ support for this statement increased significantly, while support for the statement decreased among Republicans.
On the second question, Democrats increasingly say the world would be more peaceful if wealth were divided more equally among nations. In 2020, nearly half of registered voters polled (46 per cent) agreed with this statement of whom 72 per cent of liberal Democrats and 66 per cent of moderate/conservative Democrats held this view. Conversely, only 31 per cent of liberal/moderate Republicans and 16 per cent of conservative Republicans agreed. Similarly, support for this view among Democrats increased significantly from 2008 to 2020 and either decreased or remained stable among Republicans.
The takeaway from the polling is that views are polarized, but even without Maitreya’s public appeal, many intelligent people are clearly already thinking along the lines He recommends. …
(Source: climatecommunication.yale.edu)
December 2020
Full contents of the printed edition
- The Master –, through Benjamin Creme: The Plan works out
- Julia Conley: ‘Huge news’: 47 faith institutions divest from fossil fuels
- Felicity Eliot, book review: A Chicken Can’t Lay a Duck Egg — How Covid-19 can solve the climate crisis, by Graeme Maxton and Bernice Maxton-Lee
- Encyclical: Pope Francis condemns market capitalism and calls for human solidarity
- Compassion and optimism — Wise words from the Dalai Lama
- Cher Gilmore: Half of Americans endorse Maitreya’s top priorities
- Pauline Welch, film review: "The first big step was just closing our eyes and imagining it."
- Elisa Graf: Kiss the Ground: The solution to climate change is right under our feet
- Benjamin Creme: Spirituality — Part One
- Aart Jurriaanse: Attributes of the disciple
- Kenny Stancil: Bankrolling Extinction: banks fund biodiversity destruction
- Dunja Müller, interview with Dr Marshall Rosenberg PhD: Nonviolent Communication
