The happenings in the world today remind me of a book of prophecies sent to me in 1983 by an Italian student, ‘Le Profezie di Papa Giovanni’, Edizioni Mediterranee, Roma (1976). They are purported to be the work of the late pope John XXIII, covering the years 1935 to 2033. The student was intrigued when on page 149 he read of a certain woman, Patrizia, who, as the prophecy records, would bring about the dismantling of the wall dividing east and west Berlin and ultimately the unification of Europe.

  I have not studied the book to any great extent and I cannot vouch for its authenticity, nor what or who stands behind its publication. However, I too was intrigued by certain phrases in the text, – one in particular. The visionary makes this statement at the end of the prophecy, after describing the unification of Europe, ‘Peace be unto you, Patrizia, daughter of God.’

In addition to the words of the seer, whoever he may be and whatever the real origin of the text, we have the interpretations of the compiler, Pier Carpi. Regarding this ‘Patrizia’, he claims that she is an American, and, according to him, had been the president of the USA (which by then was united with South America). From the prediction itself I cannot understand how the compiler comes to this conclusion. In fact, I am not so sure that the text refers to only one woman, and that this Patrizia was the one who was supposed to have left her office, turned to Christ, and was then slain. According to Carpi’s interpretation, the circumstances of this woman’s death at the foot of the wall dividing Berlin, finally bring about its dismantling and the unification of Europe, east and west. He remarks that the prophet actually refers to Patrizia as ‘nothing less than daughter of God’. And this, of course is the point which captured the interest of my student.

Those who have studied the New Way can immediately recognise here a correspondence, knowing that the Third Power is indeed the Daughter Principle. For Christians this is not at all a common invocation; the question of a DAUGHTER of God never arises. It is only the Son, and to introduce a ‘daughter’ would be blasphemous. Yet this seer, supposedly the well-beloved John XXIII, refers to Patrizia in this unorthodox fashion.

Carpi claims that this ‘person would be connected to a certain ideological movement of great significance… The death of Patrizia would bring about another great conquest of civilisation…’ (p.150-51).

My impression of the prophecy is that there are some true images and a lot of mixture. It is as if the seer had tuned into a certain plane and made somewhat of a jumble of various things, all interconnected, but in ways different than what the final text hints at.

Thus, this ‘Patrizia’ could very well refer to the third member of the Solar Line, which, in effect, is the Daughter Principle and could therefore justify the seer’s invocation of her as ‘Daughter of God’; and all of this could also have a connection with the unification of Europe and the end to the wall which divides Berlin. This could well be a symbol of a work that is actually taking shape in Europe. Indeed, it is the core of Sri Aurobindo’s work in the world, especially at this third level of its manifestation. But whether this Patrizia is the same woman who ‘turned to Christ’ in the seer’s vision, is another matter. It is more likely that there is a mixture in the vision, a common occurrence except in very high degrees of prophetic capacity, which we rarely encounter.

The seer did indeed see what is now beginning to take shape: the unification of the two Europes, east and west. The wall of Berlin is indeed beginning to crumble. At the time this book was published, 1976, no one would have believed that such a possibility existed or that it could materialise as we are actually witnessing today. Thus there is something real in this vision and very specific clues are given; but there is much that is unclear and even in the connection of this woman with the unification of Europe, the link is far too ‘physical’. Rather, what we are dealing with is a work carried out in a dimension or in a ‘nuclear space’ which then has certain predictable effects in the world by the Laws of Correspondence, one of which is the unification mentioned above. The time for this to take place is certainly within the period of the action of the Third Power of the Solar Line.

 

Pertaining to the same work in the world, the ‘symbol’ closer to home is the unification of India; that is, the nations of the Indian subcontinent which suffered partition with the departure of the British in 1947. This unification is far more difficult to achieve – yet far more meaningful – than the European because the basis for the division was religious rather than political, though political forces made use of religious sentiment for the purpose of securing their ‘share of the cake’ at the time of the British withdrawal from India. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the problem standing in the way of unification of the subcontinent today is the schism religions produce and fortify. In numerous parts of the globe we see the very same divisive element at work and the wars which result from religious discord seem to be the most atrociously bitter. They seem to be unending and defy any attempt at reconciliation.

Clearly far more potent forces are brought into play when one deals with the spiritual and religious dimensions in the life of a nation than is the case with the political. To overcome these barriers one must penetrate very deeply into the human psyche, more deeply than any social or political reform or revolution can reach. And one must deal with occult forces operating in the world, above all else.

However, the goal of the New Way is a unification not only of Europe or India but of the whole Earth. Yet we must not get carried away by such statements into supposing that what is implied is a [is ‘one?] ‘one world’ in a rather sentimental and unrealistic fashion, which is often implied when spiritual leaders preach along these lines. For what we are dealing with is always diversity in unity. The unification of the planet is a CONCERT in which ‘each thing is in its place’, and thus Harmony can arise consisting of numerous distinct ‘notes’ which, because they have been brought together on the basis of a superior process and with a higher objective, will produce this new concert among nations. For this each nation must first realise its nationhood, its ‘soul’. Thus, we have been witnessing for the past century the first steps in this coming of age of each nation, an unveiling of the national soul which then must find its place within the greater symphony of nations. Nationhood is a permanent ingredient in the manifestation of unity. At the same time, each nation will have to work out its own pattern of government suited to its psychic impulses and the temperament of its people, the condition of its very land, its position on the globe, its cultural expressions and traditions, and so forth. There cannot be any ONE SYSTEM, and to expect this is to reveal an ignorance of the essence of the universal manifestation and the purpose of evolution on Earth.

Each nation has its own rhythms and expressions. In my work I have used India as a means of providing the seeker with a pattern for the nation which is not merely theoretical but factual. However, I propose in this article to discuss this arrangement from a different angle and in conjunction with a host of other relevant and interconnected facts. And by using this non-speculative model, based on facts, I propose to demonstrate where those who seek to change prevailing systems in favour of what they consider to be higher models or in harmony with a nation’s true soul, often fail to understand exactly what that right model may be. This is especially the case when the issue involves ‘esoteric’ teachings, or secret societies which are supposedly working behind the scenes to introduce these superior models based on occult teachings or purported schools of higher knowledge, like those to which the late pope John XXIII is believed by many to have had links. Inasmuch as the issue is one of secrecy and hidden connections and operations, it is not surprising that in all this the planet Neptune, in a very special sense, has a relevant part to play.

 

The Unveiling of Neptune

 

In closing this decade of Neptune as indicated by the new cosmology, we have been witnessing for the past six months spectacular breakthroughs in space exploration, particularly involving Neptune. Given the fact that the ‘unveiling’ of this most elusive of planets (according to traditional astrology) occurred in an exquisite harmony of gnostic time, I am pleased to describe for readers of VISHAAL what this unveiling means in the New Way and what, in fact, has actually been unveiled. To this end, I shall refer once again in this article to the precise work which has been accomplished in this ennead, beginning in 1980 and coming to a close this year, 1989. While the one closes, however, the new cycle opens. One ending is merely a new beginning. Thus, while we discuss the Neptune ennead, we are automatically revealing the foundations upon which the new ennead must be built.

            But I wonder if we shall see in the new ennead the same astonishing display of Time’s impeccable control within the context of the new cosmology. For Neptune, the ‘ruler’ of this closing ennead, is precisely the planet of the Cosmic Harmony. Students of traditional astrology have learned to associate Uranus with the art, and this is quite accurate. However, in Neptune we find a different nuance and one that must go hand in hand with the contribution of Uranus. Uranus is more especially the KNOWLEDGE. As the higher octave of Mercury (see The Gnostic Circle, Chapter 12), it operates in and through the mental plane and via the mental apparatus in the human being. The insights and the perceptions of the interconnection of things is a highly Uranian exercise.

To give an example, the body of Knowledge which forms the foundation of the New Way came in Uranus’ ennead, 1971 to 1980. This period witnessed perhaps the most colossal descent of Knowledge ever before experienced in the domain of these higher pursuits. It was the ennead/decade in which the inner chamber of the Mother’s Temple was not only ‘seen’ (1970) but deciphered as well. Perhaps never before has the world witnessed a happening of this order, where seeing and explaining arise simultaneously. Indeed, the explanation was part and parcel of the original vision. It was truly a Uranian feat where mind was infused with a higher light and inspiration and utilised strictly to provide the new and precise Language to convey this miracle of Seeing. But more than that, the Language too suffered no diminishing due to a hitherto unavoidable separation and consequent limitation. Indeed, all arose simultaneously, the seeing flowing into the description and the formulation in an entirely new process. If this had been restricted to one individual – in this case the Mother – we might not find it so surprising. Yet it is a process which involved TWO instruments working in unison through channels unknown and unseen by others.

To further emphasise the connection between Uranus and the new Knowledge as an aspect of Mercury’s higher octave manifestation, I must point out that most of my books containing this Knowledge were published in the decade of the 1970s. The only one published in Neptune’s period was The New Way, Volumes 1 & 2. However, the two volumes were written in 1977-78 and first went to press then, in that ill-fated first attempt at printing. Those volumes were fully a part of the work of that ennead, while Volume 3 is fully Neptunian in character and was written in 1983, during Neptune’s period. This allows me to make the distinction between the two planets.

While Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury, Neptune is the higher octave of Venus. Drawn into the play in the latter is the emotional centre. In the case of Neptune it is the higher vital which is integrated. Indeed, The New Way’s 3^rd volume was written from that centre. It is, properly speaking, the artist’s cosmology, or cosmology as the foundation for the new cultural expression in this Age of the Supermind. Uranus produced what we might call the new Science, while the ennead of Neptune unveiled the seed of a new Culture.

Rightfully speaking, what we are describing is simply the seeds or the nuclear breakthroughs which permit the evolution into the future of an unending display of creativity, be this in the field of the sciences or the arts. And finally, the special characteristic of the new consciousness now manifesting in the world through these channels begins to reveal certain distinctions: the dividing line between art and science is becoming tenuous and it is difficult to continue making the old separations. Art is science is cosmology and all the rest. That is, every area of human knowledge becomes infused with a new light by means of which the former barriers are brought down.

In my own experience I find it impossible to follow the old patterns, formulations, guidelines. A proof of this incapacity manifests in my books themselves. No one can catalogue them properly in libraries. In which section are they to be placed? Cosmology, science, astrology, philosophy, history, mysticism, art, architecture, archeoastronomy, occultism, yoga, numerology, mythology, political science, culture, new age this or that? The list is a long one and in this new knowledge there is material pertaining to every one of the above subjects – and SOMETHING ELSE.

It is this ‘something else’ that is the essential newness, the result of a newly-manifested light in the world, the truth-conscious Supermind. Its universal characteristic is a perception of unity and interconnectedness. When this faculty is really operating, its effect will be evident in whatever line of approach we take or discipline we pursue. There will always be this all-pervading connectedness, insofar as the act of perception arises in the truth-conscious experience. Whatever draws one’s attention will be thus seen as a universe of harmony, at the centre of which lies this single Sun-Core. Inasmuch as the act of seeing is centre-based, everything becomes infused with this one light radiating outward from the centre. The result is a difficulty to formulate or even categorise by respecting the old boundaries between one branch of knowledge and another. Clearly libraries in the new creation will have to be refashioned to accommodate this newness.

One can sense the dramatic change in our way of thinking and being which the above introduces. The crux of the experience lies precisely in this question of boundaries; and once again this draws our discussion to the planet Neptune and the significance of its spectacular unveiling in August of 1989, a year which drew the Neptunian ennead to a close with eyes the world over riveted on the extraordinarily beautiful images of what is presently the last planet in the System.

 

We approach the essence of the matter: These two decades now drawing to a close have unveiled the full extent of our solar system. In a word, what this signifies in the New Way is a recognition of our boundaries – but the ENHANCED kingdom of the Sun, augmented by the three outer planets which were discovered in each of the final three centuries of this millennium: Uranus in the 1700s, (and it is the 7^th planet); Neptune in the 1800s (it is the 8^th planet); and Pluto in the 1900s (the 9^th planet). (See The Gnostic Circle, Chapter 12).

These sightings in harmony with the Gnostic Circle time-vision, and then further developed in the final three decades of the century (the 70s, the 80s, and the 90s), not only bring forth the deeper significance of the planets’ essence but their actual physical characteristics as well. The Gnostic Circle’s cosmology reveals the sense and purpose and interconnectedness in the happening, centred on the respective planet’s deeper truth as a part of this unique harmony; while science collaborates and through these space probes and the timings of the exploration, the physical is wed to the metaphysical, as it were. This, in my view, is the real function of cosmology, which, after all, means the reason (in the Greek sense, the governing principle in the universe) or wisdom operating in the cosmos. This is not merely function or physical operation; it is consciousness and purpose as well.

Finally, all this has culminated in the marvellous display of Neptune unveiled, just at the very time her own ennead was coming to an end. We must remember that in astrology Neptune is said to ‘rule’ Pisces, the twelfth and last sign of the zodiac. I call Neptune the higher octave of Venus, as stated; and since Venus is ‘exalted’ in Pisces (signifying the position of her most fulfilling expression), then the co-rulership of Neptune for Pisces is justified. Consequently, in viewing the images of Neptune which regaled the Earth in the last week of August, I could not fail to see a playback of The Magical Carousel and precisely the portion of the story that carries us into Pisces and the land of the higher Venusian expression of Neptune…

 

…Again the tornado whips around [the children] with mighty force, this time descending in an ultra-sonic plunge until a great splash is heard. And Val and Pom-pom find that the enormous gust of currents has charged into an apparently vast body of water, still spinning and thereby forming a radiant whirlpool. They are bounced hither and thither in the flow until suddenly they find themselves riding on the backs of two odd looking fishes, whirling in a circle in the magic whirlpool – but one going in one direction and the other in another, crossing each other’s path each time around.

Gloo gloo gloo gloo gloooooo

Gloo gloo gloo gloo gloooooooooooo

‘Valieeeeeee’

‘Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat…’

‘I can’t swiiiiiiiimmmmm…’

‘Swim! One of the Fishes shouts. ‘Ha! Ha! Ha! He says he can’t swiiiim. You’re in the cosmic sea! You’ve always been swimming in the cosmic seeeeaaaaa, only unawares.’

‘There’s no beginning and no end to this sea! You’ve always been in it. Gloo gloo gloo glooooooo!’

‘Pom-pom, these Fishes are mad! Maaaaaaaaaaad! Just hold tight, as best you caaaaaaaaaan…’

And round and round they whirl on the Fishes’ backs, a very joggily ride indeed, for the Fishes are springing along to the rhythm of a lively tune they whistle.

‘This is certainly a bouncey ride,’ Val yells to her Fish.

‘Bouncey, you say! Maybe, but have no fear. Even if you fall, where would you fall to? There’s not an end nor beginning you see, to this cosmic sea.’

Hippity-hop, bouncey-SPLASH!

‘Are we going to go on forever like this?’ Pom-pom asks his Fish, for he is getting rather dizzy.

The Fish responds:

‘Forever is never and never is forever,

and now is then and then is now,

and gone is coming and coming is gone,

and to be has been and been always was…

What was your question?’

‘Never mind.’

Gloo gloo gloo glooooooo

Really the whirlpool never seems to end. They go down and down in this sea that is no sea, of water that is not water. But at last the spin gets tighter and tighter, the Fishes are circling nearer to one another until finally, side by side, they announce:

‘It’s Piscesland and February 21^st,

the beginning that starts an end

and the end that’s a beginning!’

And they send Val and Pom-pom off on a final spin through the rest of the spiral, and behold! at the end of the whirlpool they plop into a great blue-green bubble, suspended like a brilliant transparent star in the vast cosmic sea…’ (pp. 120-123)

 

As we read we are struck by the colour of this bubble-land of the Neptunian Pisces which the two children plunge into: it is sea blue-green, similar to the physical Neptune. But another happy coincidence in this work of continuous ‘coincidences’, is the way in which the editor of the New York Times chose to describe this most spectacular planetary viewing of the century in the newspaper’s 24 August 1989 issue…

 

‘At the edge of the solar system, in the twilight before the interstellar dark, floats a giant bubble of eggshell blue, girdled by delicate rings and a mottled pale pink moon. That’s the stunning vista now being transmitted by Voyager 2 as it enters the realm of the planet Neptune. Early tomorrow morning, 12 years and 5 days out from Earth…’ [Italics mine]

 

A ‘bubble’ indeed, at the edge of our planetary kingdom, or the ‘watery face of Neptune’, as the editor further on so rightly describes this splendour of transparent blueness. It took 12 years and 5 days for Voyager to reach the planet, we are informed. Similarly, the children in The Magical Carousel odyssey move through 12 signs until they reach the blue bubble, as if in the equation a year for a sign and thus through the full 360 degrees of the heavens that surround us. But there were five days more to Voyager’s odyssey, forcing us to recall that there are five days ‘out of the calendar’, according to ancient tradition the world over, the five days which bring our year to 365 days rather than a neat day for a degree of the 360. Voyager too adds those 5 days ‘out of the calendar’ to its count.

It must be recalled that Voyager 2 originally was meant to probe only Jupiter and Saturn. Similar to our odyssey in which the children are sent out to Saturn and then unexpectedly are brought to explore the full kingdom of the Sun and finally splash into the ‘watery faced bubble’ in the 12^th and last stage of their voyage. And inside this cosmic wonder they gradually see all the zodiacal figures emerge from the sea of space and surround their suspended Bubble, each taking their place in the form of a ‘carousel’, so similar to the newly discovered rings of Neptune, and indeed all the outer planets.

I, for one, hold no other memory from childhood closer to my heart, till today tinged with a psychic sweetness, than that of the merry-go-round or the carousel, which gave us so much delight as children as we sat perched atop those utterly magical carved horses of such fine craftsmanship and invention. There is a distinct soul element in those memories, for indeed the Carousel is a cosmic design, thoroughly faithful to the symbol and the cosmic truth. We see this in the movements of the horses, as well as the entire Carousel itself, and we realise that the carousels of our youth provided us in every ride with the lived experience of the cosmic harmony, of the truth of the Earth’s being in space and in this planetary kingdom of the Sun.

The carousel horse, like the Earth in her 24-hour day, turns on its axis; at the same time, it moves up and down or tilts, making us recall the movement like a spinning top which the Earth makes in order to trace the precession of the equinoxes’ 25,920-year round; and then the horse/Earth moves around the carousel’s central axis, as the year of 365 days is marked. All the planetary harmonies are incorporated in the simple invention of the Carousel. And all of us, at one time or another, have experienced this simple, graceful truth of cosmic harmony. Like the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad of thousands of years ago, which described the cosmic truth in the symbol/figure of a Horse, so too the creator of our childhood carousel remained faithful to the symbol and gave us this magical mount whose essence is the universal expanse, ever in movement, ever tracing the lines of this exquisite Harmony.

 

 

 

 

Skambha  October of 1989

 

(to be continued)