Five Sutras For The Aquarian Age, or Spiritual Concepts For Mental Peace
Let's face it, these are strange times!
We have a 24-hour news cycle,
we carry computers in our hands,
most of us look at screens for the majority of the day at work and school and for relaxation,
we're reachable 24 hours a day via phone, text, email, social media, etc.
Our attention spans are tiny, and for sale, via technology giants both foreign and domestic.
We have information overload, and it's overpowering our ability to emotionally relate to each other in a healthy, mature way! The population of earth is more mentally ill and divided than ever before.
This period of time is the technology age, also known as the Aquarian Age.
This time was predicted, and there is hope to be found in simple spiritual concepts, known as sutras. Sutras are both easy to remember and meditate on when things become overwhelming.
I love the illustration below, and it works perfectly for the concept of the 5 Sutras of the Aquarian Age.
At the top, we see a gymnast gliding across the mat, and striking a finishing pose. This illustrates what it’s like to remain neutral in an ever-divided world: not a lot of energy is required to get from point A to point B — things are calm and appear effortless.
At the bottom, we see the mental gymnastics of anguish caused by pride, helplessness, energetic paralysis, heartlessness, and pessimism. This is an exhausting routine to perform, and when we're overloaded with information, these mental gymnastics are the emotional default. This is the monkey brain in action!
Five Sutras For The Aquarian Age as taught by Yogi Bhajan:
Recognize that the other person is you.
There is a way through every block.
When the time is on you, start, and the pressure will be off.
Understand through compassion, or you will misunderstand the times.
Vibrate the Cosmos; the Cosmos shall clear the path.
Now let's look at these sutras aka spiritual concepts one at a time…
Sutra No.1 — Recognize That The Other Person Is You
If you come from a background of Abrahamic faith, you recognize the concept that all humans are made in God's image, and therefore all humans are children of God. This sutra is similar in concept.
To further expand on that thought, consider good and evil within yourself. As you age and grow in wisdom and understanding, you look back on your past and recognize evil you've done — but you also notice how those experiences have served to make you a better person.
As humans, we tend not to grow spiritually when we’re comfortable! We need to make mistakes, hurting ourselves and others, to gain spiritual wisdom.
It can be really easy in the short term to say, “Well I’m not bad, or evil, like THEM!”
But consider when you did evil in your past — sometimes you may have known you were doing evil, but more often than not, you thought you were doing good.
The fact is, everyone is always doing the best they can with the knowledge and energy they have in the moment. On those rare occasions you did know you were doing evil and did it anyway, that was your best. For whatever reason, you didn't have the capacity to do better.
Now none of this excuses poor behavior, accountability and integrity are important, and boundaries are a perfect compliment to forgiveness — but understanding that the other person is a child — literally a CHILD of God — helps to keep the mind from prideful thoughts that one person is better than another.
We’re all just walking each other home. God created all of us for a good purpose, even if we can't see that good purpose clearly — this is the element of faith, trusting God's plan we aren't privy to. God uses evil the most evil of us for good,a quiet comfort when we examine our personal past evildoing.
Another popular Yogi Bhajan quote along these lines is: “If you can’t see God in all, you can’t see God at all.”
Sutra No.2 — There Is A Way Through Every Block
Feeling stuck is something we all relate to much more intimately after the coronavirus lockdowns.
Some of us spent time worried, basically worshipping the problem, and became increasingly mentally ill.
Others of us used the confinement to engage in activities that fed our soul.
It's easy to recognize who was experiencing more peace.
The idea here is simple — get lined up spiritually, and let God break through the block for you. Find freedom and companionship through devotional practice, and let God handle everything.
Time spent practicing yoga, reading scripture, meditating, chanting mantra, praying, attending religious service or ceremony — these things will align you with God's wisdom and God's plan. As God is the ultimate creator, it’s just reasonable to turn to the One when blocks appear.
Yogi Bhajan also gave us a specific mantra, kriya, and meditation if we're so inclined to practice which such clarity of focus. Stay tuned for those in future blog posts.
Sutra No.3 — When The Time Is On You, Start, & The Pressure Will Be Off
This one is pretty clear: just get started.
No, you don't know what you're doing, yes you're going to make mistakes, and yes everyone is probably watching you make those mistakes in this age where privacy has virtually disappeared — but getting started will give you momentum.
Many of us are paralyzed with fear from the 24-hour news cycle and the perfect illusions of social media.
Some of us are procrastinating, a common symptom of short attention spans.
Still others of us are afraid of our own success, lacking confidence in the divinity of our inspirations.
Personally, I've found that getting started alongside a devotional practice like kundalini yoga and meditation brings results. Sometimes it's really slow going in the process, and often the yoga and meditation is painful to perform, but the results are bliss. More on this in Sutra No.5 below.
Sutra No.4 — Understand Through Compassion, Or You Will Misunderstand The Times
There's a common thought that with the internet and the wide availability of information in this time, people will be less stupid and more wise — but now we know that is definitely not the case!
Those of us who seek spiritual wisdom see that it is through the heart that minds open and understand.
We know that hurt people hurt people, and rather than judging, blaming, or expecting specific outcomes from people, we can use faith and compassion to bridge the gaps between weakness and power, lies and truth, inelegance and grace.
We can assume, through compassion, that the one who is hurting others is deeply wounded inside, and that's “what's wrong with them". They're just hurt, and that's why they're rough-around-the-edges, angry, rejecting society, or self-destructing.
They're hurt, and loving kindness is the healing salve. Boundaries, accountability, and truth are kind and compassionate methods to live out this sutra.
Sutra No.5 — Vibrate The Cosmos; The Cosmos Shall Clear The Path
Chanting, mantra, and prayer are terrifically powerful. Sound current is found in all faith traditions, and all saints of all faiths practice audible devotion to God.
Sound was there in the beginning of time, and all that is vibrates, just as sound does.
Chanting, mantra, and prayer are sound healing practices that unite the human with the divine. These practices increase the frequency of human vibration, aligning with divinity in a way that opens the human experience specifically in a healing direction.
By turning human focus to the divine, we see things through God's eyes, activating our Third Eye — and instead of experiencing hell and suffering, we transcend the depths human experience and hold tight to faith. We praise God and unite with God in bad times just as in good times, and the reward is mental and emotional stability.
Where unhealed humans vibrate low, spiral in self-destruction, and cut themselves off from God, healing humans vibrate high and spiral in unison with the spirit of God that lives within.
Words and sound are powerful, and with them comes great responsibility to use our voices for good, and for God.
References
3HO International. (2024, September 24). The Five Sutras of the Aquarian Age! https://www.3ho.org/article/the-five-sutras-of-the-aquarian-age/
