A Time of Change
We live in changing and challenging times where so much of what has been taken for granted is now being questioned. This is particularly clear on the world stage – old alliances being tested, international law being ignored, and new connections being developed that seemed inconceivable in the past.
And yet, was it all perfect before? Of course not. We had a system which developed through necessity, one that was largely taken for granted. What we’re seeing now is that system being questioned, new ways of thinking challenging why and how we lived by it. It’s uncomfortable, unsettling even, but perhaps it’s also necessary.
Wrestling with Opposition
Alice Bailey speaks of Seven Rays which influence us all – seven streams of cosmic energy, each carrying its own qualities and gifts. The fourth of these is the Ray of Harmony through Conflict, and it seems to me that we’re learning what this means at this time, not despite the tension we’re experiencing, but because of it.
Here’s the paradox we’re being asked to hold: we all want harmony and balance, to live peacefully and without too many challenges. And yet that very desire for ease can create stagnation rather than growth. Life presents us with a series of choices, and those choices – especially the challenging ones – determine who we become and how we live.
The Opportunity: Becoming Whole
The harmony we seek, then, isn’t the absence of conflict. It’s something far more robust and real – it’s the harmony that emerges when we’ve genuinely engaged with opposing forces and found our centre within them.
This applies as much to our inner landscape as to our relationships and communities. When we can hold multiple perspectives, when we can recognise truth in viewpoints that oppose our own whilst still honouring what we know to be right for us, we become more whole. We develop the ability to find common ground and build on it.