While there is time I wish to share a few thoughts which have evolved on the basis of a study of certain dates of importance in Chile. To really unravel the mysteries of a nation’s destiny requires, however, a much greater penetration than what I can give for the moment. If this attention is given though, one can be quite precise in one’s seeing. But let this be simply a beginning, in any case; perhaps further on the opportunity will arise to go much deeper into things.
On the basis of a study of time-cycles, the date of Chile’s independence seems to reveal that as of this year (July) through to September of 1982 decisive events will take place to give the country a more solid political base. That is, there ought to emerge during this period a truer political foundation. But this is not a process confined to a particular party regaining power, or even an individual. It is a process to furnish the country with a more truthful vehicle to express the longings of the Chilean people. We can say a collective consciousness or awareness is being formed, and all the recent, and not so recent, events are simply taking place in order to forge this collective awareness. This process is spread over many decades; in fact, the beginning was the country’s Independence. But Chile, as it stands in the comity of nations, is young. She is just beginning on this long journey in the manifestation of what we may call the national soul. Actually what is occurring is precisely the discovery of that Soul. All elements, individuals, events entering into the country’s destiny are pieces necessary in order to force the collective consciousness to emerge or to forge itself into a crystallised element which can give expression to this eternal Soul.
Chile’s case is different from India’s for example. Though the latter attained so-called independence only in this century (1947), there has never really been a severing in the expression of the nation’s soul-power. India is ancient, and even in her new phase of expression, she builds upon this ancient foundation. Indeed, this is both her strength and her deficiency. But each nation has its own particular destiny-power and character, its own foibles as well as its stable core.
Chile, on the other hand, underwent a violent experience in the ‘conquest’ of the territory by the Spaniards. The ‘line’, if we may so call it, which the true spirit that fragment of land embodies was severed. That is, the conscious development was dramatically stopped; no connection with the past was really maintained, and so the new formation had to stand on tottering foundations. This made it possible for a more potent nation like the USA (in terms of destiny) to gain considerable control over the country – either outwardly manifested or in more hidden ways. In fact, what I write here pertains to all of Latin America. We have there a continent which housed perhaps some of the most advanced civilisations in the world; the Mayan/Aztecan, for example. That civilisation was in many ways far ahead of Europe at the time the Spaniards arrived, as revealed in their knowledge of astronomy and more specifically of Time. On this, much could be written, but it may be left for another occasion.
In any case, the point I wish to make is that the continuity of the destiny manifesting in Latin America (Incan, Mayan, Aztecan, etc.) was tragically truncated; that is, the conscious continuity. That ‘thread’ having been lost, the web of the collective consciousness suffered a tremendous setback and a long period of darkness then ensued. This dark period covered the time of the Conquest to the present. What Latin America is now experiencing is simply a process of awakening, of re-forging the threads of destiny, this time proceeding consciously forward and finding her place in the whole symphony of nations. It is this awakening and seeking to make connections with the true and ancient soul of Latin America that is the explanation for the urge on the part of the youth of Chile and its artists to revive the nation’s folklore, which has been witnessed in the 60s and 70s. All of this, however, is a world process, not something confined to Chile or even to Latin America. Latin America has to find her diversity and unity within herself, and then find this unified diversity’s place within the whole of the Earth’s destiny as expressed in the rise of all nations.
Young people on both the South and North American continents have been seeking during the past two decades to make contact with not only the past of their countries but also with the very land itself. This has brought a dramatic change in the lifestyles manifesting. However, all this is still superficial. It is not by singing folklore or painting in the indigenous style that contact is established with the spirit of a nation. In fact, this is a rather superficial manner of seeking to consolidate the national consciousness. It is, however, a deep symbol. The fact that such an upsurge of interest occurred in Chile during the 1960s and 70s points to the need and desire in the people to establish contact with what is true, or the soul of Chile. To establish contact with the spirit, however, one has to go about it in a somewhat different way, – that is, one has to find its perennial truth in the present. Indeed, for this very reason that tragic severance had to occur at the time of the Conquest to bring the spirit-soul housed on the Latin American continent into harmony with the Time-Spirit. So the need of the moment is for a group of people to come forward, or a leader, who sees the present position and the true course into the future.
For the moment in Latin America there is no such leader. All the movements there and their leaders are seeking on the basis of imitation, – imported models which do not satisfy the needs of the times. However, the process has begun and cannot now be arrested. It is therefore all the more important for someone or a group of people to come forward with the courage to break open the path into the future along truly constructive lines, according to the real dictates of the times and in harmony with the Latin American soul.
As can be seen, when one starts to delve into the destiny of a nation today one is immediately projected beyond the confines of the established border of that particular country and one sees its evolution in harmony with a process that encompasses the whole Earth. The experience of Chile is the experience of all Latin America, and of the Earth herself. The planet’s entire comity of nations is seeking to find its place in the whole. This is the reason for our present turmoil. When we isolate the process and view it in a fragmentary fashion it is a distressing picture that emerges. But, if we look more deeply, if we touch a layer that reveals a unity in the process, then we can only rejoice, because one sees thereby the controlled evolution of the Earth, which is leading to a true unity of nations.
Each nation in this communion of Earth-consciousness has to find its place, its own spirit-soul first, and then if it does so it automatically finds its place within the Whole. Any vision that isolates is not the true vision, because the chaos we are experiencing is precisely the result of a disunified seeing, a fragmentation in the human consciousness.
The dark night Chile is living is precisely because there is no one as yet in evidence in the nation who is capable of piercing through the appearances and seeing the real process. This goes far deeper than the conventional political patterns, be these of the Left or the Right. It requires a seeing that rises above these distinctions and sees the point of unity in the timeless soul of the nation. Such a seeing then unfolds a power which is capable of uniting these apparently opposing forces, for the benefit of the entire country. If this does not happen, one can only expect change within a reigning disharmony: today it is the Right, tomorrow it is the Left; then again the Right, and again the Left, – and so on in a miserable unending chain of reaction, causing in the process tremendous suffering to the people, as can be witnessed in many countries of the world.
This is the old way that the Earth is getting rid of. She moves forward to a unity of being and a progress on the basis of complementation and not confrontation.
Thus Chile has, as all Latin America, the possibility to move forward toward this new condition; and if a leader arises there who sees this course and has the courage to follow it, he or she will find an almost miraculous response, in people, in events. Because this is the truth of the times. All our present sufferings are simply because we seek to pull into the past, to hold back the evolution of consciousness that embraces the entire Earth.
The struggle the Earth is witnessing in all its four corners is not simply between Left and Right. This is only a fractional part of the process. What is really happening is a war between the Old and the New. A new world order is in the making, but as long as people cling to the old patterns, as progressive as they may seem the establishment of this Order is going to be further delayed and rendered more and more painful, accompanied by ever-increasing violence and destruction. This, in fact, is simply the consequence of the resistance offered to the new: the quantity and the scope of destruction experienced are in proportion to this resistance.
According to a deeper vision of certain time-cycles that are relevant in the above-mentioned process, a particularly important one began in 1971. This cycle, a smaller one within a larger, comes to an end this year, – only to open into a new one. It is especially interesting to note from the dates furnished that Allende came to power precisely at the end of 1970. That is, his term essentially began with the commencement of this cycle. (For students of the new cosmology it is important to note, however, that Allende came to power in an 8 year, 1970, bearing the fragile 8 power of dissolution inherent in his term of office.) The particular significance of this period lies in the fact that it marks the period during which this new world order will manifest; from 1971 till the end of the century, approximately, the process will be complete. This does not mean that all the work will be finished during that time; it simply means that the solid foundations upon which a new future will be built will be firmly established. From 1971 the Earth has been living the experience of acceleration, one may call it, toward the achievement of this goal.
Chile has particularly felt the impact of this demarcation in time and its pressures. The Allende regime came to power in 1970/1971 and set off a series of events that are bringing the nation to a deeper level in its process of conscious evolution. Outwardly it appears to be a struggle between Left and Right, and Allende’s fall the work of certain powers that have since been unmasked. This may be quite true, but as long as one remains content with this explanation and this vision, the real importance of what the nation is undergoing will be overlooked. Consequently, the means to extricate itself from the present impasse will also be ignored and continued strife and violence will ensue. One has always to bear in mind that such manipulated coups can only take place successfully when there is an opening in the collective consciousness that allows it. Allende’s rise as well as his fall are as much the projection of the state of consciousness of the Chilean people as is the rise of Pinochet. And the fall of the latter will only occur when this collective consciousness has evolved to the point where its maturity forces a breakthrough and ousts the offending element.
The year that lies ahead of the Chilean nation will most probably see the end of the present government; but it may take another year thereafter before a more stable order appears. Therefore now is the time when a conscious effort should be made on the part of clear-thinking people to make the courageous move toward a really new beginning. That is, now is the time – and it should not be missed – to begin a positive effort at consolidation and a vigorous forward movement.
The forces at work that seek to maintain the supremacy of the Old thrive on a certain tension which is created by involving all the energies of people in a struggle with the past. This struggle therefore leaves no energies for the creation of the New. In the case of Chile it is quite clear; and in particular the situation involving those in exile during this period. One can see how the precious energies of the people are being blocked by these subtle forces, by entangling them in a useless process of exposure, we may call it. For example, CHILE-AMERICA has as its main purpose the exposure of the atrocities of the Pinochet regime. By channeling energies into this endeavour, as noble as it may seem, the elements concerned with the magazine’s publication are simply wasting a precious opportunity given them to leave the past, with all its sad and unfortunate memories, and to strive to build a new consciousness. It is in the building of a new awareness alone that the possibility can arise of eliminating the cause of Pinochet’s emergence. Simply opposing the wrong-doings of this regime is in no way sufficient to bring about a change. On the contrary, this process is feeding the very characteristics in the Chilean consciousness that made his rise possible in the first place.
If CHILE-AMERICA is to serve the cause of the New, if it is to be a service to the people in this most important phase of Chile’s destiny, then it must be a channel for positive energies to manifest. It must become a source of inspiration for the new spirit that seeks to manifest and be a vehicle through which young thoughts, young and vital ideas can be formulated and ultimately assist in the evolution of this new awareness. As it now stands, the old consciousness, with its subtle obstructing powers, is merely keeping those energies tied down and caught in the trap of a struggle with the old. Now is the time to leave the past and to open up the doors to the future, to usher in a period of constructive growth. This positive movement is the way to unify the forces, which will result in a power sufficient unto itself to eliminate the root causes of all wrong-doing which have engendered untold suffering to the people. One can do this, one can free oneself from this entanglement only if one sees that it is the reigning collective consciousness itself that has given birth to the actual regime. Imposing another, overthrowing this one to establish something else without seeing to the root causes and the transformation that must take place therein, will lead only to a continued negative state; there will be the appearance of change, but nothing more. No real, fundamental transformation can come about in this way.
Chile has been living a tremendously important experience in her destiny. It has culminated in a colossal movement of exile. The number of exiles, for one reason or another, in proportion to the population is certainly a fact revealing the importance of the present happenings. But when such a large amount of people are forced to leave a country one has to see the event as a symbol of something much deeper. The dispersion of all these energies, the fragmentation in the collective consciousness that has occurred thereby, clearly indicated by this mass exile, is a powerful indication that from 1971 a pressure began to break up a formation in the national consciousness that was impeding the flowering of the true Chilean psyche. The rise of Allende served to set off the process of fragmentation which the present regime is consolidating. That is, Left or Right – all are only instruments in this process which embraces the whole consciousness of the people. Again it must be stressed: it is the Chilean soul itself that seeks to manifest. All political tendencies are simply portions of that soul in evolution. One part rises and falls, then another rises and falls; but the underlying movement goes on and is steady, constant, unrelenting, – using one now, another later. However, if true peace and prosperity and well being are to be experienced, the time must come when the spirit is mature enough to rise above the play of opposites in a fragmented manner and to reach a vision of unity – not uniformity but UNITY. That is, all the parts must be seen as parts, but on the background of the spirit of the nation, and each portion must find its place in that Wholeness.
From the standpoint of a vision of such a wholeness, one can see that the time has come to perceive the integral process which is being experienced in Chile. The time has come to perceive in terms of harmony, integration, complementation, and not disunity, fragmentation, division, isolation and all the rest. One cannot solve the problems of Chile in a truly satisfactory manner, be these political or on the order of social inequality and injustice, while one sees Allende or Pinochet or whosoever as something apart from the collective consciousness, a freak phenomenon be it either of Left or Right. One needs to see these appearances in terms of the more integral working out of the kinks and creases in the formation of the national psyche, which have to be eased out by the growth from within: the larger and wider the vision the easier it becomes to harmonise all the conflicting parts and to set on its way the new national awareness which sustains itself on the basis of wholeness, of integrality and harmony.
All of Latin America is reeling under that same pressure from within, and as each nation comes closer to the unveiling of its deeper essence, this very happening will open the way to a larger harmonisation on the continent. Ultimately, it is possible to perceive this process of integration will lead to an experience of wider unity and possibly a form of confederation among the nations of Latin America. The realisation of such a goal is being hastened by prevailing conditions in the world. The chaos and entanglement and stagnation we now experience on world-wide dimensions are serving to accelerate the coming of a new world order, which is not a utopia we strive for in the future but is rather a phenomenon – albeit as yet somewhat hidden from the ordinary vision – that is taking place today. The turmoil of Latin America is one such proof that the new order is on its way and no earthly power can impede its full flowering. We have no choice but to participate consciously, to offer the least resistance possible to the pressure of manifestation of the new, so as to avoid as much destruction as possible.
All clear-thinking people must be aware that there is no solution to the problems we face in all the four corners of the Earth on the basis of the known systems of thought and political solutions. While one may give a greater degree of individual freedom, it does so on the basis of an exploitation of another order; while one may give a greater distribution of the wealth of the nation, it does so by suffocating the freedom and the free growth of the spirit of the people in other spheres. And even when a nation appears to have found a certain balance within its own confines, the world situation today has clearly revealed that there can be no isolated haven: a secluded well-being, disconnected from the throes of the great turmoil the rest of the Earth faces, cannot endure. The most important revelation of our times, brought dramatically before our eyes with an unmistakable clarity by such elements as nuclear power, for example, is that the Earth is one, in her felicities as well as her penuries. We can no longer achieve a divisional well-being and solution. Today’s answers must perforce embrace the whole.
Chile is in a unique position to be a forerunner in such a process. She has been forced into this position, and the particularly large amount of Chileans scattered the world over can offer a special ingredient of wideness of vision and an integral approach to the solution of the country’s afflictions. These elements outside the country, working in harmony with those within, can help to bring about another way, a Chilean way, which is yet inextricably united and in harmony with the way the entire Earth is seeking. The maturity of the Chilean spirit with respect to other Latin American countries places the nation in a special position, bearing a unique responsibility on the continent. The political maturity Chile enjoyed in Latin America is what can allow the country to serve as a model in that part of the world. The time has come for a consciousness to evolve therein which offers a possibility of a truly united spirit to emerge and to bring Latin America to its rightful place in the comity of nations, in an atmosphere of harmony, of collaboration, of good-will among its sister nations on the continent, each one manifesting its own tendencies, not in conflict with others but rather displaying an ever wider diversity that is set in a larger framework of unity. The political maturity the people of Chile enjoy places the nation in this special position. But the lesson to be learned today is that such a positive, on-going thrust cannot come into being unless the poisons of revenge and hate and retaliation are dissolved in the collective consciousness, and the energies that were usurped in this negative functioning are channelled wholly into the building of the New, on lines which truly correspond to the national spirit and soul, thereby answering all the needs of the people in an atmosphere of harmony and integrality never before experienced in the country. This is the model Chile can be for Latin America. And the time is propitious now for her to play this all-important role. For indeed, the task is urgent. Time is with us still, but not for long.
Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet
South India, 1979