Printed in the Fall 2019 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Hebert, Barbara,"Learning from the Past" Quest 107:4, pg 10-11
By Barbara Hebert
National President
What comes to your mind when you think of ancient civilizations? Some of us might think about ancient Greece or Rome, Crete and the Minoan civilization, Mesopotamia, or even Atlantis and Lemuria. Others might even wonder about the connection between ancient civilizations and aliens. One thing is certain: the concept of ancient civilizations gives us the opportunity to peer into antiquity, imagine what it must have been like, and contemplate what we can learn from the ancient past.
If our thoughts drift toward Atlantis, we may have uplifting images of an advanced culture: vistas of beautiful buildings surrounded by tranquil blue seas, noble and gifted people, and a utopian society. Those of us who believe in reincarnation can almost imagine our lives there.
Plato described Atlantis, including its demise, in his dialogues the Timaeus and the Critias. In them Critias (Plato’s uncle in real life) narrates the story of Atlantis, which was apparently told to the Greek sage Solon by an Egyptian priest some 200 years previous. According to this account, the people of Atlantis, an island located in the Atlantic outside the Straits of Gibraltar, became greedy and corrupt, so the gods destroyed the civilization through a tremendous earthquake that caused the land to sink to the bottom of the sea.
Many historians believe that the story told by Critias, or more accurately by Plato, is merely legend or a fairy tale. Others believe that Plato created the story of Atlantis to illustrate his philosophical perspectives on society and human behavior.
In Theosophical teachings, H.P. Blavatsky indicates that Atlantis (and Lemuria, a continent destroyed even earlier) existed. She writes that Atlantis was not simply one island but “a whole continent.” She says the island of Poseidonis, the last surviving island, was submerged approximately 11,000 years ago (Collected Writings, 5:221, 223). Her descriptions of Atlantis and Lemuria are intermingled with discussions of the evolutionary stages of humanity.
We also find references to Atlantis and Lemuria in the Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett. The Mahatma Koot Hoomi writes, “We affirm that a series of civilizations existed before, as well as after the Glacial Period, that they existed upon various points of the globe, reached the apex of glory and—died.” He also writes:
Our present continents have, like “Lemuria” and “Atlantis,” been several times already submerged and had the time to reappear again, and bear their new groups of mankind and civilization; and . . . at the first great geological upheaval, at the next cataclysm—in the series of periodical cataclysms that occur from the beginning to the end of every Round,—our already autopsized continents will go down, and the Lemurias and Atlantises come up again. (Mahatma Letters, chronological edition, 310–11; emphasis in the original)
These statements give us pause as we consider the millennia that it took for these ancient civilizations to be born, rise to their zenith, and then disappear into the abyss of time. Contemplating these civilizations encourages us to think beyond the accepted limits of history and to question what we have been taught in history classes. It has also provided us with opportunities of dreaming about previous lifetimes in the (relatively) utopian society of Atlantis. But one may sincerely ask: how does consideration of these ancient civilizations help us today? What value is there in looking back through millennia to civilizations that no longer exist?
We may think of this paraphrased quote from philosopher George Santayana: “Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors are destined to repeat them.” Are there lessons to be learned from the tales of Atlantis, Lemuria, and other ancient civilizations? From a Theosophical perspective, there are always things to be learned that help us expand our awareness and our consciousness.
Whether one believes that Atlantis existed and sank because the people who inhabited it became greedy and corrupt is really immaterial. If we perceive it as a modern morality tale, it encourages us to consider the importance of living moral and ethical lives, dedicated to the benefit of humanity. One might assume that we all comprehend the meaning of morality and ethics, but each of us has our own specific understanding of these concepts. What seems to be ethical for one individual is not necessarily perceived as ethical by another.
One example of this can be seen from our spring 2019 Quest issue, dealing with ahimsa. Some say that the only ethical diet is vegan, others say that being vegetarian is an appropriate ethical diet, while still others believe that neither diet is necessary for one to live an ethical life. These are personal decisions based on individual beliefs. From a Theosophical perspective, each one of us must listen to our own inner voice for guidance on morals and ethics.
Therefore, when we contemplate morals and ethics in our lives today, personal questions such as the following may arise: How many of my behaviors/thoughts/feelings today were in alignment with my moral and ethical beliefs? What would I change? How will I change? What will be different tomorrow?
We can also use the morality tale of Atlantis to guide us in our wider perspectives of the world around us. While the Theosophical Society in America will not become politically involved in any way, members of the Society may and do become involved. As individuals who are committed to working for the benefit of humanity, it makes sense that we review our own personal moral and ethical beliefs in light of what is happening in our world. As Theosophists, we can support efforts to expand the consciousness of humanity, to expand the awareness that each of us is an emanation of the Ultimate Reality (regardless of how we name it). Again, these are personal decisions for each of us and must be guided by our own inner voice.
We may also ask what other lessons can be learned by looking back through time. The antiquity of civilizations upon this planet may provide us with additional insight. As quoted above, K.H. indicates that the history of humanity on this planet is far more ancient than modern science believes. The millions of years that the earth requires to move large land masses, including both emergence and submergence, is mind-boggling. According to many modern historians, the oldest fossil of a human being, a jawbone found in Malawi in 1991 is estimated to be 2.3–2.5 million years old. Yet from statements made in the Mahatma Letters, we realize that 2 million years is relatively recent in comparison to the eons required for the earth’s changes and shifts. Interesting, again, but how can this understanding help us in our lives today?
When one considers the number of times we have lived (assuming one believes in reincarnation) and the millennia involved in the succession of those lives, it puts this current incarnation into perspective. So does the recognition of the antiquity of our world and our role in it. How important is one incident—even one that causes tremendous difficulty and suffering—in the overall scope of our many lives and of our spiritual evolution? This perspective can decrease some of our attachments. If we believe that we have lived before and that we will live again, if we believe that our souls have been evolving for millions of years, we may respond differently when a loved one dies. While the personality understandably grieves, there is a realization that the separation is temporary and we will be reunited, as we have been through the millennia.
Going a step further in this line of thinking, let’s play. Imagine yourself living in Atlantis or Mesopotamia or even ancient Greece. You have a nice home. You have a family whom you love dearly. You have work that fulfills you. The sky is a beautiful blue; there are gorgeous trees and plants surrounding you. Life is good.
If this scenario is accurate, at least partially, through the lens of time we realize that none of it exists any longer: the home, the family, the work, even the trees and plants. It may be a shock to suddenly realize that it’s all gone, but do you feel overwhelmed with grief?
Does this exercise help you understand that everything temporal passes into the abyss of time? It is the Ultimate Reality, and our souls as emanations of that Ultimate Reality, that exist eternally. While the ancient family is gone, the souls have not disappeared. Rather, they are likely with us, dwelling in some other physical body today.
This entire viewpoint may sound paradoxical. On the one hand, we talk about living moral and ethical lives today as well as supporting efforts in our communities and nation to increase the awareness of humanity; on the other hand, we talk about the temporal nature of everything except the Ultimate Reality and ourselves as its emanations. Paradoxes can be very uncomfortable, because there is no definitive answer to them, but then many spiritual concepts are shrouded in paradox. Paradoxes provide us with the opportunity to contemplate, listen to our inner voice, and make decisions for ourselves rather than simply following statements made by others. It is in this way that we learn, grow, and expand our consciousness, which then expands the consciousness of all. Contemplating the past can thus provide us with guidance for today.