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The Master's article for Share International magazine, October 2007

Step by step

by the Master —, through Benjamin Creme, 1 September 2007

From time to time, We, your Elder Brothers, attempt to engage humanity in an understanding of the evolutionary process in which all are immersed, knowingly or not. To this end, We convey to disciples, in whole or in part, that Teaching which We adjudge to be of value, at that particular time, in broadening the minds of men and acquainting them with the knowledge which will lighten their journey.
From now on, while this method of teaching will continue, Maitreya and His Group will involve Themselves more and more directly with the general public. Thus humanity will see more clearly, and appreciate more completely, the connection between the Teaching, more or less esoteric in nature, of the evolutionary process and the circumstances of their lives, from moment to moment. A deeper understanding of the meaning and purpose of their lives, and of the great Laws which govern them, will in this way be established. A great step forward by humanity as a whole can thus be expected.

Discovery

For disciples and initiates, the Teaching will go forward in the usual way: during the hours of sleep, and that conveyed and published through certain disciples. With this exception: since the Masters will work openly, more and more of the Teaching will come directly from Them. This, of course, will speed the process of learning, and shorten the journey for disciples to a significant degree. Furthermore, the presence of the Masters will help to obliterate the gulf which now exists between the disciples and the world of ‘ordinary’ men. More or less all, on one level or another, will be engaged in a conscious journey of discovery and growing awareness of the magnitude of life. Thus will it be. So far, a blueprint, only, exists for this considerable shift in emphasis of the Teaching methods used by Us, but gradually this blueprint will change into a living form from which all will benefit and grow.

Perfection

Maitreya will show men that every step they take to remake their world, and to establish right human relations, is a forward step on their journey to perfection. That the inner step for the disciple must be matched by the outer step of the man not yet engaged in the initiatory process. That all is an interrelated and integrated whole. Step by step, man makes his path at his own pace; step by step, man moves from ignorance to knowledge, from injustice to justice, from slavery to freedom.
In all such endeavours, there will be times when progress seems slow and unlikely; but man will grow in confidence and trust, and learn the method of ‘step by step’. His innate divinity, lost now in materialism and commercialization, will blossom anew under the teaching of Maitreya and His Group. Man will come to know himself as the creative source of all his needs.

(Read more articles by the Master)

Questions & Answers

Q. At the showing of Benjamin Creme’s lecture video in San Francisco on 12 August 2007, it was announced beforehand that Maitreya and the Master Jesus were present in the audience in various guises. Were They there?
A. Yes, Maitreya and the Master Jesus were present (in the form of ‘familiars’) throughout the meeting.

Q. How likely is it that the current volatility in the US and other stock markets will lead to the worldwide stock market crash predicted by Maitreya?
A. What we are witnessing, worldwide, in stock market volatility, is a gradual movement downwards which will culminate in a final crash. The stock markets are prime symbols of the old ways of working financially and economically and have no place in the new era, which is now dawning. They are no more than “gambling casinos” and have outlived their usefulness.

Q. Why does Maitreya think that it is necessary for Him to physically emerge in order to complete the shift in human consciousness?
A. Maitreya has physically returned to the everyday world as part of the similar return which the Hierarchy of Masters are undergoing. It is called the Externalization of the Hierarchy. Over and above that, He has returned in a full, physical sense so that He can do His work as the World Teacher for the Aquarian Age. Were He not in a physical form, He would not gain the attention of countless millions who require someone they can see and hear directly. Even now, many who would gladly believe He is here, and are ready to respond to His Teaching, are hesitant because they cannot see Him. Countless others, in the meantime, chase after Gurus and dubious Avatars, because they have to see a physical person to relate to.

Q. It is 10 years since Princess Diana died and 10 years since Maitreya overshadowed vast numbers of people on the occasion of her funeral. Did Maitreya overshadow large numbers of people again when the anniversary of the Princess’s death was marked?
A. It is not that Maitreya ‘overshadowed’ vast numbers of people but released His energy in great potency which was responded to by vast numbers. In the ten years which have passed there has been a marked loss of interest in Princess Diana by the general public. There was a well-attended Memorial Service for her at the Guards’ Chapel at the Wellington Barracks in London on 31 August when those taking part were again blessed by Maitreya’s energies.

Q. If the US and other forces were to ask for advice from Hierarchy, what advice and solutions to the terrible mess of Afghanistan and Iraq would they receive?
A. To admit the wrong committed by the invasions and to pour the necessary monies and all other resources to restore these countries to peace and calm. To hold an international UN-led inquiry into the best way to begin and complete this restoration and to avow no further incursions of a like kind anywhere in the world.

Q. While working in London’s Middlesex Hospital cancer ward I heard many stories of the ‘woman in white’ sitting on patients’ beds and giving them a cup of tea just before they died. At the time we all thought she must be a ghost, but now I’m wondering if she was a Master?
A. Yes, the ‘woman in white’ was the Master Jesus.

Q. Children are getting caught up in murder and violent crime on Britain’s streets – why? What has gone wrong? What can be done to tackle the causes?
A. This sad situation is not exclusive to Britain but is becoming more and more evident throughout the developed world. Through the “blind following of market forces” the politicians of the Western world have created a split society where the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. This is very clearly the case in Britain, as in America and other ‘successful’ countries. These violent crimes take place primarily in the poorest areas of inner cities where children and teenagers are neglected, have no facilities for organized group play and sport, and often little or no parental guidance. They have no sense of being wanted, are alienated and at war with themselves and with the society of which they are a part. Their only family or group are the street gangs which inevitably take the place of their own. They feel that life has no meaning or hope for them and turn to violence to give it meaning. At the same time the newspapers are filled with the reports of record ‘bonuses’ for the heads of companies who have steered these companies to huge profits. These bonuses can be as much as £20 million a year. Is it any wonder that these children feel deprived and seek revenge?

(More questions and answers)

Letters to the editor

Over a number of years, some of the Masters, in particular Maitreya and the Master Jesus, have appeared at Benjamin Creme’s lectures and Transmission Meditations. They also appear, in different guises, to large numbers of people around the world. Some of these recount their experiences to Share International magazine. If the experiences are authenticated by Benjamin Creme’s Master, the letters are published. These experiences are given to inspire, to guide or teach, often to heal and uplift. Very often, too, they draw attention to, or comment on, in an amusing way, some fixed intolerance to, for example, smoking or drinking. Many times the Masters act as saving ‘angels’ in accidents, during wartime, earthquakes and other disasters. They use a ‘familiar’, a thoughtform, who seems totally real, and through whom the Master’s thoughts can be expressed: They can appear as a man, a woman, a child, at will. Occasionally They use the ‘blueprint’ of a real person, but in most cases the ‘familiar’ is an entirely new creation. The following letters are examples of this means of communication by the Masters. Please note: In the absence of any indication to the contrary, the editors will assume that your name may be printed. Unless requested otherwise, some of these letters may be reproduced on the Share-International.org website. Only initials, town and country will be used.

Serenade

Dear Editor,
In the winter of 1998/99 after Transmission Meditation I was sitting with two members of our group watching people in the train. When I saw all their gold chains, listened to their conversations about how much their cars cost and what horsepower they were, smelled their strong perfume which assaulted my senses, I was overcome by deep sorrow and doubts about Maitreya’s mission. I thought that when Maitreya appears openly only a fraction of the people will really understand and believe in Him; what an enormous task Maitreya has to inspire humanity about what sharing means. I got into a totally negative mood.
When the two other group members left the train two men with guitars came in. One was rather tall and had to bend down a little in the train and the other was much smaller and was of Asian appearance. They started to sing: “I see trees of green, red roses too, I see them blue, for me and you, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” (A Louis Armstrong song.) Suddenly my negative mood was swept away. I smiled all over my face and wondered if these two men were Maitreya and the Master Jesus. At the same moment it occurred to me that I should have got off the train with the other two members, and now needed to take a detour. I got out at the next station and the smaller of the two singers looked at me with eyes so full of love that I couldn’t take my eyes from his until the train left. I jumped down the stairs to take another train home and was happy. Were these two men Maitreya and the Master Jesus?
D. C., Berlin, Germany.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the tall man was Maitreya and the other man was the Master Jesus.)

Divine call

Dear Editor,
In the fall of 1998 I travelled to New York with a few co-workers to attend Benjamin Creme’s lecture and meditations. We were walking through Grand Central Station at a very busy time of day. I was walking ahead of my co-workers and got slightly separated from them in the fast-moving crowd. They were calling me but I did not hear them. Instead, I heard a man behind me call out my name. I turned around and he was looking directly at me and made a gesture with his hand for me to look back to where my co-workers were. I only saw the man for a brief moment, but he looked like Benjamin Creme with dark hair. Later, I wondered if my co-workers were calling my name from behind him, but there was a large number of people in front of him, so how could he have known which person they were calling to? I wondered if the man could have been a Master who was looking after me?
G.B., Boulder, Colorado, USA.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the man was Maitreya.)

Solace

Dear Editor,
Three years ago my husband was very ill in hospital in Malaga. I stayed with him day and night and I placed a picture of Sai Baba with a candle in front of it, beside his bed. On 3 May 1997 at 5.30am something woke me. I went to my husband and kissed him and in this moment he passed away. The picture of Sai Baba caught my eye and I saw it was crying. When I saw the tears I knew my husband had left us. I am still so deeply moved and cannot get over this: not over the pain that my husband had to leave us and not over the tears on the picture. Could I take consolation that my husband had help on his last journey? He believed so much in Sai Baba. Was he there to help him, or maybe the Master Jesus or Maitreya?
W.E. J., Malaga, Spain.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that her husband was helped by Sai Baba.)

Star turn

Dear Editor,
It was in the late Seventies, when we were living in Bronxville, NY. One afternoon, after school, I left my children at a YMCA swimming class in Yonkers. I came out of the building and was trying to cross the road at the intersection just in front. As I stepped out into the street, I saw an ‘outstanding’ black man, well-built, tall, about thirty, coming towards me diagonally crossing the intersection. I had the impression that he was approaching me. As I expected, he came right up to me and gave me a big grin as if just to show off his teeth. On one of his front teeth was a brilliant gold inlay in the shape of a star. Proudly he showed it, turned around without saying a word, and went away.
I was taken aback, not knowing what to think, but the man was certainly in a jolly mood and looked as if he enjoyed life – so much so that he had a gold star on his tooth. He was dressed in fashionable clothes, all in black, but he looked very different from the norm – pleasant and attractive.
As I walked to my car and drove away, I could not help chuckling, and even laughing, to myself. It was a funny thing indeed, to have such an ostentatious star on a front tooth. I was uplifted from my worries and also from my conservative, conventionally conditioned mindset.
(A star had a special meaning to me, because of my maiden family name and also a childhood experience of a star twinkling twice, instantly expelling my worries over classroom disputes.)
Was this man someone special?
T. I., Tokyo, Japan.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the man was Maitreya.)

Holiday lights

Dear Editor,
While I was on holiday in the South of France, near Mont Ventoux, I saw two unusually bright lights in the sky on Friday 27 July 2007, at about 10.30 in the evening.
One of the lights danced up and down, and then disappeared quickly behind the trees in our campsite. The second light moved pretty fast in a straight line in a south-easterly direction.
Is it possible that I might have seen two UFOs?
E.H., Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the “bright lights” were indeed spacecraft, from the planet Mars.)

UFOs over Berlin

Dear Editor,
On 31 August 2007, just after we left our Transmission Meditation in Berlin at about 11pm, two members of our group and I saw nearly 20 orange objects flying for 15 minutes over our heads. They had glowing lights as if a fire was burning inside them. They came in a formation, one after the other, in groups of 2, 3 and 4. As they moved, they were clearly seen by many other people in the street, right over the Potsdamer Platz and the Regierungsviertel. Was this UFO activity, and was there a special purpose behind this impressive demonstration?
T. W., Berlin, Germany.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the sightings were space vehicles from the planet Mars. It was part of the “Gathering of the Forces of Light”. See the Master’s article in Share International, March 2007)

Signs of the time

Mountain vision of Buddha

Tourists visiting Zushan Mountain in Qinhuangdao, in China’s northern Heibei Province, witnessed a human-shaped shadow surrounded by a rainbow halo, which lasted for more than an hour. Many of those who observed the phenomenon, which occurred after heavy rainfall on 1 July 2007, believed it to be a vision of the Buddha. (Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the image of the Buddha was manifested by Maitreya.) 

Weeping icons in Russia

Russia’s icons are weeping. It would appear that there are not one or two crying religious symbols but thousands throughout the country – and they are said to be weeping profusely. Holy images in St. Petersburg, Sarov, Ekaterinburg, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Solovki and Sochi are amazing parishioners and priests as they weep perfumed oil, human tears, a white oily substance and a liquid which resembles honey.
In the town of Sochi a regional museum displayed a collection of holy paintings from the 17th to the 19th century. A day after the exhibition opened to the public, ten icons began to exude a white oily, slightly resinous-smelling liquid. Witnesses reported seeing puddles of the oily liquid forming under each icon.
In a church in the village of Rogovatoe, near Belgorod, a whole series of icons of imperial martyrs started crying. All the icons in the church were kept behind glass. It was first assumed that the liquid might be moisture on the glass but this was quickly disproved. All the attempts to remove the moisture using cotton wool failed – the beads of oil simply continued to form.
School teacher Valentina Zhuchkova has icons in her apartment in Klin which have been exuding a liquid similar to honey, at first on the figures of martyrs, but later on other icons. Experts were called in to analyze the liquid and took samples from different icons. A chemical evaluation and a spectro-chemical test were carried out in a forensic laboratory in the regional capital. It was established that the holy oil was made up of more than one substance. The thinner liquids were similar to normal human tears; the thicker ones resembled olive oil.
Pavel Florenskiy, head of a special commission supported by the Moscow Patriarchy studying miracles in churches, said: “The phenomenon of crying icons is known to us all the way back to Ancient Greek manuscripts. However for a long time there was no agreement between science and religion. Nowadays the deep-rooted antagonism is changing, thanks to constructive dialogue.”
A number of other imaginative tests were carried out by scientists from Florenskiy’s commission. In one test the scientists set up an experiment to test the effect of the miraculous icons. Ordinary grains of cereal were used; a few grams of grain were placed in paper bags. Some bags were kept aside as a control while others were placed next to the weeping icons. The seeds were left to germinate. The result? The seeds exposed to ‘iconotherapy’ could be distinguished by their increased germinating capacity and more rapid growth.
(Source: www.english.pravda.ru)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the Master Who was the Madonna, and other Masters, including the Master Charbel, are responsible  for the miracles surrounding the Russian icons.)

British secret UFO files revealed

The British Ministry of Defence (MOD) has published further witness reports of UFOs after receiving numerous requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Previously, classified records were not released for 30 years. The MOD recently released details of sightings since 1998 and will publish 24 further documents dating back to 1967. In 2006 they received 97 reports of UFO sightings and 128 the previous year. The 2006 sightings included glowing lights seen in formation in White Roding, Essex, a bright disc hanging over Newquay, Cornwall, four golden spheres over West Kilbride, Ayrshire, and a mother ship and two smaller orbs moving around it over Barlaston, Staffordshire. The MOD received reports of eight UFO sightings in and around Plymouth, Devon, since 1998, including a huge shimmering ball of orange fire flying eastwards in March 2006, 50 objects in line formation in October 2001 and three 100ft sphere-shaped white objects reported over Gulworthy, Devon. (Source: Daily Mail, The Herald, Plymouth, UK)

France opens up UFO files

France has become the first country to give unrestricted public access to its records on reports of ‘UFOs’. The national space agency’s entire archive of 1,600 entries, spanning 50 years, has been posted online and will be updated constantly.
The reports are catalogued in minute detail and include all sightings received since 1954. According to aeronautical engineer Jacques Patenet, head of the office responsible for the study of UFO reports, 28 per cent of the entries are classified as ‘Class D aerospace phenomona’, signifying that “despite good or very good data and credible witnesses, we are confronted with something we can’t explain”. The aim was to make it easier for scientists and other UFO buffs to access the data for research. “We also want to send a message to more scientists, inviting them to help us analyse these phenomena, when otherwise they might feel uneasy about these issues,” he said.
“The French have done the right thing,” said Roy Lake, chairman of London UFO Studies, who believes access to UFO information should be freely available. “Until now governments haven’t wanted to be open about UFO sightings because they don’t want to admit they can’t do anything about them – that they’re as helpless as the rest of us.”
(Source: space.newscientist.com; MSNBC, USA; The Guardian, UK)

UFO activity increases

UFOs over Dulwich – South Londoners phoned in to BBC’s Radio Five Live on 4 August 2007 about mysterious orange lights in the night sky above East Dulwich. According to a local press report, lawyer Richard Pringle and his flatmate were walking home at 11.30pm when they spotted a row of four lights rising up from the horizon near the Crystal Palace masts and over Dulwich Village. Two more chains of four lights followed. They were about 15,000 feet up and gave out a “constant orange glow”. “There is no way you would have normal planes flying like that,” he said. (Source: BBC.co.uk; icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that these were spacecraft from Mars.)

Multiple UFO sightings in the Netherlands

The residents of the province of Groningen, the Netherlands, must be wondering why they appear to have been singled out for so many sightings of UFOs in recent months.
The sightings are all registered by Anton Teuben from Niburu, in Zuidlaren, Drenthe, a centre established to record UFO sightings. “There is unbelievably intense UFO activity”, says Teuben. “Entire villages see the mysterious white orbs.”
The following is a selection of some of the sightings in Groningen:
Hoogezand, 4/5 July 2007: “I saw two oval-shaped white balls, darting back and forth in the sky at about 11.30pm. On my way home when I stopped the car in the centre of the moor I saw, at a short distance, the same kind of light balls darting about. It was then 1.30am. I drove on for another 2 km and got out of the car when the ground was lit up. Independently from each other the light balls shot off, zigzagging through the sky, then stood still again in the air and seemed to dissolve.” (Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms they were spaceships from Mars.)
Vinkhuizen, 12 July: “It was 10.15pm and cloudy. We were sitting outside with the neighbours when we saw balls of fire, the size of a football. The fire balls were orange-red. There were six of them. They vanished slowly, came back and vanished again …” (Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms they were spacecraft from Mars.)

New Zealand – UFO experts are studying photographs of a bright object which appeared above the Tasman Sea off Ahipara, North Island, New Zealand, on 28 April 2007.
The digital images were taken at 5.42pm by a photographer who watched the object for nearly five minutes as it moved silently across the sky in a northerly direction, reducing in size before disappearing.
US Navy optical physicist and world UFO expert Dr Bruce Maccabee has been studying the phenomenon with UFO Focus New Zealand. The object, whose circular shape suggests a dome-like top, shows none of the flight characteristics of a ‘craft’ of unknown origin, he said, although it could also be the vapour trail of a jet aircraft viewed end on. According to local air traffic control, however, there were no scheduled flights in the area at the time. (Source: stuff.co.nz)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the bright object was a spacecraft from Mars.)

From our own correspondents

From our own correspondents – excerpts from articles and interviews

The true soul of the United Nations

Interview with Federico Mayor Zaragoza
by Carmen Font (Excerpt)

Professor Federico Mayor Zaragoza (born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1934) is a respected figure in Spain and abroad for his tireless work for peace and development. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Professor Mayor, a biochemist, held several senior ministerial posts in the Spanish transition governments and later as Member of the European Parliament. He gained widespread international recognition as director-general of UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation) from 1987 to 1999, when he gave new momentum to the organization’s mission and worked towards creating its Culture of Peace Program. Following his guidelines, the United Nations General Assembly approved the ‘Declaration and Programme for Action on a Culture of Peace’ (September 1999) which constitutes, from a conceptual and practical standpoint, his highest aspirations.
In 1999, he decided not to run for a third term with UNESCO and, on returning to Spain, created Fundación Cultura de Paz (the Foundation for the Culture of Peace), of which he is chairman, and its sister organization UBUNTU (the World Forum of Civil Society Networks). The name UBUNTU is “an age-old African term for humaneness – for caring, sharing and being in harmony with all of creation. As an ideal, it promotes co-operation between individuals, cultures and nations”.
Carmen Font interviewed Professor Mayor for Share International.

Share International: As a staunch defender of the United Nations, what, in your opinion, is the root of its alleged malfunction?
Federico Mayor: I believe the United Nations has been gradually weakened since the end of the Cold War, despite the fact that important initiatives have been passed recently. In 1954, UN officials realized that the world needed to share its resources better, and that it was unfair that some countries were so poor and others so wealthy. Back then, the first most important programme was created: the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Suddenly, the international community realized that sharing was the key. And what’s the best course of action for sharing? Development.
Then came a long debate over how to develop all countries to the same level, and whether political, educational and cultural developments were necessary for economic development. This is what we now call ‘integral development’. But then another notion emerged which is even more important: ‘endogenous development’, helping countries to help themselves. This is ‘capacity building’, but at present we are not doing this at all; if we were, every rich country would give 0.7 per cent of its GDP [Gross Domestic Product].
A third big step in the field of development came with the notion of ‘sustainability’. Gro Harlem Brundtland was the first to say that development is useless if we exhaust natural resources. Therefore, every resource we use must be replenished in equal proportion. It goes without saying that we are not taking any of these three basic and commonsense steps in development. We are not bringing about development with a human face, despite the fact that we publish a colourful Human Development Report once a year.

SI: What would be the first step towards the implementation of real development with a human face?
FM: First and foremost, we need to get rid of loans. Since the ending of the Cold War, nations have replaced the 0.7 per cent of GDP donations with loans with very harsh conditions. These loans force a cut in the number of the so-called “effectives” – teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers – and most of the money goes to infrastructure built by donor countries, since the recipients have no means to invest in training their own engineers. So these loans are sheer business and the United Nations, with its mandate to build peace through development, is a reluctant participant. This approach fosters a system of deeply indebted countries, where the flow of aid is inverted so that recipients pay more than they receive. As a result, poor countries are financing wealthy ones. This is utterly shameful.
So, gradually since the end of the Cold War, the United Nations has been eroded because it has been forced to divert from its essential core work – peace through justice, meaning real sharing, co-operation, development, health, housing and education. We all know this, but there is a big gap between what we know intellectually and what we are willing to do.

SI: One constant criticism of the UN is that it lacks political power. How do you react to this?
FM: The United Nations has political power, but it is not allowed to use it. There are several problems which prevent full political action. First of all, there are two or three countries which, by dint of their economic power, are able to withhold their contributions (remember that the US owes billions of dollars); they have also raised their position to being the virtual rulers of the UN. They do not abide by the Security Council resolutions or by the judgements of the International Court of Justice. This fosters a negligent attitude within the UN system which permeates all its departments. Many officials and employees feel discouraged and betrayed, and therefore the quality of their work and commitment is lessened.
It is true that the UN system has been under deliberate constant attack in order to distract it from its core work. As we know, people can die for an ideal, but if the ideal is valid, it can never die. This is what happens within the UN system. Some governments and leaders have tried to weaken the UN by forcing it to do things which are not part of our brief. But we have not yet lost our moral integrity.
……
When politicians understand that the creation of peace involves prevention of conflict, and ‘peace building’, then the true soul of the United Nations system will come to the fore. We must prevent conflict by creating economic conditions that allow poor countries to gain emancipation and self-esteem. Of course, there will always be crazy groups resorting to terrorism and violent nationalism, but the UN has global security mechanisms (like its Nuclear Energy departments) to avert dangerous actions. It is not the role of the US or any other country to engage in unilateral actions under the pretext of preventing terrorism. We need more wisdom and less retaliation….

The real wealth of nations

Interview with Riane Eisler
by Cher Gilmore (Excerpt)

Riane Eisler is president of the Center for Partnership Studies, based in the USA, and the author of 11 books, including The Chalice and the Blade, and her latest, The Real Wealth of Nations. Eisler identifies two basic, and opposing, patterns of social organization, ‘domination’ and ‘partnership’, which she uses to analyse world problems. Cher Gilmore interviewed her for Share International.

Share International: You trace most of our social problems to the ‘domination’ model of social organization, as opposed to the ‘partnership’ model. Could you explain this theory?
Riane Eisler: I found in my research that the old social categories that we’re so used to – religious versus secular, capitalist versus socialist, technologically developed or not so developed – weren’t useful to answer the paramount question for our species: what kinds of institutions and what belief systems support the kinds of relations that we want and need – relations of mutual respect, accountability and caring, concern for future generations. We need new categories to answer that question, and identifying these categories came out of cross-cultural and historical research that revealed patterns. I called one configuration the ‘domination’ system and the other configuration the ‘partnership’ system.
In the domination system, all the institutions (from the family, religion, education, to politics and economics) and the values and belief systems support top-down rankings – be it man over woman, man over man, religion over religion, nation over nation, or man over nature. In rigidly male-dominated families, for example, men are to be served, women are to serve – hardly a model for economic and social equity. These kinds of families are promoted as the only ‘moral’ ones in societies where there is also top-down rule in the state or tribe. If we’re going to deal with our pressing human and environmental issues, we have to recognize that they stem from our dominator heritage, and not from ‘human nature’.

SI: When and how did we start down the domination rather than the partnership path?
RE: It’s an interesting question and one that I tried to answer in The Chalice and the Blade. You cannot reconstruct an adequate story of cultural origin without getting out of the dominator mindset, in which you keep seeing the same old story – man the hunter, warrior, chieftain. The story that began to emerge by using a much larger database – that included both female and male halves of humanity – to re-examine mythical and archeological data, was very different. It showed that in the more fertile areas of our globe, where the Earth was a good mother, what seems to have emerged in all the centers of civilization are cultures that were moving in a partnership direction. And I emphasize direction, because no society is a complete domination system or a complete partnership system. What you see if you look at Western pre-history (scholars in Asian pre-history found the same pattern) is a beginning with more partnership-oriented cultures, and a shift to domination. That shift seems, at least in the West, to have been connected with incursions of nomadic invaders.

SI: In your new book, you discuss the Nordic nations as examples of societies that are oriented toward the partnership model.
RE: In the beginning of the 20th century, Nordic nations – Finland, Sweden, Norway – were very poor. They started to shift more to the partnership side of the continuum and instituted more caring policies that invested in what economists call ‘high quality human capital’. One reason is that the status of women rose, and as that happens, men no longer find it such a threat to their so-called masculinity to embrace more stereotypically feminine traits or activities. Today these nations not only rate at the top of the United Nations Human Development reports, but at the top of the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness reports. So caring pays. It doesn’t only pay in human and environmental terms, it pays in financial terms….

Compilation

Goodwill – a compilation (Excerpt)

We present a selection of quotations on the theme of Goodwill – from Maitreya (Messages from Maitreya the Christ, and Maitreya’s Teachings – The Laws of Life); Benjamin Creme’s Master (A Master Speaks); and Benjamin Creme’s writings.

My friends, I am here with you to show you the way to Peace, which is the way to God. Simple Justice will take you there. Know this and create around you Justice and Love. Know this and be ready to respond to My lead. My Teaching is, as ever, simple indeed. Men must share or die. Loath am I to say this, but such is the Truth, and many today now see this. Forming themselves into groups, men of goodwill will brandish aloft their hopes and dreams of Justice and Peace. This clamour will light the Torch of Truth among the nations, and at its centre shall I be found. Make way in your hearts for My Truth. Make way in your hearts for My Love. Manifest that Love around you and know the meaning of Life. Create thus the forms which will henceforth allow you to manifest as gods. Do this with Joy, My friends, and enter your heritage. (Maitreya, from Message No. 135)

Under the stimulus of the Christ and the Masters, men will find themselves the recipients of knowledge and insights which will open before their eyes vistas of new being and meaning. Inevitably, as a result, will flow the creation of new forms, new techniques of living and working, new methods of production and new goals and aims by which to measure man’s achievements. An entirely new approach to life will express itself through new relationships and rituals.
At first, the changes will be slow, but, gradually, far-reaching changes will transform the world. Each nation will contribute its special gifts to a new world harmony. Above all, a new spirit of goodwill will motivate men’s actions and lead to the creation of truly lasting peace. Thus will it be. Thus will ‘The Desire of all Nations’ be established in our midst. Thus will the sons of men come to know themselves as Sons of God. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘The new simplicity’, A Master Speaks)

For most people, this is a time of crisis and uncertainty, but behind the apparent chaos is emerging a new pattern, a new way of approach to life, which has in it the seeds of the new age civilization whose keynotes will be co-operation and sharing, tolerance and goodwill. These qualities are already firmly planted in the minds and hearts of millions and will gradually manifest themselves more and more.(Benjamin Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom)

The outstanding attitude of the new time will be the attempt to create right relationships, to express goodwill. A massive shift in emphasis from the individual to the group will reorientate humanity along more fruitful lines, and will reflect itself in the creation of structures more in keeping with the Plan of God. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘The New Civilization’, A Master Speaks)

Teach Sharing

Wherever you look throughout the world the response to My Message can be seen. The Principle of Sharing, basic to men’s lives, engages the minds of the leaders. A growing group of such awakened men sound the keynote of the New Time. Thus gladly do I see the response to My work. My friends, you too can manifest Sharing in your lives; by all means should this Divine Principle govern. Teach Sharing to your children, to the little ones, and enable them to cultivate the Good. My task is to enlighten all men; to change ignorance into true knowledge and faith; to teach men that behind all that they see stands the One Reality, and thus to take them to God. My plan is to include you, My friends, in My work, for to each is given a task to fulfil.
(Maitreya, from Message No. 127)

Maitreya will emphasize the need for goodwill in all relationships. Goodwill is the lowest aspect of the energy of love expressible by the bulk of humanity. Loving in the real sense is very difficult. The expression of goodwill is the next stage on the onward path of evolution which we will achieve. This creates right human relations.
Goodwill is attainable. It is the level of the energy of love that should not be too difficult for humanity to express. In fact, many millions of people do indeed feel and express goodwill. That is not just being nice, tolerant and decent; all of these are the result. Goodwill is an active force. It is the will aspect allied with the love aspect. When the love aspect informs the will aspect, you get goodwill. If you think “good”, meaning love, and “will”, meaning purpose, you get good purpose, loving purpose. That loving purpose has to imbue our lives and create right human relations.
Right human relations will free us from guilt and fear, will share the resources in the world and create peace. Right human relations is a priority of humanity, and Maitreya will make that one of His major concerns. The laws of love mean right relationship. The laws of life mean right thinking, right acting. When you get a combination of right acting, right thinking, and goodwill, you have the kind of free, tolerant, harmless society to which we should be aiming. 
(Benjamin Creme, Maitreya’s Mission Volume Three)

Maitreya will seek to galvanize into action the men and women of goodwill everywhere. Many there are who are but waiting for His call. Thus will be set in motion a great debate in which the basic needs of men everywhere will be examined and appraised. In this way men will come to know and test the possibilities that change can guarantee and so find the courage to begin the needed transformation. Thus will it be, and thus will the Great Lord advise and guide and inaugurate the New Time for men. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘The New Time for men’, A Master Speaks)

Maitreya’s Priorities

US Social Forum: “Another US Is Necessary”

Under the banner “Another World Is Possible, Another US Is Necessary”, the United States Social Forum was held in Atlanta, Georgia, from 27 June-1 July 2007. Over 12,500 attended the event, representing 68 nations and all 50 states of the United States, making it one of the largest working conferences of progressives in US history.
The Forum focused on US and world economic, social and environmental problems, specifically addressing hunger and poverty, housing, education, healthcare, the Iraq war, and peace and justice for the world’s peoples. In workshops, discussions, rallies and cultural events held throughout the five-day event, thousands of community organizers, trade unionists, students, elected officials and representatives of NGOs exchanged information about their respective organizations, offered support for one another, and refined their organizing strategies.
The conference began with a march of 2,000 people through the streets of Atlanta. Civil rights activist Malcolm Lowery, who spoke at the march, said: “Our national dilemma today is not technological retardation but moral deficiency. We have a moral deficiency in establishing priorities when putting our technological advances to work for the common good.” Plenary sessions held each evening reflected a range of issues of particular concern to US activists – Gulf coast reconstruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, militarism and prisons, indigenous voices, immigrant rights, gender and sexuality, and workers’ rights in the global economy.
Volunteers from Share International in Atlanta hosted an information booth, displaying numerous photographs from the back covers of past issues of Share International magazine. The gallery of powerful images reflected the perilous humanitarian conditions experienced by millions of people around the world. Hundreds of visitors stopped at the gallery during the Forum. Many lingered for long periods of time obviously moved by the images.
The conference in Atlanta brought the World Social Forum (WSF) process to the US for the first time. The annual WSF meetings, first held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2001, have also fostered regional forums in Europe and Latin America. The WSF, according to its charter of principles, was created as “an open meeting place for reflective thinking, democratic debate of ideas, formulation of proposals, free exchange of experiences and interlinking for effective action, by groups and movements of civil society that are opposed to neoliberalism and to domination of the world by capital and any form of imperialism, and are committed to building a planetary society directed towards fruitful relationships among Humankind and between it and the Earth”.
According to Ruben Solis, a member of the National Planning Committee of the US Social Forum: “This won’t end in Atlanta. We have the People’s Movement Assembly and other mechanisms to continue to build on the great work we started.” The People’s Movement Assembly was one of many vehicles available to encourage broad participation in the USSF. The Assembly enabled participants to introduce resolutions and ideas for action that could be discussed and implemented after the Forum.
The USSF National Planning Committee announced that it will support the World Social Forum’s Call to Actionon 26 January 2008. This global day of action will feature broad mobilizations throughout the world on issues of peace, justice, and the environment.
“The US Social Forum process did not happen in isolation,” said Michael Leon Guerrero of Grassroots Global Justice and a National Planning Committee member. “We are committed to being full participants in the World Social Forum process. Participating in the Call to Action is an important way to build global solidarity and become that ‘other US’ that will help make another world possible.” The next US Social Forum is scheduled for 2010. (Source: Share International correspondent)

Four million Iraqi refugees

What would it take to drive half of all New Yorkers out of their city, or frighten more than all of the population of Los Angeles out of the area or send double the number of Houston’s population fleeing?
A war perhaps? A war which involves not only military and police forces but which has spawned sectarian violence that claims the lives of sometimes as many as 100 or more civilians every day; which destroys communities, homes, hospitals, schools, shops, markets, places of worship. Or perhaps ongoing conflict and chaos in which not one citizen lives a normal life; where food, water and electricity are all in short or sporadic supply?
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than 4 million Iraqis have fled their homes because of sectarian violence, the largest population movement in the Middle East since Palestinians were forced from their land to make way for the new state of Israel. “An estimated 4.2 million Iraqis have been uprooted from their homes, with the monthly rate of displacement climbing to over 60,000 people compared to 50,000 previously,” said UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis.
A further 2 million Iraqis have been displaced within their own country; half of the internally displaced people were forced to flee their homes following the Samarra bombings (February 2006), now thought to be one of the initial causes behind the ongoing and latest wave of sectarian conflict. Their condition is critical: “Many are barely surviving in makeshift camps, inaccessible to aid workers for security reasons,” Pagonis warned. Sectarian conflict between Shiites and Sunnis is forcing many families to “leave ethnically mixed areas before they are forced to do so”, she added. More than 1.4 million Iraqi refugees have moved to neighbouring Syria and between 500,000 and 750,000 have gone to Jordan, according to the UNHCR.
The UNHCR and UN children’s agency UNICEF are appealing jointly for funds to pay for the education of 155,000 Iraqi refugee children. The agencies have estimated that $129 million would be needed to place the children in schools for the 2007-2008 academic years.
Washington, which led the 2003 war on Iraq, has been criticized for not accepting more Iraqi refugees applying from Syria and Jordan for asylum in third countries. In the first half of 2007 nearly 20,000 Iraqi asylum seekers entered Europe  the same number as received in the whole of 2006.
Jordan says that giving asylum to the refugees costs the country about $1 billion a year. (Source: UNHCR; AFP, France)