(Also excerpted, with permission, from Psychologist Scott Mandelker's Newsletter From Elsewhere: The ET Journal, Sept. '95, v1 n1 p.8, see 'Contactee Groups and Newsletters' below.)

I often think about the future. In fact, I probably think about it every day. I have no doubt this is a special time in history, a turning point, a time when multiple forces are converging, clashing, and coming to fruition. It is a time of great individual confusion and soul-searching, along with a growing sense of global community. Of course, sectarian divisions of all kinds are also raging, and many feel their personal liberties under attack. As humanity senses greater solidarity we're also splitting apart at the seams. It is a time of sharpening polarity.

But these comments are not only a matter of social review: there is also a prophetic angle. Two groups of prophets call out in the wilderness: starry-eyed New Agers with dreams of imminent Utopia, and concerned writers and revealers predicting social implosion and Apocalyptic chaos. So what is it, you may ask, "live or die?"

Actually, as I see it, we will be treated to both: a rapid, unexpected collapse of the current civilization followed by a stupendous (and equally enexpected) rebirth, with long-term implications beyond our wildest dreams. Ultimately, I expect wondrous things for Earth and her people, but not until a profound Dark Night of the Soul has shaken humanity to its roots. In the language of stock markets, I think we can look forward to some 'major corrections'--on many levels.

Actually, there's no cause for alarm, since this kind of shake-down may not be such a bad thing after all. Without going into social critique (as this is the ET Journal, not the Wall Street Journal), I can only say that such a crisis is not accidental, it is truly unavoidable. Stated simply:

Humanity on Earth is fully responsible for the misery on Earth, and the root-causes of disharmony and confusion must be 'worked out' in the body and soul of the planet...

Actually, these are not New Age ideas: they come straight from Buddhist and Hindu teachings on the Law of Karma. In this view, all things are causally conditioned, so what happens today is due to previous causes, and present actions sow seeds for the future. If catastrophic Earth Changes devastate the planet, it is no accident: there will be definite causes. Can we be so blind to imagine that centuries of warfare, strife and conflict have no effect on the life of Earth itself?

Unfortunately, current science will also deny responsibility for geologic upheaval. The 'experts' will never calculate the subtle effects of combative human consciousness on the environment, nor tally the not-so-subtle effects of dam-building, oil drilling, strip mining, nuclear testing, deforestation, industrial emmisions, and chemical pollution. Yet humanity has great responsibility for what happens 'on our watch.'

However, the real point is not in assigning blame, but rather how we view such upheaval. In stocks, crash equals correction (not catastrophe), because it restores sanity to a grossly imbalanced, inflated market. For many, this describes our materialistic, image-obsessed, competitive human civilization very well: it is unrealistically overvalued. This is not to deny tremendous advance in many fields; I'm simply pointing to the perilous money-based culture which dominates, captivates global affairs. The subtle effects of this culture are more destructive than most of us imagine.

I can't tell the future, but I'm sure the next 15 years will be full of upheaval. For our own peace of mind as well as Earth's destiny, it is essential to discover the meaning of such changes. I'll be writing more about this in future issues.