When do you think Maitreya will incarnate on Earth? What about the demographic changes and the rise of atheism in the West and fundamentalism all over the world? What will the future of our world look like? What about climate change? Is there any meditation which can give me visions of the future?
—Gopal Pandey, India
Dear Gopal,
I don’t think anyone can answer you with certainty about what will happen in the future.
Anyway, I was in the Himalayas not too long ago and the saints I have met there were convinced that there will be major difficulties on our planet and these difficulties cannot be avoided. What that exactly means, I don’t know. Swami Kriyananda similarly stated often that hard times are heading our way. He too talked about major catastrophic events.
One saint in India told us that this is why great saints are incarnating right now to help our planet. Is Maitreyi among them? I don’t know.
About climate changes: Yogananda spoke about cataclysms to come. It is nature rebelling against our abuse of her. Nature also reacts, he said to mass consciousness. If there is too much aggression, selfishness, negative atheism, violence, etc., nature reacts heavily.
These things, when and if they occur, will be the real demographic changes.
I wouldn’t advise you to meditate to obtain visions of the future. Why? It’s far better to get busy now, preparing yourself inwardly for these possibilities and maybe even outwardly. The best preparation and protection is to meditate regularly to gain inner immortal soul-freedom and to establish a deep contact with God (if you believe in God). No protection is bigger. God protects His devotees. In Him, there is no fear. Then you can truly say with Yogananda: “Whatever comes of itself, let it come.”
In Divine Friendship,
Jayadev
