That certain myths endure – appear in children’s books or popular culture, in magazines and religious texts – says something in and of itself. The ‘myth’ of Atlantis, the great flood that ended a civilisation and lead to the dispersion of some of its people to other lands – including New Zealand where one group of these migrants flourished – is a case in point.

 

Many know of Atlantis indirectly, as the biblical story of Noah's ark. Children of the 70s might recall ‘The Man from Atlantis’ on after-school TV, or perhaps it was the subject of an intriguing story book. Others still might be avid readers of geographic magazines, which continue to speculate as to the existence and location of this buried land. Similar themes of natural disasters, or perhaps even alien or man-made events, wiping out swathes of humanity leaving those who survive to re-establish, abound in movies and other forms of entertainment. Perhaps even our fascination with global warming and its associated effects is another, modern-day reflection of our preoccupation with this theme.

 

But is this a story whose message has been forgotten, or reduced? Is the real reason Atlantis has captured our collective imaginations for so long and across cultures because it strikes a chord deep within us? A place within us that, despite any rational objections we might raise, recognises a fundamental truth – one that is for all (universal) and still needing to be heard (timeless)? Is it possible that the reason this story stays alive is because we have not yet heeded its call?

 

The story of Atlantis has been reduced to that of a continent buried beneath the sea and of lost treasures, of something mystical and perhaps not quite real. Yet the real message was of a civilisation gone awry, one in which separation between people was allowed to flourish; in which peoples of one skin colour considered themselves superior to those of another; where it was thought what I do was more important than who I am and, more critically, more important than who we all are. 

 

In other words, life in Atlantis was not lived from the inner heart, from the place where all are equal. Some were ‘better’ than others, considering themselves the master race with dominion over those who were lesser. 

 

Does this sound familiar? Yes, it was a consciousness of supremacy and separation that, despite our given opportunity to start again after the great flood, has re-inserted itself into the minds of men once more.

 

The outplays of this erroneous and devastating consciousness shaped, and continues to shape – over and again in cyclical monotony – the history of mankind. It finds expression in war, racism, anti-multiculturalism, genocide, nationalism, hate speech, violent extremism of all kinds and more: we have seen it most recently take form in the Christchurch massacre.

 

We see also the uniquely calibrated offerings nature makes to off-set these imbalances in the form of the many extreme weather events that take place. We are seeing these escalate and wonder why or blame climate change – another expression of man’s disregard – without acknowledging that these events are as extreme as the vibrations we emit.

 

If we chose to see all of these events for what they truly are – as the outplay of behaviours that continue to decimate and divide, or as the result of the offered planetary correction – we might take serious steps to address this egregious imbalance; with no need for more war, more hatred, more separation and division; with no need to trigger another Atlantis, another environmental ‘stop’ moment.

 

Yet lest we think these expressions of war, racism, anti-multiculturalism, genocide, nationalism, hate speech and violent extremism and more have little to do with us, it is time to think again.

 

It is time for each of us to examine all the ways in which we contribute to this very dirty pool of collective consciousness. What secret beliefs about another or others do we hold? What hidden biases direct our thoughts and influence our speech – and in ways we are not even aware of; that make themselves known by our very movements?

 

Rather than waiting and hoping for politicians or the system or an institution or someone else to change the ills we see, better we dig deep into ourselves and uncover what lies beneath. What thoughts, ideals, beliefs and consciousness have we accepted and live out day-to-day? How much of our hidden selves have we excavated? How many of our hurts – the openings that allow such beliefs to take hold – have we examined, understood and healed? How open are we to an inner-heart-directed life, in which no one is better or less than another; where true love, understanding and lack of judgement prevail? To living the harmony and universality with which we are naturally imbued?

 

We can no longer simply point the finger at a person or group and say it is ‘all out there’. The consciousness of Atlantis is no myth. It is something that takes root in us one individual at a time. To usher in a new consciousness, a new era, a new way of being, a new kind of history, we must each take responsibility for ourselves and our contribution to this current momentum of superiority and supremacy, and reverse out of it with a steady love, purpose and dedication, one person at a time.

 

There is no master race, there is only the human race – and it begins or ends with us.