According to Swami Sri Yukteswar, we are only approximately three hundred years out of the kali yuga (the dark ages) and still a very long way from the satya yuga (the golden age, in which an abundance of spiritual light will be available to the minds and hearts of humankind). What this means on a practical level is that there is an intense battle underway between the forces of darkness and light, good and evil, unity and division. We see this battle in politics, religion, science, economics, and in every sphere of human activity. We should not expect it to be otherwise! Our job is to avoid getting caught up in the forces of darkness. They are easy to recognize because they ignore the natural order (the transhuman movement is an example); deny the existence of spiritual realities (Yogananda referred to this as materialism); disaffirm truth (everything is a social construct); judge people’s failures without mercy (the cancel culture); and thrive on the will-to-power (denying the dignity of each and every human being). Most importantly, it is necessary to align ourselves with God’s light and love. Just as God’s grace guided and protected the archetypal figure of Noah during the great flood of chaos that prevailed during his lifetime, so will God’s grace guide and protect us through today’s flood of chaos. Meditate on Sri Yukteswar”s enlightened words: “No man can overcome this influence except him who, blessed with pure love, becomes divine by being baptized in the great stream of Pranava (God’s Spirit).”

Divine Mother
I rely on your grace
To protect me from 
The forces of darkness.