Atlantis Part 5 (Final) - The Spiritual Warnings of Atlantis

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The story of Atlantis is ultimately much more than the story of a lost civilization. The accounts describe extraordinary technologies, powerful crystals, great temples, advanced knowledge and catastrophic destruction, but beneath all of these is a much simpler spiritual message. Atlantis shows what can happen when humanity develops tremendous knowledge and power without developing the spiritual wisdom necessary to use them properly. The greatest danger was not the power itself. It was what existed within the people who possessed that power.

Again and again, the Atlantis accounts return to the question of motive. Knowledge could be used to heal or to harm, to serve or to control, to unite people or to divide them. The same abilities that could become blessings could also become destructive when directed toward selfish purposes. One reading gives the principle very simply: “Do not make self a part of any that bring curses. Rather those that bring blessings to many.” (240-2)

This helps explain why the struggle between the Law of One and the Sons of Belial was so important. The conflict represented two different ways of using human freedom. The Law of One placed spiritual purpose above personal desire. The Belial influence increasingly placed physical satisfaction, material advantage and self-interest first. The problem was therefore deeper than disagreement between two groups. It was a struggle over the purpose of civilization itself.

The Law of One taught that beneath the apparent differences between people there is one spiritual Source. “All are of one source - One!” (333-2) If humanity truly comes from one Source, then another person's welfare cannot ultimately be separated from our own. Knowledge used to exploit another person therefore works against the very spiritual unity upon which life is founded.

This is why love and service appear so frequently as the answer to the Atlantean problem. “Ever has been, ever will be, the law of One the same.” The practical application of that law was: “Love ye in your daily experience. Apply ye in your daily activities the love that ye would have the Father show thee, in thy relationships to thy fellows.” (497-1) The Law of One was therefore not simply a teaching about the nature of God. It was a teaching about how people should live with one another.

Atlantis demonstrates that spiritual development cannot be measured merely by how much a person knows. A civilization may possess extraordinary knowledge and still become spiritually unbalanced. Poseida had reached a remarkable level of material achievement, yet “the application towards material surmounted that toward the spiritual.” (38-1) Material progress had begun to move ahead of spiritual development.

This may be one of the most important warnings contained in the entire Atlantis story. Technological progress does not automatically produce wisdom. Greater scientific knowledge does not automatically make human beings more compassionate. The ability to manipulate nature does not necessarily mean that humanity understands the purpose for which those abilities should be used.

The danger becomes even greater when spiritual knowledge itself is used selfishly. Some Atlanteans explored “the laws that pertained to spiritual forces for the aggrandizing of selfish motives in material bodies.” (524-1) Spiritual knowledge that should have helped people overcome selfishness was instead being used to strengthen it.

For this reason, one of the most important instructions arising from the Atlantis experiences is simply: “KNOW THYSELF.” (528-14) Before attempting to control tremendous forces outside ourselves, we must understand the forces operating within ourselves. Pride, fear, greed, jealousy, desire for recognition and the wish to control others can distort even abilities that originally developed from good intentions.

The Atlantis accounts make this particularly clear because even followers of the Law of One sometimes failed. One could believe in spiritual ideals and still become involved in “self-indulgences, self-aggrandizements.” (528-14) Simply identifying oneself with the correct spiritual teaching was not enough. The teaching had to become part of one's character and actions.

The real struggle between the Law of One and Belial can therefore be understood as taking place within every individual. One Atlantean was described as being “torn between two opinions,” drawn toward material interests on one side and spiritual ideals on the other (524-1). The story is therefore not merely asking us which ancient Atlantean group we would have joined. It asks which influence we are following in our own choices.

The answer repeatedly given is service. Abilities should become an “aid or service to another rather than to self.” (220-1) Knowledge reaches its highest purpose when it improves the lives of others. Power becomes spiritually constructive when it is used responsibly rather than for personal domination.

This principle applied even to the extraordinary technology of Atlantis. The great crystals, electrical forces, communications and other discoveries were not presented as inherently evil. One account specifically refers to both “destructive forces and constructive forces” within Atlantean technological activity (519-1). The same understanding of nature could therefore produce very different consequences depending upon the intention behind its use.

This means that the central question facing Atlantis was never simply whether humanity should possess powerful technology. The deeper question was whether humanity had become spiritually mature enough to possess it.

One individual who used inventive abilities toward things that “brought bodily destruction” was advised that such abilities needed to be measured by a “spiritually ideal” rather than by material standards (608-7). The ability to create something did not automatically mean that creating it was wise. Human intelligence required a higher standard by which its discoveries could be judged.

The same principle appears in warnings against using spiritual abilities for personal gain. Human activity should remain “in accord with the divine, rather than using the divine for SELFISH motives,” including “fame, fortune, power, or BODILY pleasure.” (115-1) The danger was not merely selfish behaviour in ordinary matters. It was the attempt to use divine or natural powers themselves in the service of the ego.

Eventually the consequences became physical. The misuse of Atlantean knowledge helped unleash forces that the civilization could no longer control. Explosives or other forces “set in motion the fires of the inner portions of the earth.” (621-1) The resulting destruction and inundation were described as being “brought on by the people themselves.” (303-1)

This gives the destruction of Atlantis a deeper spiritual meaning. The civilization was not simply punished from outside. It experienced the consequences of what it had created. Human choices eventually produced conditions that turned against the civilization itself.

Yet the Atlantis story is not entirely a story of failure.

Before the final destruction, some recognized what was happening. Those associated with the Law of One “knew that destruction was nigh” (366-5). They prepared, preserved records and carried teachings into other lands. Even when the physical civilization could no longer be saved, something of its wisdom could still be preserved.

The Law of One survived because its deepest principle did not depend upon Atlantis. The land could disappear, temples could fall and technological achievements could be lost, but the spiritual truth remained. “Ever has been, ever will be, the law of One the same.” (497-1)

This gives the story both a warning and a hope.

The warning is that civilization can become extraordinarily advanced while still losing its spiritual direction. Knowledge can increase while wisdom decreases. Technology can connect people physically while selfishness divides them spiritually. Humanity can learn to control enormous forces without learning to control itself.

The hope is that humanity can choose differently.

The lessons repeatedly point toward a different use of human ability: less self, more service; less domination, more cooperation; less concern with personal power, more concern with what brings blessings to others.

One Atlantean who remained faithful while powerful technologies were being misused regarded those abilities as “a duty of love and of service for its fellow man.” (813-1) That statement may contain the answer to the entire Atlantis problem.

Power should become service.

Knowledge should become wisdom.

Ability should become responsibility.

And spiritual understanding should become love expressed in everyday life.

The story of Atlantis therefore asks humanity a question that remains relevant whenever knowledge increases: Will greater power make us greater servants of one another, or will it simply give greater power to our selfish desires?

Atlantis chose both paths, and the conflict between them eventually tore the civilization apart.

Its greatest lesson is therefore not found beneath the ocean or in the search for ruins. It is found within ourselves.

“KNOW THYSELF.” (528-14)

For if humanity can understand and master the selfish forces within itself, then knowledge can become constructive rather than destructive. The abilities of civilization can become instruments of healing rather than domination, and progress can serve humanity rather than control it.

In this sense, Atlantis is not simply a story about the past.

It is a warning about the responsibility that always accompanies human power, and a reminder that the true measure of an advanced civilization is not what it is capable of doing, but how wisely and lovingly it chooses to use what it knows.

Atlantis Part 4 - The Destruction of Atlantis and the Great Exodus

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The destruction of Atlantis is not presented as one sudden catastrophe in which an entire continent simply disappeared overnight. Instead, the accounts describe a long period of upheaval involving several stages of destruction, separation and migration. There are references to a first destruction, a second period of upheaval and finally a third destruction. One account specifically places an individual “before the third destruction” (339-1), while another speaks of conditions “before the second of the turmoils that separated the islands or broke up the land into islands” (390-2). Atlantis therefore appears to have gradually changed from a great landmass into separate islands before the remaining centres were finally destroyed.

The first destruction was closely connected with the dangerous use of the forces that Atlantean science had discovered. The accounts speak of people preparing “explosives, or those things that set in motion the fires of the inner portions of the earth.” These forces became destructive, apparently without everyone involved fully understanding what they were unleashing (621-1). This connects directly with the technology described earlier: humanity had discovered how to reach into powerful natural forces, but the consequences of manipulating them were greater than expected.

The destruction was therefore not portrayed simply as an unavoidable natural disaster. Human activity was deeply involved. One account describes the destruction coming through “the inundations of the lands,” and then makes the striking statement that these were “brought on by the people themselves.” (303-1) Atlantis had reached a point where the misuse of human knowledge could affect the physical environment on a tremendous scale.

The spiritual conflict within Atlantis also contributed to this destruction. The accounts repeatedly connect the destructive period with the struggle between the Law of One and the Sons of Belial. There were “destructive forces being sent out and used by the sons of Belial,” and some of these forces had previously been applied for other purposes before being turned destructively (587-3). What had once been knowledge capable of helping civilization was increasingly becoming an instrument of conflict.

Yet the consequences did not fall only upon those responsible. The destruction affected everyone. One account describes “the second of the destructive forces” as bringing destruction upon both “those of the ONE FAITH and those of Baalilal.” The physical consequences of the misuse of natural forces did not distinguish between spiritual groups. Once those forces had been released, the whole civilization suffered.

The readings also describe the second period as a time when the land itself became increasingly fragmented. One account refers to “the second upheavals” occurring before “the lands were divided into the isles” (444-1). Another describes “the second breaking up, when the islands - or Poseida - became the main portion of the activities.” (958-3) Atlantis therefore seems to have survived its earlier catastrophes, but in a greatly reduced and divided form.

Poseidia became particularly important during this later period. It appears repeatedly as one of the principal remaining centres of Atlantean civilization. Life continued there after earlier upheavals, along with temples, rulers, technology and the conflict between the Law of One and the Belial influence. The civilization had survived the warnings of the earlier catastrophes, yet the deeper problems that had produced them had not completely disappeared.

This is perhaps one of the saddest aspects of the Atlantis story. The first destruction did not completely end the civilization. Humanity was given another opportunity. Yet the same struggles over power, self-indulgence and the proper use of knowledge continued.

There were, however, people who recognized what was happening. The final destruction was apparently not entirely unexpected. Leaders, teachers and ministers associated with the Law of One received warnings, and preparations began among those “who knew that destruction was nigh.” (366-5)

Other accounts use similarly urgent language. Those of the Law of One saw that destructive influences “must shatter, must destroy the land, the peoples.” (832-1) The coming catastrophe was therefore understood by at least some groups before the final events occurred.

This knowledge led to preparations for a great migration. People began leaving Atlantis while escape was still possible. Some possessed advanced craft and knowledge that enabled them to travel considerable distances. During the period when “calamitous activities were imminent,” preparations were made for escape to the Pyrenees, Yucatan and Egypt (815-2).

At a later stage, the situation became even more urgent. One account says that when “the breaking up of the isles” was taking place, instructions had been given that “those who would or were to be saved must journey forth to the various centers.” (621-1) Some of these refugees first travelled to the Pyrenees and later became involved with activities in Egypt.

Egypt became one of the most important destinations. During “the breaking up of that land now known as the Atlantean,” people journeyed from Poseidia and Atlantis into Egypt (615-1). A leader associated with the Law of One gathered and protected “those records of the Atlanteans” concerning their knowledge of the unseen forces and their application to material life (615-1).

This preservation of knowledge appears to have been deliberate. Those fleeing Atlantis were not simply attempting to save themselves. Some were trying to save the accumulated wisdom and records of their civilization. Followers of the Law of One joined those travelling to Egypt “for the aiding of preserving the records of those lands.” (640-1)

Thus, while Atlantis itself was being destroyed, an effort was being made to prevent everything that had been learned there from disappearing with it.

Some refugees did not travel directly to Egypt. One group “set sail for the Egyptian land” but instead entered the Pyrenees and regions identified with present-day Portuguese, French and Spanish lands (315-4). There they attempted to establish temple activities connected with the Law of One before later associations developed with Egypt.

Other Atlanteans travelled westward toward the Americas. Yucatan appears repeatedly as an important destination. One account simply describes “sojourners from Atlantis who came to what is now known as Yucatan” and participated in temple worship there (314-1). Another describes people gathering knowledge of the destructive forces that were soon to come and then journeying to “the central portion of America, or Yucatan.” (568-1)

The migrations extended even farther into Central and South America. After the first breaking up, some Atlanteans travelled to the “Incal land,” and from there connections were later established with Yucatan and Central America (832-1). Another account describes members of the Law of One preparing to become emissaries or sojourners in “the Incal land, or the Peruvian land,” and later travelling into Central America where they helped establish teachings and forms of worship (832-1).

The destruction of Atlantis therefore becomes not only a story of disappearance but also a story of dispersion. Its people and traditions were scattered into different parts of the world. The accounts connect Atlantean refugees with Egypt, the Pyrenees and parts of Europe, Yucatan, Central America and the regions associated with the Inca. One account summarizes the movement particularly clearly by describing escape to “the Pyrenees,” “Yucatan,” and “the Egyptian land,” while connecting these migrations with later influences associated with the Aztecs, Egypt and the Incal peoples (815-2).

The refugees apparently carried more than memories. They carried spiritual teachings, technological knowledge, records, healing methods and an understanding of natural forces. One Atlantean group entering Egypt brought knowledge described as “electron music,” in which colour, vibration and sound could influence human emotions and physical conditions (824-1). The migration therefore becomes one explanation within the readings for why similar ideas and traditions might later appear in civilizations separated by great distances.

The final disappearance of Atlantis was thus the end of the civilization as a unified centre, but not necessarily the end of Atlantean influence. Its survivors became teachers, priests, leaders, healers, builders and keepers of records in other lands. Some attempted to preserve the Law of One. Others carried technological or cultural knowledge. The civilization disappeared, but parts of its heritage continued through the people who escaped.

Yet the deepest meaning of the destruction is not simply geographical. Atlantis had been given extraordinary knowledge and tremendous power. That knowledge could heal, communicate, transport and build. But when the same powers became entangled with selfishness, conflict and domination, they became destructive. Eventually the forces released were powerful enough to affect the earth itself.

The tragedy is made greater by the fact that warnings had been given. Some understood that “destruction was nigh” (366-5). Others recognized that the destructive influences would “shatter” the land and its people (832-1). Some listened and prepared. Others continued along the same path.

The destruction of Atlantis therefore becomes the final consequence of the lesson that has been developing through the first three parts of the story. Knowledge without wisdom becomes dangerous. Power without spiritual responsibility becomes destructive. And a civilization cannot indefinitely misuse the forces of nature without eventually experiencing the consequences.

Yet even within destruction there was preservation. Those who escaped carried records, teachings and knowledge into other lands. The Law of One survived the land that had once taught it. The physical civilization disappeared, but its spiritual lesson remained.

Atlantis therefore leaves humanity with both a warning and a hope.

The warning is that civilization can become technologically brilliant while spiritually losing its direction.

The hope is that even after failure, truth can be preserved, carried forward and applied again.

The land was broken apart, its people scattered and its great centres destroyed, but according to the readings, the story of Atlantis did not end beneath the waters. It continued through the civilizations and peoples who received those who escaped.