During the Middle Ages human creativity was at a low ebb. Neither Church not State did little to encourage it, realizing that such creativity might challenge their own power. But the human creative spirit cannot be bound forever. Man was conceived as a creative co-worker of God, and the spirit of creativity within him will always surface in time, unless he destroys it by his own ignoble abuses of its substance.

As we know, light did penetrate the Darkness of the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance was born. With this change in the affairs of men came an abundance of creativity the like of which was not seen before or since. It was as if the long-suppressed creativity in man had suddenly burst its restraints and exploded, enriching the worlds of science, music, art, philosophy, invention, and every field of endeavor that excites man's creative fancy. The results of this artistic explosion are still with us today; many of these creations have yet to be surpassed.

At the present time, we are inhibited by few of the restrictions that were common during the Middle Ages. But, where is the New Creativity to awaken the love of beauty and harmony within our soul as did the works of the Renaissance master artists? Where is the music that plays upon our most lofty emotions and makes us feel at one with god and all His creation? Where are the books and plays that lift us from our daily cares and show us exalted goals and inspiring lives to emulate? Although we have a plethora of new philosophers and philosophies, they do little to raise the potential of the human spirit. Most of these pundits seem to be good at asking questions, but poor at supplying answers. Although one does not doubt their sincerity, a person can only wonder where their inspiration comes from. They seem to talk much, but say little.

From a cursory outer view, it would appear that at this moment in history we live under conditions directly opposite those of the Middle Ages with their repression and absence of true freedom. But this is not necessarily true. There are many forms of human inhibition, the most dangerous and insidious of which are those we place on ourselves. The shackles placed on us by others are a constant irritation that lead, in time, to our struggle to cast them off. The history of mankind has always shown this to be true. But the shackles we place on ourselves are usually invisible and cause none of the irritation of those placed by others. Therefore, they are by far the most difficult to recognize and remove.

Parallels of History

We can but wonder if the citizens of our once great nation are allowing themselves to become shackled by mediocrity and inertia. If this is true, these weaknesses encourage other flaws until there is little hope for a quick remedy. Once a people becomes satisfied with less than the best and has little desire to rise above the average, the most gifted leader in the world can do little to help bring them to greater things. Only when a people will tolerate nothing but the best are they likely to receive it.

It is not so much we have become a wicked nation - only that we have become a spoiled nation. It seems that we have rested so long on our laurels that we don't know how to stand on our feet. We are like the hare of the nursery story; we sleep while the tortoise ambles on by us. Even nations we once occupied as victors excel us today in industry and work ethic and condemn us for a perceived lack of order and integrity. In so many ways we have come like the church that Saint John the Divine referred to in Revelation 3:15-16:

"I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

This quality of being lukewarm can produce its own form of Middle Ages. It is a Dark Age of the mind, heart, and Soul. Far more subtle that that of former times, its effect on creativity is just as profound. In all too many instances, twentieth-century art, music, literature, and philosophy appeal to the lower elements of man and not the highest. It is almost as if the Angels have deserted us, only to be replaced by the denizens of the underworld.

Whenever mankind sinks to such a state, it is not uncommon for the Beings of Light to step in to assist in a correction in course. Near the end of the Middle Ages, when man's free expression seemed to be almost extinct, great Souls were born into the world to help lift man from this pall. Can we expect the same thing to happen today? Do we deserve such Souls? You will have to ask yourself that question. Of course, one could reply, Did the people of the Dark Ages deserve Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Luther, or the other giants who enlivened the Renaissance?

Under the Laws of God the world must have been ready for this marvelous influx or it would not have occurred. We should remember that at that time in history there was also a resurgence of interest in the Arcane, and Secret Schools functioned to bring into the world their own form of enlightenment as fuel for the outer Renaissance.

Arcane preparation for the Renaissance began with the Alchemists and culminated in the teachings of Paracelsus and the formation of the Fraternitas Rosæ Crucis in 1614. Although the work of such Initiates is unknown to the general public and seldom recorded by historians, it invariably plays an important part in all such changes.

Operation of the Law

The Laws of God cannot and do not change. Therefore what transpired once can happen again. There are many reasons to believe that the same forces that were active in Europe during the early days of the Renaissance are active in our nation today. In the early 1960s a call went out from "Those Who Knew" for mothers who desired to bring into the world Souls who had prepared themselves to be leaders for a second Renaissance now waiting to burst forth. These incarnating Masters, now men and women in their early to mid-twenties, are beginning to emerge on the world scene.

The perception of their destined creative missions is stirring in their breasts and they are ready to be the vanguard of a New Renaissance. Even now signs of this New Renaissance are evident to those who are capable of evaluating such movements in their infancy.

As time passes, the influence of these new people will become more obvious to all with eyes to see, for, as with the first Renaissance, the New Renaissance is not alone for these dedicated Souls, but is for everyone who is willing to throw off the shackles of mediocrity and inertia to become a part of this fresh creative explosion. There is not a person alive today who does not have within his soul some heretofore untouched talent or shill that can further enrich this new period of enlightenment should he desire to make the necessary effort.

Each individual who incarnates into this world brings certain unique potentials that are not duplicated in any other soul. Just as no two leaves or snowflakes are alike, so God did not produce two identical Souls. Each one of us has a special and individual destiny; to fulfill this special destiny, we must first look deep within to ascertain our own uniqueness and then direct our energies and efforts ever forward towards this exalted goal.

The Scriptures assure that 'There is no new thing under the sun." Therefore, can there really be any such thing as a New Creativity? In one sense, no; in another, yes. God created all that is, and all man can do is to rearrange the atoms and molecules the Creator brought into manifestation. Man's mind can think of only things that are thinkable. The things what are thinkable are already in the universal storehouse, or they would not be thinkable. Therefore, the dictum, "There is no new thing under the sun." However, this same universal storehouse is full of many creations that have not yet seen the light of man's world, and when a creative soul Brings on of these forth, it is as if it were a New Creation.

Perhaps the inventions of Thomas Edison portray the greatest modern example of this principle. In this individual were combined the two necessary qualities for all beneficial creativity: a never-satisfied desire to make something better to help mankind, and the stick-to-itiveness to persist until success is achieved. Some people asked which of these qualities is more important. Edison had a ready answer for them. "Invention," he said, "is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." Who can dispute the point with this man of accomplishment?

The New Renaissance and the Age of Responsibility

Mankind is always looking into the future in the hope of finding something better. Readers who are old enough to have lived through the Second World War remember the rosy view of the world following this conflagration painted by various authors and magazines of the day. Most of the predictions of advances that were to take place soon after the end of hostilities have yet to come about.

During the last several decades many groups have described various new ages to come. These, known collectively as the New Age movement, have made us cautious regarding the terminology we use in referring to the time in which these new creative Souls will proliferate.

This explanation is in no wise to be taken as an adverse appraisal of any movement or group. To remain clear in our meaning, we need to be assured that our readers understand the intended connotation of certain phases. Although many phrases used here refer to similar times and developments, subtle differences need to be explored for the most exact comprehension.

The phrase, the New Age, was used a great deal by Arcane authors in times past to describe the coming period of mankind's last great opportunity to fulfill God's Plan, but the usurping of this term by so many divergent groups in recent years has made its continued use debatable. Because our concept of this Golden Age is exact, we feel that a specific phrase should be used - one that is not likely to be used by others for different purpose. After much consideration, I personally have decided to use the phrase, the Age of Responsibility, to refer to the Millennia ahead. One of the major reasons for this selection is the felling that it should remain exclusive. Although the term New Age does have a certain seductive glamour and therefore appeal on many levels, it has been my experience that the homely word responsibility carries little such appeal and therefore should be safe from spurious promotion.

Moreover, the term Age of Responsibility does describe what is expected and should serve until a better expression is found. If one thing will differentiate the coming age from the present time, it is a willingness of all to accept full responsibility for their actions. It is, we feel, this embracing of responsibility that differentiates our view of the coming age from that of many others.

The New renaissance, on the other hand, has an entirely different meaning. This term refers to the emergence of new creative projects in the Age of Responsibility. The two terms are, therefore, not synonymous although they may be progressing simultaneously. The New Renaissance is now beginning. It will originate in one age and extend into another, the Age of Responsibility, much in the manner of the first Renaissance. Light must always manifest first in the darkness; only in this way does it enlighten the darkness. Remember how hard the Old Guard fought the new thought of the first Renaissance. It is unusual for the old to give way to the new without a fight, but the light will always prevail because it takes only a small amount of light to illuminate a vast abyss of darkness.

In much the same way that the creativeness of the first Renaissance finally brought changes in both the political and the social world of its day, so will the force of our New Creativity bring such changes to our future world. No power, no matter how well entrenched, can long survive an idea whose time has come. As the Church in medieval times was eventually forced to accept the findings of Copernicus and Galileo, so will our present institutions be brought to the point where they must accept the fundamental principles of the Age of Responsibility or cease to exist. The inherent value of these principles will be made so obvious by those who have come to teach that most organizations will not only accept them but also embrace them and swear to all that they have always done so.

Traditional Values

What is needed most today is a return to the traditional values that filled this country in its pioneer days. Those who well be most active in bringing the New Renaissance, however, are too wise to attempt to bring back the old, for they realize that no matter how valuable the old is, it will not be accepted until it has been revised with a new coat of paint and a general sprucing up. While it is never possible to go back, mankind can go ahead in the Circle of Existence until it again finds old values in new guises.

The challenge for the implementers of the New Renaissance and the Age of Responsibility will be to make the eternal values seem not only new, but also - and much more important - attractive and desirable. Is there something new in all this? Not one bit. This is exactly what the Nazarene and His disciples did two thousand years ago. Each age requires an interpretation for its time. It must be newly demonstrated in each era that it is to the populations's advantage to follow the Laws of God. This Truth can best be taught by example and by a modern interpretation adapted to the needs of the people at the time.

An Individual Activity

Whether you desire to become a part of this New Renaissance of creativity is up to you. To participate, each individual must first catch the spirit of the movement. Only then can he dedicate himself to a specific objective which fits within his talents and desires. The rest is, as Edison said, perspiration (applied effort).

The basic purpose of this New Renaissance in the Age of Responsibility is to satisfy the thirst of the human Soul for beauty. ((See Chapter Nine in this text on "The Inner Beauty.") The thrust and appeal of both the New Renaissance and the Age of Responsibility are to the Soul of man rather than to his mind. Man's mind is already over saturated, but is Soul is almost universally underfed. Therefore, the New Creativity looks to bring food to the starving Soul rather than try to feed an already satiated mind. Of course, there is a direct connection between the mind and the Soul, and as long as we are able to affect one, the other will, in time, be influenced as well.

As you begin to pursue your creative course in the New Renaissance, you will undoubtedly find many who are ready to ridicule you. Bless then, for they will give you new resolve and stature. Ridicule is always saved for those who are accomplishers. The critic usually stops being a critic as soon as he produces something of value.

Some individuals may feel that they are too old to enter into the activities of the New Renaissance. This thought is understandable, but certain aspects of creativity should be investigated before dismissing the possibility of participation. There are many examples of individuals who took up creative endeavors at very advanced ages and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. The famous artist, Grandma Moses, is one example; Colonel Sanders is another.

Although it may not always be possible for you to fulfill your creative potential in this life, you can begin now to prepare for what you would like to do and be in your next incarnation. The principle of the New Creation will be an important part of the entire Age of Responsibility. There will be plenty of time for you to return and bring into manifestation you own special talents and creations.

A vast array of beauty, in every possible form, is now ready in the universal storehouse waiting to be brought forth by man. Souls are now in the world with the power to create gloriously new beauty and serenity, and they will soon be coming to the fore and taking up their duties. You, too, have an opportunity to contribute to this New Renaissance. Seek deep within the infinite recesses of your own Soul and there ascertain its potentials. Then by your strong desires and dedicated efforts bring to the surface the beauty and the inspiration you find there, so they can be offered to a waiting world in these days when such beneficent creativity is so desperately needed.
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