In August 2003, when we were least looking for it, our paths led us to an avatar named Kalki .  I had been invited to speak at The Experience Festival, a bi-annual event co-sponsored by the Golden Age Foundation , prompted by Kalki 's vision, and the Experience Foundation, brainchild of two Swedes, Jonas Lindquist and Parlan Fritz.  Towards the end of this weeklong event, Grace and I, along with the other teachers at the event, were invited to have a darshan with Kalki .

Kalki is often referred to as Bhagavan , which is a devotional term meaning ‘bestower of blessings'.  For those reading this book who may not have devotional leanings, I have for the most part simply referred to him as Kalki . 

Kalki is an avatar, which can be defined as a descent of divine consciousness into humanity.  Within the Hindu tradition an avatar manifests during a time when our spiritual development has stagnated, and when we need a form of divine intervention in order to move us forward There can be many kinds of avatars, and each avatar's role is very specific.  Jesus was an avatar of love; Einstein was an avatar of physics, Gandhi an avatar of non-violence.  His own special mission is to be an avatar of enlightenment , a ‘mukti avatar'.

Meeting him was an unforgettable experience.  We experienced Kalki as a warm, wise, pragmatic, and very transparent human being.  When asked about what he does, he claimed to be able to transmit states of enlightenment through a process known as the ‘diksha'.  He referred to himself as a technician, and said it was possible to permanently enlighten the consciousness of the seeker by shifting the neurobiological structure of the brain.  It was an astounding claim to make.

Fascinated, we both enrolled in a weeklong ‘mukti' program, and I watched Grace go through an amazing process of transformation resulting a few days later in her enlightenment .  We had both been on a spiritual path for a long time, and had steadfastly practiced all kinds of meditation practices, psychotherapies, healing techniques, and metaphysical teachings, but neither of us had ever experienced anything close to what was happening here.  We knew in our hearts that this was the reason we had been led to come to India. 

We had an opportunity to talk with Kalki after her enlightenment , and I asked him why it was that I hadn't become enlightened as Grace had.  He told me that he could give it to me that very day if I chose, but that I could be of greater service to humanity if my process was somewhat slower.  If it happened too quickly for me, I would not be able to observe it as deeply.  Part of my soul's purpose, he said, was to be able to teach this, and write about this. 

I was relieved, and excited about this new revelation.  Somehow I had wondered if there was something wrong with me, whether I hadn't prepared enough, or wasn't worthy enough, all the countless explanations spewed up by the mind when something it thinks it wants does not happen.  He assured me that there was nothing I needed to do or not do, and that it would happen soon.

“ Enlightenment is very easy”, ended Kalki as we left, “and everyone should get enlightened”.  My hope is that this book will inspire many to do so.  After all, he says, it is only the beginning of the true spiritual riches that are available to us as incarnated souls.

Kalki claims that humanity is on the threshold of a mass enlightenment , perhaps similar to what Sri Aurobindo and the Mother envisioned as the descent of the supramental force.  He says that once 64,000 people get enlightened, then a mass enlightenment will begin.  He promises this will happen before 2012 AD.  Once this happens, it will effortlessly solve the environmental, political, social and economic crisis that is looming so heavily before us today.

This was an even more astonishing claim, but as we continued living at the ashram, I was witnessing this phenomenon unfolding around me every day, and especially so with my own wife!  In a very pragmatic, matter of fact way, Kalki was telling us that the Golden Age would assuredly be here by 2012 .  Thousands had become enlightened already, and were exhibiting states of consciousness similar to Buddha or Christ or Ramana Maharshi. 

Extraordinary miracles were happening all the time, performed not only by Kalki , but also by countless enlightened people, ranging from physical healing s to divine assistance to rainmaking to raising the dead.  My research into the evolutionary history of humanity had convinced me that a Shift was imminent, and that a new species of humanity was being birthed.  Here, I was seeing history unfold before my own eyes!

So what does this mean for each of us personally?  If you have read this far, you are probably beginning to feel the echoes within your own soul calling for this divine gift.  How do you begin this journey of freedom?  How do you break free from the control and limitations inherent within the human mind?

Kalki says that the next best thing to enlightenment is knowing that you are not enlightened.  This is not a frivolous statement.  Many of us on a spiritual path have built up a spiritual persona around ourselves that is as difficult to break through as any of the darker expressions of the mind, and perhaps more so.  The main obstacle to enlightenment is not in the particular quality of the self-identity that we create, whether it be coarse or refined, material or spiritual, but in our degree of attachment to that identity.  We assume that our journey towards enlightenment is a linear progression, and that we can become better and better people until someday we cross the finish line and we're there.

It is perhaps easier for a simple person to get enlightened whose head is empty of concepts than someone who has walked for years on a spiritual path and has all kinds of concepts and expectations about what enlightenment is or should be, or what she is or should be.  Ironically, the more attached we become to a spiritual persona, the more we develop a spiritual ego, and the further we get from the enlightened state.  The mind delights in creating an ‘as if' image of the enlightened self.  Now it can continue its game of comparison and judgment, except on a more sophisticated level. 

Being good does not threaten its survival, as long as we are simultaneously disowning the bad; being spiritual is fine as long as we continue judging ourselves or others for not matching up to our neurotic expectations.  We take the dim radiance of our divinity that still manages to shine through the thick layers of the mind, and enshrine it with religiosity, stifle it with morality, distort it with self-righteousness, and destroy it with spiritual egoism.

I am not implying that it isn't desirable to strive towards morality, goodness, and love.  There is a reason that religions exist, and many have been enabled by being on the spiritual or psychological path to refine or even transform their ego.  As a spiritual teacher and psychotherapist, I have seen the power of meditation, and of techniques such as holotropic breathwork, psychosynthesis, regression therapies, and bodywork, to begin to heal the traumas of the past and polish the rough edges of our personality.

If refining and clearing the mind is our quest, then by all means we must continue doing everything that we can in this direction.  However, if enlightenment is our quest, we cannot get there by trying to develop enlightened qualities.  We need to come to an understanding of the very nature of the mind.

Kiara Windrider , MA, is a psychotherapist, and author of “Doorway to Eternity: A Guide to Planetary Ascension ”. Along with his wife, Grace, he is dedicated to sharing the endless possibilities for personal and planetary enlightenment . To  respond, please mail to contactkiara@doorwaytoeternity.com .
You may also wish to check out his website, www.doorwaytoeternity.com .