IN these days of war and past exploits, a bit of digging deep to make us think will always bring some light. This is because the environment is not the problem - but people. You may have read or be watching on TV, the series, ‘His Dark Materials.’

A storyline heavy in parody on who is the good guy. Since man came out of the caves, and since the last main ice age 12,800 years ago, humans have survived by conquest and hunting and gathering food. Over the next 6,000 years or so, we evolved into farmers and settlers, or did we?

Going back to late neolithic and Neanderthal times, when modern homo sapiens lived alongside Neanderthals, we have always had two types of people on earth. In fact, we all have about 2.7% Neanderthal DNA in us; as we mixed with each other. This in itself is a parody. But not the one His Dark Materials or I are about. 

When we became so called modern mankind, the Roman Empire and other invading nations still practised and believed that the only way of life for a nation was, ‘by right of conquest,’ this was their code and manifesto of how to live and be top dog and get power everywhere.

Unfortunately this old order still lives alongside our world today. Basically, this spirit does not believe in justice and collective world laws. This is where it gets difficult, movements like the converting of those in darkness; the inquisitions; the Viking invasions and alike; imperialism; the Hitler movement and today’s ‘Mother Land movements,’ as we see in Russia, which are just another manifestation of His Dark Materials (dust) and the old order.

In all these historic cases the heads of their own religions tell their leaders that this war is a just and proper cause. You see, as in the story, not all so called spiritual leaders are really on God’s team, (as in his book and the Bible).  

Just as Neanderthal and modern man lived together for a time, today we have those who claim to be working for the good side, but who are not. It’s impossible to solve the climate and environmental problems until the people of the old order have eventually evolved out of their ancient philosophies.

I often ask myself, how countries who bomb and destroy their neighbours, and threaten the whole world with a nuclear attack can really believe in solving climate change and the rest – they can’t! The magisterium is here in the form of many leaders and some heads of religion. One of the greatest teachers of all times, (whatever you think of Jesus),  said ‘not all Israel is Israel’.

He was referring to the new spiritual Israel and not a nation or an ethnic group. His words would have been confusing to many at the time and still are, but now we can see the world of two spirits that hold our thinking processes; the true follower, and the pretender who does not even know they are false. It’s like a bonded spirit that holds them.

How can we be wise and test which is which? Jesus said ‘you will know them by their deeds’. Love or hate! The truth is our thinking hasn’t progressed much since our hunting ancestors just because we now have glittering bright technology.