Gaia: Once you come to accept the inter-connectedness of all beings you can face yourselves with greater responsibility. Each encounter with a stranger affects that stranger, even if it is brief. Occasionally, these brief encounters create enormous, influential vibrations.

Therefore you must be aware that you, as an individual in yourselves, are always a message--a message being carried forward. We have discussed in previous lectures, the fact that this moment is always a choice. And in the same sense you are, in every moment, a message being carried. You are carrying a message of joy, of acceptance, of tolerance and of peace. Or, you are carrying a message of aggression, hatred and intolerance.

Each moment you think, and those thoughts are made available--through your actions, your speech, and as you have recently discovered, through your vibrations. You are aware that at every moment you are communicating exactly what it is you wish to communicate.

You can no longer, as individuals, believe that messages are saved for "special occasions"--for religious events, and for moments of private peace with loving individuals within your immediate circle. You are at all times part of the process of the unfolding now.

Your species is becoming increasingly aware of its inter-dependence, and this is the path of the coming decade--to be aware of the inter-dependence of societies, to be aware of the inter-dependence of individuals, and of thought processes. If, as individuals, you perceive the effects of the one upon the other, of international events, you will also perceive how inter-connected your actions are with all those you encounter. If you wish to pursue an aggressive state of mind, it becomes easy for you to do so. You will always find, within your immediate circle or among the strangers you meet, someone with whom you can pursue aggressive behavior. If you need to pursue aggressive behavior, the safest outlet, man has discovered, is within competitive events. And those types of events permit a gracious and responsible dispensation of aggression.

If you wish to create dramatic events, events within your environment which allow you to attack others and be attacked by others, you can do so. But you do so with increasing problems. There are countries dominated by individuals who express a need for aggressive behavior and this makes it increasingly dangerous for the world. Therefore you, each and every individual, have the responsibility to assess and to consciously choose the ways in which you act out the behavior patterns you feel it is necessary to pursue.

There are certain key individuals within each society who affect, and in many ways direct events. These key individuals are not the leaders or elected officials, but do influence the events of their times. Key individuals therefore, are more accessible to the individual, than the leaders of a country. And each of you, in your daily life, may affect a key individual.

A key individual may write for the media, may influence political events indirectly, or may create industrial events through position or financial influence. A key individual is, nevertheless, an individual faced with the same problems of self-discovery and self-mastery. A key individual may be spiritually mature, and committed to goals of a higher purpose, or may be solely interested in life as it appears to that individual.

If you are aware that through some encounter, friendship or professional association you may influence events that in turn influence key individuals you would have a better sense of the importance each of you has in making moment by moment decisions of intent.

When harmonizing energies are present within a society much can be accomplished towards the development of the species as a whole. There have been, in history, certain societies which have created within themselves a harmony somewhat like a beautiful piece of music--the music of man. And such harmonizing energies can only be developed "within" society.

Man, yes, is an instrument best played in the service of his fellows. Therefore society is somewhat like an orchestra in which many different instruments play, either well or poorly together. And the intent of the society may be to make something of great vision and beauty, or it may choose a discordant, ugly sound. Each instrument may be playing without regard of all the others.

Within your history certain societies have created harmony, and from this harmony came man's development. From that harmony came benefit and fruit to all, I repeat, all members of that society.

You have now reached a stage in your development when you begin to see your totality, all mankind, as your society. A society where different cultures, nations and races come together as a dozen orchestras coming together attempting what previously seemed impossible--to see what music can be made.

It is already there--that music of mankind. It is heard throughout the stars--man's music, and it is very beautiful. Beyond wondering, beyond your dreaming, even beyond man's comprehension, this music that lies both in your future and your now--the sound of man harmonizing together--as only man can make this sound.

We seek to awaken mankind, to hear, and to know what he truly is when he has come together. But we must, each of us, be patient. For there is much confusion, much doubt and yes, much fear. Man has always been, and always will be an expression of joy and of hope. He seeks, now, new forms of expression, and he must not fear the change which includes the degeneration and decline of old techniques and old institutions, and the development and refinement of those new ones that will permit him, again, the sense of harmony that he knows is possible.

Ed: Gaia is channeled by Sandra, a Minneapolis born lecturer and creative writing teacher who received her Master's in Russian History at the University of Colorado.