By Jon Eden Khan

In a movement as radical as Singularity, it is understandable that people might be interested in the streams of inspiration that are part of its source code.

Of course, people who get involved with Singularity will bring their own streams of inspiration, and this is to share those that have deeply informed my own inspiration in initiating and developing Singularity.

Firstly, I have been deeply inspired by the example of great spiritually influenced leaders such as Ashoka the Great, the Buddhist emperor who built his kingdom on the foundation of a universal ethics for all humanity, and Akbar the Great, who instituted a society of diversity, tolerance, equality, and shared prosperity. Both of these leaders are still named in lists of the greatest leaders of all time, and while I totally recognise that neither of these leaders was perfect, and both were also responsible for major injustices in certain instances, what I have been most inspired by in the examples of such leaders is that power can be wielded in a profoundly positive way that massively elevates the society it serves. I have also been deeply inspired by the example of leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Shirley Chisholm. In today’s world, where there is such cynicism about power and leadership, I feel it is critical for us to stay connected to examples of great leaders who have expressed their power through profound service to humanity.

Spiritually, I have been deeply inspired by the Trans-Himalayan teachings, as given through Helena Blavatsky, Alice Bailey, Helena Roerich, Lucille Cedercrans, and Bruce Lyon. This is a body of wisdom that integrates Eastern and Western esoteric teachings within a kosmocentric evolutionary context that suggest we are living in an extraordinary time. These teachings see the current global crisis as a collective initiation for humanity into a new phase of evolution and civilisation on the planet that is anchored in the One Life at the core of all beings, the one humanity, and expressed through radically new forms of politics, education, culture, and economics.  

Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory has been a significant influence as a lens through which to see the world, and another major influence for me has been Adi Da’s vision of what he called The Global Cooperative Forum, as described in his book, Not Two is Peace. This is essentially a structure for global governance sourced in collective awakening to the inherent unity of all reality, which is the core of all truly mystical traditions on the planet, and then enacted by a humanity that increasingly moves as one.  

I have also been inspired by the Bahai vision for spiritual governance, as well as the Buddhist teaching on the emergence of the Kingdom of Shambhala, which relates to a collective awakening of humanity to the sacred nature of all life. The great Hindu sage, Sri Aurobindo’s teachings on the descent of radical unity consciousness (what he called the ‘Supermind’) as the basis for a new civilisation have also been an influence, as well as the Judaic prophecy of a world of peace and prosperity across all nations, and the Christian teaching on humanity eventually manifesting the Kingdom of God on Earth, and indigenous shamanic teachings on the sacred living intelligence that lives through the body of the planet and the natural world.

I am aware that some of these living examples or teachings has had various blind spots, injustices, and sometimes controversies connected to them. I am not naming them as perfect. I take any issues related to their conduct and content seriously. And in their most noble expressions they have all inspired my sense of the profound sacredness of reality, the purpose, love, and creativity of the cosmos, the power of the living Earth, and the dignity and promise of our humanity, despite the struggles of our world.