When Foreign Policy Echoes Cosmic Drama: Syria, the Abraham Accords, and the Soul's Reckoning

As a spiritual seeker walking the razor’s edge between the temporal and the eternal, I often find myself reflecting on world events not just through the lens of politics or policy, but through the wider aperture of spiritual truth. That’s especially true when I consider recent signs that Donald Trump—should he return to the presidency—might lift sanctions on Syria and also hopes for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords.

On the surface, these are pragmatic, geopolitical maneuvers. But viewed more deeply, they invite questions that pierce to the core of how we live in this world while not being entirely of it. They echo the ancient drama of karma, collective destiny, and the evolution of human consciousness through suffering, struggle, and reconciliation.

I’ve long followed the teachings of masters like Paramahansa Yogananda, Sri Yukteswar, Adi Shankara, and Nisargadatta Maharaj. Each has taught me to see behind the veil—what the Bhagavad Gita calls the field of action, or kshetra, and the knower of the field, kshetrajna. To see foreign policy decisions not just as causes of economic or military ripple effects, but as catalysts within the dream of God.

Let me offer a breakdown of the implications of these moves, one step in the dream at a time.

1. Releasing Sanctions on Syria

Syria remains a country torn by war, repression, and humanitarian disaster. The idea of lifting sanctions might offer some material relief, but would also likely empower a regime associated with immense cruelty. As a spiritual practitioner, I must hold both truths.

Nisargadatta Maharaj said, “When you see the world you see God. There is no seeing God apart from the world. Beyond the world to see God is to see your own Self.” Even in Assad's Syria—where the suffering cries out from scorched earth—there too the Self abides. But discernment must guide our actions. Yogananda was clear: “To condone evil is to become an accomplice to it.”

Sanctions, when misapplied, can hurt the innocent. But removing them without accountability can reward brutality. The spiritual path demands that we see the interconnectedness of all beings, but also that we exercise viveka—discrimination between truth and illusion.

2. Saudi Arabia and the Abraham Accords

The Abraham Accords are, in many ways, a symbol of a changing Middle East—one less focused on endless conflict and more oriented toward pragmatic alliances. If Saudi Arabia, the heartland of Sunni Islam, were to join, it would mark a momentous shift. But again, we must ask: at what cost?

The Palestinian people remain displaced, marginalized, and voiceless in much of this process. There’s real spiritual danger in forging peace that is transactional rather than transformational. As Lalleshwari, the Kashmiri mystic, once said:
“Without knowing the Self, all your peace is just ornamentation.”

True peace, like true realization, cannot be founded on the silencing of others. And yet, as Sri Yukteswar wrote in The Holy Science, cycles of history—yugas—unfold according to divine law. Sometimes alliances that seem impure are stepping stones in the great cosmic restoration of harmony.

The Drama of Nations and the Dance of Souls

I sometimes feel we are watching the divine lila—the cosmic play—in real time. Nations maneuver, alliances form, tyrants are appeased or punished, and through it all, souls incarnate again and again to learn the lessons they could not master in previous lives.

My brother often reminds me of a central insight from A Course in Miracles: “I am responsible for what I see. I choose the feelings I experience... and everything that seems to happen to me I ask for, and receive as I have asked.”

So what are we, as awakening beings, asking for? Do we want a world of superficial peace and unaccountable power? Or a world where truth and compassion are inseparable?

A Call to Action: See With the Eye of the Soul

If you, like me, are navigating the stormy waters of both spiritual awakening and geopolitical awareness, I invite you to bring the two together. Don’t shy away from policy. Don't abandon the world to the pundits. See the world with the eye of the soul.

Speak out for justice, but not with hatred.
Support diplomacy, but not without conscience.
Seek unity, but not at the cost of truth.

And always remember the words of Adi Shankara, who wrote in the Vivekachudamani:
“There is no liberation without the knowledge of the Self, and no knowledge of the Self without renunciation.”

Let us renounce our tribal blindness, our partisan reflexes, and open to a view of history as the slow, painful, beautiful unfolding of the Self remembering itself—through nations, through wars, and through love.

If this vision speaks to you, share this post. Join me in exploring the intersection of spirituality and geopolitics. And most of all—meditate, contemplate, and remember who you truly are.

The world needs awake souls now more than ever.

— May 14, 2025 (Bill)

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