Ancient Civilizations Conference 2026

August 1 - 2, 2026 | Boulder, Colorado

The Ancient Civilizations Conference 2026 brings together some of the world's leading researchers, scientists, and bestselling authors to explore groundbreaking discoveries that are reshaping our understanding of the ancient past. From lost civilizations and sacred sites to forgotten technologies, cosmic cycles, and emerging archaeological evidence, this exclusive event invites you to question long-held assumptions and explore the mysteries that continue to captivate humanity.

Featured Speakers

• Gregg Braden

• Robert Edward Grant

• Billy Carson

• Freddy Silva

• Jaime Maussan

• Theresa Bullard-Whyke, Ph.D.

• William Henry

• Filippo Biondi, Ph.D.

• Zdeněk Sýkora

• And more.

Whether you're fascinated by ancient history, archaeology, consciousness, or humanity's untold origins, this is your opportunity to hear directly from the voices pushing the conversation forward.

Ready to explore what history may have left behind?

👉 Join us Online or In Person:
 https://www.gaia.com/gaia-plus/ancient-civilizations-conference-26

Guard Your Thoughts

There is nothing in this world that can hurt you more than your thoughts.

And there is nothing in this world that can heal you more than your thoughts.

Guard them well, for they shape the world you live in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSoufXuRo-s

Awakening: Humanity's Greatest Gift

https://jacqktz.substack.com/p/awakening-humanitys-greatest-gift

Why Was the Torah Given?

“There was a precondition from the beginning of the reception of the Torah, but afterward, since the time of the making of the calf, the package has been taken apart.” – Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), Letter 60.

What was the condition for receiving the Torah? Why was the Torah given? The Torah was given only for one purpose: to reach connection between us at the level of “love your neighbor as yourself.” Within that love between people, we then reveal “love the Lord your God,” i.e., complete adhesion.

This was the condition, and it was clear to everyone. The difficulty, however, is that we must uphold this condition each time above the growing problems between us, i.e., the increasing will to receive that demands we strengthen our connection more and more. At every moment, the broken will to receive becomes revealed more strongly, and we must maintain connection, love, and mutual work, prayer, and support above it. And we failed in doing so.

Already in the First Temple, problems appeared in maintaining connection at the level of “love your neighbor as yourself.” As it is written, the “package” that had been established at the level of Bina (a spiritual level of bestowal), upon entering the level of the Land of Israel, i.e., when we began to truly engage in love, this package began to break apart. From then on, we have been in decline.

The Kabbalists say that this process is necessary, that we had to go through it. The construction of the First Temple, its ruin, the construction of the Second Temple, and its inevitable ruin as well, despite all this, we were still required to maintain connection, to uphold “love your neighbor as yourself,” as Rabbi Akiva demanded of his students. Yet even his students, the finest of that generation, were unable to sustain it, and hatred become revealed among them.

Today, we are in a completely different stage. After the ruin of the First and Second Temples, and after the exiles, we now stand before the construction of the Third Temple, which will undoubtedly be built. The only question is to what extent we can contribute through our own effort and support. To what extent we can assist this process through a correct and willing inclination to connect and to reach a state of mutual love, i.e., “from love of others to love of the Creator.” Otherwise, suffering can also bring us to that same harmonious and peaceful state, but by a much longer path.

Based on the Daily Kabbalah Lesson with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on the topic “Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut” on May 7, 2019. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

Do We Meet People by Coincidence, or Is There a Reason Behind Every Encounter?

Nothing happens by chance. All of our encounters are predetermined.

All of us are interconnected and interdependent from the outset, with each of us already being in a designated state. If we need to encounter each other in some way in life as an outcome of the common soul’s correction, then it has already been predetermined according to our spiritual genes.

Therefore, nothing accidental happens in our meetings or distance from each other, so we need not worry about that. What we should mainly concern ourselves with is that at every stage of our development, when we encounter others, we should be as kind, welcoming, and engaging as possible. Then, ultimately, we will not go astray and will always remain in the direction of correcting our soul.

Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 6, 2026.

How Can We Attain the Upper World?

First, what is the upper world? The upper world is not a distant place somewhere beyond the stars. It is a state of perception, that of correct self-assessment. It is attained via thorough inner examination in which we evaluate our feelings, thoughts, intentions, and actions from the perspective of truth instead of the distortions of personal egoism, i.e., the desire to enjoy for self-benefit at the expense of others.

When people think about spirituality, they often ask whether life continues after death. However, a more fundamental question is not whether the body dies or survives, but whether we can part with our egoism.

As long as we perceive reality through egoistic desires, we see only a limited picture of existence. Everything is measured according to personal benefit, loss, pleasure, or suffering. This narrow perspective defines what we call “this world” in Kabbalah.

However, when we rise above egoism, an whole new perception emerges. We no longer perceive reality through a filter of self-interest Instead, we begin to see existence as it truly is. This perception is called “the upper world,” or “the next world.”

Importantly, this upper world has nothing to do with a place we go to after the death of the physical body. We can attain the upper world while still living in this world and inhabiting the same physical body. There is no obstacle preventing such an attainment.

The challenge lies not in reaching the upper world but in becoming prepared for it.

To perceive reality beyond egoism requires a special inner state. We need to develop a correct attitude to our desires, intentions, and inner forces. Without such preparation, we would have an overwhelming experience. Instead of using revelation correctly, we would immediately translate it into egoistic gain, and turn it into another source of personal pleasure.

For such a reason, spiritual attainment is not given before we are ready for it.

The wisdom of Kabbalah explains that before we can perceive the upper world, the higher reality, we must acquire what is called a “screen,” which is an inner force that enables us to resist egoistic reception. The screen lets us relate to spiritual revelation correctly, without exploiting it for selfish benefit. Only when this inner readiness exists can we reveal deeper states safely.

The process for such attainment resembles that of preparing a vessel before filling it. The greater the light that is to be received, the greater the preparation that is required.

Spiritual states that await us are states of immense fulfillment, love, understanding, and harmony, far beyond anything ordinarily experienced in our corporeal lives. However, such states can only be appreciated and sustained when we develop corresponding inner qualities.

Therefore, spiritual development is not about escaping the world or waiting for a future existence. It is about transforming our perception while living here and now. The upper world becomes accessible when we gradually free ourselves from the limits of egoistic perception and learn to view reality through a broader and truthful lens.

Moreover, every person has the potential to attain this. The opportunity is open to all. The only requirement is the desire to prepare oneself for it. If we genuinely wish to rise above egoism and discover reality as it truly is, the path is available.

The upper world is hidden from us only as much as we need to attain a different way of perceiving. When we acquire that new perception, we discover that the higher reality was present all along.

Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 13, 2026

What Is a True Hero?

Heroes are those who, while immersed in their egoistic self-centered nature, build another person out of themselves, one that is in equal to the altruistic force of nature.

Imagine that you are in a closed dark space, like a worm inside a rotten apple.

You start slowly emerging from it.

You peek outside and see a wonderful bright new world filled with love and care, people happily enjoying their lives together.

You then exit yourself and enter into a completely different space with a blazing sunlight and a blue sky, out of the darkness that you were previously in.

After you exit the darkness, you need to process it—that following the dictates of your egoistic desires leads you to darkness, as the ego itself extinguishes pleasure in a self-aimed direction.

Is this transformation really doable?

Yes, it is—by building yourself, from your ego, in similarity to the altruistic force of nature.

You study the laws of nature.

You grow a demand for them to reveal themselves in their pure altruistic form, to show you an example like an adult to a child.

You then overcome your ego as much as possible.

You then use your ego not for yourself, but in order to resemble and reach balance with the altruistic laws of nature.

What does it mean to resemble the altruistic laws of nature?

It means that you develop love for all people.

You then gradually learn the laws of nature, bit by bit, making yourself more and more similar to nature.

As a result, you come to see that your ego—this mass of desire to enjoy that is your whole nature—exists in order to invert the intention upon it. By doing so, you gain the full altruistic quality—love and bestowal—for everyone, like the altruistic force of nature.

You then reach balance with nature: a new state, experiencing a special force of a great loving and giving connection with others and with nature—the opposite of how we currently use our desire to enjoy (selfishly, at the expense of others and nature).