Swami Moves In Mysterious Ways – Part One

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

I mentioned in a post a few months back that I was going to revisit some older writings; the reason being that in the last year or so I’ve acquired many new blog followers who will not be familiar with my earlier work. The story I’m going to share with you first appeared in my book, Astral Travelling, The Avatar and Me, which was published in 2009. That book is now out of print, but a second edition was published in early 2013 with a new title, The Amazing Journey, and an extra chapter. Obviously, the account posted here is not a word-for-word repeat of what appeared in those two books, but rather a brand new post specially written for the blog. I hope you enjoy it!

Swami first came into my life in 2001 and things have never been the same since; well you wouldn’t expect them to be, would you? In 2003 I had it in my head that I was going to go to Prashanthi Nilayam, but Swami obviously had other ideas and my life went off in another direction. However, cue 2009 and I received the inner calling from our beloved Lord; and what followed was a truly amazing and somewhat surreal experience.

I managed to get a really cheap direct flight from Heathrow to Bangalore and my Sai brother, Satyan, arranged a taxi for me at the other end. My other friend had said that I could stay at her flat in Swindon the night before my departure as it was much easier for me to travel from Swindon than where I live in Tetbury. So all was going to go swimmingly well, wasn’t it? Well wasn’t it? I think you know what is coming next. Yes, correct! My idea of a plan in no way resembled the plan of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. So, my dear readers sit back, relax, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride…

Swami, Sri Sathya Sai Baba blessing a devotee

I’d had to sleep on the floor in the living room of my friend’s tiny flat, which wasn’t a problem at all, but I suppose coupled with the excitement of the journey, I had no more than two hours sleep. I had a wonderful flight; it was my first long haul and I was very pleasantly surprised how enjoyable it was, but I had no sleep on the plane either, for no particular reason; it just didn’t seem to happen. So by the time I landed in Bangalore I’d had about 2 hours sleep in the last 48, but no big deal; after all, everything was going to go swimmingly, wasn’t it?

I exited the airport at around midnight local time, and I soon realised (to my horror) that in amongst the throng of people waiting at the exit for passengers, and who were holding up signs with the passenger’s name’s on, there was no one holding up a sign with my name. My fears were soon confirmed when in a fairly short space of time I was the only person left waiting at the exit. “Billy-No-Mates Westerner” standing out like a sore thumb, thousands of miles from home! Sure enough I soon attracted attention; from airport security, because no loitering is allowed due to the constant terrorist threats in India, and from local “Del Boy” taxi staff on the lookout for gullible Westerners to overcharge for the journey to Baba’s ashram in Puttaparthi. I think I fitted that bill admirably, I couldn’t have been a better candidate; even if I’d had “mug” tattooed on my forehead! To cut a long story short, I had the mobile number for the taxi driver and the security staff phoned him on my behalf. It turned out that my dear friend Satyan had given him the wrong flight details so he wasn’t expecting me until the next day. He told the security staff that he was “on his way”, but it soon transpired that in India the phrase, “I’m on my way”, means something completely different from what it does in England. I should say before we go any further, that my account of events is quite drastically truncated; there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to add all the minute detail of everything that happened to me. But, nonetheless, I’m sure you will have a good idea by the time this article is finished.

I was told by security that I needed to wait on some benches by a kiosk that was to my left of the airport exit, and the taxi driver would meet me there. Well time ticked by, daylight broke and I was beginning to wonder if my taxi would ever turn up. It got to the point where I got fed up waiting and decided to find my own taxi. Wrong move! Cue Swami and one of his famous leelas. I was immediately accosted by intrepid folk who wanted me to take one of their taxis. Accosting quickly turned to harassment, and with my lack of sleep I soon became hot and bothered; to the extent that I nearly took up their offer until I saw the car they wanted me to travel in. My change of mind made their harassment more intense and I struggled back in the direction of the benches with my heavy bag. Just as I was approaching (taxi folk in hot pursuit) I saw a man waving at me; he was also clutching a piece of paper to his chest. As I got closer I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed the words “Mr Richard” written on the aforementioned piece of paper. My taxi had arrived. I’d exited the airport at midnight; it was now 07:00 am!

It soon became very clear that the whole business had been engineered by Swami. Had there been no mix-up I would have travelled to Prashanthi in darkness; and thus would have missed all the wondrous sights that now unfolded before my eyes, like a play; being acted out scene by scene in accordance with a script that had been written with meticulous precision. It was my first trip to this amazing land and in the three and a half hours or so it took for us to arrive at the ashram I must have witnessed virtually every single aspect of Indian culture.

I saw Red Kites flying gracefully above; I witnessed the colour and the bustle of the small towns and villages we passed through, bullock carts sharing the roads with the cars and trucks. Unfortunately, not everything I saw was welcoming to the eye, such as the poverty; I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. However, the most distressing sight that I saw was when we passed through one small town and I saw a group of women in the back of a smallish open-backed truck. At first glance they reminded me of cattle that had been herded onto the back of the vehicle. There was a man standing on the running board at the back berating one of the women, and as we drove past he struck her. I couldn’t believe my eyes; but the look of pain on the woman’s face confirmed that I wasn’t dreaming.

After stopping for refreshment in the town of Chikkaballapur we arrived at the ashram gates at 10:30 am. Taxis are not normally allowed in but the driver explained to the seva dals (stewards) on the gate that I had never been to Prashanthi before, so he was permitted to drive me up to the accommodation office. By now, my head was in a spin, due to a combination of having had no sleep, for what seemed like a lifetime, and the incredible sights I’d seen en route from the airport. The sun was beating down now too and for the first time I was experiencing the incredibly fierce Indian heat. I’d worn jeans for the journey and spilt coffee down them on the plane; needless to say, as well as feeling as though I was being cooked in the thick denim the odour from the coffee stains wasn’t exactly pleasant on the nose either.

Little did I know that my adventure was barely beginning, and in Part Two, I will share with you how Swami reduced me to zero before picking me up again and showering me in his grace.

Sai Ram.

Richard’s Video Blog #1

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

Well! Here it is; my first video blog in nearly three years. They are back by popular demand! Hope you enjoy it and do let me know what you think. I always appreciate feedback! Thanks.

It’s What Being An Author Is All About

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

I’ve been back from my working trip to West Wales for just over a week now and thought it was about time I checked in. Ah.. the trip; well, it started off quite spectacularly; during the early hours of my first night there I had two (yes, two) out-of-body experiences AND a visitation from Swami, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It was quite unexpected to embark on astral adventures, especially during the first night, but they were not the kind of adventures that I felt necessary to write about. The second one in particular was a little strange to say the least, but neither held any significance for me, hence I decided to confine them to the annals of time. However, it was lovely of Swami to pop by.

I’ve got an article brewing in my mind for publication in the near future, but what I want to particularly share today is, for me anyway, what really makes being an author worthwhile.

Being an author can be a frustrating old life, but somehow, we simply keep going; even if we do take the odd sabbatical here and there. The other day however I got a real boost. A lady thousands of miles away in America contacted me and told me my books have put her son back on the right pathway. She said that he was going in the wrong direction until he read my work. She went on to say that I am an inspiration to them both. Then, later the same day I received an email from a man much closer to home, although I have never met him, who told me he had acquired some of my books via his mother and that they had helped him greatly. He asked permission for a poem that is in one of my older pieces of work to be copied and read at a friend’s funeral. I was more than happy to allow this (I’m sure most people wouldn’t have bothered to ask!)

It just goes to show, that sometimes we question ourselves and wonder if we are doing the right thing; and all of a sudden we get confirmation that we are! It is a really great feeling to know that I can make a positive difference, through my work, in other people’s lives; and little things, like those two messages, really are what being an author is all about.

By the way. The photo is of the harbour at Aberaeron; I took this pic on a previous trip a couple of years back.

Be My Baby!

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

On the morning of 12 May 2014 I awoke having found myself out-of-body whilst having a “not so nice” dream. I tend not to have nightmares these days, but sometimes I do have dreams where “weird stuff” is going on. The curious thing here was that I was definitely out of my body, but I was still dreaming. A part of my consciousness was not very happy with being in astral form whilst still having a weird dream and I immediately returned to my body. I then found myself in a situation where I was wide awake and disappointed that I’d let the experience pass me by. Bearing in mind what happened during my last escapade (see previous article The Journey Continues – Part Two) I decided to send out my thoughts and asked to be taken off somewhere “nice”.

Almost immediately I felt myself being lifted from my body and I felt myself moving through the ether at speed whilst being carried by an unknown companion. I reached around and held the soul’s hand; half expecting it to be my dear friend from the last journey, however, it was not to be. The hand felt very small, like that of a youngster. As usual we had some telepathic communication, but I cannot remember what pleasantries were exchanged! What happened next was very brief, but like most of my astral adventures these days, turned out to be another uniquely different experience.

We arrived in a very small room, where to my amazement, I found a BABY; would you believe? I would actually describe it as a toddler, and it was engaging in what most toddlers are very good at; namely, having a good old toddle. I don’t remember seeing any doors or windows; but they are not necessary on the astral planes as you just pass through whatever is in front of you. The toddler seemed quite happy and content as it toddled around and I felt quite excited having been taken to meet an astral baby. However, my expectations soon turned flat when I found myself almost immediately back in my body.

As ever, I’m just glad of the experience, and the timing couldn’t have been better, because that little jaunt has given me a reason for a final blog post before I set off on my working trip to Wales. I leave on 16 May and come back on 26 May. Hopefully my little trip will give me something to write about!

See you soon!

The Journey Continues – Part Two

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

Here is the account of my out-of-body experience that occurred about a week after the one I wrote about in Part One of “The Journey Continues”. Just in case you did not read my previous post, here is the link; so you can read it before carrying on with this article. https://richardfholmes.org/2014/04/29/the-journey-continues/

As usual I awoke in the middle of the night and lay in bed, fully aware but with my eyes closed. I wondered what would happen if I actually requested an out-of-body experience. I’d often pestered my friends in spirit when it seemed I was having to wait ages for my next astral adventure, but I had never actually asked for one whilst laying in bed. To my utmost joy, it was not long before I felt the familiar presence of spirit around me, and before I could blink, I found myself being lifted from my body and carried off into the ether. What followed was a fairly short astral experience, but a very significant one nonetheless. Although I did not actually see who my companion was on this occasion, the energy, plus my intuition, led me to believe that it was the same female soul from the previous week. However, I have no way of knowing if it actually was.

As we travelled at speed, I asked telepathically to be taken somewhere exciting. I also touched my companion’s hand and tried to kiss it, but when my lips met the hand they just passed straight through. I learned something from this, specifically; even though I have known for some time that all energy (spirit) is solid in its own realm of existence, individual intelligences have the ability to be fluid or solid at will. This is one of the many, many things that have been taught to me since my adventures began back in 1999.

In a short space of time we arrived at a very small cinema; there was a few people milling around and a few people seated. It was rather strange as far as cinemas go, because the screen was the portable type that people used to play their home movies on. This truly was something new for me, being taken to an astral cinema. But in no time at all we were off and I was back in my bed but not in my body. What happened next was also a first, and quite incredible experience.

My companion lay with me for a while before departing. She lay behind me and continued to hold me as she lay with me. I still could not see who it was, but this wonderful soul felt very soft, and even though I can only describe the whole experience as very loving, it was not sexual in any way. It was simply the coming together of two souls who have obviously known each other for eons.

I don’t know what film was showing and there was no popcorn; but hey! I’m not complaining!

The Journey Continues

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

Having not had any significant out-of-body experiences of note since August 2013, I was beginning to wonder when the next one would come along. Then just like London buses, having waited for what seemed like an age for one, two came along in quick succession. Both were quite incredible in their own unique way because they followed the trend of all my significant astral adventures of the past few years, in that they seemed to go that extra bit further in teaching me something new.

At the time of writing it is almost two weeks since the first one. I remember waking up in the night, and as I lay in bed, my third eye became active. I could see what appeared to be a very posh rest room (Yes, that’s what it looked like on the surface, but I don’t think it was) tiled throughout with very pale green tiles. I was laying there looking at this scene playing out within my brow chakra, when I got that familiar feeling I get before an out-of-body experience. I left my body but appeared to return straight away. Then I was off again.

I could feel myself being carried as usual, and as I was enjoying the journey something happened that I had not experienced before. As if I was responding to subconscious commands, I reached around and held my companion’s hand and also turned around to see that I was being carried by a lovely female soul. I have done similar things before but only from conscious thought; this was completely new to me. Her hand felt very soft and smooth.

I remember conversing with her via our thoughts but I cannot remember what was being said. As the journey continued I was aware that we had arrived at a destination and there was the sensation of appearing to be travelling along on what I can only describe as a conveyor belt. As we moved along there was small blue hand towels hanging at intervals on rails on the right hand side, along with small wooden cabinets with drawers; there was no symmetry whatsoever and the whole space seemed cramped but surprisingly comfy. Then we left the conveyor belt and arrived in a corridor.

We were walking one way in among a line of other souls, and there was also a line of souls walking past us in the opposite direction. Again, it all seemed very cramped but comfortable; there was hardly any room at all separating the two lines of souls, but the whole process was very smooth and hassle-free. It seemed like we had arrived in a kind of factory and there was a man in a white coat who seemed to be a supervisor; I ascertained that his name was Merv. My intuition told me that the line I was in was going for a break, and the line walking in the opposite direction were returning from a break. I then asked, what in hindsight, was quite a stupid question. The lady was still walking with me and I asked her if it was true that time doesn’t really exist. I know that time most certainly does not really exist, but my curiosity prompted me to wonder if there was some kind of astral system of time measurement, in the same way that we have seconds, minutes, hours and days etc here on Earth. The lady replied, “it’s ten to one”, which I thought to be a very strange reply. I’m sure there is a deeper meaning in this for me to work out, but the penny hasn’t dropped yet.

We then started to descend down some rather steep stone steps; the stone was very slate-like. We reached the bottom, and just as I was really starting to enjoy myself and really get into the adventure I was back in my body.

Watch this space for the next installment.

Miracles Do Happen – Part Two

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

Continued from Part One. If you have not read part one or want a refresher, please click on the link below.

https://richardfholmes.org/2014/03/31/miracles-do-happen-part-one/

“Quite remarkably, within a few days things started to change”

The first thing I noticed was that even though my actual situation had not changed, my perception of it had. As you can imagine, I was still feeling quite frustrated at not being able to get about, but I was no longer worried. I could tangibly feel myself growing out of the situation; I could feel myself moving away from it. I could also feel the expansion of my soul beyond my physical body, although this is quite commonplace after the whole business of 2012. It also turned out that while all this was going on I only had to cancel one booking relating to my work as a medium. A couple of friends ferried me around to engagements and flatly refused to take any petrol money from me. Then, what I consider to be a miracle happened.

Out of the blue, someone just gave me £1000, yes it’s true; I was given £1000 and told I did not have to pay it back. So, with the bit of money I already had, I now had enough to buy a car that would be a bit better than just a runaround. Then something else happened that was more than just a coincidence.

I was now in a position where I had the means to buy a semi-decent car, but I still had no semi-decent car, and there was the little matter of my income. At this point I should add that for the previous two years I had been working as a volunteer complimentary therapist for a few hours here and there at a day services hospice not far from where I live. I decided at the outset that I wanted a job on the permanent staff and I was prepared to do any job that was going; it’s such a wonderful place, I just wanted to be more involved. The hospice closes over Christmas and New Year, and even though I had made it known that I wanted a permanent job there, it was not expected that there would be any vacancies until we were well into 2014, after an evaluation had been carried out.

So, I had a half-hearted look on the hospice website just prior to Christmas and sure enough there was no vacancies, except for a couple of jobs in the charity shops. By now it was Wednesday, January 10, and my first volunteer day of the new year was on Friday, 12 January. The journey is only a little over six miles, so with a bit of care I could use my car to get me there. On the Wednesday night I had another half-hearted look on the website and to my amazement, not only was there was a vacancy, but the vacancy was in the department where I worked as a volunteer; however, the closing date was Friday. I suddenly became frustrated; I’m not the greatest lover of application forms and decided that I was not going bother. It was too short notice and I was not going to rush the application. The next day though, something inside me told me to print off the application form and get it filled out. So with my new-found lease of life, I printed off the form and got most of it filled in. I completed it on Friday morning and handed it in when I went to do my volunteer work. I did not even expect to be called for an interview because I have no healthcare qualifications and I knew that fully qualified healthcare professionals would be applying.

About four days later I got a letter saying “come for an interview”. So, I thought to myself that I would go for the interview, but I would have no chance of getting the job. The interview date was also my next volunteer day. I had the interview after doing a therapy and left the building believing I’d made a complete hash of it. I was told that it would probably take 3-4 days to let me know the result as there was more applicants to interview. So I went home.

Two hours later I got a phone call; “we would like to offer you the job”. I was so surprised, the lady on the line had to ask me twice if I was going to accept; I just couldn’t believe it. Within a few days I got a letter of confirmation giving me a start date of 26 February; all I needed now was a car!

Just under two weeks before I was due to start work, my friend’s son took me to Bristol to look at some cars. The cars we went to look at were not suitable, but whilst we were there we “accidentally” saw a sign on a car parked on the side of the road as we were driving by. On the way back we stopped on the off-chance and rang the number displayed in the car window. Enter Marcus. He turned out to be a decent sort and we returned the next day to look over a selection of cars that Marcus was selling. I chose one (see Gladys below) and it was a case of alls well that ends well!

It’s amazing how life can take you down one day and lift you up again the next. It must be awful for people who do not have a spiritual understanding; I find life’s shenanigans stressful enough, so what must it be like for those who have no understanding of how creation functions? A couple of months previous I had finished reading the book When Everything Changes Change Everything by Neale Donald Walsch. It speaks of how the universe is in a constant state of flux and that by our very nature we are beings of change, because all is energy and in constant motion. So, having read that book I knew I had to simply accept that situation as being part of the latest phase of change in my life, in the knowledge that it was impossible for it to stay the same and would eventually be resolved. Compared to what others have to endure my situation was nothing, but in context to the way my life is at the moment it was potentially a huge problem; indeed, the old me would probably have had a breakdown.

Remember that we are always in control of our lives and it is not the situations we encounter that determine whether we are happy or not; it’s our perception of them!

Universal Law: An Idiot’s Guide – Update

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

I’m proud to announce that Universal Law: An Idiot’s Guide is already available as a paperback in the US. It should also show up on Amazon UK within the next couple of days. I have not formatted for Kindle yet; and the official launch date remains 22 April, but the Kindle-ready cover can be seen below.

An Idiot’s Guide is a short book of only around 60 pages, hence the low price, but the aim of the book is to provide an insight, by way of a simple and concise guide, into how creation and the universe functions. It does in no way claim to be definitive, but it will be a valuable tool in helping you to attract more abundance into your life.

Buy in the US https://www.createspace.com/4327851

Universal Law: An Idiot’s Guide – Extract #3 And Cover

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

My latest book Universal Law: An Idiot’s Guide is moving along very quickly and very near completion. So, I’m really pleased to be able to post this short extract AND, at the same time, provisionally reveal the cover to you. I have already tweaked it slightly and there may be one or two further tweaks before I publish. But for now, here it is!

The Law of Perspective

This law really is simplicity personified. We are all always right from our own perspective, whatever the situation. What we believe becomes our reality. However, our perceived reality may not always be in line with our soul purpose; and this is where things can get tricky.

We have already stated a number of times that all the laws are interlinked in one way or another. So, if for example, our perceived perspective is quite bigoted then we are responsible for the vibration these views create and will one day have to deal with the consequences.

Things are never as they seem; always look beyond the surface for a truer picture.

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion – Democritus

Miracles Do Happen – Part One

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Author Richard F Holmes

I’m going to share an experience with you that proved to me (as if I needed any proof) that miracles most certainly do happen. Over Christmas 2013 I found myself in a situation that seemed impossible; in fact I just didn’t know what I was going to do. There were similarities with situations from years gone by, and I really couldn’t believe that I now found myself seemingly trapped in a scenario of pain and despair, having turned my life around (or so I thought) many years ago. What I couldn’t understand was, that I was no longer the angry and resentful person I was back in the day; so why was I now faced with this situation? I’ve made no secret of the fact that the way I lived my life when I was younger has made things quite difficult for me at times during this stage of my life. I’ve also made no secret of the fact that I choose to live my life in a certain way that can at times produce hardships. But by and large, my needs have always been met so I just tend to plod along and take things as they come.

Throughout December I had not had much work; very little really, and there was not much on the horizon for the new year so I had very little money coming in. It was difficult enough already with the cost of living spiraling out of control, when all of a sudden my car died on me. The mechanic I use managed to get it going but the outcome was that it was going to cost such a lot of money to get it repaired that I would be better off scrapping it and buying a new one. The only problem was, how? I had just about enough money to buy an old runaround, but I know nothing about cars and I’m easy pickings for unscrupulous car salesmen. Also, how would I get out and about in order to buy one? The car I had was still driveable, but only over short distances; it was too dangerous to contemplate journeys of more than 6-8 miles because the engine kept overheating. My mind went into overdrive…

I had a serious case of “what am I going to do” syndrome. I told myself that I would have to register as unemployed, but that I would not be able to look for a job because I would have no way of getting anywhere. Tetbury is not exactly remote, but the bus service is very limited and very expensive. I told myself that within a few months I would be a sad case sitting in my little bungalow in the depths of despair and that my gas, electric and phone would be cut off because I had no means of paying my bills. I didn’t sleep very well for two nights; and then I came to my senses!

I knew that by constantly churning out all those negative thoughts I was only going to create more misery further on down the road; I told myself that it was about time I started to put into practice the principles that I speak about so often during the course of my spiritual work. I started by reminding myself of a few things. In no particular order I reminded myself that I am not a body; I am Divine Consciousness and the world I find myself in is only an illusion; therefore, at worst, my situation is only a part of that illusion. I reminded myself that I, and no one else, am the creator of my reality within this illusion and that it is impossible to die. I reminded myself that if I am responsible for creating my situation, albeit an illusionary one, then I also have the power within me to create circumstances in my life that are more favourable. Finally, I reminded myself that if I am Divine Consciousness at my deepest level, and if Divine Consciousness is the only reality, then if, to the best of my ability, I am able to experience myself as who I really am, then my problem would go away; after all, it was only a problem because my mind said so!

So I set about hatching a master plan!

I decided that I would meditate before going to bed. My thinking behind this was, that if I could experience myself as pure consciousness before retiring for the night, it would be like giving my mind a shower and I would be able to sleep better. Now, I always try to be thankful on a daily basis for all my blessings, but in my current situation I felt that an extra strong “attitude of gratitude” would go a long way towards helping me. In other words, instead of whining and moaning because my car is terminally sick and my whole world is doom and gloom, it would be much better to be consciously grateful for the abundance I already have. So, I made a point of thanking God for the bed that I sleep in, the roof over my head, my food, my clothes, my fresh drinking water and for things that are taken for granted, such as being able to look up into the night sky and gaze at the stars. Quite remarkably, within a few days things started to change.

Part Two coming shortly.