Do not be afraid of anything. Even when tossing on a wave in a storm, you are still on the bosom of the ocean. Always hold on to the consciousness of God’s underlying presence, be of even mind, and say: “I am fearless; I am made of the substance of God. I am a spark of the Fire of Spirit. I am an atom of the cosmic flame. I am a cell of the vast universal body of the Father. ‘I and my Father are One’.”
Paramahansa Yogananda
The Omnipresent ever-loving God does actually answer every single prayer, although it may not be apparent. Thankfully many prayers that go up are answered with a resounding “no”! What then is a prayer? A prayer is a series of thoughts that go out to God in the hope that some kind of result will ensue. Some prayers take the form of a shopping list; sent up as a last resort with the emphasis on “me”. This is generally when God pops up as a kind of afterthought when all else has failed, and these are the prayers that usually get the big “no”!
What many don’t realise is that God has to be moved (coaxed) and this happens according to the sincerity of the one engaged in prayer. You see we forget that literally everything is God and God permeates every single cell of matter in this dimension, and indeed semi-matter and light in the dimensions beyond. We already know that our thoughts are creative, everything is driven by thoughts, and this is the same when it comes to prayer. Prayer is communion with God and when we pray from the heart with deep sincerity, not giving a thought for ourselves, then the Omnipresent God is moved into action; things happen. Insincere payers are like blind faith; completely useless.
The secret of successful prayer is to detach from the outcome. If you think about this it’s more than logical. When someone complains that God has not answered their prayers, it implies that they were expecting some kind of reward and therefore the prayer was not entirely selfless. To detach is to place everything in the hands of God knowing that he will act in accordance with the Divine plan and our highest good and not necessarily in the way we expect.
Now if you’ll just excuse me I’ve got to pray for my Christmas wish list.
It’s an amazing thing, perspective; it’s all to do with how we perceive things as individuals. One man’s success is another man’s failure and what may seem fantastic to one person may be run-of-the-mill to another. I would like to share with you a personal experience that I believe illustrates this very aptly.
In October 2009 when I went to the ashram, Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of the Highest Peace), of Sri Sathya Sai Baba for the first time, I met an Australian man named Dave. ”Aussie Dave” as I called him, was just one of many wonderful characters that I encountered during my two-week stay. I first spoke to Dave after darshan one evening. I can’t remember the circumstances, but I do remember having seen him around the ashram and in darshan before then. He was a big man, but when you spoke to him you realised he had a heart of gold. After our encounter in the darshan hall I bumped into him a couple more times before he went back to Australia. There was one particular conversation I had with him that I found both interesting and surprising. I should point out here that whenever devotees of Baba cross paths it is always, without exception, because Baba has engineered it; and there is always a reason.
I was in awe of many of the people I spoke to during my stay, and Dave was no exception, because Baba had only come into my life in 2001 and this was the first time I’d received the call. Dave had been a devotee for many years and had experiences with Swami that I could only ever dream about. He showed me a ring he was wearing that Baba had materialised for him; he also said that this was his eighth visit to Prasanthi (sometimes he brought his wife but on this occasion he’d travelled alone) and not only had he been granted interviews with Baba as part of a group, but he’d also had a personal interview as well. I was green with envy, but not in a bad way; I was very happy for him that Swami had showered him with so much grace, but at the same time I was thinking ”I wish I’d had those experiences too”. He also told me what I thought was quite an amusing story.
On the occasion in question he’d travelled to Prasanthi alone and was lucky enough to have been summoned with some other devotees for a group interview. He told how Baba had been speaking to him and suddenly left and went into an adjoining room. Dave said that Swami seemed to take an age before he came back and there had also been crashing sounds coming from the other room; as if filing cabinets were being opened and closed. He went on to say that Baba suddenly appeared again, threw one of his robes at him and said ”here, give that to your wife”!
Anyway, I digress, back to perspective and the point of this article. There I was in awe of this man’s experiences with my wonderful Swami, he’d visited the ashram eight times, had group and personal interviews, had a ring that Swami materialised for him and he also had one of Baba’s coveted robes back home in Australia. It all made my experiences seem so trivial. After all, apart from the astral experience I had with Baba in December 2006, my encounters with my loving Guru consisted mainly of visitations during dream state. But, when I shared with Dave my humble exploits with the ”God Man” I was dumbfounded to hear him say ”I’ve never experienced anything like that”. He was genuinely amazed when I shared my experiences with him.
I’ve always heard devotees say that Baba knows us all inside out and he only ever gives us exactly what we need for our long-term spiritual growth and well-being. He also only connects with us in ways that we can best relate to him; and I would agree with that 100%. I often think of that conversation I had with Aussie Dave and still try to get my head around why, a man who’d had such incredible first hand experiences with The Avatar of the age, would be so amazed at mine, which seemed so trivial compared to his. Having said that, I remain the only person I know who has had an astral experience with Baba.
I know there was a special lesson for me contained within that conversation. I know also that I am ever so grateful for the experiences that I’ve had with Sri Sathya Sai Baba, even if they don’t seem as spectacular as some other people’s.
But I suppose it’s all just a matter of perspective!
The Sai Humour series wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Professor N. Kasturi. Kasturi was a wonderful man who was close to Baba for many years and was well into his 90’s when he left this Earth. Kasturi was the editor of the ashram magazine, Sarathana Sarathi, and some-time translator for Swami when he gave discourses; he was also a lecturer in many spiritual topics and I’m going to share with you a few of the great professor’s experiences at the hands of Baba’s sense of humour.
Kasturi once accompanied Baba to Coorge where he was to translate a discourse from Swami’s Telugu dialect into Kannada, which was the regional language. Coorge is an area that has the highest levels of rainfall in Southern India. Baba asked Kasturi to address the crowd of around 10,000 people before he gave his discourse. The good professor, noticing the build-up of rain clouds in the distance, decided to relate a story from The Bhagavad Gita which told how Lord Krishna protected his devotees from torrential rain after Indra, the rain God, retaliated after perceiving that Krishna had insulted him. Kasturi went on to reassure the crowd that Swami had control over the elements and would not allow them to get soaked.
As Baba was giving his discourse the rain clouds got closer and closer and Kasturi was panicking that the crowd would get wet and that it would make both him and Baba look stupid. Throughout the discourse he sent out prayers to Baba apologising for being so presumptuous and pleading with him to stop the rain. All the time the clouds got closer and closer and Kasturi felt more and more awful; not only that, Baba’s discourse went over time which really had poor Kasturi in a panic. Baba eventually finished by addressing the crowd thus. ”This Kasturi, though he gave the story of the rain, does not have faith. All the time he worried in his mind whether I will be able to stop the rain. The rain will come now; it will be here in 15 minutes so all of you get home.”
Years ago Kasturi accompanied Baba on a trip to Benares. He had a desire to receive a mantra from Baba and mentioned this to him. He then went and bathed in the Ganges and fasted for the remainder of the morning in expectation of having his request granted. As the day moved into afternoon the mantra was not forthcoming, and Kasturi was so upset at this that he shed tears. At lunch he found himself seated next to Baba who asked him ”why aren’t you eating”? Holding back the tears Kasturi said ”the mantra”. Baba then asked him ”what is the purpose of a mantra?” ”To get closer to the Lord” Kasturi replied. Baba looked down at the professor’s arm and then at his own; they were almost touching. He then smiled sweetly and in his very down to earth way said to Kasturi ”how much closer do you want to get”?
I will end by sharing with you the very amusing story of one of Baba’s pranks. One evening in 1959 he sent someone to tell Kasturi to report to his room at the mandir. When the professor arrived at Baba’s quarters Baba said that he needed to take a photo of him because the editor of a major Hyderabad daily had been in touch wanting to write an article on Kasturi and the ashram magazine. Baba told Kasturi he had promised this editor a photo of him and that he wanted to take it right away. He also said that he had acquired a very special camera specifically for this purpose so he should go and get himself ready. Kasturi rushed back to his quarters, got showered, shaved and put his best clothes on, he then rushed back over to Baba; arriving back in the presence with a huge grin on his face.
Baba got hold of Kasturi’s shoulders and manoeuvred him into the required position. He then stepped back the appropriate distance and looked through the camera lens. After complementing Kasturi on his photogenic face Baba shouted ”steady” followed immediately by ”ready”. Baba then clicked and Kasturi shrieked and jumped back into the corner of the room as a black blotch with a tail shot out of the camera and bounced off his neck. It turned out to be a trick camera that fired a cotton mouse. Baba burst out laughing (and so did Kasturi, but only to relieve the tension).
As we know, The Avatar does not play these pranks just for the sake of it; there is always a spiritual lesson to be learned. He gently reprimanded Kasturi for allowing his ego to be inflated by the story he’d invented about the newspaper editor; saying that the fact he was editor of the ashram magazine was not the kind of news the world was interested in. Lasting fame is not to be sought through newspapers that turn into waste paper the very next morning, but through service to God. Kasturi remarked some time later that he left the room a much wiser man.
I would like to share with you three more amusing littles stories from the Sai Humour series of articles.
In the interview room once Sai Baba asked a devotee ”how do you spell wife”? Before the man could answer Baba said ”W.I.F.E, Worry Invited For Ever”. Then seeing the look of disappointment on the face of the man’s wife he corrected himself and very sweetly said ”Wisdom Invited For Ever”.
A young man with long hair was amongst a number of devotees who had been called for a group interview one day. After teasing the man for looking like a woman Baba told him to get a haircut. The man said ”will you cut the first lock Swami”. Shaking his head in mock horror Baba said ”I am Baba not barber”!
The American Dr John Hislop was blessed with having spent a lot of time with Swami before he left this Earth in 1996. One day Hislop was invited along with Baba and other devotees to the house of a very well meaning devotee for lunch. On seeing that there was not going to be enough food to go round Baba said to Hislop ”go to the car and bring the food”. Hislop, knowing that there was no food in the car went anyway, expecting Baba to have performed one of his miracles. But even he did not expect the sight that greeted him. He was astounded to see two angels, complete with wings, standing by the car holding trays of food. He took the trays and went back in the house with his mouth wide open in amazement. On seeing the look on his face Baba said ”shut your mouth Hislop, they are always there, it’s just that you do not see them”!
I’ve been thinking lately how unbelievably lucky I am. Having said that, I’m sure it’s true to say that I’ve earned my luck over many lifetimes, but I can’t help thinking how unbelievably lucky I am that the Divine looks after me in the way that he/she does. Indeed, I am living proof that the phrase ”somebody up there must have been looking down on me” is very apt. In the earlier stages of this life I got myself into some sticky situations because of my naivety and desperation to ”belong” and later as a soldier stationed in Germany my choice of haunts left something to be desired; but miraculously I always seemed to avoid trouble. More recently my ignorance of certain matters has left me in extremely vulnerable situations, but again, I remain unscathed.
At the age of 14 I’d got in with the wrong crowd. I’d had very difficult relationships with my parents (for different reasons) and got sucked into friendships simply out of a desire to be accepted and to belong. I didn’t understand back then that to simply be me was the only identity I would ever need and went from living one lie to the other. These friends came and went because they were not true friends, but by the time I was 16 I was hanging out in the West End of London a few nights a week, specifically the soho area. I had been introduced to the area by one of these friends who was a couple of years older than me and much more worldly-wise. I took to hanging out in seedy clubs, sometimes not heading back to North London until after 07.00 a.m. or even later. These clubs were frequented by prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, thieves and muggers, but somehow I never encountered any serious trouble. Whenever trouble was brewing something always happened that kept me out of danger.
By the time I joined the army and got stationed in Dortmund in the then West Germany my only true friend was alcohol. I became like a split personality; on one hand I kept people entertained with my impressions and wit; but that was just a front for my other self, who was quite depressed and withdrawn. I didn’t like the army because of the hypocrisy and I didn’t like the squaddie mentality of wanting to beat people up after a few drinks; I was a happy drunk (when I wasn’t being depressed). I was attracted, for some reason, to the seedy side of Dortmund which was ”under the bridge”. It was a standing joke amongst the lads; and sometimes before descending on ”Der Stadt” we would say to each other ”whatever happens tonight I’m not going under the bridge”. The bridge in question was a railway bridge in Dortmund City Centre. All the nice respectable places were before the bridge, but once you went under the bridge it was a real den of iniquity. The standing joke was that even as we were saying it we knew that after a skin-full of beer we would always end up there. Quite often I would go down town on my own and go to the pubs under the bridge. Looking back it was a very dangerous thing to do; British squaddies, after all, were not the most popular species in Dortmund City Centre. I would go to some real holes on my own, but not once did I ever encounter any trouble. I could relate several more stories from my teenage and army years as examples of being looked after but it would make this post too long, however, in more recent years there are other examples of how I have constantly been protected and I’d like to finish by sharing two of them with you. Both of these examples involve cars.
What I know about cars can be written on the back of a postage stamp; to me cars are for driving and nothing else. Sometimes I check my oil and water, but mainly I just drive my cars and hope for the best. I bought a second-hand Toyota in 1999, it was a 1992 model with a genuine 28,000 miles on the clock. I kept the car for nine years and never had one mechanical fault with it. I only cleaned it a handful of times during that period as well because a car, to me, is simply a means of getting from A to B. So, during the time I had the Toyota I only had to deal with natural wear and tear, such as buying new tyres occasionally, new wiper blades, a new battery (once) and just general servicing; renew spark plugs etc.
After I’d had the car roughly eight years, someone remarked one day about the good condition that it was apparently in. I explained how long I’d had it and that I’d had no problems with it. Then they said to me ”what about the cam belt”. I didn’t know what the cam belt was and kind of just gave an indifferent reply. Some time later I was having a similar conversation with a friend and she asked the same question about the cam belt, to which I gave a similar reply. When she explained to me that the cam belt is very important and that if it snaps you might as well kiss your car goodbye, I thought that maybe I should look into it. To cut a long story short, the car suddenly started to develop wear and tear problems that were quite major and in the space of a couple on months I had a lot of work done on it that cost a small fortune. But the mechanic who carried out the repairs said he had never seen anything like it. He was a nonreligious/spiritual person but even he said ”someone up there must have been looking down on you”. Apparently you should change your cam belt about every 60,ooo miles. When I eventually got it changed (it was the original belt from new) it had done over 166,000 miles. The mechanic said it was a miracle it didn’t snap. Also the radiator was completely rotten and the brake pads (also the original from new) were apparently right down to the metal. Yet that car started first time every time, even throughout cold winters. The brakes always worked perfectly, I never topped up the water once in the nine years I had it and it always ran like a dream. Eventually, because it had started to cost me so much money I gave it away to the mechanic who had given me such good service over the previous couple of years.
The same mechanic sold me my next car, that I’m still driving; although I haven’t had the same good fortune with this one. Well, having said that it would depend on your perspective. It’s not relevant to mention various problems I had with the new car, but an incident in June 2009 is very relevant. At the time I was working part-time on a site that housed adults with learning disabilities. I drove onto the site and down to the unit where I was supposed to be working. Because of the number of cars already taking up spaces I had to park up on a grass verge until staff on the earlier shift had gone home. I went inside the unit and a few minutes later a colleague came in and asked if he could have a word with me. He was quite embarrassed to have to tell me that he had reversed into my car with a works vehicle and put a dent in the front off-side wheel arch. I could see that he felt awful about this, so I just said to him ”don’t worry it’s only a car”. He promised me faithfully he would get it fixed no matter what and we just left it at that.
However, when I went to move the car into a proper parking space I was puzzled as to why it wouldn’t move. Another colleague who was standing nearby was looking on and I could see he was trying to tell me something. I got out of the car to find that both of my front wheels were pointing inwards, and my colleague informed me that it looked as though the front tracking rod had snapped. This meant the car was undrivable. It was also very strange because the colleague who reversed into my car was only travelling at about 5 MPH. It soon became apparent to me why my car had been rendered unroadworthy in such strange circumstances. My other colleague pointed out that if the tracking rod snapped at such low impact it must have been ready to go at any time. The realisation then hit me that if it had snapped whilst I was on the motorway or even a major A road, then I would not be in a position to tell the tale.
It’s only since Sri Sathya Sai Baba came into my life in 2001 that I have really noticed that I am most definitely protected by the hand of grace. I honestly don’t know why the good Lord protects me in this way; I can only assume that there are plans for me that do not involve me leaving this earthly life just yet.
Yes, its great being looked after and I’m so grateful for it. The Divine certainly does have strange ways of protecting his children; but guess what? I’m not complaining.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born Sathya Narayana Raju on November 23 1926 and started performing miracles from the age of three. His playmates in the village nicknamed him ”Guru” because he held them spellbound with his materializations and stories containing profound spiritual teachings. As a young schoolboy he would materialise pens, pencils, books and sweets for his schoolmates, who were invariably very poor and whose parents could not afford to buy them. Of course, as well as winning many friends and admirers, the fact that little Sathya was obviously very special stirred up feelings of envy, suspicion and even hatred in the hearts of those who were jealous of his popularity; there was even two attempts on his life when he was young. But that will be the subject of another article on another day.
One who succumbed to his own jealousy, and paid the price with his dignity, was none other than one of the teachers at young Raju’s primary school. This particular teacher was very suspicious of the boy and always assumed that he was up to no good with his so-called materializations. He had been watching Sathya, and on seeing him giving out pencils and books etc. on this particular day, assumed that he had stolen them. As a punishment he made the boy stand up on a bench in class. At the end of the lesson, the sight that beheld the teacher who came to take the next lesson must have been truly something to behold.
On entering the classroom the relief teacher was amazed to see that his colleague was still sitting in his chair with a very embarrassed look on his face, and that young Sathya was standing up on the bench. However, this particular teacher was one that recognised the boy’s Divinity and he loved Sathya dearly; to the extent that he knew exactly what had happened. As he approached, his red-faced colleague explained that he was stuck in the chair and could not move. Trying to suppress his amusement, the relief teacher explained to his colleague that he had better ask Sathya to step down from the bench. He did this immediately and found that he was straight away able to stand up from the chair. Needless to say he never accused the boy of stealing again.
I am prompted today to recall a truly funny prank that Sri Sathya Sai Baba pulled on some of his students some years ago at his mountain ashram in Kodai Kanal. Swami enjoyed the cooler climate at Kodai and would normally visit late March/early April time.
It is well known that Baba would often use humour in demonstrating spiritual lessons, and on this particular occasion, he had decided that his students at Kodai had been slacking and needed a wake up call. I am not exactly sure why, but I believe that Baba felt that the students were concentrating too much on his physical form and not on his teachings. If any reader has heard this story before and has more accurate detail then I would ask you to leave a comment so that I can update the post.
The students were very, very excited, as always, at the prospect of Baba’s visit. But they were left completely and utterly baffled by Swami’s attitude and manner towards them on his arrival as March was nearing its end. Instead of greeting them in his usual way with loving smiles and words he completely ignored them; there was not so much as even a glance. The students couldn’t understand this and were extremely upset; they simply couldn’t understand why their Swami, whom they loved so much, would neither speak to them nor look at them.
The students became more and more distraught as the days went by and their beloved Swami continued to ignore them. When he passed them on campus he simply looked towards the ground and walked by without a word, a glance or a smile. It got to the point where the students started to argue amongst themselves as they sought an explanation of Baba’s apparently strange behaviour. Fingers were pointed and accusations flew around as emotions became more and more fraught. I believe that this went on for around ten days until finally, as March bade its farewell and April descended, the students could take no more and decided to confront Baba. This was unheard of but they were so desperately distraught that they waited until Swami was walking in the grounds and confronted him. As they did so Baba, still keeping his head down, raised his eyes in their direction, and with a cheeky grin on his face said ”April fool” and walked off.
So, just what IS going to happen in 2012? I suppose the truthful answer is that we don’t know exactly because we have not experienced it yet. However, we all have our theories; and I am no exception, hence I am sharing my musings with you now. Personally, I can’t wait for 2012 to come; and it will be very interesting for me approximately 14 months from now as I’m sitting in my nuclear fallout shelter reading this, because I will then know just how accurate my theory was/is. Hey! Only joking OK…. there will be no need for nuclear fallout shelters, so don’t panic.
So, is it going to be another millennium bug? Promising great catastrophe on an unprecedented scale, yet producing hardly a whimper. I would give a resounding ”no” to that because the two are simply not related. But, before I blind the reader with my amazing theory I think I’ll deal with what is NOT going to happen in 2012. THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO END. Right, we have sorted that so lets move on with my amazing theory.
I strongly believe that what is going to happen is actually happening now and has been for some time, and 21 December 2012 (which is the date I believe we are told that ”everything is going to kick off”) will simply be the date that everything reaches its climax. We know that everything within this world of matter has its own frequency of vibration, which resonates in accordance with the purpose that it serves. We also know that literally everything is in constant motion and that there must be a range of frequency, i.e. a high point and a low point, that determines the vibratory boundaries of this dimension. Now, we also know that the consciousness of the human race is rapidly growing as more and more incarnate souls are waking up to their inner Christ consciousness; and because of this, more and more love is being expressed in the world and more and more positive thoughts and actions are being instigated. In accordance with cause and effect this process will be instrumental in raising the rate of vibration within this realm of existence. It stands to reason that this will cause a degree of disruption as the human race and our wonderful planet grow closer to source.
I firmly believe that these changes will come in the form of a wave; a wave of vibration. I also believe that this wave will have a similar effect to a tidal wave, only a tidal wave in slow motion, and when the process reaches its climax the third dimension will have a newer and higher frequency range, in fact it may no longer exist; possibly having merged with the astral realms. As I said, I feel that this process has been going on for some time now, and the significance of 21 December 2012 is that it is simply the date in accordance with God’s intricate and very precise Universal Laws that everything will come together and the process will be complete.
Of course, to say there will be some disruption is an understatement, and those who insist on remaining oblivious to the loving light that permeates throughout the whole of creation will find things extremely difficult indeed (that is also an understatement). As I said at the beginning of this article I am really looking forward to the changes that are coming and I know there are many like me who feel the same. I certainly don’t pretend to be some super-evolved being, but I know for certain that I am more evolved than the average man in the street; and it is for this reason that for many years I have felt like a fish out of water almost everywhere I’ve gone. I am very uncomfortable within the density of this realm of matter and I know there are many on the planet who feel exactly the same way. So it is for this reason that I really cannot wait for 2012 to be upon us.
No doubt there will be many pundits out there who will disagree with my amazing theory. But it is ONLY a personal theory and I don’t make any claims that what I’ve written is set in stone, now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got to go and think up a title for my next article.
In the last few days certain events have prompted me to muse on an experience I had when I had not long found my spiritual pathway. Since the 1980’s when spirituality first peered over the horizon I’d been stumbling around in blind alleys and dark corridors getting absolutely no where. Finally in 2001 I found my right pathway with a surge of awakening. However, my enthusiasm far outstripped my knowledge and discipline and I stumbled a few times along the way. One incident from this period sticks in my mind because it remains very relevant in today’s life.
I suppose I should rewind just a touch in order to paint a clearer picture. Without going into too many details I had a reading with a medium in 1987 that completely blew me away. The reasons for this I suppose were several, but the fact that it was my first venture into ”the paranormal” had a lot to do with the effect it had on me. I went to see an elderly man called Tom Dowding in Wood Green, North London and the first thing he did was give me a picture he’d drawn of a spirit guide; simultaneously greeting me with ”I’ve been waiting for you”. The introduction alone was enough to blow me away. Anyway, the picture was of a Native American who Tom said was my guide. I was so amazed that I went to see him again a few weeks later when he told me about another guide I had; an Egyptian. At that time I did not understand that spirit (even the individualised soul), in truth, is without name and form, and I, like many others after me, believed that the spirit world was full of souls running around dressed as Red Indians, Egyptians, Monks and Nuns etc etc etc. I didn’t realise that the guides only take on these forms to satisfy human logic; i.e. we have a habit of wanting everything in its own box with its own label; everything has to have a name and every ”i” has to be dotted and every ”t” has to be crossed. Such is the way of human logic.
As the years went by I knew the guides were there but I didn’t have any communication with them, apart from the occasional signs and signals they gave me to let me know they were around. It was only when I started to open up to my own spirituality that I began to experience them more closely. I could see them on the inner plains and they would communicate with me telepathically when I was in meditation. I awoke so quickly that for a few months it was like being on a roller coaster, and I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was quite indisciplined. When I actually started to sit in a spiritual development group in 2001 my clairvoyance exploded like a Roman Candle, and I was absolutely over the moon to be able to see and hear my guides, especially ”The Chief”. It was such a novelty that we would have banter, which I thought was very clever indeed.
I was quite disappointed one evening when my mentor informed me that it was time for my Native American guide to step back and allow a beautiful celestial being of greater awareness to take me under his wing. Of course I welcomed my new friend with open arms, but me and The Chief had developed such a bond of love that I couldn’t let him go. Within a few weeks my mentor informed me in a way that was very clear and concise that if I did not wish to move on along my pathway, then that was fine; God would not love me any more or any less and I had the freedom of choice. But if I was serious about my spiritual development then I needed to let The Chief go and give my new friend ”sole rights” to my development. I accepted this and allowed my Native American friend to step back in the knowledge that he would always be somewhere around but it was no longer in line with my soul purpose for us to have such a close relationship.
My new friend was amazing; so much so that I carried straight on with him where I left off with The Chief. There was some banter and we became very, very close very quickly. But one day in meditation my friend decided that I needed to be shown a way that was more in line with my soul purpose. All of a sudden one of my arms, I think it was my right arm, became quite painful. It was such a strange sensation that there are no words to describe it aptly. It was like I was holding a weight that was far too heavy to be held, but at the same time I was not able to put it down. When it started it was almost like having pins and needles in my forearm. I thought my friend was just having a bit of fun with me but the sensation got more and more intense and seemed to go on for ages. It became quite painful and I wondered what was happening. When the pain eased off my friend spoke to me saying ”we shouldn’t let our love become a burden”.
I realised then that he had given me this experience in order to simulate being weighed down; and I knew exactly what he meant. From that day on there was no more undisciplined banter and my deep, deep love for this amazing soul, and his for me, was expressed and felt in the silence of the heart. I realised too that just because a soul works as a spirit guide it doesn’t mean they are highly evolved. In the case of The Chief, he was a soul who was pretty much at the same level of evolution as me; it’s just that he was discarnate, and therefore had a clearer view of the bigger picture than me. My growth was his growth; so what he did to help me also helped him along his pathway and the image of a wise Native American was simply to give me, in my ignorance, something on which to focus. I still love The Chief dearly, and I know that he loves me, only these days we don’t allow our love to be a burden and hold us back. Now to the whole purpose of this post.
When we are encased in flesh it is difficult for us to identify with anything other than the body and the senses and mind that go hand in hand with it. We forget our true nature and allow our emotions to make our decisions for us. We become emotionally attached to the extent that our vision becomes clouded and we cannot see the wood for the trees. Sai Baba always used to say that we are all just passing clounds on this dreamland stage and should not base relationships on the physical form because it is only temporary.
Because of emotional attachment we become oblivious to the fact that the love we have for the special people in our lives goes much, much deeper than the physical. We wrongly believe that we are apart when miles are put between us and we also wrongly believe that we get separated by so-called death. The whole human race is interconnected by love, but also there are those special souls whom we have known and loved forever who will remain embedded within the very depths of our being for eternity. To you I say this ”we shouldn’t let our love become a burden”.
Author - Richard F Holmes 