The photo below was taken at Baba’s Maha Samadhi (click to enlarge). His ”dead” physical form can clearly be seen lying in state in the glass coffin. But if you look to the right of the picture you can also clearly see Baba walking past and in perfect health, about to exit the scene. All in a day’s work for the ”Divine Puppet Master”.
Just when I thought it was safe to go back to the astral planes…. someone queried (and very validly) a point I made, or rather didn’t make, in the previous article. Namely, if we have already learned lessons and gained knowledge from previous incarnations, why are these lessons then blocked with each subsequent incarnation, thus making our journey more difficult than it needs to be? This query was prompted by what I said about the memory being temporarily veiled just prior to incarnation. This is the answer I gave.
The lessons we have already learned are not blocked as such; once a lesson has been learned it does not need to be re-learned over and over again. Further, with regard to lessons already learned, our inner guidance prevents us from falling into age old traps. For example, would anyone with half an ounce of spiritual understanding contiunue to put their hand into the fire in the knowledge that it’s damn hot and going to hurt like hell?
The adventures we face with each sojourn into the flesh represent things that still need to be resolved in order for us to take further steps towards enlightenment; not things that have already been resolved. So, if we had prior knowledge of the answers it would render doing the exam pointless, and we would never truly be able to move on from where we are stuck. To use an anaology to clarify this further; I could go on the internet and purchase a bogus degree in nuclear physics but it wouldn’t make me a nuclear physicist. The worlds greatest leaders and spiritual teachers, sports professionals etc. achieved success by making great sacrifices and enduring great hardship. What I’m trying to say is that no one ever achieves anything truly worthwhile by ”breezing” through a process. There has to be some form of sacrifice along the way.
The phrase ”no pain, no gain” springs to mind.
So, in the previous article we established why I have been escorted to various astral locations. But in doing so the question arose as to why, if I already have experience of these places at various stages of my existence, do I have to experience them again in this lifetime. The answer to this question, I believe, is simple and I shall now endeavour to explain.
We know that when we incarnate into flesh our limitless “God memory” is temporarily veiled from us. We also know that each incarnation into flesh represents a gradual unfolding of awareness that leads us to a greater understanding of who we really are. This unfolding is achieved via our experiences, regardless of whether we perceive them to be good or bad. If our memories were not temporarily veiled from us we would still have access to ”the wisdom of the ages” during our time within the Earth dimension and we would be able to breeze through life, thus rendering the whole journey completely pointless; it is via our greatest hardships that we gain our greatest strengths. We also get to know more about ourselves through our trials and tribulations. So, with all this in mind it is apparent to me that the whole purpose of my astral journeys is to give me access to certain detail that has been temporarily screened from me. It then jogs my memory to the extent that I have been able to write about the experiences, and in doing so, I have given others a glimpse into areas of creation that they would not otherwise have; areas of creation that exist beyond the Earth vibration.
I have been able to share with others such truths as; we are solid beings no matter what dimension we dwell in, we communicate mainly via telepathy beyond the Earth plane and that our thoughts materialise instantaneously on the astral planes. These are just three examples but I think the reader will get the gist of what I’m trying to say here.
All that remains is for me to thank Melissa in sunny California for planting the seed in my head and prompting these two articles. Thanks Melissa and I hope I have managed to satisfy your curiosity.
Someone wrote a review of my book, Astral Travelling, The Avatar and Me, recently. It was by no means a bad review, but it posed a question that had only ever fleetingly popped through my mind; “why should you need another soul on hand to assist you if you astral project?” Why should you indeed! I must admit that it made me think; I’d never given it any serious thought before, I was just grateful for all the amazing experiences I’d had over the years. So, the question having been posed, my brain whirred into action.
The first thing that occurred to me is that I don’t consider what I do to be astral projection. To me ”astral projection” implies that you are going to project yourself to a predetermined destination; therefore, you are setting off with a clear goal in mind. I have indeed astrally projected in the past, but this has always been on an inner level; usually in a group and usually for the purpose of clearing a house where there are negative energies causing mischief. I have also astrally projected on my own, on an inner level, to visit people I know for various purposes. What I wrote about in my book, to me anyway, has got nothing to do with astral projection. It’s also got nothing to do with what are commonly referred to as near death experiences, where someone may find themselves hovering over their own physical body.
I’m aware that people may have their own definitions and opinions of these subjects and may disagree, but I would like to point out as well that I am not “of the norm” shall we say. With very few exceptions I avoid the company of other mediums and psychics like the plague and also steer clear of anything remotely resembling mainstream new ageism, spiritualism and religion etc. I have been guided in a certain direction, and that is the direction I’m going to take; in fact, I believe very strongly indeed that I have barely started my spiritual work yet.
When I astral travel, I never know where I’m going to end up; this is why I believe I get escorted to the destination. I also firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, and these destinations are carefully selected for me to gain the experience of them. After all, I never get brought back; I always make my own way back simply by using the power of thought, or I seem to instantaneously end up back in my body if it’s just a fleeting visit. So, what criteria are used to determine which particular destination and when?
The destinations are chosen because they represent significant points; milestones even, in my existence. They are places I have visited on many occasions in the past; places where I have lived and places where I have worked. Each and every one of us is a timeless and formless being of light. But we have taken form at various stages and eras in imaginary time, in many dimensions and for many different purposes. These places are places that I have no memory of whilst I am encased in flesh within the Earth dimension, but they are places that I actually know very well indeed. This would explain why, when I encounter other beings on my travels, that they quite often appear to know me. This has now thrown up another question. If I have already experienced these places in the past, why do I need to experience them again during this sojourn into flesh? Hmmm I feel another blog post coming on….. watch this space.
Over the last year or so my out of body experiences have been fleeting to say the least. I’ve had very few, and the ones I’ve had have been so uneventful that I have not felt the necessity to write about them. However, during the early hours of the morning of August 7 I experienced what I hope will be the tip of the iceberg of a new series of astral adventures…. oh how I’ve missed them.
I was aware of a very powerful energy around me as I lay in bed, and after a few moments I felt the familiar sensation of being lifted from my body and then travelling at speed through the darkness. I made a point of not trying to have a peek at my companion because I didn’t want to do anything that would hinder the experience [during the early years whenever I tried looking around to see who my companion was it automatically triggered a return to my body]. Over the years we seemed to overcome this problem, but nonetheless I wasn’t going to take any chances; after all, this was my first astral experience in a while and I wanted to enjoy it.
We continued to travel at a great speed for a short while, and then I felt myself slowing down. As we came to a halt there was a young girl waiting; she communicated by way of her smile. I acknowledged her, and within a split second I was back in my body. I was disappointed that my first astral journey for some months had ended so quickly but at the same time I was very grateful for having had the experience.
Look how desire has changed in you,
how light and colorless it is,
with the world growing new marvels
…because of your changing.
Your soul has become an invisible bee.
We don’t see it working,
but there’s the full honeycomb.
Your body’s height, six feet or so,
but your soul rises through nine levels of sky.
A barrel corked with earth
and a raw wooden spile
keeps the oldest vineyard’s wine inside.
When I see you,
it is not so much your physical form,
but the company of two riders,
your pure-fire devotion and your love
for the one who teaches you.
Then the sun and moon on foot behind those.
~Rumi
As I wrote in a previous article Sri Sathya Sai Baba was famous for the way he used humour to get his point across to people, and I’m going to share a few more examples of this with you now.
It was well know among devotees that Baba never slept, ever. He was engaged in ”God” business 24 hours a day for every single day of the 85 years and six months that he was in his physical body. Once when someone asked him if it was true that he never slept, he replied ”if I wanted to rest I wouldn’t have incarnated”.
In his younger days Swami would quite often leave his body in order to go to the aid of a devotee in distress, or to administer a cure for a life threatening illness. An elderly devotee, also a non-swimmer, once fell down a deep and wide well and found to his astonishment that he was being supported from the waist up. He remained supported until a rescue operation was mounted and he was hauled to safety. The man knew that Swami had to be involved somehow and decided to go to Puttaparthi the next day to thank him. He was sitting on the sand patiently waiting for Baba to come out for darsham, when all of a sudden Baba appeared on the balcony, and on seeing the man, shouted; ”hey! Do you realise my shoulders are still hurting from holding you up last night!”
Another one of my favourite examples of Baba’s sense of humour was when an American lady was telling him of her worries regarding earthquakes in California. She said ”but Swami what shall I do if there’s an earthquake”, to which Baba replied ”PREPARE TO DIE!”
More to follow.
From the beginning of my life
I have been looking for your face
but today I have seen it
Today I have seen
the charm, the beauty,
the unfathomable grace
of the face
that I was looking for
Today I have found you
and those who laughed
and scorned me yesterday
are sorry that they were not looking
as I did
I am bewildered by the magnificence
of your beauty
and wish to see you
with a hundred eyes
My heart has burned with passion
and has searched forever
for this wondrous beauty
that I now behold
I am ashamed
to call this love human
and afraid of God
to call it divine
Your fragrant breath
like the morning breeze
has come to the stillness of the garden
You have breathed new life into me
I have become your sunshine
and also your shadow
My soul is screaming in ecstasy
Every fibre of my being
is in love with you
Your effulgence
has lit a fire in my heart
for me
the earth and sky
My arrow of love
has arrived at the target
I am in the house of mercy
and my heart
is a place of prayer
Rumi
Let us fall in love again
and scatter gold dust all over the world.
Let us become a new spring
and feel the breeze drift in the heavens’ scent.
Let us dress the earth in green,
and like the sap of a young tree
let the grace from within sustain us.
Let us carve gems out of our stony hearts
and let them light our path to Love.
The glance of Love is crystal clear
and we are blessed by its light.
Rumi
Please visit the page VIDEO MESSAGE OF THE WEEK to view this weeks video. Thanks.
Marcus Aurelius, one of my wonderful spirit guides.
Author - Richard F Holmes 