Swami | Author – Richard F Holmes

I had an experience recently that was a classic case of rolling back the years. I find it interesting that the experience has a different meaning for me today than if I’d had it 10 years ago. For the first time in ages Swami Sri Sathya Sai Baba appeared to me in a dream. As expected, it was like being in the presence of a doting mother and best friend. Swami let me touch his face, and we had this moment where we were just in each others’ presence before the egoic mind brought me back to the land of objective reality.

Swami always used to say that if he comes to us in a dream, it is not a dream but a visitation. He also used to constantly remind us that he was not the body, and did not encourage devotees to follow him as a physical being, or look on his form as an object of worship. Nonetheless, it was very difficult not to; especially if you had the grace (as I did) to witness Swami’s amazing smile first hand and experience his awesome presence. A few years ago I would have relished a visitation from the loving “God man” and would have felt so lucky and privileged that he’d blessed me in such a way. Even though my recent visitation was an unexpected and wonderful experience; received with equal relish, I interpret the meaning differently. Back then, if Swami the physical being would have been visiting me; I would not have seen his form as a symbol of the one eternal Self. Yes it’s true, that I would have known this, but confronted with Swami’s beautiful form, all thoughts of the formless would have flown away.

With regard to my recent experience, I enjoyed immensely basking in the presence and having my personal darshan of Swami’s form. But today, I understand what it represents and my interpretation of the visitation is that “The Higher Power” used a method that I would be able to relate to, to let me know that my little individual, egoic self has not been forgotten about. That for however long I have left in this body, and for whatever work I have left to perform, I am not alone; the loving bliss of eternal spirit will always be enfolding me.

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.