MIND PLAY

I was playing in the garden of my mind today. Suddenly, from across the fence of my consciousness, a big, red ball came flying. It bopped me on the head, knocking me out. When I recovered my senses, I picked the ball up and examined it closely. Two words, COSMIC UNITY, were printed in bold, black letters. Before I could even ask the question, why had I been chosen to receive this message from another dimension, I heard a voice. “I bet that you are wondering why that big, red ball hit you on the head?” it asked. Looking quickly around, I saw no one. “Did you just talk to me?” I questioned the ball I held in my hands.

“Over here, son.” There it was again, that big, deep, resonant voice. “I’ve been waiting for you for three-hundred years. It’s about time that you showed up.” Frightened out of my wits, I stared up at a massive oak tree in the corner of my yard. Its fifteen-foot girth and hefty branches clearly indicated that this tree was a veteran of many pitched battles with wind, cold, and drought. Daring to talk to the mighty oak, I replied, “Why yes, I was sort of wondering about this COSMIC UNITY thing. You’ve been around a lot longer than I have. Perhaps you can explain it to me.”

“Glad to, son,” my wise, old friend replied. “That essay you wrote the other day put you on the right track, so what I have to teach you won’t sound so weird. In Essay #9, "I Believe," you correctly intuited that the physical world we both inhabit is a mere reflection or “shadow” as you termed it, of true reality. True reality is spiritual in nature and shadow reality is physical. You also correctly postulated that true, or spiritual, reality is composed of the unity of love, truth, and beauty with the life force. The life force is spiritual in origin; thus it unifies both realities. Since the life force originates in the spiritual realm and cannot be divided against itself, time and space don’t really exist, except as useful tools for man to order his existence.”

About this time, having affirmed the ideas contained in my essay, I began to feel that my old friend had been around the metaphysical bloc a few times. Eager to hear what new words of wisdom he had to offer, I encouraged him to continue his lesson.

“Son”, he continued, “where do you think I came from?” “From a little acorn,” I quickly replied. “And where do you think you came from?” he shot back. “From my mom and dad,” I said. “And they?” he queried. “From their parents. What are you getting at?” I asked. Pausing to enjoy the gentle massage of a passing breeze on its muscular limbs, the great oak tree sighed, “Ultimate causes, the concept of the embryo and their connection with cosmic unity; that is what I’m getting at.”

“You were once pure potential, an embryo in your mother’s womb. I, likewise, was once pure potential, a tiny seed dropped on the fertile ground by my mighty parent. I became, within a space of three hundred years, the giant that towers above you. You became the beautiful child that stands so noble in my shade today. We are both representatives of that pure potential that became this shadow reality.” “But why did God create this shadow reality in the first place?” I ventured. The wise one responded, “Why does the sun cast my shade on you, my young friend? Perhaps God, in His infinite wisdom and benevolence, knows that our souls are not acclimated to experience absolute, pure love, beauty, and truth. Perhaps this shadow reality is His method of conditioning and preparing us, a sort of kindergarten. When we have perfected and purified our souls of all corruption then we will be able to witness the glory of the Creator in the shadowless light of eternal love.”

“Fifteen billion years ago shadow reality began with the ‘Big Bang,’” my arboreal mentor continued. “Sorry,” I interrupted. “You lost me. How did we get from little seeds and embryos to the ‘Big Bang’ which took place so long ago?” “What does the “Big Bang’ theory postulate?” the wise oak probed. “It is the theory that all we see, all physical reality, began when an infinitesimal and dense mass, perhaps the size of a golf ball, exploded fifteen billion years ago. This explosion began a chain reaction of cosmic events, which has lead to the creation of all the galaxies, etc. Our Earth was formed four billion years ago, and life began here much more recently,” I replied. “Correct, my boy,” he commended. “You were worth waiting three-hundred years for.”

“The principle of the embryo is what I am driving at. All God’s thoughts, hopes, and dreams were contained within that golf ball sized embryo 15 billion years ago. Our lives, all life, were contained within that cosmic embryo too. Before the “Big Bang’ God had thoughts, but chose to take no action. Then He visualized our universe, created the cosmic embryo, and exploded it. Pure potential thus became shadow reality. God, ultimate spirit, just felt like sharing His love with Himself. We are He. He is us. The proof of this is that we are capable of comprehending the Master’s thoughts. With increasing purity and detachment we each gain greater insight and understanding. That is what spiritual advancement means. God wrote the script for this shadow reality movie fifteen billion years ago. We, being creations of God, know that script intuitively, and act out our parts. Déjà vu is clear evidence of this foreknowledge. It is a clear hint to us that we have seen this movie before. We saw our lives with our beloved creator before the beginning of time, before the ‘Big Bang,’ before the illusion that is shadow reality. That is why nothing can ever hurt or injure you, my son. Cosmic Unity protects you. But that is a lesson for another day.”

As my aged friend grew silent, I pondered the awesome meaning of his words. A feeling of sublime peace and love overcame me, tears poured from my eyes. In grateful thanksgiving for my mentor’s revelations, I embraced his mighty trunk and kissed his rough skin. “Peace be with you, my wise teacher,” I whispered. “Your noble words shall take root in my heart and in my soul.” A small green leaf floated gently past my cheek as the light slowly faded from the dying day.

Essay #12
July 21, 1997
Atascadero, California