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I
am sitting on a bench at the boulevard of a big city, having
a real great time. I am looking over the broad funnel-shaped
estuary and for quite a while I am enjoying the light, air and
water at my leisure. It is an incredible spectacle. There is
the changing of the many colours from green and blue, red and
brown, grey and white, and all the variations in between.
Provokingly
slowly the tide goes out. I am watching the slow passing of the
large cargo vessels, and the diligent sailing to and fro of the
pilot boats. I just cannot get enough of it!
In
front of me on the balustrade, about two yards away, a large gull
is landing. After a while it becomes clear that the animal is
waiting for a nice snack I might have. Slightly nervous she
patters back and forth, now and then pointing her beady eyes at
me.
I
get up and advance a few paces. Gently I stretch my hand towards
her. When the seagull sees what she expected in my hand is not
there she utters a screech, and slightly agitated she moves a yard
just out of my reach. She makes it clear that she is not amused
and looks angrily in my direction.
I
shrug and sit down again and go on with what I was doing. Peering
into the faraway distances and observing what I had been doing. It
is pleasant because the weather is also pleasant, and slowly I
lose myself in time. More and more I move into a state of inner
reflection, causing the bubble of consciousness I am to expand
gradually. As I expand, the seagull becomes part of this expansive
ball of energy as it were.
"Good
morning to you", says the seagull to me, still a bit angry. I
startle. I hadn't expected anything like this!
"Good
morning seagull", I reply. "I did not mean to hurt you.
I just wanted to make contact with you, but it is clear to me now
that I did not do it the right way."
"Rightly
spoken, my friend. Rather untactful. You people have a lot to
learn. I notice this time and again."
"I
agree", I answer the seagull, which has approached closer in
the meantime. "Do allow us some time and we will all learn."
"Hmm",
grumbles the seagull changing the subject. "Nice view here,
don't you think? If you watch the estuary from here, it is similar
to the view we birds have as we watch the world from above. This
extra perspective is rather extraordinary for you land rats, I
dare say."
It
is obvious that the animal's temper is improving, so hopefully I
say: "I see, this is interesting. Yeah, we need large
machines to watch all this from above and you can do it on your
own." I am trying to humour the bird. "It shows that
your kind is superior to ours in many ways."
"Wait
a minute", says the seagull, still trotting to and fro but
evidently pleased. "That is not entirely how it is. Nothing
and nobody is superior to anything or anybody else. We all do it
in our own way. We all have our singularities and we all have our
good sides. You are better at walking than us, and every creature
is doing its best to create paradise on earth in his own way."
"Paradise,
hmm." I am speechless, for I don't know what to say at that
thought. But the seagull goes on.
"By
the way, you do know me; I am called Nada, and I invite you to
join me on a journey. There is something I would very much like to
show to you."
Instantly
I am fully alert. "Nada, of course! A journey, where to, how,
what, when." My brain has turned into a chaos and again I am
lost for words.
"There
is no need to panic. It is all very simple. You just fly along
with me and I will show you something. We are leaving right now.
You will be back before dinner, I promise. You didn't bring me
anything, but you bet I have something for you."
The
next moment I notice that I am on the balustrade, too. Eye to eye
with Nada, who nudges friendly and encouragingly. To my surprise I
notice that I have also taken the body of a seagull. I am just as
large as her and my heart beats expectantly. What am I going to
see?
"Don't
linger friend, spread your wings and we'll be away." Thus a
miraculous journey starts that will teach me many things, and that
I will remember always.
First
we cross the estuary to the other side and we fly over fields and
meadows, over villages and cities. We see the rivers and the
canals, the roads and the paths and gradually it gets more and
more clear. Progressively I can see what is happening beneath me.
I see the people work the land; I see how others get on their way
to earn their daily bread and I understand that some people are
trying to impress others. It is all rather confusing.
"Now
then", Nada says to me. "At first sight it looks like
all these people are pre-occupied with their very earthly matters.
Still, beneath the surface there is with many of them a start, a
beginning of Peace. It is a great gift when a creation is enabled,
by one's own inner powers, to believe in that Oneness of all that
has a soul. It is the greatest gift of all, and when we remember
this it will be possible for every one to experience this Oneness
and thus be love."
I
nod. I had not reflected on this from this point of view. But Nada
has more to tell. "Love is a word that keeps returning but
often is so hard to reach; also and especially for people and
other souls that are on the planet Earth. You live - by your own
choice, for which we are endlessly thankful - in a veiled state,
and this state makes it possible to give the choices you make such
a quality that you also learn from it.
"There
is no good or bad. Only the good or bad as you experience it has
been given this value. And that will lead to many people turning
against each other, while it would be better for each individual
to reconcile with one another. Then you will be able to live what
we have just lived, the Oneness in our Seagull image. For that
Image really is no different than God/Goddess/Source, for each
Be-ing is a part of God/Goddess/Source and therefore it is
possible to experience the Love and the Oneness of things."
Yes,
I muse, of course that is true. Being a temporary seagull, I have
looked deep into Nada's eyes. What I saw there she has just put
into words for me. I get more and more impressed. But we go on and
on and at last the land has finished and we fly over a nearly
endless ocean.
Now
and again we pass a ship, but that happens less and less and then
we fly - it seems like hours - only over gently waving water not
interrupted by anything. Suddenly there is a black dot on the
horizon that gradually is getting bigger as we fly in its
direction.
As
we approach we see that it is a small island rising like a cone
above the tender waves. At the top of the island there is a white
temple-like building in a walled garden. I get frightened as I see
that the whole building is on fire. The wall, the garden and the
larger part of the house, everything is in flames. Only the
entrance and a half circle in front are free of the scorching fire.
In the doorway a man and his son are standing in front of their
burning house. They signal us.
"We
have to rescue them!" I yell at Nada, who nods. In the
meantime three other seagulls appear out of nowhere and join us.
Carefully we descend until we are very close to the worried pair
in the entrance. We keep flying around the pair to offer our help.
They refuse, however, calmly and decisively, and so we go back up
to get away from the heat. We stay around, though, so we are able
to dive in when help will be required.
We
ascend a little more so that the surroundings of the house and the
garden become more visible. It now seems that the house is built
on top of a terraced city. Nevertheless, everything is under water
in this enormous but very still ocean of clear blue water. Only
the contours of the city are visible, the ocean and the house on
fire.
Little
by little the water level rises and in a last effort the water
gushes over the burning wall. Instantly all the flames are
extinguished.
We
descend again. The waters withdraw and it looks like the house has
been untouched by the tall flames. The father and son are waving
at us now. They have been saved. And they knew and had faith that
this was going to happen. Even in fear of death they would yield
to the fire. They had faith and were confident of the
all-enfolding love of the blue ocean.
Enthusiastically
we congratulate the father and his son with their rescue. All the
while they calmly and peacefully watch their surroundings and us.
Evidently their faith was limitless. Then the father gives us his
blessing. We are touched, and we continue on our journey.
The
three seagulls that were with us are Magda, Moira and Myriah.
These are old acquaintances, for sure. I greet these beautiful old
souls very affectionately, and while we continue our flight we
evaluate the happenings on the island on fire.
Nada
speaks first. "As you have seen, nothing is what is looks
like at first sight when looked at from an unsurveyable
perspective. Everything becomes clear when distant from it and
seen from the right perspective. This applies to anything in life."
"That's
right," replies Magda. "But I also want to emphasize
that I loved seeing the father and son having such endless faith
in the purification of the fire, and the love and faith in the
ever-present water of the blue ocean and what it means to them:
healing in all its facets."
I
also contribute, "and then there is the meaningful presence
of all the elements: water: the ocean, fire: the burning temple,
earth: the half circle of untouched ground in front of the house:
air, from where you can oversee and ether, through which we as a
potential rescue team could sense what was going on in the minds
of the father and the son."
"Yes
of course", Moira adds, "and I have an easy one: 'the
darkest hour is before the dawn.' "
"And
yet", Myriah adds, "it is probably possible to watch
from an even higher point of view. Without doubt there will be
unfolded new perspectives again that will be views from the higher
and almost limitless. And above all, I wish to point out that our
Mother Earth is part of this too. The island and the sea and the
air are part of Her Gentle Presence, after all."
"And
it shows again", I assent, "that the number of
conclusions to be drawn from this experience are nearly infinite!"
Slowly
it becomes clear that this was the last word, because nobody
speaks any more and our journey continues. Again there is land in
sight and it gets dark slowly and from the east. We can see the
sun is losing itself in beautiful colours behind the distant
horizon. Now we see the lights of the people and large pieces of
dark lands move beneath us. Again and again I understand what a
beautiful planet I am privileged to live on.
From
the heights, I am able to understand the dreams of humanity. More
and more I become filled with awe, regard and respect for this
magnificent creation that needs purification now and again, but in
be-ing it is so clean and pure. Every so often the balance is lost
and we all have to try and find it back. With united powers and
sometimes a little help from the higher, I have faith that one day
we will make it. This thought makes me very happy.
One
by one our companions depart and bow off to their respective
destinations. Gradually I return to earth and find myself in this
Now-time on my bench near the estuary.
Nada
again is very close to me on the balustrade. This time I have a
bread crust in my hand, which I lay next to her. This is the meal
she was waiting for. She picks it up, nods and with a grand swerve
she spreads her wings. After circling once above my head, she
flies off into the vermilion sunset.
I
Am ever so Grateful.
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