debramz.com
ASCENT
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SPIRITUAL ANTHOLOGY
Dedicated to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Who continues to be my Guiding Light
“You are a child of God, and it is your God-given role to help others to remember that they are also children of God”
[Divine decree received 2010]
‘Energy cannot be created or destroyed;
It can only be changed from one form to another.
Everything is energy and that is all there is to it.
Match the frequency of the reality you want,
And you cannot help but get that reality.
It can be no other way.
This is not philosophy;
This is physics’
[Albert Einstein]
Why these Writings?
On completion of the Labyrinth here at Jacaranda Haven in 2010, I walked it on my own for the first time and then stood – silent and empty- in the centre. A loud voice spoke telepathically to me:
“You are a child of God, and it is your God-given role to help others to remember that they are also children of God”
Sai Baba had gifted me a pen and vibhuti (sacred ash) whilst leaving Puttaparthi in 1999, renowned psychic Joan Moylan had told me in 1998 to write, and psychic Jennifer Starlight conveyed to me from Spirit in early 2022 that I was meant to write…but what ?
And then I realised that all I could write about to assist others on their paths was my own experiences, teachings and learnings in order to “…help others to remember that they are also children of God”. Hence these autobiographical writings…
Modules
This is but one ‘module’ in this collection of autobiographical writings that I choose to call ‘modules’. Each one stands alone, but some cross-reference others. A completed book is a static thing once finished: however, these modules are flexible in that I can add to them at any time should new experiences/information comes to hand, and the reader can pick & choose which particular modules attract them. The collection of modules thereby constitutes an’ anthology’.
The intent of writing these is to share experiences and teachings that I have been blessed with along the way of a human incarnation – the ascent of consciousness – such that the reader may also benefit to illumine their own path/ascent to the ultimate inevitable goal for all humans: that of ‘self-realisation’.
Belief vs Truth
As a precursor to reading any of these Modules, there is a need to clarify the difference between ‘Belief’ and ‘Truth’: one may ‘believe’ eg it is raining outside by the sound on the roof, but when you actually see the rain falling/walk out and get wet, you actually then ‘know’ it is so – ie it is ‘true’, and so ‘belief’ about that instantly ceases.
Many go through life accumulating fixed ‘beliefs’ about people/things, and, as Krishnamurti taught:”… the moment you arrive at a conclusion/form an opinion/a belief, you block the possibility of further enquiry and discovery”.
So, a hot air balloon called ‘Ascent’ awaits: I invite you to climb into its basket with me, throw overboard the ballast of all those accumulated ‘beliefs/opinions’ you have acquired to feel safe, and therefore allow this balloon to rise free and drift to destinations unknown.
Because, otherwise, some of what you read herein may sorely challenge your accumulated beliefs…
Everything recounted within the Anthology is absolutely true, unless I have qualified otherwise.
John Stephen Butterworth
JACARANDA HAVEN
I have occasionally commented over the years that:” I was born with green blood and music in my veins” (or words to that effect).
In my late teens, I started to feel the urge to be outdoors in natural environments as much as possible. This led me to becoming a greenkeeper (for about 13 years) at a bowling club in Sydney on the edge of bushland sloping down to the upper reaches of Middle Harbour where, after work, I would sit quietly in the bush and allow the lyrebirds to go about their business immediately around me and other bush creatures – and observe and teach myself all about the native flora & fauna.(Incidentally, one afternoon, I tried to photograph 2 lyrebirds and the old Yashica camera clicked like a gunshot in the bushland: the 2 lyrebirds I was watching, instantly looked up, stiffened and took off down the slope and did not come near me for at least 2 years! I was devastated knowing that I had ‘betrayed ‘their trust and acceptance of me. It was a huge lesson for me that stays with me to this day.)
Part-time, I studied agriculture, then horticulture, landscape design and finally a First Class Honours Degree in Landscape Architecture from UNSW.
In the late 1960’s, my late first wife Yvonne and I bought a few acres of bushland at Ebenezer/Sackville Reach west of Sydney (next door to the Tizzana Winery) wanting to grow strawberries and live there, but sold and took a mortgage on a house at Dee Why between about 1970 and 1980 (when we separated).
But that hankering to be farming and living in the country stayed with me.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, as both Rosemary and my mothers became increasingly frail, we would visit them on weekends. Rosemary’s mother Hazel Rex was a well known excellent gardener (won many awards for her large Condell Park garden), a dowser, but also was a medium as was her mother before her. When we would visit, she would sometimes’ channel’ various friendly entities – sometimes speaking in an unknown language. One afternoon, the subject of us going to live in the country came up and she ‘chanelled’ guidance that this would indeed be an auspicious action – much to the objections of Rosemary.
And then, my mother died in 2003 with my sister and I sharing her estate. Rosemary’s mother Hazel also passed in 2006 (Both our fathers had passed years before).
In the garage of our rental house one day, I found an old Sydney-Brisbane strip map and dowsed with my pendulum (the bearclaw I had been gifted in Taos New Mexico) where ‘Spirit’ might say that we would eventually live. As I dowsed up and down the East coast of New South Wales, it consistently went beserk, spinning wildly in a large circle, when centred in the triangle formed by Taree, Gloucester and Buhladelah.
I reported this to Rosemary, so, in October 2004, we stayed for a week in a motel in Gloucester, and daily, drove the Avon Valley searching for suitable land – plus drove the local real estate agents crazy with our persistence.
By the end of the week, we were very crestfallen at no success and headed east to Nabiac where we were shown a few properties – of which one at Dyers Crossing ‘hit the mark’ with both of us. It was 84 acres (approx 34 hectares) of partly cleared/partly forested, gently undulating land with a machinery shed (with mains power) and 3 dams. The owners had earlier subdivided off 16 acres from the 100 acre property on which to build their own house, and then put the remnant 84 acres up for sale.
Historically, we learned progressively that the property had been part of a 400 acre timber-getting bushland venture complete with timber mill from which large hardwood logs were trimmed and trucked elsewhere. The owner then ran cattle, and then decided to subdivide it into rural residential lots ranging from 100 acres (ie the one we were inspecting) through to 20-25 acres. The present owners had built an open-sided shed in a clearing in the bush and lived there until building their present house on their further-subdivided 16 acres which allowed them to now be offering the remnant 84 acres for sale. They had derived an income from various activities including cattle, meat rabbits and berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) – the latter of which passing motorists were invited to pick their own.
We returned to our motel base in Gloucester, whereupon Rosemary ordered me to go across to the banks of the Avon River to ask Spirit/Sai Baba for guidance – and not to return until I had received clear and unequivocal directive.
For an unknown period of time, I stood bolt-still gazing into the river with its crystal clear water flowing over rounded grey river stones passionately asking Sai Baba/Spirit/my spirit guides ,teachers and guardian angels what action we should take. “Was this the right property for us?” I asked over and over, and heard repeatedly in reply ie telepathically) words to the effect of ” Yes,Yes,Yes!!!” accompanied by the deep knowingness that it was indeed so.
I returned to the motel to report this all to Rosemary who also felt very strong about the land in question (noting also that she is very clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairsentient).
We got an independent valuation done and made an offer to buy which was accepted. During the settlement period, the estate agent rang me one day about Goods & Services Tax (GST) – and my heart sank, thinking immediately that we must be liable – as GST is normally paid by a purchaser . But to my pleasant surprise, the agent explained that the owners had been primary producers (berry crops, cattle, rabbits) and so long as we were going to be primary producers, they as sellers would not be liable. To assist our commencement in that role, they were willing to gift us an aging tractor, slasher and 2 calves. We declined the calves but gratefully accepted the tractor and slasher – probably worth about $5,000 at the time! Thank you God !!
Settlement was finally arranged by the 2 solicitors (date totally independent of us) for 8th March 2005 – incidentally my 60th birthday!! Coincidental? you say…as Robin Miller had said so wisely to me in Sedona USA in 1996: “The are no coincidences”…and if you still think that a ‘coincidence’, the date for the full discharge of the mortgage on the house we eventually built on this land, was set (once again, totally independent of us) by St George Bank for 8th March 2010 – the date of my 65th birthday !!
We were now the very happy ‘owners’ of 407 Avalon Road Dyers Crossing New South Wales.
We then commenced driving from Sydney to the land at every opportunity (ie every weekend and public holidays and annual leave) from March 2005 until finally moving to live there fulltime in August 2017.
Rosemary and others did some energy work and felt that there was an auspicious location on the land for a large retreat centre. We engaged the late architect Greg O’Donnell to prepare a sketch design proposal for such with 7 bedrooms, conference room, massage rooms, commercial kitchen, extensive decking etc and got a Development Application approved by Council. However, quantity surveyors estimated the building cost at $3.3million which was money we did not have at that time. So we continued to affirm that, if this be the best option, then so be it.
In the meantime, we installed a 5,000 gallon tank on the highest point of the land, served by a pump at a nearby dam which could gravity irrigate a mixed citrus orchard and olive grove we’d planted and later other fruit and nut trees. In anticipation of eventually building the retreat centre, we planted a long avenue of Jacaranda trees either side of the driveway with mixed results due to the very shallow topsoil: now, 17 years later, some have flourished whilst some struggle. We also had a water bore sunk at the eastern end of the property in case ever needed in the future.
Driving back to Sydney one Sunday evening in 2005/06, Rosemary suddenly said:
“Why don’t we call the property ‘Jacaranda Haven’?” which instantly rang true for both of us. And so it was, and still is.
We’d heard of biodynamic farming (BD) originated by Rudolph Steiner and always felt so good about it. We heard of a weekend introductory course to be held near Shepparton in Victoria and took ourselves to it. It was held on the large Greenwood family apple orcharding property where BD had been practiced continually for 40 years. Rosemary and I walked up to a row of apple trees still bearing apples in Autumn, and were astounded to actually smell the sweetness of the fruit as we were still several metres away! Plus there had been a bowl of delicious apples and a jug of apple juice in the living room during the morning indoors training session. We were hooked and back on our place, immediately commenced hand-stirring BD preparations – especially BD 500 (horn manure) – in a stainlesss steel bucket and putting out via a stainless steel knapsack spray. We became farm members of Biodynamic Agriculture Australia and, after I attended a later weekend course in radionics (in Maleny Queensland), had a ‘field broadcaster’ (Hugh Lovell design available on the internet) installed on our land which continually broadcasts over our land radionically-potentised BD preparations which saves time in physically stirring and spraying out (NB a somewhat controversial subject which has its supporters and critics).
We also put out BD ‘peppers’ when required to control undesired ‘weeds’, insects and animals.
One day, a friend suggested to us that, whilst waiting for the retreat funds to manifest, why don’t we investigate re-locatable houses ie where a house is cut in half, and trucked to another site, lowered onto prepared footings and re-joined. I wasn’t enthused as I knew one could be inheriting other people’s building problems etc. However, whilst researching on the internet, we came across kit houses and then discovered a company called ‘Circular Energy.com’ which provided kits for both hexagonal and octagonal houses. We immediately became enthused about the latter (ie made a ‘heart connection’) and started to explore further.
Fired up about the octagonal kit houses, I could see how we could modify/augment the supplied kit in beneficial ways and also visited a couple of built projects to see what we might further learn.
And then ‘magic’ happened …Sai Baba/Spirit took over…
One sunny Sunday afternoon early in 2007, a couple of friends visited us on the land. We were strolling along the driveway through our c.50 acres of bush when I told them about the kit house project. Michael (a carpenter) listened intently and then smilingly showed us photos on his mobile phone:
“I recently built almost exactly that design as a yoga studio down near Nelson Bay” and indeed, there were the photos of the finished octagonal building. He then turned to me and said (memorably):
“I want to build this with you!”
We spontaneously shook hands with me replying:
“You’re on”!!
And so the process commenced. I immediately undertook a one day training course to get my Owner-Builder’s licence, prepared a Development Application (DA) and submitted it to Council. To gain consent, we understandably had to surrender the approved DA for the retreat building. I also applied for 3 months Long Service Leave.
The site we chose for the house is out in a paddock framed by 4 mature magnificent gum trees – 2 Spotted Gum to the SE and I Spotted Gum and 1 Grey Ironbark to the SW. The site is adjacent to the property’s historically-central driveway (from the timber-getting days) and slopes gently to the North – thus ensuring good drainage – and affords panoramic views in most directions. The property has all-weather access, so often overlooked by property buyers NB flooding and bushfires.
The house kit basically consisted of steel post, beam & joist footings and underfloor, an outer, and an inner stud walls in octagonal plan configuration, yellow tongue flooring, decking, timber roof framing corrugated steel sheet roofing with insulation, and doors & windows including sliding glass doors to 6 sides. This was all delivered flat-packed to the building site including a drop-down ladder for access to the first floor loft office.
Our internal fitout/spatial articulation comprises open plan living/dining/kitchen wrapping around the N,E and Western sides with the 3 bedrooms around the southern half. The central octagon contains the 3 ‘wet’ areas of 2 bathrooms and laundry with loft office( my ‘man cave’) overhead accessed by ladder dropping down into laundry.
Having now lived in it both part-, and fulltime, for the last 17 years, we (and visitors) can attest to what a fabulous house it is!! So many thanks to its designer (retired builder) Rex Merritt to whom we are eternally grateful for his clarity of excellent architectural conception.
As allowed by the simplicity of the kit, I also made certain design provisions to further improve the quality of life in the detailed fitting out/extras.
To improve natural light penetration, I added a skytube/skylight to each of the ‘wet’areas and translucent highlight windows (built to approximate the Golden Mean proportion of 1.6 ie 500 x 800mm) to permit daylight and free airflow via the loft windows to the living/kitchen/master bedroom areas, a pedestrian ramp to the ‘front’ door , broad steps from the deck outside the living area to the lawn before the large ornamental ponds (which permit viewing reflected skies from inside) , a central heating system powered in Winter by the large wood-burning stove which is the focal point of the living area and larger span floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors than the standard kit provided.
I also prepared a landscape ‘master plan’ to guide the placement/positioning of external elements eg the octagonal outdoor entertaining area with seating and BBQ, the 2 large ornamental ponds,2 stainless steel 5,000 gallon rainwater tanks, double carport, toolshed, screened clothes drying, grey/black water treatment system, compost bins, vege garden etc.
I took 3 months Long Service Leave from Council and construction started in October 2007. Rex and his wife set out the complex footings arrangement precisely so that I could get an excavator to auger all the holes for the steel posts with height-adjustable saddles. (His wife saw a photo of Sai Baba in the bedroom in the machinery shed I was overnighting in and said if she’d known, she would have brought me some vibhuti: Swami ever-present as always!).
A carpenter who lived on adjacent property joined me to install the steel underfloor beams, joists and insulation (as Michael could not start for another week).
And then it started happening…!!
INITIATION…THE HARD YARDS
The first day of constructing the subfloor, I started to feel mysteriously very ill and got worse as the day progressed with my hands burning as if on fire. I was so ill, I rang Rosemary in Sydney to tell her I was going to spend the night in a motel in Forster near to the hospital in case I had to be admitted. With absolutely no idea of what I was undergoing…
The next day, I returned to site and struggled on with assisting my neighbour carpenter – still baffled as to what was ‘wrong’ with me. (I think the burning in the hands had settled down by then).
Each night, I slept in the bedroom in the machinery shed that we’d built some time earlier. During the night a few days later (after I had spent hours laboriously clipping sheets of underfloor insulation between the floor joists), a powerful wind blew up and when I stepped out the next morning, there were sheets of insulation all over the paddocks including the neighbour’s dam!
So I had to go around collecting them and re-fitting them…
Then, once the underfloor was complete, Michael the carpenter arrived on site the next Monday morning so that he and I could commence laying & screwing down the flooring sheeting over the joists ( as the next step in building the house).
With hardly any warning, he suddenly picked up one end of the first sheet (yellow-tongue composite board), told me to grab the other end and spun me around to then climb up onto the assembled joists. With the horizontal sheet before me and hence unable to see where I was stepping, I stepped straight into one of the empty 400mm deep holes awaiting its verandah post later on. I had badly twisted my ankle and could hardly move. Whilst Michael (who fortuitously was very strong) proceeded to lift and carry the sheets for the rest of the day, I hobbled to the car and went to the local town for medical assistance. I returned with heavily strapped ankle and improvised walking stick, and discussed with Michael how we could proceed until I was fit again. Fortunately, one of the other trades I was getting quotes from knew of someone local currently out of work who could assist. Larry was big and strong and grateful for the casual employment, and he and Michael powered ahead erecting & fixing the stud wall frames, large roof beams etc. Larry also had carpentry skills so I paid him accordingly. He was a God-send, as some of the stud frames weighed around 100kg (hence lifting maybe 50kg each) and I would have been struggling if not simply unable. As I recovered, Michael simply had me henceforward attend to unskilled tasks –plus I was project managing, procuring additional building materials, cleaning up, and writing the cheques!
The plumber & drainer contractor who commenced installing the grey water sewage treatment system and rainwater harvesting for the house was becoming increasingly stressed as he took on more projects elsewhere and obviously over-committed to the point of his stress causing him to constantly abuse his employees and use foul language. There were some complications with the solar-powered hot water system and central heating powered by the wood burning stove (for the Winter) which caused me to ring his wife one day to discuss claimed Variations.
When I arrived on site one day from Sydney, I found that, unannounced, he had taken all his pipes and other gear away, drained the water tank and tied it down with rope (as they can blow away in strong winds).
I stood there in shock and instantly called on Sai Baba. Without hesitation, He spoke telepathically to me words to the effect of:
“That abusive behaviour and foul language could no longer be permitted on this site”.
We never heard from that contractor ever again and were then connected to a polite and efficient local contractor with whom we have done quite a lot of work over the 15 years since.
For reasons that will become clear shortly, I’m now going to jump forward to the point of achieving ‘lock-up’ around Christmas/early January 2008. The sliding insect screen doors had been installed to all 6 house sides and we stayed in Sydney for family celebrations.
When we next returned to site, I was shocked and stunned to find large holes and tears in all insect screens and discovered that they were being caused by ravens/crows attacking them. But why?
In my ignorance, I bought plastic realistic red-bellied black snakes and left them around the deck plus printed large photos of dogs snarling and placed them facing outwards behind each screen…but to no avail.
I was desperate in my ignorance of what on earth was going on…and then a friend David (to whom I am eternally grateful) turned up to explain why and what I needed to do about it all.
THE ANCESTORS
David said that I had obviously not asked permission from/consulted with the ancestors of the Worrimi Nation upon whose country this property sat whether they agreed to/approved of this house being erected where I had chosen with Rosemary’s agreement. As a landscape architect, I had chosen the site for a number of reasons – including it being no more than 200m from the electricity distribution board at the machinery shed (the previous owners had installed overhead power on private poles and cables from the roadside to that shed) as any further would have required an expensive substation OR abandon the considerable investment of the poles & cables and go stand-alone solar power. The chosen site was framed by 4 wonderful gumtrees, afforded excellent views, would never be subject to flooding with an all-weather access driveway adjacent, and was well separated from bushfire hazard due to being out in the middle of a large cleared paddock.
All very logical, but, to my deep shame, grossly ignorant of necessary respect and protocol to the ancestors.
THE WORLD OF SPIRIT
I had been born into this incarnation to British white immigrants who, understandably, really only knew British/European culture, customs and education.
Likewise, with the schooling my sister and I received – which was all narrowly focused on academia, sport and European traditions.
This was the society I grew up in, living in Sydney suburbia, only tempered by my attraction in mid-teens to spirituality, music and plants/nature. The initial spiritual focus was Zen Buddhism, then Krishnamurti’s teachings (a trance medium session said that K and I had been close in earlier incarnations as Hindus in India), whilst as a child, my ‘playground’ was the native bushland and harbour’s edge close to home.
In high school, I checked the library for anything about Aboriginal/First Nation people but only found one book which didn’t convey anything beyond what was commonly perceived by European society at that time.
So my spiritual searching at that time was very Orient-focussed: India/Japan.
Rosemary and I had an Aboriginal/First Nation healer friend, the (late) Gerry Bostock who had taken us into the bush near the hieroglyphs at Kariong NSW for some teaching/healing on one occasion in the 1990’s – but otherwise, nothing. (I recall that day him having me pull over as we crossed Mooney Mooney Creek on Pacific Highway to telepathically ask permission to proceed from the ancestors of that area/’country’ we were about to enter).
Hence, there was nothing in my (and presumably most Europeans’) education by parents/schools about respect for country, about acknowledgement of First Nation elders past, present and future, their lore, nor their culture.
So I did not know that I should have consulted with the ancestors BEFORE commencing to build where we did.
Which subject raises a further issue: my limited experience to date has been that our ancestors in spirit seem to EXPECT THAT WE COME INTO THIS INCARNATION FULLY AWARE OF CORRECT PROTOCOLS FOR ANY CULTURE IN WHICH WE HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE PAST LIFE.
And, in my limited experience, it is not just ancestors in spirit but also elders in this life that expect the same of you… so what am I talking about?
The morning in September 1996 when I arrived back at the Hopi Nation (refer separate module ‘1996’), I entered the house of the lady I had gifted the car to some days prior (and had now come back to join her family for the Hopi Harvest Festival in the ancient village of Walpi on First Mesa). I was introduced to her mother who within minutes was reprimanding me for making too much eye contact with her as an elder ie I realized later that they all knew intuitively that I had previous lives as a Hopi AND THEY THEREFORE EXPECTED THAT I KNEW HOW TO CONDUCT MYSELF IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ELDER.
In the late 1980’s, I walked into the shop of a watchmaker in North Sydney to leave a clock for repair. The older man didn’t so much as look at me as around me – checking my aura (I realised later) and beckoned me to the counter where he immediately started teaching me esoteric knowledge! I came to understand that he was a very spiritually- advanced soul. On a subsequent visit, he also reprimanded me for making too much eye contact. When speaking with him, I was to drop my eyes/avert my gaze. HE ALSO SEEMED TO EXPECT THAT I SHOULD KNOW BETTER- HENCE THE REPRIMAND.
So these are just two examples of living elders who had the same expectation as those in Spirit.
Which left me feeling distinctly lacking in knowledge of such matters and hence humbly remaining open to learn further.
Further learnings came not long after the house was finished in 2008 via a good friend, the (now late) Michael Williamson and a mutual acquaintance Rosie from the Hunter Valley.
Michael and I first met in this life via our mutual love of vocal sound in particular. Michael had been ‘gifted’ the ability to chant kagyrra like Tibetan monks ie below the range of the human voice whereby it is said the longitudinal bones of the body come into resonance, and it was fabulous to sing and chant with him. I had a small choir I named The Peace Choir in the early 1990’s and we mostly allowed spontaneous improvised harmonic/overtone chanting to come through us in the moment. We used to ‘perform’ as part of a sacred ceremony I had ‘birthed’ that I called ‘Bathed in Sound’, and Michael’s kagyrra chanting was, for me, the piece de resistance of each event.
When I met Michael, he was the live-in caretaker of an ashram in Sydney suburbia for a Balinese spiritual teacher/holy man (whose name escapes me just now) and totally committed to his spiritual path.
He worked for 10+ years as a guide on ‘BridgeClimb’ on Sydney Harbour Bridge during which he had to wear a radio transmitter/receiver headset so as to remain in contact with the control room/other guides. He then left and became a tour bus driver between Sydney and the Hunter Valley – again constantly wearing a headset & microphone to provide commentary to the bus passengers. Plus like most of us do, he used a mobile phone.
The years of electromagnetic bombardment of his head eventually took their toll with brain cancer/tumour(s) and he, still only in his 40’s, passed some years ago. (Refer separate module ‘Rosemary Butterworth’).
Mike spent a weekend here on the land with me when we were building a bedroom in the machinery shed (probably? 2006) , went into the bush connecting with Earth/Aboriginal energies also using his chanting, and then returned later in (?2008) with his friend Rosie who was also a devotee of the same Balinese guru as Michael (plus our good friend Jessica Cowley).
Each October for 9 consecutive years in the early-mid 2000’s, I had been invited to perform a gong ceremony since 2000,- playing my large gongs at the Annual Open Day at the now-closed Dolphin Healing & Training Centre at Cessnock in the Hunter Valley.
I first met Rosie there when, on one occasion, I finished a gong session in the central courtyard [Author’s Note: The first time I played there at the opening of the Centre, a ‘miracle’ occurred when a statue of Mother Mary smiled at a mother and her 2 children as they placed a crystal at Her feet during the gong session with about 60 people assembled in the Centre courtyard] with an encircling assemblage of visitors and therapists and as I stepped from behind the suspended gongs, saw her sitting cross-legged in deep meditation.(She attended for a number of years to experience the gongs). We got talking (as it just so happened that we also knew her brother and his wife who are well-known spiritual teachers & leaders in their own right), and I immediately realized that beneath her simplicity and humility, here was a highly spiritually-advanced person. She invited Rosemary and I to her home in Bellbird not far away. As we walked around her gardens, the subject of ancestors on our land and experiences to date got mentioned. Keeping in mind that, in Bellbird, we were at least 2 hours drive away from Jacaranda Haven, and the Rosie had never physically been here, she suddenly exclaimed:
“But you don’t feed them!! You need to be regularly putting out an offering of food and drink! But remember the offering is to Lord Shiva in the first instance as well as the ancestors”.
As Rosemary and I ‘picked our jaws off the ground’ (as the saying goes) in our momentary astonishment (knowing that Rosie had never physically been to our place),we affirmed that from now on, we would do so . And each morning, so it is.
As to the more exact nature of the offering, Mike Williamson subsequently told me to put out two mugs of strong, hot, sweet coffee and two portions of dark chocolate – so that both the men and women ancestors could partake equally – which he said he had observed happening etherically at least once (plus I recalled reading of a lady who could see fairies and other small folk doing likewise). From his experience, these were highly favoured ingredients for such an offering.
So from there onwards, we would put out the offering each morning we were here at the base of a magnificent mature Spotted Gum Tree that frames/guards our house to the west (that we call ‘Brother Tree) accompanied by an appropriate invocation.
Very shortly after we started this practice, I was doing the offering one morning on my own (as Rosemary was away), when the Ancestors growled at me telepathically, clearly angry:
“You never consult with us!!”
I was shocked and upset at their criticism (this being the first time they had ever spoken directly to me) but instantly realized they were simply stating the truth. Their reprimand stunned me into the realization that they knew I had had at least one past life on this land/country and hence, here again, in their Spirit dimension, they expected me to act as one of the tribe/clan/nation. But in my European ignorance, I hadn’t – and I felt devastated as I knew that I should be consulting with them about EVERYTHING that I planned to do each day to give them the opportunity to approve/disapprove/modify/suggest alternatives.
And so, that is exactly what I endeavour to do each morning in morning prayers/at the offering – but often find that I have ‘dropped the ball yet again’! For apart from not consulting them about the house location and construction, I had never consulted them about everything that I’d/we’d done on this land/country.
The next time they spoke telepathically to me (shortly after the first time) was even more personally shocking for me:
“You poisoned the land!!!” a voice growled one morning, once again when doing the offering on my own.
I knew instantly what they were referring to: not long after acquiring the property, I had used some glyphosphate to spray some weeds in selected areas eg along a fenceline – despite a knowledgable friend challenging me about it beforehand.
[Background: when I studied horticulture at technical college in the early 1970’s, it was taught to us that there had been a new development in herbicide spray that had ,strangely originated from the dairy industry and that such was safe to use, and would not contaminate the ground. When glyphosphate emerged onto the market, I believe I mistakenly assumed in the early 2000’s that it was the same material – but in light of what has subsequently been revealed around the world about glyphosphate, it definitely wasn’t and I would never, ever use any such material again.]
I felt so bad at the Ancestors’ criticism that I just wanted to shrink and disappear…I apologised profusely and sincerely, vowing to them that I would never again allow any such sprays/chemicals be used or contact the ground…
And over the years, there have been other connections that have assisted in my becoming more aware of my role on this land/in this area/on this country.
One night, whilst in deep sleep on my own (ie Rosemary in Sydney that weekend) in our newly completed house in early 2008, I suddenly was looking up high at vivid, clear blue sky immediately to the south of where we had located the house and my gaze moved slowly earthwards to progressively reveal , firstly the head & face of a fine looking/handsome First Nation man with trimmed short beard in maybe his 30’s, then his bare upper body (?maybe carrying something in his left hand eg ?spear?), then a brief glimpse of the top/waist of a red loincloth – at which point I jerked awake, eyes wide open and sat up in bed to find a totally dark room. I then lay down and went back to sleep.
When I shared this vision/lucid dream with (I think?) Mike Williamson, he felt that I had been seeing myself in a former incarnation upon this country. This felt so right, and reminded me immediately of the similar experience I’d had in the motel in Flagstaff Arizona in September 1996 when the Hopi lady elder explained to me the next day that I had simply been seeing myself in that lucid dream at night in a former incarnation as a Hopi.(See separate module:1996-A Seminal Year).
On another occasion, I was invited to a property ‘Boori Boori’ about a 45minute drive to the South West of ours where a couple Ian and Karen Quant had built a small house and a wonderful labyrinth made from compacted fine gravel with rocks defining the pathways. We’d been there before, but this particular day was an anniversary of Karen passing and husband Ian had invited many friends to assemble to remember & honour her life as a lightworker.
One of the invitees was a First Nations man Steve (? Worimi Nation ?) who built a smoky fire with green tree shoots a to smudge us all plus painted our foreheads and cheeks with white clay slurry: as he painted me, tears started rolling down my face, and the words” I haven’t had this done to me for a very long time” issued forth from my lips. He just nodded in silent agreement as I stepped away to allow the next person approach.
We then all meditatively, slowly and silently walked the labyrinth whilst others stood by playing powerful repetitive clapstick rhythms and chanting. Prayers and acknowledgement was offered up for Karen as the great light being she was…and will always be.
On a lighter note, when I retired from work in Sydney and we moved here to live fulltime in August s2017, a few people commented that I seemed to lose some weight in a short time – noting that I have always naturally been of a slim build. After about 3 months, I weighed myself and found to my amazement that I’d lost about 5 kg ie from say 60 kg down to about 55kg – even though I had not been working particularly hard.
One day at that time, I was stripped down to my underwear in the bedroom getting dressed when I glanced in the mirrors on our wardrobe sliding doors and noticed that my legs did in fact look slightly slimmer.
As I did, a voice said loudly and almost cheekily in my head (telepathically) something to the effect of :
“Getting more to look like your Aboriginality!” which made me instantly recall photos/films of First Nations men in the Outback when just wearing say a loincloth with their remarkably slender legs!
Connecting With Country
As a final note to this section, and on a somewhat different subject, I would like to share that we were graced with the visit in March 2022 by Michelle Lewis, a part-First Nations woman from Western Australia who, standing at about 6’2″ was formerly a Senior Constable in the WA Police and a part-time professional basketball player. A born leader, she now administers a large retreat centre in the Hunter Valley NSW and has also initiated a group called ‘Numagi’ meaning ‘Nu’ sacred land and ‘Magi’ magic.
: https://www.facebook.com/groups/numagi/?ref=share
While she was here for the day, this marvelous lady re-connected with Sai Baba (as a few others have done so whilst here), plus shared much wisdom with us. Foremost among this was her method of how to let arriving visitors learn how to conduct themselves whilst there.
Irrespective of whether they had come for eg corporate training, meditation, alternate therapies or whatever, having arrived in the morning & checked in, all are asked after lunch to spend several hours alone in the adjacent bushland in silence – simply being, watching, hearing, smelling, feeling eg textures.
She reported that, after such an experience, all simply know what is acceptable conduct whilst they are there.
Hence no need for any written rules of do this/don’t do that etc.
I was deeply impressed hearing this as I had earlier heard of First Nations people in Central Australia who conducted educational visitations by tourists doing exactly the same ie the whole first day in solitary silence – allowing true connection with Mother Earth/Nature/the ancestors.
Having done a lot of it myself at different times in my life, I can attest to its efficacy in truly connecting with country.
The True Value of Land/Country
In truth, noone can ’own’ anything ie have exclusive ‘ownership’ and all that that implies/sharing with some, excluding others.
It is actually an illusion that anyone can ‘own’ land, air, water etc and be able to ‘sell’/’buy’ it, put a monetary value on such…
And yet, that is what European culture has attempted to do and set up its own legal system to support and enforce that…if anyone had suggested when I was a teenager that, decades ahead, bottled water would be on sale in shops would have been laughed at…but that is exactly what has happened as town water supplies are increasingly contaminated and then chemically treated to render them ‘safe’ to drink if you can tolerate the odour of the chlorine: how dysfunctional is that?
Indigenous cultures round the world ARE their land/country: this is what the First Nation people of Australia teach us – if we are willing to truly listen – as we are so conditioned by the ‘normal’ functioning of Western society that we can buy/sell land, property, things in general.
And this has created a huge disconnect from the true order of Creation: that in truth, everything is to be shared and cared for with love…
Jacaranda Haven is an exception to that Western societal norm: we have seven adjoining neighbours – two of which in the past have been very disturbed by my saying that we have no need for fences as we simply allow all the wildlife move freely back and forth eg the kangaroos, wallabies, ducks, bandicoots, echidnas etc. The neighbours who keep exotic animals on their land need fences to contain them…Rosemary has dozens of magnificent wild birds visiting us on our house deck around the kitchen door – who come & go at their own volition. Animals have a right to move freely without being confined just to amuse humans…we are simply visitors to this land for a (?) few decades and appreciate all the creatures accepting our visitation lovingly and caringly upon their land…that is indeed ‘duty of care’.
Which point raises another matter maybe not often perceived: when we were children, we were read and shown story books from the European tradition of farms with sheep, cows, goats, chickens etc and carried (however unconsciously) that conditioning through to being adults ie if we go to live on a ‘farm’, then those are the kinds of animals we want to ‘keep’ – necessitating fences, feeding, veterinary bills, what to do when you are away etc.
LIFE AT JACARANDA HAVEN
A typical day commences with my quietly saying prayers immediately upon waking whilst still in bed to both Sai Baba and to Ascended Master St Germaine.
To Sai Baba:
‘I am born from the womb of sleep. I am determined this to carry out all tasks as offerings to Thee ever-present before my mind’s eye. Make my words, thoughts and deeds sacred and pure. Let me not inflict pain on another; let noone inflict pain on me. Direct me, guide me this day in all I be and do. Om Sri Sai Ram (x 3 times).’
To St Germaine:
‘I acknowledge that you are the Divine Alchemist within – continuously rejuvenating, regenerating and revitalizing the totality of my Being. I command that this continue for the term of this present physical life. Thank you (x 3 times). So Be It.’
I then go out into the living room where we have a special chair dedicated/reserved for Sai Baba with foot cushion and puja rug. I light a candle on His sidetable (which always has a small vase of fresh flowers), and, kneeling (usually/sometimes standing), I offer up prayers always commencing with (x 9 times):
‘Samasta lokah sukhino bhavantu’ (meaning ‘May all beings in all worlds be happy’).
I pray that all those on Earth have enough food, water, clothing and shelter, and live free of war,destruction,fear,terror,deprivation,displacement from homes,brutality,cruelty ,manipulation,exploitation, deceit,paedophilia,slavery – and may human consciousness ascend with the flowering of the Sathya Yuga (The Age of Truth-which Sai Baba has confirmed commenced on 27 July 2014). I pray for the wellbeing of all our family members – offering up specific prayers of compassionate intercession where an individual is suffering from physical/mental/emotional/spiritual pain. And likewise for close friends. I pray that Jacaranda Haven continue to be a beacon of light/a lighthouse as a place of spiritual education and evolution, that all that constitutes JH be kept strong, pure and robust, and that Sai Baba guide & go with me throughout the day.
At breakfast (we are vegetarians: refer separate module ‘Food’), we commence with expressing gratitude and asking for a blessing for all that is on the table, and asking Swami that it please be transmuted into prasadam as a fit offering to God.
We may say a Sanskrit food prayer (2 slokas(stanzas) from the Bhagavad Gita):
Om,Brahmarparnam,Brahmahavir,
Brahmagnau,Brahmanahutam,
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam
Brahmakarma Samadhina
Aham,Vaishwanaro Bhutva
Praninam,Dehamaashritah,
Praanapana, Samaayuktah
Pachamyannam Chaturvidam
Om Shanti,Shanti,Shanti – hi.
[In English:
God is the offering, God is what is offered, Offered by God in the Fire of God:
Unto God they go who only see God in their actions.
I am the digestive fire abiding in the bodies of all living beings:
Associated with Prana and Apana, I digest the four kinds of food’]
(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 v 24 and Chapter 15 v 14.)
[The 4 kinds of food are that which is chewed(solids), swallowed(liquids),sucked (eg sugar cane), and licked (eg honey).
Agnihotra
We have been periodic practitioners of Agnihotra at sunset over many years whereby we burn cow dung supplied by Om Shree Dam farm in the Hunter Valley in a small inverted copper pyramid along with our own ghee and perform a Sanskrit invocation right at the moment of sunset (one can learn all about Agnihotra on the Internet). We then sit in silent meditation until the fire goes out. In September 2021, Master Kuthumi spoke through me on 3 such occasions (noting that the COVID pandemic was at its peak at that time):
Messages from Master Kuthumi
7.9.21
There are turbulent times ahead in which there is a need to be ambassadors of the Light.
By living joyously and positively in the present moment, you thereby act as living examples/role models for others around you to follow in like fashion who may otherwise be trapped in fear.
8.9.21
In these momentous times, do not get so caught up in your human- ness that you lose sight of the fact that you are a spiritual being having a human experience.
Always keep focussed on the light of God in your hearts and all else will follow/ fall into place.
11.9.21
Obviously fully aware of the fear around the world about COVID, war, geophysical events, terrorism etc, He said quietly:
Mortality is not finality.
It is simply the end of a chapter in each soul’s book of many, many incarnations towards self -realisation and beyond.
As you do with a good book, enjoy each chapter fully then let it go and move on to the next.
SAI BABA’S CHAIR
In a corner of our open-plan living room in ‘The Octagon’(our house), sits a special chair with foot cushion and side table plus puja rug in front. On the French-polished side table with its turned legs sits a photo of Sai Baba and a small vase with flowers (always roses when in season). On the French – polished chair with its plush dark blue-green velvet upholstery and turned legs there is beautifully-hand sewn white handkerchief with ‘S’ embroidered on it (a gift from Joan Moylan).
This chair is dedicated to Sai Baba – that He might always feel welcome here (it is recounted that He once chided a devotee for not having a chair available in their house to invite Him to sit whenever He chose…).
So here in 2022, let me share some interesting history about His chair…
My parents had this and its matching double as their lounge chairs for many years, but with other upholstery. I eventually acquired the 2 chairs – one of which became Swami’s chair (the other went elsewhere) and had them re-upholstered with the velvet I described above.
I firstly had this chair by the window upstairs at my mother’s house (where I ran my landscape design practice plus lived for many years). I often would sit in it to have lunch, looking out to partial views of Middle Harbour (as much of the original views had been progressively blocked over the passing years by house extensions and tree canopies). As mentioned elsewhere in these writings, I love water views- meaning the reflection of the sky & light (here at ‘The Octagon’, I have created two large reflective pools wrapping around the north side of the house).
In 1996, Rosemary (along with myself and others) had birthed The Southern Cross Academy of Light following her miraculous divinely-guided rendezvous with Archangel Michael in rainforest on Maui, Hawaii in 1993. (Refer separate module: Archangel Michael and The Southern Cross Academy of Light).
We had started a magazine and wondered what an appropriate name for it might be.
One day, as I gazed out the window seated in this chair, I asked Spirit this question and telepathically heard words to the effect of: “…What does light do? …It shines brightly…Shining BRIGHT”.
It instantly felt so right, and when I shared this guidance with the other founders, there was unanimous acceptance.
And so Shining BRIGHT it became, and remained so for the full 14 years life of this hard copy magazine when it ceased publication in 2010 due to rising costs unable to be covered by advertising revenue. It progressed from black & white eventually to colour on gloss paper and contained wonderful articles: it can be accessed via Academy of Light Inc. (the successor to The Southern Cross Academy of Light).NB There were 33 issues in total over that time period- 4 of which are on the AOL website with the other 29 being added along with a subject index I produced. .
In 1998, I had a sound room set up in the house we were renting in North Narrabeen in Sydney where all my exotic (eg Tibetan bells & bowls etc) and more conventional instruments, cloths, candelabra etc were arranged along with the chair that I am presently describing – the intent of which was for those coming for sound therapy & consciousness expansion sessions to sit in.
One day, we had a visit from a couple of friends from the South Coast. Husband Bill (aka Ian) McKenzie, (the wonderful watercolour artist) happened to sit down in this chair whilst they were inspecting my room. He closed his eyes, and some time later opened them and, with a seraphic countenance, said to us that he had just had a”…bliss experience !!”
Remembering the ‘Shining BRIGHT’ communication I’d had 2 years before, and now, Bill’s “Bliss experience”, we had no hesitation in thereafter dedicating this chair as Swami’s – understanding that there is no time and space, and realizing that He had very probably already assigned this chair for His personal use way before He demonstrated such to us.
DAILY LIFE AT JACARANDA HAVEN
During a typical day, we may attend to our annual Elephant Garlic (aka Giant Russian Garlic) crop that we have been growing organically for many years, and which now has a strong following of repeat customers (our garlic has won First Prize in its Section at t 3 consecutive Wallamba District Agricultural & Horticultural Show (2020, 2022 and 2023 (with no show 2021 due to COVID pandemic).
We have a large vegetable garden (6 x 1m wide rows, each averaging 11m long) including roses, which provides us and friends/family with a constant supply of fresh organic produce in season. We deliberately grow well more than we can consume so as to also assist others. Additionally, we have a citrus orchard and olive grove plus a wide variety to fruit and nut trees with which we’ve had mixed success, but get wonderful crops of at least Apples and Persimmons each year.
We are Farm Members of Biodynamic Agriculture Australia and utilise BD methods in much that we do including a radionics field broadcaster (as designed by the late Hugh Lovell: design is on the Internet) to continually ‘broadcast’ potentised BD preparations energy across our land.
I occasionally produce Sanatana Sai Sanjeevani preparations for family members and friends who may have a specific physical ailment. This is a spiritual science that Sai Baba gifted to the world and is fundamentally healing by prayer: all/most of the Sai Baba Hospitals around the world contain the word ‘Sanjeevani ‘ in the title.
On the subject of ‘healing’, I practice Tonglen which is an ancient Tibetan technique of affirming to ‘breathe’in the energy of another’s ailment, transmute it within, then send it back to them as powerful healing energy. Very effective: I learned it from Sogyal Rinpoche’s splendid book’ The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’(1992 Harper San Francisco). A book that everyone should read, especially to prepare those about to cross over.
[My practice of Tonglen is dealt with in the separate module ‘Healing’]
THE LABYRINTH
Prior to 2008, Rosemary was contacted via The Academy by a lady whose passion was labyrinths: her name was Emily Simpson (who raised $500,000 to have a full – size replica of the Labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral built in Centennial Park in Sydney).
She actively encouraged us via Rosemary to build a Labyrinth on our land. Labyrinths have been around for thousands of years with fragments of pottery found around the Mediterranean bearing the very same 7 path pattern of the one we ultimately built here. The intent of them is to permit one to slowly and consciously walk their pathway in deep meditation having first silently expressed to God/Spirit the heartfelt desire to find a solution to a major life issue, and then to stand silently in the centre at the completion of the walk and simply wait to see what/if anything happens/is communicated…
Not long after we completed the house in 2008, Rosie from the Hunter Valley, Mike Williamson and another friend of ours Jessica came to visit one day, and Rosie, without any prior warning, led the 5 of us around the full circuit of our 34 hectare property chanting sacred songs/bhajans the whole way (for about 2 hours non-stop) including a stop at the site of our proposed Labyrinth about 200m due east of the house. She consecrated a crystal and we buried it just in from the proposed Labyrinth’s entry then lead us back into the house where the chanting/singing continued for maybe another hour! The energy generated was extraordinary.
I proceeded to draw up a setout plan for the classic 7 path Labyrinth in which Rosemary wanted the paths to be delineated with Lavender plants (despite my warnings about the long term results!). We had Bago gold gravel compacted over weedmat by Bobcat over the large circular site, then set out & planted several hundred ‘Avonview’ Lavender plants in small pots.
In its first few years, it presented a breathtaking sight each year from late Winter through Spring when all the lavender was in bloom – and the bees loved it!
Also, the local kangaroos just love being around its soothing Lavender energy and are a common sight grazing/relaxing around the Labyrinth especially in wet weather: I also feel that the brain-like/cerebral configuration (‘as above-so below’) of the paths pattern combined with the hundreds of Lavender plants generates a powerful energy that the kangaroos ( and people!!) are attracted to , and affected by.
Over subsequent years, drought took its toll in late 2019 and some Lavender died but much of it survives to this day as I give an annual severe ‘hedge trim’ to keep the plants compact and vigorous. Native grasses have filled in where Lavender died, but the essential element- the walking path – remains intact and walkable at any time.
(We have a book on Labyrinths & Mazes that depicts an aerial photograph of a Labyrinth similar to ours defined by rocks within the Arctic Circle region of Siberia that is estimated to have been there for over 2,000 years).
DIVINE DECREE
When the Labyrinth was completed in 2019 (I believe) (which was extremely time-consuming and a real labour-of-love: I initially called it ‘Rosemary’s Magnificent Obsession’ due to her unrelenting insistence it be made of Lavender!), I was the first one to walk it.
When I got to the centre and stood in silent meditation with head bowed, a loud voice (God ?Sai Baba?) spoke loudly and telepathically to me:
“You are a Child of God, and it is your God-given role to help others remember that they are also children of God”.
I was, and still am to this day 14 years later, humbled and awestruck, and naturally continue to take this Divine command with the utmost seriousness and humility. [On reflection, it must have been similar for Eileen Caddy (Findhorn Foundation) when God spoke to her whilst she stood in the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey:
“Be still and know that I am God”.
She, her husband Peter and friend Dorothy Maclean then went on to found the renowned intentional spiritual community – The Findhorn Foundation in Scotland- under Divine guidance continually given via Eileen.]
This Divine decree confirmed to me my role in this life which I had been following for many years prior including the facilitation in the 1990’s of the ‘Sacred Sound’ program I had initiated of meditation evenings, workshop weekends, the ‘Bathed in Sound’ events and one-on-one sessions exploring the consciousness-expanding and therapeutic potential of vocal and instrumental sound (Sai Baba had been seen by clairvoyants ro attend at least 2 of these activities –particularly when the group stood in a circle toning vocally).
Also, Rosemary and I had been instrumental in founding The Southern Cross Academy of Light in 1996 (following her miraculous and extraordinary meeting with Archangel Michael in rainforest in Hawaii) and ran it with others until we moved to live fulltime at Jacaranda Haven in 2017 ie some 21 years – at which point it morphed into Academy of Light Inc which is active to this day. (Refer separate modules:’Rosemary’ and ‘Archangel Michael and The Southern Cross Academy of Light’).
This role that I am thereby divinely-charged with performing, I now continue via these present writings.
[And a BIG thank you to Emily Simpson for pushing us to build our Labyrinth, and hence the Divine Decree then conveyed to me].
Other activities that are typical of daily life here include Rosemary counseling mainly by the ‘phone utilising her ever-sharp faculties of clairvoyancy, clairaudience and clairsentience. Interestingly, she is unable to do so for immediate family members. (Refer separate modules : ‘Rosemary’ and ’Archangel Michael and The Southern Cross Academy of Light’.
We also hold monthly gatherings here of like-minded souls on a Saturday afternoon that typically start with an invocation, then a gongs session from myself followed by a meditation, sometimes other sound performances eg Native American flute/Rav Vast/South African ‘harp’/channelled singing, maybe sending prayers and healing energies to persons/places needing such, and then sharing & afternoon tea. Walking the Labyrinth is also possible on those days.
Likewise, Rosemary periodically leads a monthly meditation via ZOOM that all are welcome to join: this started during the COVID lockdown, then we decided to keep them going. Each one is recorded and made available via the web shortly after.
Further to our gardening and farming activities, I would like to share that I always call on Lord Pan and his kingdom (which includes all the little beings/Nature spirits/Devas etc) when about to plant anything invoking that the plant grow strong & healthy, free of insect or disease predation, produce abundant amounts of flowers/fruit etc and have a fulfilling life. [Having just read the remarkable ‘The Occult Diaries of Robert Ogilvie Crombie’, I realised even more so how important that it is to do so].
Chanting
As I come out to the living room of a morning, I used to softly sound my large Balinese gong(currently residing at Forster Yoga Studio) once with the soft edge of my closed fist and then start repeatedly chanting “Aum/Om” quietly (as others may still be asleep) as I get the breakfast together – which usually progresses into ‘The Gayatri Mantra’, and then maybe into ’Aum Namah Shivaya, Shivaya Namaha’ or other Sanskrit bhajan eg Manase Bajare Guru Sharanam’ – still almost sotto voce.
As we take the offering out to Lord Shiva to the altar on the house deck after breakfast, I chant ‘Aum Namah Shivaya, Shivaya Namaha’.
Any time we are driving somewhere, I frequently chant sotto voce ‘The Gayatri Mantra’, and whilst working (I like to affirm ‘playing’!) around the farm & gardens, I, for many years, have chanted eg ‘Hari Aum,Hari Hari Aum’ from the Swami Satchitanada/Integral Yoga Institute tradition wherein I improvise freely interposing/interchanging the names of Lords Shiva,Krishna,Brahma,Rama.
Divine Confirmation
In case you should think such a practice strange or eccentric due to your own upbringing/accepted societal norms of behaviour in the West, please allow me to share the following with you:
In March 2020, I entered 3 very large bulbs of our Elephant Garlic in the annual local Wallamba Agricultural & Horticultural Show at Nabiac, and when I returned after judging, walked into the pavilion to find it bearing the mauve & gold First Prize ribbon & certificate. On identifying myself to the attendant, I took the entry & its award around to the Cashier to claim the monetary prize ($5!!).
I showed them the entry through the security grille and they consulted their register of winners & placegetters:
“Ah yes, Krishna Butterworth – congratulations on First Prize for your Garlic” (even though the name on the certificate from the pavilion judges clearly said “John Butterworth’).
”Please sign here” pushing the register book to me under the grille…and there, lo and behold, was the name “Krishna Butterworth”!! (I was so amazed I didn’t have the presence of mind to quickly photograph the open register with my mobile phone).
I knew instantly that it was a leela from Sai Baba, graciously signed, took my $5 note and retreated to my car laughing joyously, and humbled at what Swami had done: He obviously was acknowledging all the sacred chanting I constantly do and in His ever-loving playful way.
As with everything in these writings, this is absolutely true.
Thank you Swami!!!
OTHER IMAGES OF JACARANDA HAVEN
