More Knowledge, More Questions

     My research into the multiplicities of Time has been fascinating and also somewhat disturbing. If we accept the theory of multiple Universes wherein all potentialities exist as realities, where is there room for Spirituality? 

    What I'm questioning now is this: if people exist in an array of universes which sometimes slip into one another which we interpret as ghosts or spirits, do we have any control over restoring the separation? Are there really exorcisms or Verdun practises to rid us of unwanted beings cohabitating with us, if you will, that seem to do us harm?  Are the beings we call angels really our other selves guiding us to better choices? Are prayer and mediation the means to connect with these other lives of ours and to bring the best experiences and outcomes into this reality? 

     Certainly Charles Dickens had some knowledge of this when he wrote 'A Christmas Carol.' Universal forces conjoined to allow him to relive choices he made in the Past and Present and to view the results of those choices in the Future. He thereby learned how to adjust the 'Now' to change the course of his Future. However, when his spirits had completed their mission, they left him.

     Now my challenge is to connect what I have learned through my exposure to the theories of quantum physics with my spiritual beliefs. I will chart this journey in my next novel 'Jokers and One-Eyed Jacks.' When these worlds slip into each other, we feel either haunted or inspired. We have always thought we had the means through religious and spiritual practices, incantations and chants, spells and potions to either protect or open ourselves to these other dimensions. Have we been living a lie? Once again, science and religion or spiritual belief clash. Or do they?

Betwixt And Between

     I was aroused from sleep this morning by tremendous physical pain, though I still had not managed to open my eyes. I was also lying on my back which I never do. I am one of those people who falls asleep the moment my head touches a pillow and I don't move. The side of the double bed I don't use is never rumpled the next morning. So when I felt this new position, I attempted to roll over on my left side as usual. I could not move. That woke me up wide-eyed!

     When I glanced down my body, there was a clear divide that quite literally was transparent and divided my body vertically. My left side was on  my usual bed with my usual linens in my usual room. My right side was lying on a more elegant bed with better quality linens in a more opulently furnished room. I told myself it was time to rise, but I closed my eyes for another few minutes. When I opened them again, I was completely myself on my bed in my room. There was still some pain but it was considerably reduced.

     This experience has left me wondering how such a thing could have happened. More importantly, I'm wondering if a decision was made to remain where I am and what would have happened if I had gone the other way. 

Haunted By Time

     Sebastian's body shuddered in spasm jolting him awake. He sat upright and reached for the carafe à eau de nuit on the nightstand, only to find it empty. The digital clock on the bureau read 3:33. Headache nearly split his head in half, so he gingerly got out of bed to go downstairs for some water from the refrigerator. As he descended the stairs there was a loud crack of thunder and the strange odor of ozone seemed to fill the house. Sunlight was beaming from the kitchen and he heard voices.

     "Honey, I think Sammy has a crush on you."

     "Sean, you think everyone has a crush on me. You're sweet, but Sammy is just a kid."

     "Never mind that, Sebastian, he would have gladly saved us the trouble of lugging this bags ourselves just for a chance to be in your house."

     "Sean, that's enough. What do you take me for? Some pedophile pervert? Sammy doesn't interest me in the least, not even for free delivery of groceries. Besides, anyone who would leer lustfully at a child like that makes me sick."

     "Where do you get off being so judgemental, Sebastian? Who died and made you Pope for fuck sake, huh? I was only teasing. The kid idolizes you is all. Why do you have to take everything and make it into some mortal sin or something? You wanna know who sickens me? People like you who can't appreciate what gifts children are; who think their feelings are what? Too immature to matter? Sammy's got feelings and he has a right to have those feelings acknowledged even from some high and mighty-tight-ass judgemental sonofabitch like you!"

     "Sean, why are you --? Oh, never mind. There's the phone."

     Sebastian reached for the wall phone in the kitchen, but Sean snatched it away. "I'll get that!" he barked. "Yeah, hello." There was a pause. "Oh, hello, Brother Phillip." 

     Sebastian realized the caller must be from the abbey to which Sean's uncle had retired. An unexpected call from there could only mean something had happened to the Monsignor. Finally, he heard Sean say, "Of course, Brother Phillip. I'll be there as soon as possible. I'll see if there is a flight tonight. I'll call you about my arrival time. It's kind of you to meet me at the airport. Thanks for your call. Yes, I'll see you soon. Please tell the old man I'm on my way." 

     "Do you want me to see if I can books us on a flight, Sean?"

     "Us? I don't think so. I'm going alone, so I'll book my own flight. The Monsignor's had a major heart attack. This is a family matter, Sebastian. You understand. Besides --"

     Sebastian didn't know how it was that he was witnessing this scene. Never before had he realized what set Sean off so suddenly. Now in the context of Sean's death, the circumstances of the pedophile priest investigation surrounding it that surprisingly enough involved Sean, everything became clear.

     Another clap of thunder heralded some kind of electrical storm. Sebastian's headache had gone away, along with the smell of ozone. He was standing in the dark.

     

       

The Art of Synchronicity

Mindfulness allows us to make an art of Synchronicity. Mindfulness puts us in the right place at the right moment doing the right thing with the right people for our highest good. 

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

     If Time is cubic, as some physicists have suggested, we are indeed free from regret for anything we did not chose to do, anyone we chose not to know, places we chose not to go. All of these other choices exist on other planes of time, in other dimensions of our existence. 

     My experience with both mindfulness and meditation have allowed me a glimpse of these roads not taken and where they led. I am reminded of being on my high school debate team. As we considered the proposition, we had to gather evidence to be able to argue both sides of the question. Developing those arguments began with a variety of suppositions of 'if this' then whats. Each premise followed a certain logic to a conclusion. There were a lot of premises that produced dead ends. In this case, we went back to the beginning and developed different arguments. When we developed a strategy leading to a conclusion the team found difficult to overcome, we were ready for tournament. It was a matter of considering our defense from every foreseeable angle and building the case for our point of view. When the other side presented a tighter case than us, we were able to go back to school and fortify our side against future similar results.

     In a meditative state, my mind is emptied of everyday stresses producing a relaxed, receptive state. A movie begins to play about a particular situation and possible responses I might have. These are moments when my cubic nature flattens so to speak into a road map of choices, results and consequences. Anxiety is replaced by calm confidence. This process know as creative visualization produces a deja vu effect, or as M. Arnoud suggests, according to Anthony Peake, a deja vecu when I find myself in the situation in real time. My response is rehearsed. I know what I am going to do. 'Coulda, woulda, shoulda dissipates into the nothingness it ever was.

     

     

The Once And Future Past

     The Past reigns supreme. The moment we begin to think, the idea becomes something we thought. We were born in the past, move to the present, and grow into the future. There is a theory in physics that says there is exists an anti-us, as in anti-matter. This version of us is born in the future, progresses into the present moment and proceeds to the past. Consider the character of Merlin, the wizard who instructed the young boy called Wart, who was to become King Arthur. Merlin was said to have been born old and grew younger. His wisdom came from his life experience in the future. His wizardry was his ability to use this experience in the present moment. 

     In this light, I wonder if our eureka moments, those so-called flashes of inspiration aren't actually the result of our future selves getting a message through to our present selves. How often have we lamented if only I knew then what I know now! In the silence of our contemplation, we hear our own voice.

     This is how I write stories. I hear a voice telling me them and I type them on my computer. I don't know the twists and turns or even how the story ends until the voice who is the storyteller gets to that part. He relates a story that has already been written. So, my books already exist in the future. I am simply working toward that time.

The Spirit You See

     I'm finding Anthony Peake's book Labyrinth of Time fascinating as well as educational. Consider that one of the laws of physics says that for every force, there is an equal and opposite force. Now consider that our physical bodies are composed of positive matter. Would it not follow that somewhere in this vast Universe there is an anti-us, a version of us made up of anti-matter? As we move from present to past, our anti-twin, if you will, is moving from future to present. On those rare occasions when we perceive the presence of a spirit, it might well be ourselves. Consider the questions we could ask and the knowledge we could glean! 

     Mindfulness. So many masters and teachers are telling us to be more mindful. Being present, observant will allow us to benefit from opportunities such as these. If we allow the distractions of technical gadgets steal our attention, we will miss a chance to know the correct course to follow. And, perhaps to know ourselves a little better.
     The spirit you see might be a future you.