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by Harry D.
Chapter 8 (Book Excerpt)
ALITA'S VISION OF TRUTH in the SWEAT LODGE
Alita eagerly packed and jumped into her car for the 2 hour drive to
Johnny's neighboring community. Alita was warmly met by Johnny and
enjoyed a stimulating evening talking to him, his wife and a
schizophrenic Native lady friend by the name of Lucy. Alita went to
sleep on the couch at around midnight, desiring to capture some sleep,
because she knew Johnny insisted on beginning his sweat early. Five in
the morning rolled around, and Alita rose from the couch and proceeded
with her early morning necessities.
Around 5:30 a.m. Johnny and Alita stepped into his 4 wheel drive truck,
picked up the youthful couple and headed high into the mountains. The
ride was eventful and bumpy, with lots of mudslides, slushy roads and
finally snow as they came closer to Johnny's farm at the peak of the
mountains. The darkness was beginning to ebb, as the four arrived at the
mountaintop. The scene was breathtaking, as several mammoth mountains,
covered with thousands of Christmas trees layered with snow, swept the
horizon. Brownish valleys were embedded between the snowcapped mountains,
providing an awe-inspiring view. Large snow flakes began to stroll down
from the sky, and the air was pleasant to the skin.
Johnny lit the fire, and it wasn't very long before the logs raged in
flames, beginning the process of heating up the lava rocks. Bark lay
under the stones, and huge sides of bark lay on both sides of the fire.
The 4 talked lightheartedly, while cuddling next to the raging fire.
Then, in about an hour, all four changed into their shorts, with Odell
wearing a T-shirt. Johnny, with his pitchfork, started to carry the red
lava rocks from the fire into the sweat lodge pit. The sweat lodge had
comfortable carpets, and was luxurious in comparison to other lodges.
In the opening round, the heat and Johnny's wisdom and spiritual guidance
calmed and relaxed the other three participants. In Round 2, Johnny
asked Alita to lead the round. She began to talk about how thoughts
create feelings, and as she did, her mind suddenly stilled. "The Creator
gave us a mind to function in this physical and mental world. Without
this mind, we would not be connected to the Spirit World. "
As if by magic, a Vision appeared before Alita, and she calmly began
describing it to the others. "It was springtime, with the birds singing
and all of Mother Earth awakening with promise and pleasure. The body of
Alita disappeared and her mind mystically recreated and transformed
itself into a large, empty garden. Her body re-emerged with the garden
mystically floating inside of her being. She energetically began
cultivating her garden by hoeing, fertilizing the black soil, weeding out
all the rocks and unwanted substances. As summer approached, her pace of
activity increased feverishly as she planted seeds of different weeds all
over her virgin garden. The weeds loved their fertile home. They sprang
up like a cancer, as the mixture of hot sun and evening rain provided the
ideal nourishment for the growth and spreading of the tumor. Alita's
garden became suffocated with these unrestrained plants and yet, the soil
of the garden remained pure and healthy.
Suddenly, before her very eyes, the weeds changed into streaks of solid
thin ultra red light. They weren't weeds now, they were her thought
waves. Surprisingly, she had planted all those weeds in her garden, not
by her labor, but via her own thinking . The Great Spirit arose before
her eyes, pronouncing "those weeds are your work Alita, not mine. You
are my child and I talk to you every second of your life. Those impure
thoughts of self-pity and doubt pollute your mind. The gift of divine
guidance and righteousness is yours to choose." The vision transformed
again, with Alita now looking disillusioned and frail. Summer turned to
autumn, and when the freezing cold of winter arrived, many of the weeds
had died. However, Alita had become sick, and her eyes were black with
worry. This vision gently floated away, like colored mist separating
into a blue sky.
A new Vision began by showing the same original scene as the previous
vision. Spring rolled around, and again her mind was mystically
transformed into an empty garden with rich, fertile soil. Some weeds had
popped up from the previous year, but Alita joyfully hoed them out. Her
health had returned, and she was once again hopeful that this spring
would bring her a healthy crop. She now understood that the weeds were
unhealthy thoughts. Purer thoughts are needed for a successful and
healthy life. Each day that passed, Alita removed more and more of the
weeds, working with joy and happiness in her heart. She loved puttering
in her garden, and as summer approached, she planted a variety of
healing herbs and flower seeds. To her surprise, each of the seeds
reacted differently to the planting, adding to her curiosity of how to
create the perfect garden. In the beginning of summer, Alita's mind
totally relaxed. She enjoyed her moment to moment reality to such a high
degree, that she forgot that she was thinking.
Suddenly, a new Vision integrated with her dream. Her mind arose like a
formless multi-colored gas that permeated all existence. Her mind had
somehow integrated with the Creator's mind. They were One. The Creator
spoke, "I think, therefore, I AM. One Mind, One Thought, One
Consciousness. These are the precious gifts for all human beings to
create their perception of the NOW. What is mine is yours, and what is
yours is mine, if you possess the gift of understanding.'
'Your personal garden that you created, via thought and consciousness,
is connected to Mother Earth, the Grandfathers and the ENERGY OF
EVERYTHING. Alita, please wake up and smell the herbs and flowers in
your garden. Share those herbs and flowers with all humans who pass by
your garden. The spirit of the herbs and flowers will lift all human's
hearts and allow their thoughts to soar as high as the eagle flies,
turning dreams into reality -- if the humans are ready to awaken." A
new vision appeared before Alita, one in which a group of the People came
together and a loving thought was spoken. This caring thought wave
traveled on a thin highway from person to person, and as it touched each,
they smiled. Alita understood now, the herbs and flowers were symbols of
spiritual thoughts.
The summer came and the garden prospered, with the flowers growing into
a sea of beauty. The Creator arose once again and pronounced "those
herbs and flowers have grown because of your creativity, Alita. You are
my child and I talk to you every second of your life. The gift of the
right use of the mind is yours to choose and you have chosen wisely."
Alita awakened from her vision, suddenly aware that she was still in the
sweat and smiled. She had caught a glimpse of Truth. She spoke, "We
function via Spirit, Thought and Consciousness. The Power of Spirit, The
Power of Thought and the Power of Consciousness are divine and neutral
forces, and are present in us at all times. They function and create our
psychological perspective moment to moment. I think, therefore, I AM."
The remaining rounds of the sweat flowed effortlessly. Both youths
became inspired with their own thoughts about God, acknowledging the
Spirit that exists within every human being. They had never talked
before in the sweat, and, yet, now felt comfortable and confident in
expressing their wisdom and common sense. Johnny, relaxed and enjoyed
being a part of the learning, rather than always leading the sweat. The
sweat evolved into a learning institute, whereby spiritual knowledge was
openly shared by all the participants. All four expressed how light and
free they felt when the sweat was over.
Alita left later in the day, after spending a delightful afternoon
talking to Johnny, his wife and their lovely schizophrenic friend, Lucy.
The latter had been positively affected by her visit in the evening
before. Alita noticed how calm she had become. Lucy was openly joking
and talking about love, men and life. Alita saw her mental health. This
kind lady knew about happiness, and openly sought it. The two of them
laughed about Alita's big nose, breaking into squeals of pleasure. Alita
knew that the Principles were in motion and Lucy was creating and living
a happy state of mind for herself. Alita recognized that, while this lady
still needed her pills, she was already walking towards the healing light
that she alone could find.
Alita drove home and the next day, she realized that she did not have to
always think about the Principles of Mind, Thought and Consciousness.
The Principles automatically function in a positive manner when she was
happy. The day she realized that her insecure fantasies were simply her
choice of thoughts, were the day she stopped indulging in them. The day
she realized that all her thoughts are spiritual, is the day she began to
feel a connection and purpose in life. From that day on, she decided to
teach the People healthier thinking.
Alita read from her favorite book by Syd Banks, The Missing Link.
Mind, Consciousness and Thought are the three principles
that enable us to acknowledge and respond to existence.
They are what I call the psychological trinity.
And so Alita, walked into her future Journey of Life, not knowing what
life had in store for her, not knowing what the next page in her life
would bring, but feeling lucky to
be alive.
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