Many years ago, I was attending the board meeting of an international peasant-farmer network of which I was one of the founding members in the seventies in West Africa. This is the amazing group that inspired the writing of my book Listening to Africa.
The last day of my stay, I caught dysentery. I spent some hours studying, meditating, praying to overcome the situation as had been my custom for years, rather than hastily swallowing some pills. In the evening it seemed to have cleared up and I went out for dinner with some African friends. However, the next day, during my trip home, it manifested itself again quite vigorously. So on the plane I was assiduously working, spiritually to overcome the condition.
I was seated next to an unaccompanied little boy with a little card on his chest carrying his name, address and other details. The stewardess taking care of him was unbelievably gentle with him, as if she were his mother. At one moment, she came and spoke to him with such kindness I suddenly felt engulfed by a wave of incredible gratitude for this woman. And suddenly, this gratitude transformed itself into the most incredible sense of Love I ever experienced in my existence.
Instantaneously, I found myself in a mental space completely out of time and geographical space. I was aware of absolutely nothing else but the infinitude, grandeur, majesty, gentleness and Allness of Love. Love was the only cause, law, effect, substance, power, being, essence in the universe … Words are totally inadequate to translate what this all-encompassing and enveloping feeling communicated. I had no other consciousness but that of Love.
Above all, for the only time in my existence, I was totally devoid of any sense of ego. There was just no place for it at all. The divine consciousness was my consciousness, and there was/is none other. It was total Oneness. This complete absence of a personal sense of self, of ego, of some little person parading under the name ‘P…. P…..’, with the innumerable ‘stories’ that includes, was the most powerful aspect of this experience. The divine total freedom, absolute complete bliss, infinite contentment and peace. ‘The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness’ Mary Baker Eddy once wrote for me, this egoless consciousness was the most glorious moment of my whole existence. Nothing can compare with it.
And suddenly, I was back in the plane. I felt something adjusting in my bowels and in a matter of seconds the dysentery was gone, disappeared, vanished … into its native nothingness.
I don’t know how long this lasted because I was totally out of the human consciousness of time and space. For a few moments, I had really tasted heaven. And believe me, friend, it is a place worthy of returning to.
May I stress that this experience was a pure gift of Grace. It had nothing to do with hours of praying, a special spiritual discipline or meditation (I wasn’t even meditating at the time). Maybe its main raison d’être was this sharing with Cygnus readers – I don’t know. I have had other similar experiences and other instantaneous healings which happened in a matter of minutes which I can again only explain as the totally free impartation of Grace. Eddy once made a statement that has helped me so much in times of great duress, when everything seemed to close down on me: ‘A deep sincerity is sure of success, for God takes care of it.’
So, dear friend, rest on that bedrock assurance; your pure intention and sincerity will certainly open the doors that need to be opened now – although possibly not where you may be expecting them to open!
©Pierre Pradervand Geneva, Switzerland
pierre@vivreautrement.ch
