In this blog post, I share the strange circumstances that led up to an important experience for me. Alex's report below echoes this theme of unusual circumstances and deeper truths:

"I am reaching out to thank you for all your deeply rich, caring attention during my recent kidney stone episode, and the support you gave my partner, Suzanne L. It was quite a journey—especially since it started out in the middle of the Sahara Desert—yet your loving, healing focus carried me through with an ease and grace I'm not sure I would have otherwise had. I feel so grateful for the time you gave me, the healing energy you poured into me, your love, your attention and your Inner Circle recordings. All of it was incredibly helpful when the pain was so intense I could hardly think. Just resting and being in your healing energy was hugely supportive. I appreciate who you are, your work and your presence. I am doing dramatically better and know that the episode brought up many sleeping elephants and cleared the path to greater experiences of the truth within me. Thank you for helping facilitate all of that. I look forward to more sessions as I deepen my experience and continue to heal. We send you so much love and appreciation."
Alex
 
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1972, New Orleans, Louisiana

I knew I was going to have a lousy morning meditation. I could only blame myself. 

For a few weeks, Owl had joined my lunch table at the Tulane University cafeteria. She was visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras and kept inviting others to camp with her in the nearby park. Since no one was interested in the odd proposal, she finally announced that she would camp by herself. I did not like the idea of her sleeping outside alone in a public space, so I volunteered. Plus, I had not yet explored the 350-acre (142-hectare) park, reportedly full of bright yellow forsythia, red and pink camellias and venerable oak trees crowned with Spanish moss. 

Nothing in Common

By appearance and temperament, Owl and I did not have much in common. The upper half of my petite body was draped with golden-brown hair and dotted with sincere blue eyes; the lower half sported the legs of a runner. Inspired by my newfound love of meditation, I was hell-bent on enlightenment and embraced all things healthy. Besides meditation, I was also addicted to exercise and art. 

Owl was twice my size. She had a flat, round face framed with frizzy, rusty-brown hair, a small, hook nose and huge brown eyes magnified behind round eyeglasses. Her heavy involvement with drugs led to prison time, hepatitis and a jaundiced complexion. Skipping parole, she wandered the country chasing thrills.

Exploring and Snoring

Owl and I walked over to Audubon Park and explored their impressive zoo with exotic animals in lush natural habitats. We saw giraffes, monkeys, rhinos, jaguars and birds of every color. We strolled alongside the Mississippi River and watched tugboats drift by. 

When night fell, Owl decided the best place to sleep was in the middle of the Audubon Park golf course. Her snoring signaled that mosquitoes did not bother her, but their hum around my head kept me awake until the wee hours. My few moments of sleep were interrupted by the terrifying roar of an approaching monster of a lawnmower. We grabbed our things and darted through the morning mist.

Zombie

We ran to St. Charles Avenue and planned to go our separate ways. I had a painting class on campus, and Owl had a temporary job at a gas station in the opposite direction. She seemed reluctant to part company. As I turned to walk away, from the corner of my eye, I saw her walking like a zombie straight into traffic. I spun around, lurched forward and grabbed her just before she got hit by a honking pickup truck. 

Even though I was pressed for time, I knew I needed to accompany Owl to work. Together, we boarded the streetcar in silence and sat down on its wooden benches. As it gently rocked down St. Charles Avenue, white mansions, palm trees and magnolias streamed by in a blur. My heart ached, and then it overflowed with compassion and best wishes for Owl. After a while, she settled down and opened up. She was touched that someone cared. She told me about the terrible abuses she had endured for years. We had more in common than I previously had thought. 

Swirling Concerns

After I delivered Owl safely to work, I realized I could not make it back to my dorm room to meditate before morning class. Where could I meditate? The street was busy with morning traffic and no retreat in sight. With no time to waste, I climbed up a nearby tree in someone's yard and settled down on a sturdy limb near the main trunk.

My tired mind swirled with concerns: Was Owl okay? Would I fall asleep and crash to the ground? Would I lose my contact lenses and not be able to see in class? Would a homeowner spy me in their tree and call the police? 

Hummmm-dinger of a Day

As soon as I closed my eyes to meditate, I felt a wave of fatigue. The tiredness vanished as I was magnetically pulled within. A glowing light illuminated my inner awareness. 

Being a beginner meditator and lacking in spiritual knowledge, I had no frame of reference for what happened next. Even though my eyes were closed, I saw a macroscopic view of all of creation and beyond. I was surprised that I did not feel any separation—all was within myself. I felt complete freedom and basked in that unboundedness. On a subtle level, I heard a cosmic humming sound that seemed to sing for everything. This magnificent humming Om sound reverberated in my infinite consciousness, secretly and quietly roaring totality. Somehow, I instinctively knew I was seeing and hearing the primordial essence of everything all at once.

As I jogged to class, I marveled at the strange sequence of events. Had I just been rewarded for helping a hurting soul, or would I have had that cosmic experience anyway? 

I stopped to cross the street, and something zoomed straight toward my heart! A bullet? A hummingbird. It momentarily hummed and hovered there. Perhaps my pink and yellow tie-dye T-shirt resembled flowers? I laughed because the scriptwriter of my life had a wacky sense of humor. It had been a hummmm-dinger of a day, ranging from the annoying hum of mosquitoes to the charming hum of creation. New realms had permanently opened for me; that cosmic hum was the humble birth of many wonderful experiences to come. 

To be continued.

Wishing you unbounded love,
Suzanne