In order to maintain the original layout
the story is presented
in
pre-formatted fashion.
... Enjoy ... Soul ... Enjoy ...
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o
o --= WARMNESS IS LIKE LOVE =-- o
o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Sometime ago... I met Hank.
We were waiting for the bus.
He was all wrapped up in scarfs...
the wind was cold and wet.
I think Hank is crazy.
He shivered a bit now and then...
his lips and his ears were blue.
Only his eyes were warm.
His shoes were unpolished...
and the left one was tied with a string.
Somehow his shoes were too big on his feet.
Hank was like an old hippie... normal... but weird!
His hands were stuck under his arms...
his knuckles were blue and white.
A drip of wetness dangled from his nose...
and he used his scarf to wipe it off.
His nose was like a beak... it was skinny and bony.
He smiled and talked to me... his voice was like music.
- - - - - - -
He said... the weather is like a cold rag.
My bones are rattling.
It's too cold in this country to live in bodies.
To be a spirit is easier...
they never suffer cold.
They might suffer heat though... heat of the mind.
Heat of the mind is mental agony...
it's the torture of your Soul.
Heat of the mind is Hell.
To be neither hot nor cold...
to be neutral... that is the trick.
To be neutral is to be cool... I like coolness.
I like warmness too.
Warmness gives you a cozy feeling.
To feel cozy is to feel that you belong.
WARMNESS IS LIKE LOVE.
If you miss it... you're cold inside.
Most people seem to be warm on the outside...
but some of them are very cold within.
Their warmness is only skin deep...
and their heart is shivering...
for they lack the best.
They lack Love!
- - - - - - -
We talked for a while longer...
and then the bus came.
I told him my name... and he told me his.
My name is Hank he said... and he winked.
I don't know what to think about this Hank.
He seems like a soft sissy with determination.
He's good... but as weird as they come.
Yeah... he's weird all right... and skinny...
but powerful and mighty somehow.
His eyes are like light beams.
Standing there... with his arms crossed...
he looked like a human lighthouse.
We got on the bus and lost each other.
I sat down in the back and thought about him.
Slowly I wrote down what we talked about.
... about spirits... about coolness...
... and about the warmness of Love.
o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o
o --= HANK... WHAT IS LOVE? =-- o
o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
I've seen Hank again.
He was wearing a tie... kind of rumpled.
His coat was too big for him...
and there were not enough buttons.
His left shoe had a proper lace... it kind of dangled.
His nose was dry... and his scarf was tucked in.
Somehow he looked neater... but still weird.
His eyes were beams.
- - - - - - -
He smiled and said...
how do you feel this morning Muranda?
Isn't the sunlight beautiful?
I told him... I felt fine.
And you know... before I knew it...
I asked him...
HANK... WHAT IS LOVE?
He stood there for a minute... dead silent...
he looked at me... and then he said.....
Love is like Godness.
It's easy to receive... and even easier to give away.
Yet... it can never be bought.
Love is a hidden Quality that has to be discovered within.
Once you have found it... it is all you ever need.
Children have lots of it...
and most parents think they do.
Grandparents feel it... but mostly too late.
Love is the Original Nature of Mankind...
but most people covered it up with Garbage.
Love... is the opposite of Fear.
Love... is the Essence of the Universe...
the place is full of it since ever.
To rediscover Love when you're older... is difficult.
But nothing is impossible... except buying or selling Love.
Love... is the Quality of God!
Love... is Understanding.
Love is impossible to put in words.
I feel some of it... but a lot of it is still missing.
Love... is to feel the Universe in your heart.
To feel it pulsing inside... is the way to become.
It takes a very long time.
Love... is like God.
To talk about it is pure nonsense.
Love... or God... has to be experienced.
It is something...
that has to be learned to be appreciated.
- - - - - - -
I just stood there... silent.
The music I heard... was echoing within.
I thought... what this man says... is beautiful.
Somehow I knew... that what he said was true.
I like this Hank... weird or not... I just like him.
We got on the bus... and like a maniac I made some notes.
The sphere of our conversation made me light inside.
I could hardly write... I shook a bit now and then.
When my notes were finished...
I stared outside... but never saw a thing.
This Hank is weird... but beautiful.
His voice is music alright... it vibrates.
I wondered why I had never seen this Hank before.
Anyway... who cares... he's too much of an oddball.
He even might be a religious nut... who knows?
Downtown... he got off the bus...
he jumped out... and started to whistle.
I followed Hank with my eyes...
and I saw him step aside for an older lady.
Yeah... this Hank...
he walks differently... he strides... smoothly.
I looked at my notes...
and in my mind I went over our conversation.
I felt funny inside...
and then I thought about Hank again.
It's a strange thing... I never liked oddball people before.
But Hank... well Hank is Hank.
Hank is loose...
I looked at my notes again...
and there it was...
Love... is to feel the Universe in your heart.
Love... is like God.
Love... or God... has to be experienced.
It is something...
that has to be learned to be appreciated.
Yeah... he might be right...
the point is...
how can I learn to appreciate it?
I don't know anything about Love... or God.
How can I learn?
How can I experience something I don't know?
I looked outside again...
the shadow of the bus on the road...
made the world look like...
patches of light and darkness.
Once in a while...
you could feel the bus rattling over the pavement.
The road was full of holes.
I felt empty inside...
and then it was time to leave the bus.
My day was neither good... nor bad.
o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o
o --= TO LOVE... IS THE ONLY THING WORTHWHILE =-- o
o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
The bus was late... and Hank just stood there.
He looked absent-minded.
It seemed as if he was dreaming.
His eyes were miles out of this world...
but his body was right beside me.
His shoes were polished.
He wore no tie... nor a scarf.
He looked at me...
then he winked... and smiled... and so did I.
He started to laugh... and his eyes were light.
He leaned forward and looked at my legs.
He made big eyes at them.
My slacks were kind of tight...
and I'm sure he could see what filled them.
He looked me in the face...
and slowly started to speak.
- - - - - - -
How are you Muranda?
You know... I like legs.
Some of them disappear into heaven...
... and all of them...
well... all of them...
carry the Body of God.
For the Body... is God in Flesh.
To put it more precisely...
the Body is the Temple... you... as God live in.
You as God... really are a Soul.
And you are a Soul...
until you realize that you are God.
You as a Soul... are God's Representative...
until you have figured out that you are really God.
Anyway... you are God... in the Form of a Soul.
The Soul lives in a Body of Flesh with arms and legs.
Somehow I like legs the best.
How about you?
He never waited for an answer... and continued.
Souls then... he said...
live in Bodies and are God's Representatives.
Most Souls don't know that however...
but God does not care one bit.
God is Carefree.
God sort of knows... that all Souls eventually will know...
that they are God in the first place.
God in a way... is all Souls united into One.
God is the Force of Existence.
Many people think however...
that God is some kind of Being.
Well... God neither is a Being... nor a Person.
And neither is God a Father... a Big Mother... or a Baby Jesus.
God is an Unlimited Force of Love.
Love for Itself.
God is the Cosmic Force in the Form of Love...
and all of that Force becomes evident... by loving.
TO LOVE... IS THE ONLY THING WORTHWHILE.
For Love is our very Nature.
- - - - - - -
Suddenly Hank stopped talking...
as if he wanted to put emphasis on the last thing he said.
I don't know... this Hank sure is different.
He spoke about God and sex... all at the same time.
It all sounded so profound... yet earthy... innocent... and open.
I looked at him... and his face was... as if it was frozen.
His mind was not even there.
Finally his eyes blinked...
and he started to smile again.
Boy... this guy acts funny.
And then he said... don't worry about me Muranda.
I'm alright... it is just that I take off sometimes.
I was deep in thought.
I looked for the bus...
and there it was... loaded.
I got on first... and Hank was last.
Hank talked to the driver and both of them laughed.
Then he moved over to me... and whispered...
God fills the Universe... like you fill your slacks.
Beautifully.
I felt embarrassed and responded by looking outside.
There was no room to sit down in the bus...
and my notes had to wait.
In my mind I went over our discussion...
just to make sure I'd remember.
At lunch time I made my notes...
and when I wrote them down... I felt funny.
Somehow... this Hank makes me tingle inside.
He makes me feel differently... and most of all...
he makes me think about him.
Who the hell is this guy?
And who the hell... talks about God nowadays?
He must be nuts!
Whatever I did that day... I felt absent-minded...
and my thoughts seemed to be stuck on but one thing.
And here it is...
TO LOVE... IS THE ONLY THING WORTHWHILE.
Love is our very Nature.
o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o
o --= THE CHRIST LIGHT IS LOVE =-- o
o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Hank does not seem to belong to anybody...
he looks like a free man.
When he sits in the bus... he reads... he reads books.
I think he is a loner...
and quite happy to be alone.
He looks... as if he is the world.
He's quite self-sufficient... but not self-important.
He seems very alert.
I asked him once...
whether he had any friends.
He slowly smiled and then he said.....
- - - - - - -
Sure... I have friends...
and some of them live in the city...
and I like to think that you are one of them.
That is... if you'd like to be one.
Most of my friends though...
live in a different dimension.
They live in the World beyond this one.
My friends in the other place... talk to me...
they like me... and I like them.
We have been friends for millions of years.
We are Cosmic Buddies.
Actually... the whole Universe is full of my friends.
And really... you know Muranda... they talk to everybody.
Some of these friends though... are not really friends.
Many of them are lost and ignorant Souls.
Some of them are fierce and desperate...
they try to possess you... to get back into the Body.
They would like to live in our World again.
Eventually... they will... but they have to wait their turn.
All incomplete or immature Souls...
just hanker to get back into a Body again.
Sometimes... if you are open enough...
and have not the guts to be yourself...
these possessive Souls try to get a hold of your Body or Form.
All of a sudden then...
your Body will have a different Soul in it.
Your Body then... acts like somebody else.
And you sure are... for every Soul is unique.
Most people however... are never bothered by them.
These possessive Souls can never get into their Bodies...
for the mind of these people is firmly shut...
because of their self-centeredness.
Which is perfectly alright.
What I'm trying to say is...
that each Body is possessed by its own Soul.
The Soul that is the Builder of the Body.
For the Body is the Image of the Soul.
Some Souls however...
are somewhat loosely connected to their Bodies.
These people have to be careful...
and should protect themselves daily...
with the Light of the Christ.
They have to tell themselves...
that they are protected or shielded...
with the Light of Love.
THE CHRIST LIGHT IS LOVE.
When you are shielded with the Christ Light...
you are Thought and Mind proof.
Nothing can enter you but Love.
It's like surrounding yourself with Grace.
The Grace of God.
Some people call this Grace of God...
the Buddha Spirit... or Krishna Love.
It's all the same thing and beautiful to have.
Some day... all of us will attain this Graceful State.
As a matter of fact Muranda...
to attain this State of Grace or Godness...
is the reason for being Human.
This State of Grace is also called... the Christ Consciousness.
This is the State... Jesus attained...
when he became the Christ.
It's a Super-Human or Four Dimensional State.
It supersedes Time and Space... and all the nitty gritty stuff...
you and I are still attached to.
This Four Dimensional State... or this Christ Consciousness...
is a State of Evolution...
you and I will reach after living many lifetimes.
Finally... we'll become Love... and equal to the Father.
Then we are... The Son of God.
It is reached by dreaming many... many dreams.
All dreams take place in the Mind of God...
God is the Dreamer... dreaming that it is Man.
God dreams all Dreams.
Anyway Muranda...
you don't have to bother to understand all this.
Just be the Love you are.
The Force of the Universe will do all the rest... and more.
You are an Aspect of the Force of Love...
and all the Goodness it contains.
Just don't buck it... flow with it... and let it happen.
Accept... what is... gracefully.
The Force of Love is Mankind in Progress.
We are this Force of Love.
- - - - - - -
In most cases our talk ended when the bus arrived...
but this time Hank continued on the bus.
Many people looked at us... as if Hank was crazy.
Hank however... could not care less... he just rattled on.
Somehow I felt a bit awkward...
and blushed a bit.
I think Hank sensed my feelings...
and hesitated once in a while... as if I had to approve.
He would look at me... and mentally inquire.
And then... he would continue... because I was alright.
I didn't really mind...
except that I felt a bit self-conscious.
Sometimes Hank would stop... and say...
do you get all this Muranda?
Sure you do... I can feel it.
This Hank you know... he's like a machine... talking.
And I am an ear... listening.
At noon-time when I made my notes...
the whole discussion sort of repeated itself.
It was easy to write it all down.
Suddenly then... I would see flashes of the faces in the bus...
and they all looked... as if they disapproved.
Anyway... I felt good writing my notes...
and it seemed as if I had written for years.
Why do I like writing?
I thought about it and shrugged my shoulders.
When I finished my notes...
I went for a walk downtown.
It all looked differently somehow...
the world looked unimportant... and in pain.
The traffic was very noisy... and it smelled.
I returned to the clinic and kept myself busy.
I was all alone... and I thought about Hank.
What does he do at lunch time?
And what does he mean by...
you don't have to bother to understand all this.
Does he think I am too stupid?
Well maybe I am...
because I really don't know what he means by...
a Four Dimensional State of Consciousness.
And superseding Time and Space...
what kind of nonsense is that?
I think Hank is spaced out... he must be!
He watches Star Trek too often... and believes it all.
Why do I keep thinking about this guy?
o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o
o --= SOMETIMES PAIN IS NEEDED =-- o
o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
One morning Hank told me that he was divorced.
I asked Hank... if he ever felt sorry or guilty...
for being married and leaving his wife.
He looked at me... and his eyes told me...
that somebody had grabbed him by the heart.
I had touched his pain.
He spoke slowly... and softly...
and here is what he said...
- - - - - - -
Well Muranda... I really don't mind that you asked me...
for I know that you will understand.
I loved my wife... but we became strangers.
Somehow I grew too fast for her... and we lost each other.
She thought that I had gone nuts.
I guess she figured that I had become a weirdo...
with religious overtones.
To leave her... tore out my heart.
I suffered because of it... and so did she.
But somehow you know... because of the suffering...
you grow towards a higher State of Being.
Not that this higher State of Being...
is higher than the one you left.
It is different... more mature.
Life... is Change.
Change... is Growth.
Growth... is Expansion.
Expansion is Universal... and God-like.
To stand still... is like dying to your Selfness.
In the beginning... just after I left my wife...
I felt mighty strange... and far from happy.
I felt as if I had killed someone that lived within me.
I felt terribly burdened... and yet free somehow.
Maybe I even felt as if I had done wrong.
Deep inside I knew however...
that I had done the right thing...
whatever the consequences.
Also... maybe I felt a bit sorry for both of us...
but I knew that Life sometimes gives us the opportunity...
to be strong enough to hurt.
Later on... I slowly regained my mental balance.
I knew that both of us would be able to adjust.
You see... it is a normal and natural occurence...
for couples to grow apart.
The one partner awakens to different levels of Life...
a little sooner than the other.
People are like apples on a tree...
some grow on a higher branch than others.
They live and are aware of different levels...
but none is better than the other.
All this was years ago... and at the moment...
I know that things are exactly the way they should be.
So... I do not feel sorry or guilty at all.
To do either is a waste of energy.
I only feel compassion...
and I accept things the way they are.
A marriage without understanding is slavery.
One should not continue a relationship...
because it worked in the past... it has to work now.
Staying together for convenience... is suffering a slow death.
There has to be Love... and Love is Understanding.
Understanding means... letting a person be...
whatever they want to be.
Love them for what they are...
not for what you think or feel they should be.
Married people should relate on a Soul-Level.
A Soul-Relationship is the clue to a good marriage...
and if that is not there... the marriage is dead.
So... everybody ought to do what they feel like...
without remarks from the other partner.
This naturally means that everyone should follow...
their own inclinations...
even if they seem crazy to others.
You are the Creator of your own Life... and Reality.
You are... responsible for your own happiness.
That's why sometimes... you have to make decisions that hurt.
SOMETIMES PAIN IS NEEDED.
Pain and Pleasure... are the stepping stones...
towards Maturity and Wholeness.
And another thing... in case of a divorce or separation...
you must fulfill the responsibilities towards your spouse...
as well as towards the children if there are any.
However... fulfill them... as you see them...
and don't be too concerned about the frowns of the World of Man.
The World of Man is a Parade of False Faces.
Anyway Muranda...
at one time I was married... and now I'm not.
It feels good to be free and alone... I like it.
But believe you me...
I suffered an awful lot.
Thinking back on it now...
all of it was needed to grow more mature.
It makes a person more conscious... more aware.
I sort of... try to walk the middle way..
by non-interference... yet loving.
It's awfully difficult.
- - - - - - -
This Hank you know... this Hank really gets me.
I feel his words... and all I can do is listen.
It must have been very hard for him to divorce.
I bet you... he still loves her... he almost cried.
And you know... I'm flabbergasted by his openness.
He is as open as an innocent child.
He must have divorced his wife because of his philosophy.
He probably outgrew her completely.
Sometimes...
when I do not directly understand what he says...
Hank repeats it in different words before I even ask.
I guess he feels when my mind fumbles.
It's very strange.
Hank knows that I find him weird...
for he said to me once...
Weirdness... Muranda... is only Differentness.
And Differentness... is a sign of Individuality...
which means... that you are your own Soul.
The masses for example... form... or are a Group-Soul.
A Group-Soul... well now...?
Is that the same as the Mass Consciousness?
I'm not really sure what he means...
I must ask him sometime.
Anyway... almost every morning we talk.
The other people at the bus stop are used to it.
But the people on the bus... well they look a lot.
When Hank talks... and I listen...
I find him quite normal...
I think I'm getting used to him.
When I'm alone however... I still think Hank is weird.
I also think that Weirdness is more than Differentness...
but please don't ask me why.
Well... whatever it is...
Hank is definitely weirder than anyone I've ever met.
Yet... I like him.
What does it mean to be your own Soul?
Is it the same as being your own Man?
What about being your own Woman?
o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
o o
o --= GOD IS THE LIFE WITHIN YOU =-- o
o o
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Hank is about twice as old as I am.
I think that he lives down the block...
in the Fair Green Apartments.
He whistles... and it sounds kind of nice.
He's full of bounce... he's happy and smiles a lot.
His pants are too short...
yes... he's odd alright... but I like him.
Now he is crossing the street...
and he sees me.
His coat has new buttons... and I ask him about it.
- - - - - - -
You know Muranda...
my neighbour lady sewed them on.
She wanted to repay me for doing the windows.
My neighbour lady is God in female form...
but she doesn't know it.
Most people don't know...
that they are God in Flesh.
But all of them are anyway.
They are just too busy to know.
Very few people ever look within...
to find out what they really are.
They only look on the outside...
but within them... lives the God They Are.
All covered up with Garbage.
God is Love.
Most people pretend... that they are happy without God.
They are fooling themselves...
for God is the Happiness within them.
God also is the Suffering within Man...
for whatever it is... that feels in Man...
is what God is made of.
God is the Great Feeler... God is Life.
God also is just Man.
Most people think that they are themselves... this is Nonsense.
Nobody... is only himself...
- GOD IS THE LIFE WITHIN YOU -
You are God... not yourself.
To be only yourself... is being a corpse...
and even a corpse is God... for God is Everything.
Dead or Alive.
Sooner or later...
everybody will find out what they really are.
All of Us... are really God... inside and out.
Many people though... are but moving corpses with false faces.
They hide behind their true feelings... they play Facade.
To find out Who or What you really are...
and have been... even before Time began...
is the greatest discovery you can make in your Life.
Once you have made this discovery...
you will know how to behave...
for that's when true life begins.
As long as you have not discovered this...
the most you can be... is a live Robot.
All Robots are powered by self-importance...
and they move continuously without getting anywhere.
Most Robots are seekers...
but what they seek... they do not know.
They seem to seek instant self-satisfaction...
or whatever they have been told by the World.
Both are impossible to find.
The Life of a Robot is only skin deep...
and on the inside they feel like a raw wound.
You see Muranda...
people hurt... because they are seeking.
The very Seeking... is the hurt.
People seek... because their Ego... drives them to seek.
What they are really looking for...
is their own true Nature.
They do not know this however.
The trouble is...
that the Ego does not really exist... only God does.
The Ego is a temporary fiction of our Mind.
The Ego is as false... as most People's God.
They are both Concoctions of the Human Mind.
Anyway Muranda...
many people are like balloons blown up with Ego and Garbage.
It's called being smart and well adjusted.
The God within these people... is searching for Itself.
To find the God within
is
what Human Life is all about.
We can't miss finding it however...
for just beyond the False Ego and Garbage... We Are God.
We are all the same Being.
To search means...
that you are ignorant of your true Nature...
The God You Are.
Let's hop on the bus Muranda...
everybody is inside already.
- - - - - - -
We couldn't talk on the bus...
because I found a seat in the front...
and Hank walked to the rear to look for one.
He didn't come back.
When I looked around... he waved to me.
I managed to smile.
It was just as well that we couldn't talk...
for Hank had said enough... I was full of questions.
I had never thought about these things before.
Like... how am I supposed to find out... Who I really am?
What God is Hank talking about... what True Nature?
Am I a corpse with a raw wound inside?
Am I a live Robot?
And where the heck... is this God within me?
If I am not myself... well... who am I?
Is the God I am... hiding behind Garbage?
Does my Ego... seek satisfaction?
Doesn't everybody's?
Am I a smart and well adjusted person?
Do I have a temporary Ego?
Yeah... and listen to this one...
Are the Gods of the Religions...
Concoctions of the Human Mind?
What other Gods are there?
Anyway... somehow the whole thing was crazy...
I wrote it off... as Crazy Hank Stuff.
Who the hell is this Hank anyhow?
Indeed... if this guy isn't weird... who is?
I decided... that since I was not seeking... I was not hurting...
and that Hank was full of it... and did not know it.
Yet... I felt...
that what Hank said... was all true...
I just couldn't fathom it.
Do I suffer from self-reproach?
Is that what Hank means by suffering?
I decided to quit making notes...
but at lunch time... I changed my mind.
I don't know what it is...
but when I'm close to Hank... I'm a different person.
He seems to influence me in an invisible way...
as a matter of fact... it feels kind of gentle or pleasant.
Hank is like a magnet I feel attracted to...
it feels as if I owe him something.
I seem to be sucked in every time.
Muranda... you're a sucker!
Yeah... this guy sure makes me think.
I decided to be very careful with Hank... and maybe outsmart him.
Put him in his place for a change.
Am I really happy?
o o o o o o o