Haunted Houses or Haunted People?

  

 
I have been one of those people that have seen many ghosts at various times throughout my life. My present house appears to be inhabited by numerous other worldly beings. The above picture was taken on Halloween night about 6 or 7 years ago. If you look closely, you can see several ghostly figures looking out of our window. I took a photo of my wife outside of the window just before the kids arrived for "trick or treat." Looking out the window was a ghostly family that seems to inhabit the house that I presently live in. It looks as if they gathered for the photo. If you look to your left, you can also see an owl like figure with red eyes looking out of the window at the time the picture was taken.

When I first moved to my present house about 11 years ago, I was playing with my dog when I looked up and saw a little blonde haired girl with an older style dress looking at me. I was stunned since the girl appeared completely solid and there is no way she should have been in the house. When the little girl recognized that I could see her, she disappeared from my view. Over the years I have seen that little girl several times running down the hall of my house with just her lower body appearing to me. I have also seen shadow figures in this house, white orbs, heard numerous voices, and have witnessed unexplained physical phenomena too numerous to mention. In fact, about once a week something strange happens in this house. I have experimented with Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs) and have had running conversations with many of these entities (including that little girl).

But I happen to think that it is likely that these ghosts, spirits, or inter-dimensional entities are not just confined to certain houses or places. Rather I believe that it is more likely that there are certain people, families, groups of people, and even cultures that have more of an ability to connect with what is often described as "paranormal". I believe that it is those that are adept at using their right brain (creative and artistic people, intuitives, etc.,) or those that can equally utilize their right and left brain that are more apt to have these paranormal experiences. I have worked with several different cultures as a counselor and from my experience certain cultural groups are also more inclined to have these other worldly experiences.
After years of meditative practice, I have experienced some amazing events that would seem absurd to many people. Yet these experiences were clearly predicted for those that practice meditation and yoga by the Indian mystic Pantanjali well over 2000 years ago in his Yoga Sutras. I believe that meditation, like other mind expanding methods, allows a person to gain access to "realities" that are hidden from many in our materialistic Western culture. Traditional cultures, utilizing a right brain or whole brain approach, are able to tap into worlds that are dismissed by many modern people who have been taught to see the world from only one perspective.

So I believe that there are "haunted people", such as myself, and that their transcendental or mystical experiences need not be confined to certain places. But I do believe that there are certain places, such as my present "haunted house", that are more conducive for certain intuitive people to have these paranormal experiences.  We may be laughed at by some, but that laughter only betrays a lack of understanding of the complexities of existence and infinite number of relationships in which we all live, both seen and unseen.
So is it that places are haunted or is it that people are haunted? The answer from my understanding would appear to be both.

Grant

In One Moment

 

In one moment we can give Love.

In one moment we can give Understanding.


In one moment we can give Peace.

In one moment we can give Joy.

In one moment the universe was created out of a Loving intention to experience one moment.

One moment is all we have.

One moment is all we need.

Grant

Birth and Death, No Need to Worry

The master and student joined each other by the stream for their daily wisdom talk.
 
 The student looked at his master. He was growing old and his body was becoming weak. The student wondered if his master had any fear of death. The student became saddened thinking that some day his master would die.

"Achal, you looked troubled," the master said.

"Honorable One, are you not afraid of death? I am worried that you will be not here for me. Who will be my teacher?"

The master replied, "Achal are you worried for me or for yourself?"

"Both of us," replied the student.

The master started laughing, "Good, then there is no need to worry."

"Achal, you are not being trained to be dependent on me. Never think that. You are being trained to recognize the higher Divine Self that we all share. As you cultivate that relationship, you can help others find that same source of compassion and wisdom. I am here to help you in your journey not to carry you on that journey. Now by helping people in their journey then you are doing exactly as you should. But you should never encourage people to believe that the source of compassion and wisdom is found only in certain people. That would be a false teaching and very misleading"

"Soon I will pass from this world, Achal. This is unavoidable. You and everything you see here will also pass from this world. But humans live numerous lives even in one life. As people grow older, they look back and see more clearly the lives they have lived in their one life. If they mourn for the past then they are wasting precious time since they cannot change that past. They can only do whatever good they can at present and be content with that."

"It is natural for people to fear death. All beings fear death. But it helps to know the truth. As human beings we live in a constant state of change, just as the rest of life. The process doesn't begin with birth and it will not end with death. We transition throughout life. Birth and death are just more dramatic transitions."

"Honorable One," the student replied, "Still, I will miss you."

"Achal, I will always be as close to you as your own heart. We all share the same Divine Being. That Being is never born and never dies. As you cultivate that relationship with your True Self then you will recognize that same Self in all of life. As you gain in wisdom, you will still have emotions of sadness and loss, but recognizing the truth of our existence will help ease the pain."

"So indeed there is no need to worry, Achal." The master smiled and  finished.

Grant

The Magnificent Being You Will Become

 
 
If you looked at an acorn and had no knowledge of nature could you predict that the acorn would grow into a mighty oak tree?

If you looked at a human embryo and had no knowledge of biology and human development could you predict that the embryo would develop into an adult human?

In the same way, look at yourself now and consider that you are an individual being evolving throughout eternity. Since your knowledge is limited, you have no way of knowing the magnificent being you will become.

Grant

The Beginning of Wisdom

 


The beginning of wisdom is to admit that we don't know. The knowledge that we have only a little knowledge is true knowledge.

But this is very difficult for nearly everybody because to embrace our lack of knowledge means that we must embrace the insecurity that comes from not knowing.

Yet embracing the insecurity of not knowing opens the door to knowing more.

In truth, we can ever only know a fraction of what is because our brains are limited, but Being (Self)  and the individual beings that arise within Being (Self) are infinite.  

Grant

Seeing and Hearing God

The master and student joined each other by the stream for their daily wisdom talk.


"Honorable One, I have been meditating, praying, doing my best to treat others with loving kindness, I have been mindful to practice loving attention when in the presence of others. I have tried not to cause any unnecessary suffering to any creature. But even after all of this, I have not seen or heard God," the student said.

The master replied, "Achal close your eyes and tell me what you hear."

The student closed his eyes and responded, "I hear the stream. I hear the birds chirping. I hear the rustling of animals. I hear the wind against the trees. I hear so much, Honorable One."

"Now Achal, open your eyes and tell me what you see," the master directed.

The student opened his eyes and responded, "I see you. I see the stream, the trees, and the plants. I see so much, Honorable One."

"So Achal, can anything exist outside of infinite being?" the master asked.

"No Honorable One, if it is infinite being it must include everything in its being" the student responded.

"Exactly so, Achal, all is an aspect of the Divine. We see parts of the Divine but say we don't see the Divine. In the same way, you can take pieces of a puzzle and not see the whole picture simply by looking at a few pieces.

"Infinite being is not contained in one aspect of being, but every aspect of being is contained in infinite being," the master said.

"So now, Achel, how have you not seen and heard God?" The master asked.

"Honorable One, I see and hear God in everything." the student responded.

Grant 

Get Busy Living and Learning. No One Can Live Your Life For You

 A local merchant approached the seated master.


"Honorable One", he inquired, "People all over have different opinions of you. Some say you are very wise and that your teachings are very helpful. Some say you are ignorant because you don't teach from a certain religious book. Others despise you and say you are a bad example to the young. They say that you are non-productive and you should be working to make money. Then if you want,  you can give some of that money to the poor."

The master replied, "In some ways they are right and in some ways they are wrong. Their opinions of me are based on their level of knowledge. Those with limited understanding have a very limited understanding of me. Those with greater understanding have a greater understanding of me. But like you and all beings, I exist in an infinite number of relationships and they only see a very small portion of those relationships. Then they say that they know everything about me. The focus of their minds and what they are capable of knowing frames what they think of me."

"You are confusing me, Honorable One. You are telling me nothing about why I should follow your teachings and how the others are wrong about you." the merchant said.

"I am not asking you to follow me. You have to decide what is right. I can only point you in a helpful direction. I cannot live your life for you. Right now you have a certain level of knowledge and certain teachings may fit that knowledge and be helpful to you. As you grow in experience and in knowledge, then your appreciation for certain approaches will be different and grow as well." the master said.

 "So I must live in order to learn, Honorable One?" the merchant wondered.

"Yes, often people want to be told how to live and what to think. It brings security for them. But they pay a heavy price for not exploring life and using their own hearts and minds. They can easily fall victims to liars and cheats. They can be used and abused by those claiming to know everything. They are herded like cattle by those that tell them how to think and how they should live. Their confusion and suffering only grows. They have crippled hearts and minds because of a refusal to live and use the tools they have been given, not only to survive, but to live a more humane and joyful life," the master replied.

The merchant left the master not knowing what teachings he would follow. But he did leave determined to explore various teachings and apply them to his reasoning as well as to his life. He thought that the master's words to him made good sense, and he was satisfied to get busy living and learning.

Grant

Why are People So Unhappy?

 The master and student joined each other by the stream for their daily wisdom talk.

 


 Achal asked the master, "Honorable One, why are people so unhappy?"

The master replied, "Achal suppose you took a plant and placed it in a glass jar with no dirt or nutrients and then placed that plant in a dark room with no access to sunlight, what do you suppose would happen to that plant?"

"Honorable One, it would slowly shrivel and die. The conditions would not be right for the plant to grow and thrive," Achal replied.

"Very true," the master responded, "the conditions would not be right for that plant to survive. In the same way, the conditions in society are not right for human beings to grow and thrive. People need to have the basic necessities of life and to feel connected to a community of others. They need to feel that their lives matter and that they have meaning in society. They also have to believe that there is some sort of justice in their society."

"Today most people are struggling to survive. To find work. When they find work they are often underpaid and overworked. They work hard but they are very poor. They see that the wealth of society is going into the pockets of a handful of people. They also see that their government is focused on the needs of these very few oligarchs and the politicians serve them. Our society is built on war and domination of people and resources. The Oligarchs have no concern for people or the life of the planet."

The master continued, "But Achal people are obviously not exactly like plants. As these conditions persist, society will break down and there will be madness all around. This is exactly what we are seeing today."

Achal asked sadly, "Is there any hope Honorable One?"

"There is always hope, Achal, but unfortunately there is usually a great deal of pain and suffering before societal forces make the needed changes. In the meantime, you must cultivate compassion and understanding so that you can have a profound affect on your own world. Eventually the little changes we are able to make will grow into great changes throughout society," the master smiled.

Grant

The "Meditating Cricket" and the Power of Our Being

 

  
A few months after I first started meditating nearly 30 years ago, I started to notice an odd occurrence. Whenever I went to the basement to assume the lotus position, out would pop this little cricket and hop over. The cricket would sit right in front of me and when I was done meditating it would hop away. It was as if the cricket would join me in the meditation. After a couple of months, I moved from that house and I never saw that cricket again.

But that cricket was my first introduction to something very profound that has been reinforced all my life.

All of life (insects, plants, animals, and humans) respond to us in ways we are generally not aware. Our heart/mind, or level of being, resonates with the rest of life. We are in constant communication with all of life even when we are not consciously aware of it.

Throughout my life, I periodically think of that "meditating cricket". That cricket was my introduction to the power of cultivating a certain level of being and how our being has profound affects on others, even in ways we cannot even imagine.

The opposite is also true. Others, as well, have this profound impact on us for better or worse.

That cricket was my teacher in that it helped teach me a great lesson. All of life is in constant communication, it is up to us what type of message we are sending with our being and whether we want to consciously be aware of the messages others are sending to us.

Indeed our teachers can be great or even very small.

Grant 

Letting Go of a Bad Relationship

 

The young lady respectfully approached the seated master.

"Honorable One," she said, "My family told me to come see you and that you could help me."

"What is your name?" the master asked

"Aashi," Replied the young lady.

"What is the difficulty?" the master asked.

"My fiance' treats me very badly. We are engaged to be married but he has no respect for me. He puts me down in front of family and friends and sometimes he gets very angry and strikes me. My family and friends tell me not to see him. But I love him." Aashi began to sob.

The master said, "I think I can help you, Aashi."

The master reached down and grabbed a palm sized stone and put it in Aashi's hands.

"Now listen to me carefully. You must take this stone and hold onto it very firmly for the next week. You must never put it down. You must always hold onto it very firmly, even when you sleep. Then come back and see me in a week," the master told her.

Aashi was puzzled but she took the stone and left.

A week later. Aashi came back to see the master.

"Honorable One, that stone did nothing for me," she said.

"What happened Aashi?" the master questioned.

"Honorable One, I did just as you said but after a couple of days of firmly holding that stone it began to hurt my hand very badly. I could no longer hold onto it as you directed. I had to put it down. Then my hand was very sore. My hand and arm both hurt for a couple of days even after I put that stone down. I feel as if I didn't do it right." she said.

"No Aashi, you did it right. That stone is just like your relationship with your boyfriend. In time, you will have to put the relationship down. It will cause you too much pain. Then when you let it go, you will find that this bad relationship will continue to hurt for some time. But over time, you will discover that it was best to let go of it. The hurt will no longer be there for you. You will feel relief from ending it, just like you eventually did when you put down that stone." the master said.

The master continued,"So you must decide, Aashi, when you have enough hurt and pain. Only you can do that. I cannot tell you that. But you will eventually end the pain of this relationship since, like the stone, it will be too burdensome to hold onto."

Aashi, thanked the master. She told him that she understood the master's lesson and left.

The master was right. Over time, Aashi had to let go of that relationship. Unfortunately, she went through a lot of suffering before she truly understood what the master had showed her.

Grant

A Gift of Life

 

John had been planning it for awhile. He had been thinking about it for a long time. His business was failing and his marriage was dead. So John reasoned he might as well be dead. He couldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He just constantly worried and was full of anxiety. He was miserable.

John left his work and headed out of town toward the bridge. He knew exactly how he would do it. He had it all mapped out in his head. It seemed like the only solution.

As he drove down the road, he thought about his 2 girls but they were nearly raised and their mother would take good care of them. Besides he reasoned, he had a million dollar life policy that he had for years. The policy was past the suicide clause so it would pay out for the girls. He had been secretly taking care of all the final details for the last couple of weeks.

This was the day he would jump.

John felt a great sense of relief. Soon it would all be over. John used to go to the shore of that river often and the water made him feel peaceful. That peace is what John wanted now.

As John drove up toward the bridge, he parked where he planned. Then he noticed the cars stopping and the traffic backing up. As he made his way toward the bridge, he saw a dog running about in the middle of the road. The dog was darting back and forth confused and obviously scared.

John was on his mission but he thought about that dog as he was walking past it. "That dumb mutt is going to get run over. Look at that stupid dog," he thought.

John stopped.

John just reacted, not even thinking about it, and called the dog over to him.

"Come hear baby," John started yelling.

Not really expecting the dog to listen, John was surprised as it made his way in his direction. John kept calling and the dog kept coming. As the dog crossed the road, a car slammed on his brakes nearly killing the dog.

John ran over and grabbed the dog, knowing that if he didn't move quickly the dog would be killed for sure.

John picked up the little dog and thought, "This is one ugly dog."

The dog was clearly starving. It's ribs were sticking out and it looked as if most of its hair was gone. When John looked into that dog's eyes he saw something familiar. He saw fear and terror. He also saw misery and terrible sadness in those big brown eyes. It was as if John was looking into his own eyes.

John thought, "This dog is in even worse shape than I am. I can't leave it here. It will die."

John thought for a few moments about why he was there. His plan to kill himself hadn't worked out as planned.

"OK baby, come on I am taking you home," John said to the poor creature.

"I am going to get you help and while I am at it, I am going to get myself some help." John said to the dog trembling in his arms.

John walked back to his car.

Grant