Journeys

F O U R T E E N Writing 11

Delft, 11/07/1996

After sitting down, I immediately found myself in a sandy area. I started undressing. For some reason or another I stamped the ground with my feet, lifting up my knees high. Some low bushes were around. I spent quite some time there. At one point, I looked behind me and saw that an ocean was there. The sandy place was a beach. I noticed that the stack of my clothes was gone. I began to walk to the row of dunes in front of me. While doing that I became aware that above them, looking transparent, were enormous structures of beautiful buildings, layer upon layer, tremendously high and wide and deep. There were arches, sky-ways, and balconies. I looked behind me. Also there, over the ocean, all space was filed with glittering, bright shining, 'celestial' (whatever that means) buildings. I walked towards them and entered one of the broad walkways. I did feel awkward, being in the nude. As at other times, many people were walking there. As far as I could see all in groups or pairs and talking to each other. One couple noticed me. "You look lost!," the man said friendly. "Don't worry. We know you just came from earth." "How do you know?" I asked. He answered, "We see many dark spots in you. But we also see that you're communicating with our world. Come, go with us!" I looked at my feet. Again, they were transparent and they pleasantly connected with the marble floor. He said, "Let my wife comfort you." She was a beautiful woman. She put her arm around me. She was naked too. "We know that you see us in earthly forms," she said, "our real bodies you can't grasp yet. But enjoy our love as much as you can."

I told her about the experience I'd had that morning that someone came on to me. Excitedly she exclaimed, "See, that's it! All is meant to react out of love, to be available, to become shared beauty. Having it happen on earth is most times a downer because for millions of reasons it cannot be fully 'consummated'. So it causes pain in you and dissatisfaction. Here, desire never disappoints. You've been writing it yourself, haven't you, that in 'heaven' relating to each other starts with what on earth is the highest achievable pitch of fulfilled desire?" (I have long ceased to be surprised that the ones I meet are able to read my mind and history.) She added, "Making love is the source from which all else flows. Here we are!"

They moved a sort of curtain out of the way and we entered a light and spacious patio. Wherever I looked, it radiated comfortableness, warmth and beauty. The man said, "You two engage, while I prepare some food." We did. As with the others before, it seemed a timeless moment with great waves of satisfaction flooding me; the oneness with the other filled whatever I could contain. When the man came in, his joy and warmth engulfed us both. He explained to me, "Yes, we are 'married'. We both want to be a couple. Our love is so deep that we enjoy sharing it with others. We never feel excluded because we aren't. Nothing is secretive like on earth. Here, taste!" He must know I couldn't really do that, because I don't have the taste buds for whatever their food is. But I did put some of what he offered in my mouth. It, again, filled me with a glow. He observed me and teased, "Now you've a taste of the fullness of sex, of food and of company! When you go back, you will be longing for this and it could make you critical of what life there has to offer. Yet it also enables you to better recognize the tiny authentic and pure elements in the way human beings and nature connect. You'll have to struggle through the gross imperfections you're still exposed to. But the 'not yet' aspect of your situation may thrill you, too. And, of course, you now know the way to here."

I asked him what work he did. He answered that he was a teacher. I asked her. She said that her name was Sara, Sarai, and that she worked on the construction of buildings. She had me take a close look at one of the many columns in the house and showed me segments that were of what I would call glass. "We make those," she said, "not with tools like on earth. When we have approved on a design, we can with our mind have certain pieces of matter become the form and shape we desire." When she pointed at a beautiful round tile, I wondered where the ingredients for it came from, so I asked, "Where did you find material for this? You have to go far?" She smiled, "When you arrived, you were standing on sand, didn't you? That wasn't far from here, was it? The secret is that we don't deal with distances like you know them, or with something that has to be overcome. All we need is right here, although in another dimension, in another layer of reality, however you want to call it. We enter that realm when we want to and then prepare the material for use and functioning here."

I asked for his name. "Efraim," he said. Suspicion in me rose instantly! Why again a biblical name? He reacted with, "It's another thing you don't grasp. For us, names are not a sequence of letters with a certain sound, meant to distinguish one thing or person from another. Consider names to be the coordinates of our position, defining where we are in space as well as in each moment of manifestation." This goes over my head.

I felt ready to go home and told them so. They brought me to the beach. I first thought that I would go back the same way as I came. But then the realization hit me that perhaps there is no repeat of anything; that sameness doesn't exist but that it is an earthly illusion. I walked into the water after they had waved me farewell. Everything started to look grayish. Looking at myself I saw I was still naked and very human. My mood was upbeat and with pleasure I plunged in the water and swam. It was a long, long swim but it felt so good. I didn't feel tired at all. The air was foggy. Finally, I reached a wall as in a swimming pool. I climbed out of the water. A friendly elderly lady pointed at a dressing room. "Room 21. Your clothes are in there," she said. They were. I dressed and walked back to my hotel where I was sitting in the chair."