A Sacred Hour

[Ani]

A Sacred Hour

 

This happened in the time of my spiritual childhood  - in the year 1938. I knocked at the door of the Master's reception room. After quite a long pause he opened the door himself and without a word from him I understood that I might enter. While I was taking off my shoes in the lobby, he went in and sat at the table and as soon as I too sat down, he began to speak:

 

"Life is the strongest aspiration of the human soul. Life is the aim, knowledge-а means to attain that aim, and God is the environment, the conditions from which forces can be obtained. Every living thing needs environment and conditions in which to grow and develop. The environment of the human soul is God. Mind and heart are preparatory environments through the medium of which the soul receives life. The Soul is submerged into the Universal Divine Consciousness. The first thing necessary for man is to learn to love God and this love will connect him with Him and will make him happy. Do not seek the responsibility for the things that happen, just study and acquire knowledge. It is not enough to know about the new life, it is necessary that you live it. And if a man decides to think only positive thoughts for one year-he will do miracles. Make the experiment only for one year to temper your will: whenever evil thoughts assail you, drive them away and retain only the good, positive thoughts and feelings. And there will be no obstacle which will not be subdued by your will.

 

"In order to grow and develop correctly the soul needs inward spiritual food which can be supplied only through prayer. The nobility of the human soul depends on man's thoughts about God. Think of God as an essence that flows through you. Outside of God nothing exists.

 

"There is no greater thing in human life than prayer, it is communion with God, with the Initial Cause. Through prayer we become instruments of higher forces which support the whole of humanity.

 

"The fragrance of the flowers is their prayer. And if you have to pray, leave aside your personal affairs and interests and think only about God. If you wish your prayer to be accepted by God, it must be directed only towards Him."

 

While the Master was thus speaking, his face shone and his voice was like bubling living waters.

 

I had never felt the strength of his words as I felt it at that time. There was an unknown fragrance in the room and the feeling of strange presences. I listened breathlessly and wrote down and knew not what I wrote nor why I wrote.

 

Then the Master took out a small leather suitcase, put it on the table and opened it. He showed me the instrument he had used and the drawings he had made of his phrenological investigations on the Bulgarian nation done in 1900.

 

In the way in which he opened and smoothed down each drawing and told me of how he had gone from city to city, I understood that this work was very dear to him.

 

"Master, why don't you popularize these investigations of yours? They contain much valuable data!"

 

"I have finished my task for the Bulgarian nation. One thing must be known: Each idea-great or small - has its own time for realization. In order to popularize some theory there must be people ready to apply it. Men are still little children. There is nobody who would listen, and listening, would understand. There must be no haste. Nothing is being lost. Everything awaits its own time. Men will become hungry and will begin to look for spiritual food. A time will come when humanity will look for the milk of the word and then the incomprehensible will be understood. Every theory awaits its day. For God there is no time and space, there is only continuous Life-Reality which builds up and mounts upward.

 

I felt that God Himself was speaking through the lips of the Master in that sacred hour for those who have ears to hear.

 

When he stopped speaking, just for a moment he closed his eyes. After that he stood up and our eyes met. No word was pronounced by either; I kissed his hand with awe and went out. He remained in the reception room.

 

I put the copy book in my handbag and walked towards the city with the feeling that I was coming back from another world.