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One of the primary teachings of Ram Dass — and I am one of his followers — is "Be Here Now." Be aware of your existence here and now, not somewhere else, in your head. Be in the now, the only moment that really exists. It is a monumental teaching.
In this issue of the Spirit of Ma'at, we speculate upon future prophecy. But as a preface, I want to tell a story from my own experience.
Long ago, as I've revealed elsewhere, when I was first learning to meditate, two beautiful angels appeared in the room (as they have continued to appear to me from that day to this).
In those days, I was always contemplating the future and how it would affect me and mankind. I had found that the I-Ching was the most accurate oracle for me, and I used it continually to discover the nature of what was unfolding in my life. So after about a month of communicating with these angels, I started asking them about events in my own life. And whatever I asked about, the angels would tell me exactly what was going to happen, and they were always right!
But this was not enough to appease my appetite. I wanted more. I kept asking the angels about the future, and finally one day they said to me, "Starting now, we are going to tell you everything that is going to happen every day. In doing so, we will teach you a great lesson."
The angels were true to their word. From then on, for the next six months, they gave me each evening a list of things that were going to happen the following day. They told me all about each phone call I was going to receive — who it would be, why the person would be calling, the exact time I would receive the call. They informed me of each letter I was going to receive and what it would say. They told me about each person I would meet during the coming day, and what would be said. They told me about accidents. They even told me about the content of radio broadcasts.
On the first day, I could hardly believe my good fortune. The angels were totally correct in every single case. It was amazing. I became so excited. I thought this was one of the most important gifts that I had ever received.
Each time the phone rang, I would be waiting, knowing who it was and why they were calling. I would answer with something like, "Hi John, yes, you can borrow my tool set." This was in the early seventies, before caller ID, so the person on the other end of the line was always impressed. My ego was having a field day, but back then I didn't care about that.
However, after about three months or so, something changed within me. I began to feel I was losing something from my life. There were no surprises. There was no mystery. Life had begun to feel like a movie I'd already seen.
When life actually started to become boring — something that I had never experienced before — I began to regret it when the angels appeared each evening with the next day's predictions. And finally one night I just asked them not to tell me any more.
They looked at me. "Okay," they said. "No more."
In that moment, I had a realization about life and myself. A calmness spread throughout my body. And both the realization and the calmness remain with me to this day: Life is whole, complete and perfect just as it is. I don't need to know the future. To breathe and simply experience life as it comes is enough.
So I know for certain that the future can be known. But I also know that life is best when it is experienced in the present. And the more fully one is in the present, the more life has meaning beyond the events themselves or the outer circumstances.
For me, it is not what life has to give that is important, but how we experience what life gives. It all comes back to what Ram Dass said: "Be Here Now."
In this issue, for you prophets and futurists, we have talked with people who make it their professions to discover the future and the trends that are forming. These writers will hold up their spiritual lanterns and light up the future landscape that they see manifesting in our world.
Even more importantly, many of these clairvoyants have come forth with messages about how we can best face the challenges of the coming years.
But as a committed Be Here Nowist, I hope that you also will someday learn the lesson my angels taught me. That in this moment is a great mystery that cannot be understood or lived from a future prespective.
It's perfect right here, in this eternal now.
In love and service,
Drunvalo
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