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The Mystical Life - J H M Whiteman

At this time, I was in the habit of taking walks each afternoon by myself, practising recollection or meditating along these lines, waiting and hoping for some reconciliation of the difficulties and problems in which I still seemed to be immersed.

On one of these occasions I was walking through a residential district where there were many trees and open spaces among the houses. The streets were quiet and deserted, and although it was November the sun was bright and made everything peacefully beautiful.  Something induced-me to look up at the sun, towards the right and about 20 degrees up.  And suddenly, but without abruptness, I saw in it the One Only Principle of Loving Wisdom, the Source of All. In a flash, I knew that henceforth I had only to obey that Loving Power, and l could not go wrong. 

All weight of self decision was instantaneously and completely lifted off and I became, as it were, a new person, with the loving response and joyful humility I should have had from the beginning, if it had not been covered up by outer darkness and constraint.

Though apparently in the physical sun, the Source had an absoluteness of direction which remained with me as a fundamental reality, apart from, prior to, and more real than the physical world. The apparent coincidence with the physical sun arose only if the mind, possessed by the Source, became suitably oriented with respect to physical things. The Source did not cease to be seen if I turned away; nor did it leave the sun. For it and its direction transcended all such coincidences.

Gradually the intensity of the revelation weakened; but its creative power remained, and, in fact, increased, after a time, beyond measure……………..

The first stage, in my case, was to build up more fully a consciousness of the new-born disposition. The movements and postures of the body had to be co-ordinated with the new outlook; even the senses seemed to undergo a change of character. The heart opened out to the world in extreme gentleness, soft-heartedness, and a love of young children, babies and animals, a loving surrender and response taking the place of initiative (for whatever initiative was required was manifestly in response to Obedience). There was often a feeling of near-intoxication in having such a disposition, yet also a sense of tremendous responsibility to render oneself acceptable in every particular, and to be obedient, if necessary, unto death.