Sample Pages 3
Chapter 6
“John. Johnny. John. John Thomas Magee. Johnny, you’re here. And we’re here. John, wake up. Come to us, John. Come up. Johnny, AWAKE.”
The awakening was one from unconsciousness rather than one from sleep. John Thomas felt his thoughts begin to circle round and start to come together. He had impressions of voices calling his name, without really hearing them. As he turned his attention to it, the voices became clearer…they were close…inside him. Then he began to get visual impressions as well. It was like a television picture that started with a spot of light emerging from darkness, growing and becoming ever more distinct until the picture was complete. It was the most beautiful picture J.T. had ever seen.
When he regained consciousness John Thomas Magee was looking straight up, at the sky. At least, he thought it was the sky, although it looked intensely different than any sky he’d seen on earth before. It was absolutely glowing, radiating light from every part and particle, in colors he’d never seen before and even now could not quite believe existed. He was concentrating intently on this unearthly beauty when he felt a touch on his hand. With that, his memory flooded back. The touch was wonderful, because at one time he hadn’t been able to touch anyone, or anything. Someone had touched him! He was alive!
As he looked around he saw that the touch had come from his mother, Constance. She had died years before, but here she was; she looked younger and more beautiful than he ever remembered seeing her before, but it was her, alright. There could be no mistaking the beauty of …well, of her being. It was his mother, and she was smiling, and John Thomas felt the love burst forth from him. The feeling almost overcame him. The sights here were beautiful, even spellbinding; but the feelings…the feelings were incredible!
J.T. knew that never before had he experienced a strong emotion in its entirety. The emotions were more real and more central to his experience than he’d ever imagined possible. This was a whole new world!
There were others there with Constance, and J.T. could see them when he tried. It was as if nothing were really there unless he turned his attention to it, but when he did it became clearer and more beautiful and seen in its entirety of exquisite detail. He looked around and noticed lush green meadows, pine forests, huge granite cliffs, a small bubbling stream, and that unbelievable sky. Even the people around him were radiant with their own subtle colorings that flickered and glowed. He turned his attention back to his mother and grinned breathlessly at her.
“Johnny, it’s so good to have you with us at last. For a minute there, we thought you were stuck.” She hadn’t actually spoken but John Thomas recognized her voice. Her words were clear in his mind—her thoughts were there, clear in his experience. This was another new one!
“Yes, there are many new things here,” Constance replied. “It will take some getting used to, but we’re all here to help.”
John Thomas hadn’t spoken, so it was clear that he could send a thought as well as receive one. He felt a bit like he needed to slow things down some.
“You can take all the time you want. Since you’ve awakened here with us, you’ll find that everything will be as you want it to be. Now that you’ve come around, the hard part is over.”
“Mom, I just can’t believe it. It’s wonderful to see you again. But where are we?” J.T. thought the words. He didn’t feel a need to speak out loud, since he and his mother were together in their minds. Their thoughts were coming to and going from the same place. It surprised him, how natural and complete it felt.
Constance replied, “Where? Why, we’re right here. That’s not entirely a joking answer, because you really haven’t gone anyplace. It’s quite complicated, but time and space are concepts for material beings; they’re a part of physical reality, and we’re not physical people any more.”
“Then I am dead, after all,” thought John Thomas.
“Do you feel dead?” Constance thought in reply. “You don’t have a body any more, and physical people would definitely say you died, all right. It all depends on what you mean by dead. As you can see, things have definitely changed, but you’re not really any worse off than you were, are you?”
J.T. had to agree that wherever he was, he still was. And he still was John Thomas Magee. And this other person really was his mother; and he was absolutely amazed at the feelings of love and companionship that they shared.
J.T. turned his attention to the other people with them. As with the landscape, they seemed to be hovering at the edge of his awareness until he turned his attention to them; then they came vividly and beautifully into focus.
“These are my friends, and yours.” It was his mother again. “They have been helping me to bring you to awakening your awareness here, on this plane. If it weren’t for this group, and the fact that some of us are very powerful, you may have been delayed for some time, relatively speaking, of course. You recognize, I’m sure, your Uncle Fred.”
John Thomas did indeed recognize his mother’s brother, now that she’d mentioned it. He was younger than J.T. had ever seen him before, and his features were somewhat different. In fact, J.T. wasn’t sure exactly what about him was familiar, but it was Uncle Fred all right. It was clearly him. The very essence of Uncle Fred.
“You’re absolutely right, John Thomas.” It was Uncle Fred speaking in his mind. “Once we’ve gotten rid of our lumpy, broken-down old bodies, the way we look to others is determined by how we feel. Our idea of ourselves is projected to the mind of whoever is thinking about us, and others see us as we think we are. The essence of me in this plane is very much the same as it was in the physical plane, when you saw me last, so of course we recognize each other. It’s really great to have you with us. A lot of people here call me Dillon. My love comes out to you.”
John Thomas thrilled all through with the feeling of love that enveloped him. He knew he was going to like this place, if it wasn’t all some sort of crazy dream.
“It isn’t a dream. You’ll probably be here for quite a while, relatively speaking, of course, and you’ll get your bearings soon enough.” This came from a man to John Thomas’s left. He was tall and pale, with a tremendous radiance about him. The light came from within him, and made him look almost transparent. He was much taller than John Thomas and had long, flowing blonde hair. As John Thomas’s attention rested on him, the thought began to come clear…it was Mr. Fleming! But he didn’t look at all like he had before, when he was a neighbor and teacher to J.T. as a teenager.
“I’ve come a long way since you knew me then,” Fleming spoke in J.T.’s mind. “I am much gratified that you remembered me. You have always been a very special personality to me—central, you might say—and you are often in my thoughts. Here, I am called Ludh.” The name came through deep and clear, with a soft disappearance at the end. J.T. liked it a lot, and felt warm and open as he remembered how much he had liked and admired Mr. Fleming. Now he felt his mother probing for his attention again.
“These others were not known to you in your last life on Earth, but you may recognize some of them. If not, you will remember them soon enough. This is Tara,” and she indicated a slim, beautiful brunette girl with darkly glowing skin and a dark, dark crimson robe that glowed like the embers of a dying campfire. J.T. felt very much drawn to her, but with a feeling of awe as well. She was fascinating!
“This couple is Milo and Lonn.” Constance spoke in his mind as she indicated a rather mischievous-looking young man, very handsome with light skin and dark, curly hair. As J.T. looked at him, another figure appeared beside him…it almost seemed like inside him. Lonn had the same dark, curly hair, and they were dressed identically in pale yellow. Lonn’s face was more fragile, and more radiant. As he looked, John Thomas thought of one as male, and the other as female, but even as he thought this he wasn’t sure which. They seemed to merge and mix and re-emerge instantaneously. J.T. thought they were identical twins, but then they didn’t look exactly alike, and Lonn was a few inches taller. Or was it Milo? J.T. was intrigued and perplexed.
“It’s wonderful to see you,” a double voice spoke in his mind. “You’ll get to know us better soon. We have a lot to learn from each other.”
Constance spoke—relatively speaking, of course— next. “These two have been so close for so long that they can really be one personality when they want to. Milo believes that originally they were a single soul that split to be able to learn faster…to teach itself, as it were. I don’t know if it happened that way, or even if it’s possible, but there are times when I can only perceive one person and I can’t tell which it is.”
“It’s just kind of a game we play,” said Lonn. “It’s a lot of fun, and, as you said, a great education.”
“If you want to know the truth,” Milo ‘spoke’ to J.T., “sometimes we really are only one personality.”