L IVING WITH SPIR I T CONTINUED


The students asked me what I would be doing all day. The school library and classrooms were locked up tightly. I had not brought a book to read. Yet I was asked not to leave the campus. I started to express a regret – to say I


wish I’d known and at least brought a book with me. Instead, I stopped myself and corrected my thoughts before they were expressed. I’d been talking with my students about the principle of expecting the best and selecting our thoughts wisely. This looked like a good time to make a conscious choice in the direction I was being guided – away from regret and toward trust and service, with a happy attitude. I told the students I was delighted at the prospect of a long walk. As we waited for the testing to begin,


we saw a vending machine outside the cafeteria and descended upon it. I decided to buy a snack to take on my walk. There was the usual assortment of candy, with only one healthy exception: in the bottom row of the machine, there were plain brown bags of peanuts in the shell. After depositing my coins and grabbing


up a large bag of peanuts, I giggled and shared with the students the whimsical thought that popped into my mind. “Now if only I had an elephant to


share all these peanuts,” I said, “life would be perfect!” We all laughed. I wished them well and watched as the


students were ushered into the testing room. Wandering outside into the fresh air


and bright day, I took my treat to the back of the school. The widest pathway was off to the left. As I turned to set off in that direction,


my eyes grew wide in amazement. There, not far from me, stood an


elephant! Looking all around, I saw no one else.


This elephant could not be a school mascot, so why was it here? It was loose and just standing there. Someone responsible for this lovely animal had to be close by. He was swaying gently under the


trees, moving from foot to foot. As I looked at him, his trunk went up as if in a greeting. I stood perfectly still for a moment or


so, convincing myself this elephant was real. No reasonable explanations offered themselves. I looked in all directions; no one else was around. This elephant was just standing there, looking as if he were waiting for me. Hadn’t I just asked for an elephant to


share my peanuts? Our task, at all times, is to do all


we can to stay in tune with our inner guidance. Yet sometimes it is amazing where Divine Spirit may lead.


6 july 2014


guidance. I was being directed inwardly to speak to this elephant in pictures.


When things occur that are quite


out of the ordinary, there is always an important lesson. But what could be the lesson in stumbling upon an elephant on these school grounds? Unversed in elephant etiquette, I very


cautiously approached this enormous creature – a male elephant, an immense animal with feet the size of large buckets. Staying alert to any possible danger, I stepped a little closer. The elephant stroked my face gently


with his trunk. He was friendly! I touched his body in response and felt


his rough skin with its ridges and creases. He looked well cared-for and was in beautiful shape. He had clear, sparkling eyes and was grayish-black in colour with a light dusting of dirt all over.


Suddenly, I felt strong inner At this stage in my spiritual growth,


I was asking god to help me learn the spiritual laws – how the inner and outer laws of the universe worked via inner guidance. One particular spiritual law I was learning in Eckankar was the Law of Cause and Effect – how we manifest what we focus our attention on, positively or negatively. But this seemed far too direct and immediate to be a lesson in cause and effect. I was beginning to wonder if Divine Spirit or the Inner Master had quiet a quirky sense of humor. Yet the fact remained that I was


standing on the grounds of this rural Indiana campus, with a bag of peanuts in my hand, right in front of an elephant.


Overjoyed by the potential lessons


inherent in this unusual encounter, I could not wait to tell the students. I was learning to keep my heart and mind open, to expect the best. I was also learning that we are never alone, and I sensed that in this very moment, the elephant and I were being carefully watched over by the Divine. Expect the best; get it, and then some!


But was there even more going on that that, more than just learning about cause and effect and the spiritual laws that govern all life? I knew I was being carefully guided


at all times; inner guidance had become second nature to me by this point in my life. So I was listening attentively to all the possibly clues and inner messages that I knew were coming my way. Yet, standing here with this elephant


was outrageous. I imagined those in the heavenly worlds looking down at me with amusement, saying, “This will be fun to watch!” It was a hot summer’s day. I became


concerned that the elephant might actually be lost, thirsty, and hungry. How long had he been here? I asked the elephant to wait right where


he was while I located a drink of water for him. Inside the school janitor’s closet, I found a bucket. I rinsed it out, filled it with cool water, and headed back to the elephant. He drank with gusto. Then he looked at me, apparently asking for more. I repeated the process of fetching water, all the while congratulating myself. I had pleased the elephant and helped care for my new charge. Then his trunk began to explore


my pockets as if he were looking for something. Ah, the peanuts! I reached into the bag and too out a few. Now a new dilemma presented itself: How do you feed an elephant? Holding the elephant’s trunk in one


hand, I carefully pushed a peanut gently into the opening at the end. I repeated this procedure with several other peanuts. I thought the elephant would then place the peanuts in his mouth and chew them. I stood there, smiling in anticipation


of the elephant’s gratitude, but he was quick to let me know that my efforts at feeding him were misguided. The elephant raised his trunk, pulled it


back slightly, aimed at my face, and fired. A juicy peanut hit me on the forehead! My large friend was clearly offended by my ignorance of elephant peanut protocol. I’d received a quick lesson: do not stick peanuts up an elephant’s nose. “You didn’t have to do that,” I


chastised. “I was only trying to help.” His trunk began to sway again around the pocket where the peanuts were


©freepik by aldin


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