The School
The School
For some reason...at that time...I was simply on the "Fast Track". (In the period between Thanksgiving of 1971 and college graduation in June of 1972, I experienced Awakening six or seven times...each for a mere three or four hours.)
I've decided to go through the next 30 years fairly quickly. It's much more important that I spend more time developing a clear concise logical philosophy to pass on and perhaps some subsequent writings than to waste time with more of "Bill's Story".
So...what happened next? I spent a lot of time carrying around a copy of "Be Here Now" and I happened to stop in a coffee shop where a waitress asked if I might want to get together and talk after she got off work. I didn't know that she was a student in an underground spiritual school and was setting up my induction. (When the student is ready for the next Teacher, the Teacher is there waiting.) I suppose that I should have included both Charles and Larry as my Teachers, since they both played a critical part in getting me started. My journey would never have commenced without their perfectly timed input.
It didn't take more than a week of various meetings before I found myself moving my junk into a "bunkhouse" at what I will only refer to as "The School". I am still under a number of secrecy oaths which I consider to be sacred. The teacher can only be referred to as "Himself". Yes, I suppose we were something of a cult. But, if so, it was a fairly benevolent cult. Nothing I would call the police about.
I think the main reason that I would not classify The School as a cult is that they did not start by draining my bank account and if I wanted to leave, they would have someone help carry my junk to the car. A real cult wouldn't let me off so easy.
On the other hand, The School was relatively severe. Some of the practices or disciplines were draconian. I once asked Himself why certain things were so intense and his reply was that The School was designed to teach teachers and not just students; that his graduates would be starting their own schools.
It was only the second or third day before Himself pulled me aside for some private words.
"Don't get involved in my personality," he said. "You'll not be able to hear me as long as you're busy judging who I am."
He was right of course. I thought I'd kept my judging him to be a well-kept secret, but not so. Truth is, Himself was a fairly uneducated man. He didn't speak the language of an educated man...so of course I judged him. I gave up my life in the regular world to come sit at his feet...and yet I found him to be...common. Of course, I assumed - as most men do - that enlightenment had something to do with intelligence. It does not. Truth is, I don't think Himself had an IQ of much more than 100...which is just average. It may even have been less than that. But there is no correlation between intelligence and wizdom.
The School had a lot to do with power. (I saw Himself do things I still have trouble believing.) That is, various forms of spiritual powers were a particular goal...things like astral travel and teleportation. Early on I decided to make a secret "cosmic oath" of my own. Which was...that I would refuse any power that came my way and trade it for wizdom and understanding. My secret oath didn't turn off the experiences I was having since joining The School.
I did have a few astounding experiences...one of which was probably astral travel. I was working during the day at Long's Drug where I stocked shelves and got shopping carts from the parking lot. I worked under the name "Willie" because my ego really hated that name. I was pushing carts one afternoon about 2PM. I had been in The School about a year or so. I had not had drugs of any sort during any of that period. Anyway...one moment I'm pushing a dozen carts and in the next moment... I can still see my hands pushing the carts...but I can simultaneously see myself walking away. That is, I am suddenly about 20 to 25 feet in the air. I am totally invisible and totally silent and I am watching my body walking back towards the store.
I am pure spirit. And there is no doubt in my mind...either then or now...that I was the spirit and not that body walking away.
There were no words in my head. I just saw myself and knew that that body would die...but that I would not die. Somehow I knew in that very moment that I "always was and always would be".
I knew clear through me that the body of Bill was a temporary thing...meant only for this world.
I was spirit. I am spirit. I will never die.
From that moment, I had no reason to ever feel the same way about death. Death had no way to touch me.
But the whole experience only lasted a minute or two...except for the fact that I carried the lessons learned for more than 30 years.
The School used a sort of a "tier" method of teaching. Himself only had four or five students. One of those five was my teacher (actually, my teacher was that same waitress that first pulled me aside). I, in turn, had five or six students...and some of my students had students.
I ended up staying at the school for another year and a half. It had been an interesting and informative time period.
During my last year in the school, I took a civil service exam and ended up working for the county as a Welfare Officer. During lunch, I played partner's pinochle with a girl who I was slowly growing closer and closer to. At some point, Sherry and I were talking and she mentioned her mother, Nita. I happened to ask what her mom did for a living (in response to something Sherry had said) and she said her mom was a primal therapist. I was a bit overwhelmed.
So that's the way it worked out, of course. When you are ready for the next teacher, the next teacher will be there waiting for you.
© 2006 by Bill Costello
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