“This I can guarantee you, Janet. When the time comes and therapists like your friend start to see the connection between the Three Principles and our psychological nature, it will be a blessing to them and they will see a deeper dimension of their profession than they ever imagined.”
Andy’s assuredness took me aback for a few seconds as it often did, then I realized he was not just saying these words; he meant every one of them. Then I told him, “Up until the day I met you, Andy, all mental illnesses looked terminal to me. Every day I went to my office I thought I was fighting a losing battle, but after I met you my life and my practice changed dramatically. When I saw the power we all possess to reverse our thinking to a healthy, natural thought process, I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing why I had gone into psychology in the first place.”
Andy just sat without moving, without speaking, and I could see his eyes begin to well up as my words of thanks stirred something within him.
Janet remarked, “I’m with you, Eric, the seriousness and mental distress that used to be present in my office perpetuated the illness I was trying to cure. At some point after my visit to England, I realized that seriousness and discomfort is to mental illness as dark and damp is to fungus. On the other hand, love and light-heartedness are to mental illness as sunlight and dryness is to fungus. They assist to eradicate mental illness and promote mental health.”
“You’re right, Janet,” I agreed. “What you just said makes me realize the importance of my own personal mental health. In good shape, it helps produce the dry and sunny climate where mental health thrives. What a great gift to give to anyone!”
Andy quietly listened to us share our beliefs, then when we stopped for a moment, said, “I can see that both of you now have a much greater and deeper understanding of how the Three Principles work and have become not only two very loving people, but also two very wise people.”
His kind words touched me and gave me the courage to ask something I’d wondered about for a long time. “Tell me Andy, which of the Three Principles is the most important?”
“I told you before all three are equally important,” he replied. “You can’t have one without the other. Let me try another way to explain to you how they function. This time I will call them Universal Principles.
“Universal Mind is the intelligence of all things, whether in form or formless.
“Universal Consciousness is a gift that enables us to observe and experience the existence and workings of this world we live in.
“Universal Thought is also a gift that allows us to think our way through this cosmic drama.
“All Three Principles are spiritual by nature, therefore they have no form. That is why all three are intangible—indefinable in intellectual terms— and have to be expressed metaphorically.”
Our faces reflected our struggle to understand everything that the gardener was saying, and after a short pause, Andy advised, “Don’t try to analyze my words too much or you’ll soon find yourselves on a wild goose chase!
“I’ll tell you something, one of the most beautiful things that any human being can realize is the mystical bridge between the form and the formless. Thought is that bridge.”
Once again I felt extremely energized. Every part of my body felt alive and the more Andy spoke the greater the feeling became. I was hearing him at a deeper level than I had experienced before. Then I wondered to myself, Is Andy talking differently, or am I hearing him differently?
Suddenly I realized there was a lot deeper meaning to Andy’s philosophy of the principles than I had previously thought. I told him that I would love to learn more about their workings.
Andy nodded sympathetically and expressed his admiration that Janet and I had traveled so many miles just to be here. “As I sit looking at you young people, I see two therapists who have lots of love and caring in their hearts. It would be my pleasure and honor to share what little knowledge I have, but, I repeat, my knowledge is very limited. However, you have asked me and with complete neutrality I would suggest that what you should be looking for is the logic of the psyche.”
Andy’s words, though quite explicit, still left lots of room for the imagination. Just then the waitress came with the bill and after just one more sip of the strong tea that the English love so much, Emily suggested that since it was such a beautiful day, we could take a stroll down by the ocean.
Chapter Nine
Consciousness and Wisdom
We walked to a small park overlooking the ocean and when we came to a grassy mound, sat for a while in silence, admiring the sparkling seascape before us.
After some time had elapsed Janet remarked, “I’m not surprised that Torquay is called the Riviera of England, although at first I was amazed when I saw so many palm trees. As a matter of fact, I never thought of England as having palm trees.”
I confessed that the only reason I knew about them was that I had seen them in a travel brochure.
Janet was delighted. “It truly does look like the pictures I’ve seen of the French Riviera,” she said.
I had seldom felt such contentment, and mentioned to the others that I was very aware of how precious this time was. We all continued to reflect gratefully on our personal circumstances as we enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings. As time passed my thoughts returned to what Andy had said regarding Consciousness. I knew that there was more to what he was saying than meets the eye, although for the world of me, I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I was a little embarrassed that I still didn’t fully comprehend, but I asked Andy once again if he would mind talking more about Consciousness. He bowed his head for a moment and then answered, “The gift of Consciousness combined with Mind and Thought allows us to experience life at an infinite number of levels of understanding. Each individual person surveys life according to his or her personal level of consciousness.”
I was puzzled and I asked him, “But if we all work through the same Three Principles, why is it that we all see separate realities?”
“Because we all have what is called a free will, and the freedom of thought that allows us to see life as individuals. This is why the Three Principles, combined with our free will, create what many of the mystics throughout time have called separate realities, because we all live in our own personal cosmic drama.”
“Andy,” I pointed out, “what you say sometimes sounds too simplistic. I’m afraid many would say your theories are unprovable and dismiss them as just some crazy idea.”
Andy looked at me and with a slight wave of his hand said, “Personally I don’t care what they think or what they believe. I ask neither you nor anyone else on this earth to believe me. But more importantly, I ask you to look within yourself for the psychological answers you seek. It is here you will unravel the puzzle to all human behavior.”
“Why do you say that this knowledge lies within, and what does within really mean?” I asked.
“My dear Eric, I have already explained to you how it is impossible for anyone to answer such a question directly. But, I can tell you that ‘within’ is a metaphor; within has nothing whatsoever to do with your body Within is beyond the realm of this physical reality that you now live in.