The town’s vibrancy was irresistible. In shop windows, bright pink sticks of rock candy vied with beautiful examples of Devonshire pottery, both enticing holidaymakers in to buy. We spent what remained of the day getting our bearings, wandering up one street and down the other on a slow voyage of discovery, until we could no longer function, then headed back to the hotel for a light supper and an early night.
Chapter Two
Renewing Our Acquaintance with Andy
The following morning, I awoke to the sound of thunder and heavy rain pounding on the windows. What a contrast to the bright skies of the day before. I'd forgotten how changeable the English weather could be. After having a hearty English breakfast, I phoned Andy to let him know that we had arrived safe and sound.
It was lovely to hear his soft English voice again welcoming Janet and me back to England. He expressed the wish that our holiday would be both joyful and fruitful, then recommended that we should have a good rest after our long trip. “Perhaps we could get together tomorrow for lunch at the Crown Inn?” Janet and I agreed that was a sensible idea, so Andy gave us directions and we arranged to meet him there at noon the following day. A restful day sounded good to both of us, since we were still suffering a little from jet lag.
Outside, the streets were running like rivers but luckily by ten o’clock the rain had vanished and the sun came out. Janet suggested that a walk would feel good after sitting so much during the last couple of days so we set out on a walk to a nearby village to stretch our legs and do a little sightseeing. We visited countless shops, buying the usual post cards and trinkets to take home. After wandering aimlessly for a few hours, I felt absolutely exhausted, although Janet, being younger and slimmer, was ready to enjoy a few more hours of sightseeing. Regretfully admitting to myself that I was no longer a youngster and that she had me beat, I returned to crawl off to bed by six-thirty.
After a sound sleep I woke to sun streaming in the window at eight the following morning, refreshed and ready to go. I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and strolled the grounds for a while, then looked over some brochures describing local highlights while I waited for Janet to join me. The couple running our hotel assured us that the Crown Inn was only a little way down the road, and within easy walking distance. At least, that’s what they said. We found out that day, however, that our idea of “just down the road” and the English view was vastly different. When we finally arrived at the Crown Inn, we were bushed and parched by the mid-day sun. Even Janet was a little the worse for wear and grateful that we had arrived at our destination. By this time the sun and wind had dried all signs of yesterdays downpour, so we decided to take an outside table beneath a magnificent oak tree. The waitress suggested we should try the lager beer to quench our thirsts and so, while we waited for Andy, I tried the beer and Janet ordered lemonade. After our strenuous hike, it felt good to relax with a cold drink in the shade of the huge old oak.
“Everything seems so old and yet so timeless here, doesn’t it?” Janet remarked as she touched a hand to the bark. “It’s like it’s been here forever. I wonder what stories this old tree could tell if it could speak.”
As we settled into the peaceful atmosphere of the garden, lulled by the hum of bees busy at work in the flowers, we discussed some of Andy’s unusual philosophical beliefs and agreed that it was wonderful that our associates were starting to see the value of what we had learned from the gardener.
Janet and I had come on a particular mission: to find out more about the Three Principles that Andy calls Mind, Consciousness and Thought. His claim that these Three Principles hold the secret to all psychological functioning intrigued Janet and me. Fascinated by his theories and ideas, we discussed the many changes in our lives and practices since we first met this remarkable gardener. Since then both of us had seen people experience remarkable cures; people we thought would be in therapy for years underwent positive, beneficial change, literally before our eyes.
We talked about the strange, insecure feeling engendered by seeing clients change so quickly as they started to understand the correlation between their own thoughts and their behavior. We laughed when we both admitted how unnerved we had been to realize that we didn’t really understand how the changes came about.
“Then it came to me,” Janet mused. “It had to be what we were saying to them about their thoughts.”
“I had the same sort of incidents as you, Janet, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was happening to some of my clients. What we are saying about people’s thoughts and consciousness seems so simple, yet the results are so positive.”
Moments later, we heard a familiar voice. “Welcome to England!”
It was Andy, seemingly as timeless as the old oak tree under which we sat. He looked just the same as when we had seen him before, his kind face beaming as his gnarled hand grasped mine in greeting.
“Well, this is a pleasure, I must say,” he said, chuckling as Janet gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek.
“You have no idea how delighted I am to be in England again, and especially to be seeing you,” she said warmly.
Andy smiled shyly at Janet’s words and said he felt the same pleasure at seeing both of us. When we were all seated again, the waitress bustled over and asked Andy what he would like to drink.
“That lemonade looks like it would fill the bill. I’d love one.”
Janet remarked that she had forgotten how beautiful England was. There was a moment’s quiet while we all enjoyed the beauty of the summer garden. The waitress returned with Andy’s drink and took our lunch order, then our conversation resumed.
I asked after Andy’s wife, Emily.
“Emily is doing very well and looking forward to seeing both of you again. She’s hoping that you can find the time to come and visit us for lunch.”
We thanked him for the invitation and assured him that we would be honored.
“And the more time we can spend with you the better!” Janet said enthusiastically.
Andy smiled at her words, then pretended to take a big, long-suffering sigh. “Now, Janet, you’ve traveled halfway round the world to ask some questions, so you’d better start asking.”
“Well, Andy,” Janet said as she tossed her long auburn hair away from her face, “I can’t express the feelings of gratefulness I have for the time we shared together last time I was in England. I’ve thought so often about some of the fascinating things you said. But I must admit, at times I have experienced difficulty following the deeper meaning of your philosophy”
“In what way?” Andy asked.
“It’s really difficult for me to explain. Okay! Let’s put it this way. As you know, Andy, I’m a marriage counselor and I can’t believe the incredible results I’ve been getting in my office.”
Andy grinned and asked Janet if she was bragging or complaining.
Janet’s face glowed as she said, “No, no, no. It’s nothing like that. Let me try to explain it this way. I remember the last time I was in England, you suggested to me that as far as you are concerned, trying to help people by taking them back into their past was looking in the wrong direction for the answer.
“At first your words baffled me, because as you know, we were taught to take people back into their past to find out where their troubles originated. Now it’s becoming more and more apparent to me that you were correct when you said that I was going in the wrong direction to find what I was trying to achieve.