Beyond Heaven and Earth

by Steven H. Propp

  Jobran replied, “A Christian emphasis isn’t a problem for me; I’m a Christian.” He thought for a moment, then added, “At least, I think I’m still a Christian; I’ve been exploring a lot of other options recently.”

  “Good for you,” Jana replied, “You’re open-minded.” She paused for a moment, seeming to evaluate Jobran, then said, “Visitors are more than welcome at our church, if you’d like to come, sometime. Our services are Sunday mornings at 11:00, and only last for one hour. We’re having a special guest speaker tomorrow, in fact, that I think you’d be particularly interested in; his message is, ‘The Resurrection and the Cosmic Christ.’ Then, most of us usually stay around afterwards to visit for awhile—but you wouldn’t have to stay for that part if you didn’t want to. But it might be a good way for you to meet some people you’d be interested in.” She reached to a small display on the counter which contained a small stack of business cards, and handed him one, saying, “Here’s our address, as well as the website address.”

  Jobran looked at it with interest, before placing it in his wallet. “Thanks—that might be interesting—especially with the guest speaker.” He thought for a moment, then added, “I don’t usually get off work until around 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning, so I may be a bit bleary-eyed if I come to visit.”

  Jana laughed, and said, “That’s all right, some of our other members are bleary-eyed too, because they’re so used to sleeping in on Sunday; everyone these days has lost the habit of getting up and going to church on Sunday. Oh, and if you come, I’d be glad to introduce you to some people—such as that young girl I mentioned who’s a medium.”

  “That would be great,” Jobran said. “I’ll be there tomorrow morning, then for sure.”

  Jana looked delighted, and said, “Most of us dress nicely, but fairly casually— but we have people that wear anything from jeans and sandals to business suits.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Jana snapped her fingers, then pulled a laminated sheet of paper from beside the cash register, and said, “I almost forgot to tell you about our ‘Upcoming Events’ calendar; it’s put together by a committee of businesses, organizations, and individuals in the area.” Scanning it intently, she said, “You’re interested in Near-Death Experiences, right?” Jobran nodded, and she continued, “One of the best current researchers in the field, Reverend Michael Montaine, is giving a lecture next month at a Unitarian Church up near the Nevada/California border. We sell tickets, if you’d be interested; the donation is $20.”

  Jobran’s interest was quickened, and he said, “I am interested—very much so.” Looking inside his wallet, however, a pained expression came to his face, and he said, “Ummnm…do you take credit cards?”

  Jana laughed, and said, “We take everything.”

  “In that case, I’d like two tickets; I’ve got a friend who I’m sure would like to come, as well,” Jobran said, as he handed her his credit card. “I’ve never heard of…Reverend Montaine, you said? Has he written any books?”

  “His first book was just published; in fact, it just came in a shipment yesterday—I haven’t even unpacked them yet, but I’ll be glad to get you a copy, if you’d like.” She thought for a moment, then said, “Or if you’d rather wait, they’ll probably sell copies at the Church after the lecture—at a discount. I may even be the one selling them; I’m trying to get the contract,” and she laughed.

  “I’d rather read it in advance, if you don’t mind getting me a copy,” Jobran said, and Jana shook her head and disappeared into a door behind the counter. Jobran unobtrusively studied the other customers who had entered the store during their conversation while he waited: one young woman seemed most interested in the “Oils and Aromas” section, and a thirtysomething couple who were busily examining the books in the Feng Shui section.

  Jana reemerged, holding aloft a book and said, “Here it is, hot off the presses. Want this on your credit card, too?” Jobran nodded, and she ran it through, and handed it back to him. While waiting for the charge authorization, she said, “The Reverend also runs a research institute only about 10 or 20 miles from here. His book is supposed to be a real culmination point for NDE studies, bringing together information from a lot of new areas that shed light on NDEs, such as brain physiology, Archaeology, Tibetan studies, Mormon researches, and all kinds of things.”

  “Mormon researches about Near-Death experiences?” Jobran asked, surprised. “I just had a couple of missionaries visit my place, and they didn’t mention anything about that.”

  Jana nodded her head, and said, “From what I understand, Mormons are one of the biggest ‘special’ groups interested in NDEs—Betty Eadie is from a Mormon background, for example. In fact, I think I’ve heard that Mormons themselves believe in reincarnation, or something similar.”

  Jobran shook his head, and said, “Actually, they do believe in preexistence; that is, that we were all preexisting spirit essences before we came to Earth. They don’t believe in reincarnation, however.”

  “Too bad,” said Jana. “But at least they’re part-way there.”

  Jobran remembered something, then said, “Say, you mentioned channeling earlier; that’s something that I obviously don’t know too much about. Do you know of any channelers within traveling distance that you can recommend?” Sheepishly looking at the credit card he was holding, he added, “Preferably, that don’t cost an arm and a leg?”

  Jana excused herself while she rang up the purchase of the thirtysomething couple, who bought two books on “Feng Shui and home design.”

  Once they had left, Jana told Jobran in an enthusiastic voice, “I’m very interested in channeling. I’ve heard and read messages from entities such as Seth, Ramtha, Lazaris, Michael, Emmanuel, and many others—almost all of the ‘biggies,’” and she laughed. Then in a conspiratorial tone, she added, “But quite frankly, I’m currently most interested in a channeler who lives here locally; I met him because he goes to our Church, too. His name is Andrew Halligyn. He channels for three different entities, although his main one is named Omazio.” Wrinkling her nose with disapproval, she said, “I actually think he’s better than a lot of the ‘big time’ channelers—sometimes, once they get famous, they get lost in themselves and are too concerned about money, so that the content of their messages starts to get lost. I think you’d be really interested in Omazio because he tells a lot about life after death; he knows all about the ‘Gateway’ between the two realms, for example.” In a sly voice, she added, “He’s giving a session next Friday night, if you’re interested, for about half-dozen people in a private residence; the donation is $35.”

  “I would be interested—but ‘Ouch!’ about the price. Can I still use my credit card?” Jobran asked, and she nodded. She ran this purchase through, and handed him back his card. “I think I’ve done enough shopping for one morning,” Jobran announced, with finality.

  “It’s worth it, though; you’ll really like Andrew and Omazio, I think,” Jana said. “Omazio is a rather gentle spirit; he’s not like one of those other really ‘intense’ entities.” She hesitated a moment, then asked, “Have you thought about ever trying to contact your wife directly? As I said earlier, I did that with my mother, and it was really comforting for me.”

  Jobran thought for a while before answering, as if going through a great internal struggle; finally, he said, “If I thought that it would work, I would absolutely leap at the chance.” Jana nodded, then he continued, “But my reading has shown me that there are a lot fraudulent mediums out there, preying on the fact that there are a lot of people who are feeling hurt, and are vulnerable in this area.” Finally, he shrugged his shoulders, and said, “Plus, coming from a Christian background as I do, I know that virtually every denomination and sect out there absolutely prohibits trying to contact the dead—that’s one of the few things that even liberals and fundamentalists agree on. Episcopalian Bishop
James Pike’s experience trying to contact his son who committed suicide—where Pike might have been duped by medium Arthur Ford, and when Pike ended up dying after a fall to the bottom of a canyon near the Dead Sea in Israel—may have permanently soured even the liberals against the idea.” In a somewhat hoarse voice, Jobran asked, “Besides, how would I find a good medium; one that can be trusted?”

  Brightly, Jana said, “Well, I told you that we just happen to have a pretty well-known one right here in town, who goes to our church. She’s even got her own radio program locally, and she teaches classes through the local ‘Learning Exchange’ program. Her name is Candara.” Placing her hand against her chest, Jana said, “I met her through some people at Church, although I already knew her from her radio program.” She took one of the bookstore’s business cards, wrote something on the back, and handed it to Jobran, saying, “Here’s the date, time, and station of her radio program. She tells you her phone number at the end of the program, if you want to call her.” Apologetically, she added, “She does her own bookings.”

  Jobran nodded, and put the card in his pocket. Looking at his watch, he said, “Well, it’s time to catch my bus.” Picking up his bags of books, he said, “Well, thank you very much, Jana—you’ve been extremely helpful. And I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning at 11:00.”

  Jana nodded, smiling, and agreed, “I’ll see you at church.” With a laugh, she added, “‘See you at church’—that sounds so old-fashioned; it makes me feel like a Puritan, or something.”

  Jobran was about to leave, when he stopped, then said in a hesitant voice, “Can I ask you one last thing, Jana?”

  “Sure; fire away. You’re one of my best customers, now.”

  Jobran sat his book bags back down on the floor. He glanced around the entire store, then asked, with genuine curiosity, “Looking over the books on your shelves, I was really struck by the sheer diversity of all the subjects and areas that you cover here in the store; it’s kind of mind-boggling, the first time you see it. You have everything from scientific treatments of the evidence for life after death, to scholarly treatments of major world religions, to popular treatments and some things that are—well, a little less than scientifically rigorous, let’s say.” Jana laughed gently, so he continued. “It also seems to me that some of these things are actually moving in, shall we say, contradictory directions,” and he gestured, holding up one index finger on each hand, and proceeding to move them far apart. “My question is, How do you reconcile all of these different philosophies?”

  “Hmm, that’s an interesting question,” Jana said. “I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that before.” She thought for a minute, then said, “I guess my answer is that I don’t try to reconcile them; to me, the truth doesn’t need to be ‘reconciled’ to anything; it only needs to be realized, and accepted.”

  With a skeptical expression, Jobran said, “But surely all of these differing ideas can’t be true?”

  “You’ve heard the Sufi story about the blind men and the elephant?” Jana asked.

  Jobran nodded and said, “I’m quite familiar with the story—although I believe it was originally a Hindu story. The Buddhists and the Kabbalah have versions of it, too.”

  She shrugged her shoulders, then said, “I read it in a book by Idries Shah about the Sufi Dervishes, but that actually illustrates my point: To me, it doesn’t matter whether the story historically came from the Hindus, or the Sufis, or from a homeless person on the street—the truth that the story conveys is the important point, and the story illustrates that there are a variety of ways of finding out truth. In the same way, if one person finds some truth in Astrology, another finds truth in Psychic Readings, and still another finds it in Pyramidology, does it really matter? Isn’t the only thing that matters is that they all ultimately find truth, from whatever source?”

  “But is it really ‘truth’ they’re finding? What if it’s just a superficial, passing interest on their part?”

  Jana threw up her hands, and said, “That’s nothing new; every religion has its supposed ‘practitioners’ that are only interested in it at the surface level, or for ‘unspiritual’ reasons. For example, in traditional Christianity, aren’t there people who attend the Episcopal Church because it’s the only one within walking distance? Aren’t there people who are ‘Cultural Catholics,’ who don’t care one bit what the Pope says about birth control and divorce? Aren’t there Southern Baptists who go to church only because that’s where all their friends are? Aren’t there Methodists who go to church because it’s ‘good for business’?”

  Now it was Jobran’s turn to throw up his hands, and he said with a chuckle, “You’ve got me there.” Then seriously, he added, “But even though many people practice their professed religion at a very superficial level, it still is what they turn to at critical events in their lives, such as marriage; birth; and death—it isn’t just a ‘fad’ to them.”

  Jana laughed, and said, “Well, I’ll be the first to admit that there are ‘fads’ in this business. One month it’s angels, the next month it’s Kombucha, the next month it’s Aromatherapy, and so on. Take Feng Shui, for example: although there is definitely a deep and extensive historical background going back for thousands of years in Chinese culture for geomancy—that is, arranging things such as houses to be in harmony with nature—I have to admit that a lot of the current interest in it is just ‘trendy’; like that couple that was just here, who were Yuppies wanting to make sure they ‘try everything,’ for their perfect little suburban dream house. Next season, it’ll be something else.”

  “Exactly,” seconded Jobran.

  Jana continued, “But who’s to say that’s wrong? If a woman comes in here because we sell interesting and exotic jewelry, she might notice a display of books about Wicca, and pick one up; maybe she will then go home and cast a ‘spell,’ that will empower her to stand up to some abusive person in her life. If someone comes in to pick up some unusual scented candles, he or she might also decide to pick up a tape set on Aromatherapy; this could eventually lead to an interest in Holistic Health, and getting off of mood-altering drugs like Prozac. I’ve even had a couple come in here for no other reason than they saw that we sold incense, and they wanted to buy some to cover up the smell of marijuana in their apartment; the guy asked me if I had any ‘Stoner Music’ to go with the incense, and I sold them a half-dozen CDs of some very soothing, spiritual music—the guy turned out to be a professional guitar player, and now he’s totally into Michael Hedges, Alex DeGrassi, William Ackerman, and other New Age guitarists.”

  Jobran nodded, starting to understand. “I guess I see your point: You provide a vehicle for people to begin to move in the general direction you support.”

  Jana nodded her agreement, happily. “That’s why we call ourselves a ‘New Millennium’ bookstore, instead of a ‘New Age’ bookstore. We’re trying to get people to broaden their thinking, and move beyond the old ‘dawning of the Age of Aquarius’ mode, which (along with the Atomic Age) is what ‘New Age’ meant. Both modernism and Postmodernism are dead; we need to realize that it’s a completely different, more multicultural, more diverse and exciting world today! To me, the important thing is we are helping people—at whatever level they are presently at—to open themselves up to spirituality, to the Divine Presence within: to God.”

  Jobran nodded again, and said, “I guess that makes sense. My wife was a Catholic, who—although they are in a sense rigidly hierarchical—certainly allow a diversity of approaches. In Catholicism, you can find everything from extremely complicated philosophical texts and theological Summas, right down to splinters from the True Cross and the Shrine of the Holy Tortilla, along with just about everything in-between.”

  “Absolutely,” agreed Jana. “I also love classical music, for example. The introduction to classical music that a lot of people get, however, isn’t from buying a complete set of the B
eethoven symphonies, or the Mozart piano concertos—it’s buying a ‘Classical Greatest Hits’ album, or a ‘Mozart for Relaxation’ album; or else, a classical piece that was used in the soundtrack to some popular movie. While there are some classical music ‘purists’ who object to compilation albums, isn’t it better for people to get some exposure to classical music—even in a ‘diluted’ form—than to not be exposed to it at all?”

  Jobran glanced at his watch, then picked up his book bag again, and said, “I’ve got to catch my bus; but you’ve got a good point. Who’s to say what’s ‘best,’ after all?”

  Jana said, “As traditional Christians say, ‘We’ll understand it better, by and by.’”

  Jobran smiled, and said, “I’ve also heard that very saying from a non-traditional Christian, quite recently.”

  Smiling, Jana said, “See? That’s good evidence that we’re on the right track!”

  20

  THE CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS WITHIN US ALL

  Jobran pulled the business card from his pocket, to recheck the address. I wasn’t expecting it to look like a regular old Christian church, he thought. He knew that had the right location, however, after he saw the shiny new upraised letters by the entrance, “Stentoria Metaphysical Consciousness Center.”

  Jobran was surprised, since he now realized that this was the location of one of the oldest and most famous of Stentoria’s historic downtown churches, although he couldn’t recall of what denomination—but there was no sign of this denomination’s (former?) occupancy of the church. (Probably like a lot of historic “mainline” downtown churches, they had suffered from dwindling membership over the years.)

  For once, Jobran was glad that since Abraham was not accompanying him (he had “an aversion to being inside Christian churches,” he said; “It’s not a safe place for Jews”), since he didn’t need to worry about parking, and the bus dropped him off precisely at the corner. Jobran observed that not only was the large parking lot full, cars were overflowing out to the street. and was mildly surprised that the service was so well-attended. I thought it was only the Catholic and evangelical Protestant churches that had large congregations these days, he thought.