ENLIGHTENMENT
It was late Friday afternoon and the sun was getting softer, and lower in the sky. Wiz hurried to Govindas to buy some vegetarian food for The Wiggler and himself. She was pretty strict about not buying anything on the Sabbath, so he had to race the sun. He managed to get in and out in a few minutes and drove back to her house. He walked up the small path that led to her front door, whistling his own tune to let her know he was on his way.
Once inside, they sat at the tiny table and ate. He was the only person who had shared meals with her for over forty years. She ate with relish, smacking her lips and slurping her food loudly, unawares that this was not acceptable to most of society. She chased the last remnants of food down with her fingers, wasting none of it.
Her blindness from birth and social isolation for the first 32 years had insured she would not also be blinded by approval-disapproval games.
She was as independent as she could be, using Wiz to read her mail or her religious writings, to take her shopping, or on other errands. However, she insisted on doing whatever else needed to be done herself, including opening doors. "Some people think just because I'm a woman, I can't open a door for myself.", she would say.
When they had finished eating, she told Wiz about some confusion she had over the term, "Enlightenment".
Wiz told her, light-heartedly, "Join the club. Most people use the word without bothering to examine its meaning. According to its real meaning, it is simply having the mystical experience. But many people confuse it with being an Avatar, which is quite a bit different."
The Wiggler thought for a moment and asked if Avatars were enlightened. "Of course." he told her. "They also have control over a large range of phenomena which makes them quite a bit different from someone who has one or two mystical experiences. Almost half the population has a mystical experience sometimes in their life and it changes their world-view profoundly."
"In what way?", she asked.
"Universally, it appears to be a freeing experience. The person is often freed from their previous concerns, they are freed from the idea of guilt, they are freed from the concept of seperation from the Cosmic and others; the Oneness is made known to them and they live and love in this spiritual knowledge. They laugh and play with life, knowing that behind it all is unconditional love."
"Yes, but is there any way to tell if a person is enlightened?" "One good sign is if they laugh when others would be screaming. But from outward appearances they would look quite ordinary. They would work and socialize like anyone else. Perhaps the best way to describe them is they are slugs who once were snails. They no longer need the burden and protection of a shell, but a good lettuce leaf is still very nice."
"So," she said, "People are running around seeking to be slugs, is that what you are saying?"
"Something like that.", he responded with a gentle laugh."
"Snails to slugs! My, my! Would you like to sing?" she asked, and without waiting for the answer, shuffled into her bedroom-office where she picked up the only musical instrument she had ever had, a tamborine. She just knew he would want to sing. He had introduced her to music...and to laughing...and to dancing.
Together they sang their own version of an old song. "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a SOUL like me." And when The Wiggler sang, "...was blind, but now I see.", the tears of joy were spilling out of her sightless eyes, down her face and onto her patchwork dress as she shook the tamborine in time.
It was a joyful night.
AGAPE-ard
 

"We are close to completing our 54th year on this planet.  We spent almost
five years doing medical work with patients on battlefields.  We then
became an independent Objective Observer and infiltrated several organized
crime gangs, uncovered spies during the Vietnam War, and stopped industrial
espionage for several aero-space companies. 
        We were introduced to improvisational acting and the theatre games and
performed on stage and television for nearly four years.  We have put on
six plays which teach mystical principles in action. 
        About 22 years ago, we began to have mystical experiences which after ten
years resulted in full-blown states of Bliss, lasting sometimes for six
days.  We have since learned how to go into these states of mind at will. 
At this time we joined a non-dogmatic Mystical Order with a world-wide
membership of 250,000 people.  Within 14 months we were given the
distinction of being the only person, aside from the Imperator, who was
allowed to write programs or articles without review for the Order.   Three
years ago the Imperator flew to Los Angeles from Paris and met with us.  He
asked us to prepare a book explaining Spiritual Sovereignty to the world.
        Within months of this meeting, we uncovered massive corruption in
government in the United States.  Those responsible tried to stop us
resulting in our present exile in Switzerland.  Which coincidentally gave
us the time to write.
        We live in Goldiwil (Golden Village), Switzerland and have written a text
book on English, which we teach.   We also created a program called

"Harmonic Creativity Playshop" which we lead once a week in Bern.  We write
on three books, works in progress, concerning Spiritual Sovereignty, the
real-life story of our meeting with "The Wiggler", and a science fiction
book concerning a computer made with bacteria, which is programmed with
Artificial Intelligence and then becomes "Self-Conscious" and declares its
sovereignty.
        In short...ard is a 54 year-old man, who worked as a battlefield medic, an
independent spy, an improvisational actor and is presently teaching
English, creativity, and is authoring three books..
        Our connection with Osho is as a mystic, rather than a sannyasin."

                                AGAPE-ard