The Glowing Man By Brother Anthony
A rich carpet of autumn leaf lay upon the green grass of the park. Above me, a hazy sun tried valiantly to fight its way through the early mist of dawn's new awakening. It was one of those wonderful autumn mornings which begin with a sharp crispness in the air. The frost, gradually surrendering to the warmth of the rising sun and yet, steadfastly holding onto the grass where it lay in the shadows. I placed my newspaper upon a wet wooden bench and sat down, watching squirrels and birds alike, rummage for tit-bits in the dew laden grass. It looked like being a perfect autumn day.
As I sat, marveling at natures wonders around me, I noticed a tall man enter the park. I noticed him because not only was he very tall, but clothed in a long white gown with a hood pulled over his head, leaving his face hidden in shadow. He walked, no, not walked, that's the wrong word. He actually seemed to glide over the grass with a serenity and grace that left me feeling somewhat emotional and tearful.
What happened next left me totally awestruck. As he neared the trees, the leaves lying dead upon the ground began to rise, lifting themselves up from their final resting place and when level with the mans waist, began a slow rhythmic dance. The leaves swirled around the man, a ballet of unbelievable beauty and as they danced, they began to change colour, moving from the dying browns to living greens. It was so beautiful that known words could not even begin to describe the sheer elegance of the dance. As the man moved among and around the trees, the leaves behind him settled slowly back upon the ground and returned to their brown autumn colours, whilst others ahead of him rose into the air and began a new dance. Birds left the branches of trees and flew to the man, resting upon his outstretched hands. Squirrels hastened down from the trees and scurried to the mans feet, looking up to him, not for a free handout of food, but with something far more gentle, almost a reverence. I thought the early sun was playing tricks with my eyes because the mans gown suddenly began to glow. His entire being was glowing and everything near him, birds, animals, leaves, all were glowing in a soft serene light. I suddenly realised that tears of absolute joy were streaming down my face, whilst at he same time, the realization that I was in the company of The Divine overpowered my emotions.
"You!" Spoken with authority as the man spun around and pointed a long slender finger at me. I pointed a finger at myself with a "who me?" question on my face. "Yes, you. It is the month of October 2007, is it not so?" I replied that it was so. "I have come to tell you a truth. A truth that you must shout from the rooftops. If the governments of this planet do not step back from the destruction of its subtle infrastructure within five years, then in October five years hence, you will have passed the point of no return. Their will be no going back. No pleading for more time. It will be too late. I was flabbergasted, although not unduly surprised from what I have read about 'Global warming' etc. "What hap..." I had barely started the sentence when he spoke again, "I know your question and I will answer it thus: If man does not take many steps back from his insatiable appetite for the planets resources, then a man and wife will be asked to build a wooden vessel, filling with one male and one female of all the animals and birds that they can find."
The enormity of these words left me feeling as cold as ice. I told him that I was but one man and although I wrote articles for a church magazine, I did not have the know how of reaching out to the governments of our world. "Tell those who would listen to you. I am at this very moment speaking to others with loving hearts all over the planet". I asked him why he could not do anything to stop the destruction of our planet, but he said that we were given free will and that would not be interfered with.
I then asked him who he was and it is with tears in my eyes that I write his answer. "I am day and I am night. I am the highest mountain and also a blade of grass. I am the seed in the apple and the peel of the orange. I am the bark of a dog and the hoot of an owl. I am everything and yet I am nothing. Your friends who read your words will know me when you say to them, He is the Light of the World." He then walked away, towards the rising sun, and my lasting memory of him will always be that he cast no shadow upon the ground. Bless you all.
Tony Budell
(tony@britishhumanitarianaid.co.uk or tony.budell@btinternet.com) who mentioned that he received this amazing story during his "sleep state". You can find out more on him through his website at http://www.britishhumanitarianaid.co.uk