Chapter Three:
Lessons from Head Blagoslav. Harmony between People — and God
Blagoslav began to teach Rada, but carefully and very slowly. For the time being, he protected her from the strength of the soul that was already beginning to manifest in her.
Now they talked about important things:
“Tell me, granddaughter, what is harmony?”
“That’s when people live with each other in peace. That’s when a person not only relates affectionately to another person, but always understands what is good for that person, and what is worse. This occurs when the desire of another person is seen without words, and it is joyful to fulfill such a desire! And when this is mutual, then people live in harmony. Papa taught me this.”
“And did you consider that it is necessary to live in harmony not only with other people?”
“And with whom else?”
“You can live in harmony with plants and animals. You can also always be in harmony with God!”
“About plants and animals — it’s understandable: dad showed me this, too. And about God — you explain. How can man not be in harmony with God? Is it possible?”
“It happens… When people do not get along with each other, when they see only their quarrels, their grievances — then they usually do not notice their disharmony with God, they do not even think about it at all.
“But God permeates all of His Creation with Himself and knows at every moment everything about everyone.
“If there are bad relations between people, or if different creatures, incarnated on the Earth by God, have harm done to them by people — then people violate the Divine Harmony in the Creation. Hence, too, there is no harmony among these souls and God.
“Therefore, order in oneself-soul is very important for everyone. As we put things in order in a house, so, too, must we bring order, purity, and peace to our thoughts and emotions — so that before God, we need not be ashamed!
“And when one has love and peace in the soul, then this one transforms also the space around oneself: he or she makes it better and more beautiful — both for oneself and for those around.
“What do you think: is it right to give full will to all of one’s own emotions? If it becomes joyful and pleasant for me — I am happy, but if it becomes bad because of something — is it okay for me to be sad, angry, or irritated?”
“But how else can it be?”
“You, my granddaughter, must learn to control yourself! Do you ever remember when your father was angry, annoyed, or offended by someone?”
“No, I do not remember that.”
“So, you must learn to live like Him!
“There can be great strength in a person-soul, and it can injure others unintentionally, if one does not look attentively at how much force is put into one’s words and deeds, what feelings fill one and how one displays them.
“Look: there are ants walking on their path here, and there is a bird’s nest hidden in the grass. It’s easy to hurt them if you walk on the ground inattentively, without paying attention to your steps!
“Do you know how to look around and try not to cause harm?”
“Yes, I try not to hurt anyone.”
“It’s the same in the world of relations between souls: it is easy to inflict pain, to cause harm in vain by word or action — when you do not look at the consequences of your thoughts and words, or if you let irritation, anger, resentment, or sadness into the soul!
“If the soul is strong, then even by thoughts and emotions, one can correct the health of another person — or, on the contrary, damage it, without even spewing out evil words in anger, but only thinking evil. And, conversely, if a person lives with love in thought and in heart, then the space around is nice for others and even becomes curative.
“And if one is always in harmony with God in the soul — then God becomes, in that space, the Main Boss for the soul.
“So, learn to observe this harmony, which was conceived by the Great Creator for His children, even in small things…”
“But how?”
“Do you remember how we met the sun at sunrise?
“You learned to fill the spiritual heart with light, like sunlight, — and shine with sunrays in all directions.”
“Yes, I like to do that!”
“When the light of love shines in the soul and love flows around — it turns out that you are in harmony with God. And when you send love to all His children together with Him, it turns out that you are doing this together with God!
“When you feel good, it is easy to do this. And now you, when you feel like you want to be offended or angry, should recall your sunny heart and should try to look at everything from it and love everything around you. Then immediately the offense or disappointment will leave you!”
“I will try!”
… A lot of situations were given to Rada to learn how to do this, and she was not always able to do it yet.
Blagoslav taught Rada often very strictly. For faults, even small ones, he severely scolded her sometimes, for self-willfulness — he also scolded her, and demanded full obedience.
Sometimes, Rada would forget to do something, daydreaming. Or, she would disobey Blagoslav’s commands in some way. For example, sometimes she would walk in the forest for too long, or swim across the river to collect herbs on the other bank… And then for a week or two, grandfather would not say a word to her, nor would he even look at her.
Rada even sometimes complained to Radomir:
“Daddy, why does grandfather lecture and reproach me? He teaches about love, but he himself does not love me at all!
“If I do something well — he rarely gives praise. And if I’m wrong or do not listen to him — he treats me like I’m a criminal… I’m still learning! But he…
“And if I make a good suggestion, then he will never do it according to my opinion…”
“And you, my daughter, do not protest over trifles, thinking: ‘I want!’ or ‘I do not want!’! You should obey! If you learn to obey grandfather, then it will be easier to learn how to understand and always obey God!”
“But sometimes I see that grandfather is not right — and then I cannot remain silent! And he is indisputable: everything has to happen his way, whether it leads to goodness or to harm…”
“What a rebel you are!
“Daughter, your grandfather — his confidence in his convictions is not without reason. He vested a great responsibility on himself — both for all the people in the community, and for you too! When you understand this, you will know this confidence in him better!
“In the meantime, do not resist the small things of his will! If it seems to you now that he is wrong about something, then obedience will temper the self in you and teach you wisdom!
“You should insist on your correctness only when you are firmly convinced that this rightness is coming from God, not from the will of your own self! You need to make sure that it is not your little personal ‘i’ that is trying to grow up by attempting to dictate to everyone around: ‘I want it like this!’, ‘I know best!’, ‘I understand it myself!’, ‘I know how to do it better than others!’…
“When the small personal ‘i’ is obedient — only then can you firmly know the Will of God!
“And more: you should discern when your rightness means something only to you — and when it is significant for many people!
“But only in the calm of the mind and in the love of the heart is the Voice of God clearly distinguishable!”
“Like Yours?”
“Yes.”
“And is it possible to make it so that this little disgusting ‘i’ is completely removed, so that it does not interfere with life, and does not generate conflicts among people?”
“Then what will remain of you? You should think about this yourself!…
“And this little ‘i’ is not always disgusting! You, in fact, are a strong and growing consciousness! Both the ability to think, and will, as well as your emotions — they compose you as a soul and enable you, by both mind and heart, to learn kindness! This small personal ‘i’ can only be permanently removed, when every part of yourself-soul is replaced by the Divine ‘I’.
“In the meantime, if you learn to see in yourself the manifestations of ‘disgustingness’, as you have already correctly noticed, then you will learn to not allow the bad part of yourself to command your life! Learn to remove evil from yourself and nurture the good!
“And you yourself should learn from your grandfather how to manage the community’s economy! He has acquired a lot of wisdom in his long life! And you should learn a lot from him, and not argue over trifles!
“And how to pickle mushrooms and when to collect honey — you do not have cause to quarrel!
“You often talk about the Great Harmony, conceived by God, and you have important conversations, but you yourself do not always live in harmony…”
“Yes, that’s true…”
“And yet, understand, daughter, he needs your love and tenderness! His severity is external: it’s hard for him!… And you could help him not only with deeds. Your love is a great support! But you, instead, — argue with him on trifles! It’s wrong!”
… After that conversation, Rada began trying very much to help Blagoslav in everything.
* * *
There were only a few children in the community, and Rada did not have many friends of the same age. Also, the children’s games did not enthrall her.
She often felt the world and the people around her in a non-childlike way. She could already see and feel a lot — as a big soul.
She very much wanted to know everything about the world of the Divine! When someone among the community told about meditations — she ran there and listened. And she tried to fulfill the meditations as she herself understood them.
Then she would ask grandfather about it.
But Blagoslav usually dismissed such questions: it’s too early for you to know about it!
Rada again and again now sought the Oneness with the Divine Love, from which comes the harmony between man and God. She was looking for this — including, in what she heard about meditations and God in the conversations among community members.
Once, she asked grandfather:
“Show me God!”
“Yes, here He is, look!” — Blagoslav answered, smiling humorously while waving his hand around.
But Rada realized that she did not see what grandfather saw and knew.
And she did not back down:
“Veliyar said that we can connect with the Divine Wisdom and Power — only through our ancestors. And that it is you who have to teach us the meditation ‘the family tree’, through which we could use their wisdom and power. But you — do not teach it! Are you hiding it? What meditation is it?”
“Why do you need it?! You can always talk with your father! Or — ask me! Why do you need to hear all such conversations of Veliyar?”
“He speaks beautifully… Many people listen to him…
“I tried to imagine a tree in which all the souls, who were in our genus, were represented… And the deeper the roots of that tree, the earlier, it appears, our ancestors lived… But how to determine who was the first in the genus? That one must also have had parents… So, is there no such ‘first one’? And then, it began to happen as if by itself that the deeper I looked the more it seemed that all people were united…
“And if one includes all people on the image of this tree, and then — if one includes everything living on the Earth as well, it turns out that all human beings and all other beings are the children of God. Every person is a tiny branch on that tree of life! The tree, which I pictured, turned out so beautiful! In a single stream of the Divine Power, everything in it lived and grew! Dad looked and smiled. But He did not explain…
“Tell me: does this mean that all people were born on the Earth according to the Divine Will? And are all beings relatives to each other? So, shouldn’t everyone love each other? And why is everything around us not so? Why do we hide secludedly from all others?”
“That’s what you have thought of by yourself! And yet you ask me about it! You understand everything correctly!
“But relatives in one family do not always live in peace and calm! And yet, you want all people in the world to live in harmony!
“Look: we call God by the name Rod*. But it is not because our kin is the only one from God. But because God is the Parent to all that exists.
“And we also call Him Svarog — that is, the Creator. All Divine Souls live in Him in Unity. But, at the same time, each such Soul can also reveal His or Her own Face, and give advice to an incarnate soul, like your Dad does, for example.
“But those, who have not achieved this Unity, — they live in other non-Divine worlds, and they will have to be born again on the Earth.
“And not all ancestral relatives of people possess wisdom and holiness. And not all of them can give wise advice…”
“And in which such worlds do they live? Tell me, grandpa!”
“Let’s stop talking about this! Later — you will understand this! Go, instead, into the garden and weed the beds!”
“Why, grandpa, do we now live like this, as if we do not have any other worries besides caring for the food for our bodies? Whenever I ask you something, you immediately invent some kind of work for me to do!”
“Well, if you do not want to do it — go for a walk! And I myself will go to the kitchen garden to weed.”
“Why are you like this, Grandpa? I’ll weed the garden!”
“Wait, granddaughter! Sit down here, let’s talk!
“Do you know, what is hunger? Not when you just want to eat, not when people do not eat food for a week or two for inner cleansing. But when the whole community is without any food in winter… You do not know this! And it’s good that you do not know!
“But I — I know…
“It was long ago, you were not even born yet… And your dad was still a child… There was a poor harvest that year… And there was also a great forest fire that destroyed many things… We barely managed to defend the village… And the barn with the stocks of grain burned down…
“And the mushrooms — also did not grow… Anything that grew in autumn — was immediately eaten by the hungry people… And they did not stock mushrooms, and did not dry herbs…
“In those days, I was not yet the head of our community. But the reserves of the common grains, which were saved from the fire, I stored for the community, and then — distributed equally…
“It’s good that you did not see the suffering in the eyes of mothers, whose children were crying and weakening from hunger… My heart was bleeding then, but I understood that if I gave more immediately, then we all would not be able to survive up to spring…
“Then, I ordered everyone to cook aspen rind and pine needles, as well as thin branches of willow…
“… Your grandmother passed away that year. She saved your father from disease and hunger, but did not survive herself, she fell ill… That’s when I understood a lot about myself, about our people… I then decided to become a healer.”
“But why did God allow this?”
“God teaches people in many different ways. Sometimes gently and quietly, and sometimes — through suffering…
“It’s good to believe that God will always help: He will send both sustenance and luck… But if people cease to take care to that themselves — then there are bitter lessons…
“Our leader then understood his guilt and put his hands on himself — closer to spring… And the others did not know how to live…
“I was then elected…”
“Forgive me, grandpa, I’ll go to the kitchen garden and do everything.
“And afterwards, can you please teach me to cure diseases? You, in fact, are able!”
“Good! I will teach you! Go!” — Blagoslav said, smiling at his granddaughter.
* * *
The grandfather of Rada was a good healer. He knew a lot about the properties of medicinal plants, and he was able to change much in the bodily energies of a patient, using the power of himself-soul. This knowledge was passed on from generation to generation and was preserved in their community for centuries.
But in the community of Blagoslav, people were sick very rarely. Usually, help was needed only for animals.
Blagoslav willingly, but not in a hurry, began to talk more to his granddaughter about medicinal plants. Together they collected herbs, dried them, and then prepared the extracts.
But he did not hurry to teach Rada the knowledge of the world of the Divine and of various other invisible worlds. And he trained her in the economy of the community and gave her, already, the responsibilities of an adult.
But, nevertheless, Rada was not satisfied with everyday life, conducted almost solely in the care of the household. She again and again sought spiritual knowledge, and sought answers to her questions:
“Grandpa, how can you recognize other people’s thoughts when they do not tell you about it themselves? Can this be learned?”
“Yes, it can. But why should you be able to do this?”
“You were talking about how to live in harmony with everyone around… If I could understand what people think about and what they want — then it will be easier for me to do good to them!”
“A human soul can feel any other soul. Plants, animals, and other people can always be felt by another soul, if that one embraces them with love and attention.
“Let’s go to that birch!”
… They approached a young slender birch tree, which grew nearby on the hillock.
“How beautiful it is! Young, slender, rustling leaves… It is a little older than you. You can embrace it, and feel what life is like in it! Try — by the soul — to connect with the soul of the birch!”
… Rada gently embraced the white trunk. The birch swayed slightly from the light waves of the wind… The birch trunk, and branches with delicate green leaves, were joyful… There were a lot of branches, and all of them were stretching to the sky, to the sun!
… Grandfather’s voice then came to her as if from afar, even though he stood beside Rada:
“And now — feel its roots, which connect the birch with Mother Earth, which gives food and strength to the body of the birch!”
… Rada was surprised to realize that she could feel the space below the surface of the Earth. And then — it seemed, the whole planet began to be felt as the foundation, from which both Rada and the birch grew! And Rada could feel everything in the life of this birch, and she felt as if — for a while — she herself became this birch tree!
“That’s how a human soul can understand any other creature! In this way, God also can be felt and understood!
“But, to know everything about people like this — it’s not necessary: not everyone wants his or her thoughts to be revealed… Meanwhile, you should study to be friends with trees and birds, and try to understand them! And then, when it is necessary, you will always understand another human!”
… And they went back to the house.
* * *
Rada often asked her grandfather to tell her about God, about how the world is controlled by Him. She wanted to know all about it! And Blagoslav had to cede more and more to her aspirations.
So, one day at dawn they went from the settlement to the forest.
They walked for a long time and did not speak with each other.
Rada thought that grandfather would show her another special place, where they could collect medicinal plants.
They came to a small deep and transparent lake of incredible beauty. The lightly clouded sky reflected in the water.
When they approached, then — at some point — it seemed to Rada that they crossed a transparent border and entered a special magical world. Nothing around had changed outwardly. But suddenly, it was as if the transparent Light, visible only by the soul, intensified… And there arose a kind of thickening silence…
This silence pervaded everything around.
In it, everything seemed to slow down and dissolve in transparent calm…
It was enough to look at a blade of grass — and it seemed that its whole life was on the palm of the soul. Here — a butterfly flew and dropped its proboscis into a flower, enjoying the nectar. Here — a robin flew up and sat quite close to them, looked into Rada’s eyes with its curious eyes, and sang. Here — a hare left the forest with a leisurely gait.
Blagoslav and Rada stood quietly, without stirring, and the hare did not notice them. It sat down for a little — and then carried on with its hare deeds…
The sun was rising higher — and dew droplets shone like little suns.
Rada had seen all of this more than once, but… not like this…
Now she suddenly realized that she herself was an integral part of this beautiful world, the same as a dewdrop, a bird, or a hare. And there was God — the Great, Infinite, and Loving One, Who has created all this, Who fills it all with His Life, His Love, Power, and Beauty!
And it could be observed and felt how His life-giving Energy flows in small blades of grass and in huge trees… Everything was pervaded by His Presence…
Rada felt how this Force filled her too! Both body and soul — everything exists only because there is He — the Creator, Parent, Father and Mother!
The silence was filled with the presence of the Living, Affectionate, and Infinite in size Ocean of the Universal Consciousness…
Blagoslav began to speak very quietly and slowly:
“You wanted to cognize God, granddaughter… Here — is a special place. Here, it is easy to feel God — if you try to dissolve in the space by the soul and direct your love to Him.
“And it’s not only you who wants to feel God, but also God Who wants to show Himself to you! Look, listen, remember!
“God is everywhere. But here — He is especially clear for us.
“And we need to learn to perceive Him as clearly as this — everywhere and always.
“If you will always be with God, like now, then all your life will be in harmony with Him!
“This is what we should learn to do every day of our lives. And when we learn this completely, we will become One with Him — like your father, and like many Others.”
… Rada was glad to see Radomir’s smiling Eyes, His gentle Hands, and then many, many other Divine Faces and Hands that permeated and supported life on the planet and its beauty.
A clear understanding came to her that God is in her, around her, and that He is present in everything and in everyone…
And He is a living, tender Love!
… Rada woke up, as if from a dream, and looked around.
It was the same beautiful lake, grass, and sunlight caressing shining drops of dew…
But that feeling of Oneness did not return.
Rada looked at her grandfather.
He stood motionless and, apparently, continued to perceive that World, which for a short time had been perceived by her.
… Then they slowly returned home, collecting herbs.
Rada now knew that she must learn to always feel this feeling of Unity with God. And — to live so: in God and with God in herself!
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