By Robert Searle
A. Meeting Dr. Douglas Baker.
7th, 2009 by
Dr. Douglas Baker is somewhat well-known in esoteric circles. Here is a link to him, and his site.
http://www.douglasbaker.com/
It is claimed that he has written over 100 books on esoteric subjects. Having seen some of them they appear to be often, or not short, and "shallow". Moreover, from what I have found so far there is no obvious reference to his use of Theosophy, and the Alice Bailey Teachings. He should by rights give direct indications of his source materials otherwise it gives the false impression that he is an innovator.
Anyway, back in the early eighties I used to meet a plump well-dressed Indian astrologer who was called Matthew. He claimed that he was jeweller, and emanated from Brighton. On occassion, I met him at a hotel that used to exist opposite Slough train station. We often talked about esoteric subjects, and once I said that I believed I had been killed in the last world war. In response, he said that he had been a saint in India in another incarnation!For whatever reasons, Matthew seemed impressed by the writings of Dr. Douglas Baker. He recommended them to me but I was not overly excited.
However, I did go to see Baker at the former workings mens club in Slough where he was giving a talk on astral projection. Among other things, he mentioned his friend Peter Sellars, and his heart attack in which he had out-of-body experience (though if I recall correctly there was more than one instance of this). At the end of this ofcourse came the book signing session. I used this as an opportunity to ask him why he had not replied to me on a letter concerning greater information on surat shabd yoga, and the Radhaswami Faith. At this, he said nothing, and gave me a sssh! with one finger over his mouth. He seem to realize the huge esoteric importance of the subject, and clearly was not willing to discuss it! However, apart from this I was not impressed overall by him as a person, or indeed, his books...
I am sure Dr. Baker means well in his own right along with his Claregate College on esoteric studies but I just feel that perhaps the genuine motivations for it all were somehow lacking. However, whether true, or not he has played an important in popularising the subject for which we should be thankful.
PS. Since the above was written Dr Baker passed away in 2011.
B. A "Kabbalah" Mystery?
Nov 26th, 2009
I would be grateful to know whether anyone knows the possible meaning of this Kabbalistic symbol. It is drawn on a public wall with a black felt tip pen by a person, or persons unknown as I enter, and depart from a block of flats in which I live. Essentially, it appears as a trident (bowled shaped like the Jewish Menorah)without the pronged endings. Two magan davids are to be seen both sides of it save the central "column" so to speak. At the base of the latter there is one more magan david. There also appears here to be a little "flame" on one of the apexes of the two triangles. The same is true of the one on the top left of the "trident". These may have no significance at all along with where they are placed exactly. The question is this? Is this a genuine Kabbalistic symbol possibly? Or is it just something made up by someone who has an interest in magic? Could it be a symbol of good luck, or bad luck, or indeed, nothing at all of note??I may sometime post a drawing, or photo of it but the detail in the first paragraph should be clear enough to its possible "identification," and "significance".
PS. An occult symbol in chalk was found on the wall(circa 2011)of an underpass very near the Masonic Lodge in Slough. If I recall correctly, it was a triangle in a circle, and appeared to contain astrological symbols. It has since been erased.
C. Who are the Eloists?
Sep 28th, 2009
Sometime ago I had a black and white dream. I could only recall the fag end of it. It was like an old grainy film being played. In it, someone looking like some Old Testament Prophet strolled along towards me with a staff in a stoney scenery. All of a sudden the words ELOIST appeared. I had never come across the word before, and so I had to go to the internet to find out what it meant. The following comes from the GG dictionary
.....E*lo"hist (?), n. The writer, or one of the writers, of the passages of the Old Testament, notably those of the Pentateuch, which are characterized by the use of Elohim instead of Jehovah, as the name of the Supreme Being; -- distinguished from Jehovist. S. Davidson. - Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Elohist, a name given by the critics to the presumed author of the earlier part of the Pentateuch, whose work in it they allege is distinguished by the use of the word Elohim for God; he is to be distinguished from the Jehovist, the presumed author of the later portions, from his use, on the other hand, of the word Jehovah for God.More light was forthcoming in the following "revelation" if such it could be called......Here, reference is made to a publication entitled Radiance which is connected with Oahspe an esoteric society which has been around for sometime...
Within Radiance flows the spirit of the Eloists. It is an expression of Light, and speaks with the Voice of the Living Spirit as It has come to be known through the Eloist family. 'Eloist' means a 'doer of the Creator's will.' The objective of Radiance is not so much to educate as it is to strike a keynote or set a tone that will help the reader to become attuned to 'the realm of thought in which angels dwell,' and in that harmony to learn how to rise in spirit to embrace a higher purpose.
Radiance, a publication of The Eloists, a religious non-profit organization, incorporated in 1918.....
PS. As Alan Kazlev pointed out I could have seen the the word Eloist before but completely forgot it until I had this "dream" experience..
D. The Guru Granth Experience..?
Nov 27th, 2009
Sometimes I have langar or free food at the local Sikh temple, or gurdwara in Slough (near Montem). I have the greatest respect for Sikhism. It ofcourse does not have a Living Master as their guide but their holy book the Guru Granth Sahib acts as their Teacher instead, and is worshipped,and respected as if it were a highly esteemed "human being".I once had four copies of this marvellously inspired mystical work which if I recall correctly was translated by Dr. Gopal Singh. I bought them at a Radha Soami Satsang Beas meeting in London!
I have to admit that I did find it difficult to accept a book rather than a living spiritual master as a guide. But my views have changed. It is possible,and feasible. The reason for this change of heart is when I saw the Guru Granth Sahib being taken out of a car covered in cloth. This happened just outside the gurdwara. Some people nearby paid a respectful namaste, or greeting to it. I did likewise, and much to my surprise a ray of light shot from it at me. Whether this was a trick of the mind, or something else is difficult to know. However, I have seen pictures of the Guru Granth Sahib with spiritual energies depicted around it. This indicates that it is more than just a book......
.PS. I was surprised to hear that the Hindu Temple in Slough was the first purpose built Hindu place of worship in Britain. It is very close to where I live in Chalvey,and found out about this when a group inspired by the Guru Ravi Shankar (not the musician ofcourse!) was making a presentation of their yogic teachings in December 2008.This group incidently claimed that it was the largest voluntary organization in the world. I do not know how true this claim is but I like to keep an open mind.
E. Recalling John Garland..
Nov 26th, 2009
In the late 1970s I recall meeting John Garland, the noted astrologer. He used to work for a time as a teacher at the Tutorials a private school at Windsor where I used to go to. It was run by Mr. Blundell (a rather Dickensian sounding name in my humble opinion).Anyway, John Garland was a charming fellow with a boyish visage, and ruddy complexion. If I recall correctly he had ginger, or blond hair. It is nice now to see him doing so well with his work in astrology as the following biodata reveals from Astrology Enterprises found on the net along with other "psychics", and astrologers
..."One of Britain's most respected and well established astrologers, John Garland's work has featured in the most diverse range of media over a highly successful, 24 year long career. John also has a unique distinction amongst other astrologers - in terms of understanding the needs of the media, for he worked as a journalist, leader writer and an editor, before the clarion call of astrology become too strong and led to his full-time profession. John writes traditional Western astrology but also has an avid interest and deep knowledge of Chinese astrology, a specialisation, and he has written extensively for Horoscope and Prediction Magazines'. In fact John was the first astrologer to introduce Chinese astrology to the west in the 1980's - strongly influenced by his Grandfather, who lived in China for many years, and who was imbued in Daoism and a great admirer of Confucius. From this John acquired a considerable knowledge of Chinese spiritual culture, including the "I Ching". Over his career, John has written for many of the most established Women's titles, has had much work published and his specialisation is in providing sparkling, either bespoke or regular content, with an almost lyrical and enchanting dimension. His is a rare voice of true authority in the astral and divination firmament."
In around 1983 I came across him again. He used to live in Upton Park, Slough in a basement flat. I got to know him pretty well as he had an easy charm about him. Often, or not the subjects we discussed were to do with psychic, and spiritual topics notably my growing fascination in gurus. He, himself seemed at the time to be much taken by the Western pagan tradition notably the celts, and their culture. Indeed, he even produced his own magazine aptly entitled CELT in capitals. I wrote an article on the mysticism of Inner Sound for his second, or third issue. This appeared on the front cover along with the drawing of a weeping willow if I recall correctly. He described my writing as being "scholarly" which I took to be a compliment.
Anyway,John Garland is among other things an artist. He showed me a number of his unusual "psychic" paintings. Indeed, I even saw per chance an exhibition of them at some fair in London.
He apparently claimed to have written, and published a book entitled The Mire. Brian Edgar who was one of my teachers at the Tutorials contacted me after 30 years via the "miracle" of the internet, and I was amazed to receive his email. He, also, remembered readingThe Mire
The next time I came to know of John Garland, and his work was in printed form. It was in the Maidenhead local paper in which he appears to have a syndicated column on his his artful, and insightful column on astrology! It is good to see that he has been doing well, and I wish him future good luck! Maybe we will meet again..or maybe not.... but ofcourse that is all in the stars!
X. Mental Illness, Psychic Self-Deception...and Danger!
Ref Thoughts, and Visions Blog
Over the years I have come across a few people who appear to suffer, or have suffered some form of "mental illness," and/or self-deception in connection with psychic, and spiritual matters. One person I knew used to wander at the dead of night proclaiming all manner of occult claims including the belief of being the Messiah, and having his Third Eye fully opened.
One elderly individual called Ralph who died in April 2007 was well known in Slough as he used to bicycle about in his shorts in all climes! He was by his own admission a bit eccentric, and claimed that when he was young he was struck by a Tesla (a word he used to describe a thunderbolt which I had never come across before). He survived it, and claimed that this enhanced his health, and well-being possibly giving him inner heat for him to peddle about Slough, and its environs in his shorts whenever it was freezing!
When I used to see him Ralph often, or not talked about his late brother George who appeared to have been suffereing (if that is the right word in this context) from the delusion of being someone special to the Royal Family at nearby Windsor Castle even though he was electrician by trade! Apparently, it was claimed among other things that:-
i) He had saved King George, et al from a bomb attack at Windsor during World War II.
ii) He had been developing a number of advanced technologies (including an ant-gravity device) but the government was not interested because it would cost too much money .
iii) George, and some other "experts" managed to teleport some creature, or object from England to America, or vice versa but it caused Battersea Station to shut down!
iv) He knew Lord Mountbatten well along with other notables often being privy to special meetings, and social occasions.
v) He claimed that he appeared in two places at once!
vi) He said that there were two, or more places in Windsor through which one could travel back to the past by crossing over a line of light. Indeed, one story featured him taking a Medieval cup, and burying it in its own time by a pub, and later in the present time dug it up. Obviously, it had deterioted somewhat through the passage of time..
Ralph seemed to have lapped all this up, and was suprised that the Royal family had not sent a message of condolences when George sadly died! It seemed that he had being living a kind of Walter Mitty like existence, and I came across this before from someone who seemed to imagine himself being some kind of James Bond figure working in the military!
One person I came across and who happened to be a Satsangi of RSSB claimed to have seen certain people turn into "reptilians" (shades of David Icke to put it very mildly!), and that he believed in some kind of hidden government of the world. He also feared staring up at helicopters (invisible ones!) as they would shoot a beam of light at him, and he would suddenly freeze!
However, such "delusions" can be dangerous, and I include here the following account in which I was actually attacked by a "nutter". In order to protect myself I have not given out the name of this individual, and use instead the pseudonym of X. This person who regards himself as a "low standard" Sikh is a somewhat chummy, and chubby. X was interested, and totally gullible in many aspects of the occult/paranormal, and was especially interested in dealing with "Voodo witch doctors," and Indian psychic helpers who sometime advertized themselves in Asian papers, and mags.In the latter case, one of them had examined his hand in which he could see Xs chakras, and claimed that they were out of line..! This could be seen perhaps as an indication of his long history of depression which he fully admited to me.
X claimed that he had attacked someone called Kevin from behind at the local day centre. This individual had been a friend of his for many years apparently. Xs assault on him was stopped by a support worker who along with Kevin it transpired (from another source)were threatened with death!The reason for the above was because X whenever he was befriended by anyone over a period of time he developed a dangerous paranoia complex. In other words, he became increasingly suspicious, and believed that his "friend" was passing on information about him to the "enemies" as he called them for money. This ofcourse is absurd as he is essentially nobody. I asked him what he meant exactly by the word "enemies". But I never really got a clear answer.
It was baffling...especially when he had such a deep interest in Sikhism, and regularly did the meditation practices prescribed by that religion (though he still drank alcohol, and was non-vegetarian). Quite often, he would discuss deep spritual philosphy, and I mentioned Harjit Singh a spiritual teacher already discussed to some extent on this blog. X expressed some interest in him but I never gave him his full address, or phone number for obvious reasons.
It is a great shame that X had this deep psychiatric problem with paranoia, and its delusions.Indeed, he used to think that whenever Kevin went to phone up someone in the public booth he imagined that he was passing on information about him to his enemies for money!
As such X had become obssessed in somehow protecting himself from his "enemies" notably his desire to get special rings made which would protect him. He also wanted to leave town altogether after he received enough money from his alleged Court Case. He intended to "disappear" to India where he claimed he could live off his newly acquired money invested in one, or more of the state banks there. As time went by X became suspicious of me, and asked whether I was passing information about him to the enemies for money! This ofcourse I denied as it was patently absurd....and made no sense at all. Things came to ahead outside the library when he chuckled at the notion that the Queen was possibly a shape-shifting repitilian (David Icke again!). He then went onto to reveal that he was going to do a sort of psychic name check on me undertaken by some Indian psychic in London. It was his way of trying to determine whether I was genuinely his friend, or not ...and apparently costing £30, or so. X also revealed that I would soon experience unusual dreams in which the psychic would probe my mind. Needless to say nothing of the sort happened. Vainly, I tried to explain to X that I was a genuine friend of his but it was becoming clear that he did not really believe it and that it would be a waste of time trying to convince him. He then went on to say how bad it was that anyone could betray him to the "enemies" by passing on information about him for money, and said that if the psychic name checked proved positive it would bring bad luck for the rest of my life. The whole thing had by now become absurd in extremis. So, I parted with him.
A few days later I went to a certain cafe. It was infact the one which X had claimed in our last meeting was the actual place where I passed information on him to the "enemies" for money. When he first "realized" this he laughed at the absurdity of the notion (!) as he had been wondering why I often went to this specific cafe other than just eat, and drink.. It was now all clear to him...
Anyway, on the day in question (August 28th 2008) I entered the cafe concerned and had a plate of saag(spinach), and rice. A little later X entered, and saw me. He muttered "You are doing it again. Will you never learn!" whereupon he headed straight towards me at the table, and rained down a whole load of punches. I lifted my hands, and arms to protect my face, and head. I fell off the chair, and there was short pause before he started to assault me again but this time I used my shoulder bag to protect me. He then left as if nothing had happened, and there was stunned silence in the cafe. No one ofcourse lifted a finger to help me. No suprise there! Also, the saag, and rice I had been eating coated the wall, and the plate was smashed to pieces. My nose started to bleed, and was in part broken. The police were called but I decided not to have X arrested, and charged even though the whole thing was probably recorded on camera. He got away scott free but if he were to do something like that again I would have no choice but to make sure he serves time, and ideally, be committed to a mental institution so that he cannot be a risk to the public with his paranoid delusions.
However, he did though attack me one more time but not as seriously as the last incident. As I was going down some steps he gave me a kick from behind, and I turned around to confront him, and uttered my anger at him whereupon he threatened me with death or words to that affect...Now, ofcourse, I try to avoid him like the plague. It is clear that the mind can be misled, and distorted.
Illicit drugs can also cause mental problem ofcourse. One example was a Muslim I used to know, on, and off. He claimed that he, and some friends had seen me commit a crime which was utterly false. He also said the same kind of thing (ie. false accusation based on an imaginary experience)to someone else I knew. It transpired that ofcourse he had taken certain drugs which could give rise to powerful delusions about people. He was also a member of the Sheikh Nazeem sect based in Cyprus. This is a Sufi organization. I once asked him about his inner experiences, and he was amazed to find that I knew about certain basic details concerned about his initial meditation experiences which were similiar to Shabd Yoga,and other types of practices. Ofcourse, drugs especially LSD can lead to "mystical" or rather psychic type experiences, and these can be similiar if not seemingly identical to "genuine" ones had through non-drug induced meditations.
The person I notably mentioned right at the start of this blog entry also had drug problems, and clearly it contributed to his delusions of being something spiritually special, and extraordinary. Infact, he revealed that he had a bad premature experience with the controversial Guru Maharaj who was known for opening the third eye to inner Sound, and inner Light. Anyway, as far as I know X did not do drugs save alcohol which can arguably be regarded as being something similiar.As I mentioned in the blog article The Realization of the Psychic I have never ever taken drugs, or indeed, legal psychiatric ones. Moreover, I hate alcohol, and never drink the stuff, and I am ofcourse a vegetarian.
PS. Since the above was written I have had some experiences with two other people who claim to have been affected by "black magic." One of them is a Sri Lankan. He claimed to see "spirits," and was on occasions seen speaking to "them" in Slough High Street. He tried to overcome this problem by contacting "whitch doctors" but to no avail. He went to psychiatric hospital for treatment several times, but to no avail. As he pointed out he was suffering from a "spiritual problem."
However, he did have a liking for alcohol, and smoking. He claimed that the "spirits" made him adopt these habits, and even, claimed that he felt sometimes "possessed" by a large number of them. On one occasion, he could not stay in his own digs. Instead, he became homeless temporarily to avoid them! He claimed too that the "spirits" would occcasionally appear in benevolent form, and then "shapeshift" into something less pleasant...
Apart from the Sri Lankan in question, I came across an intelligent African lady who experienced a variety of "illusions." that disturbed her daily life. However, she claimed that praying to God helped her. Yet, she still seems to be on the search for somekind of permanent cure. Hopefully, this will happen to her..
Though not directly related to the above as such I once met an African gentlemen. He had visited the Radha Soami Satsang in London, and I went with him with some friends to his plush flat. It was there that he wanted us to see his collection of Hogarth prints...but when we inspected them we noted that the faces of the characters depicted were erased presumably by him for reasons unknown, and we dared not ask why. He was clearly suffering from some kind of mental problem....
A. Meeting Dr. Douglas Baker.
7th, 2009 by
Dr. Douglas Baker is somewhat well-known in esoteric circles. Here is a link to him, and his site.
http://www.douglasbaker.com/
It is claimed that he has written over 100 books on esoteric subjects. Having seen some of them they appear to be often, or not short, and "shallow". Moreover, from what I have found so far there is no obvious reference to his use of Theosophy, and the Alice Bailey Teachings. He should by rights give direct indications of his source materials otherwise it gives the false impression that he is an innovator.
Anyway, back in the early eighties I used to meet a plump well-dressed Indian astrologer who was called Matthew. He claimed that he was jeweller, and emanated from Brighton. On occassion, I met him at a hotel that used to exist opposite Slough train station. We often talked about esoteric subjects, and once I said that I believed I had been killed in the last world war. In response, he said that he had been a saint in India in another incarnation!For whatever reasons, Matthew seemed impressed by the writings of Dr. Douglas Baker. He recommended them to me but I was not overly excited.
However, I did go to see Baker at the former workings mens club in Slough where he was giving a talk on astral projection. Among other things, he mentioned his friend Peter Sellars, and his heart attack in which he had out-of-body experience (though if I recall correctly there was more than one instance of this). At the end of this ofcourse came the book signing session. I used this as an opportunity to ask him why he had not replied to me on a letter concerning greater information on surat shabd yoga, and the Radhaswami Faith. At this, he said nothing, and gave me a sssh! with one finger over his mouth. He seem to realize the huge esoteric importance of the subject, and clearly was not willing to discuss it! However, apart from this I was not impressed overall by him as a person, or indeed, his books...
I am sure Dr. Baker means well in his own right along with his Claregate College on esoteric studies but I just feel that perhaps the genuine motivations for it all were somehow lacking. However, whether true, or not he has played an important in popularising the subject for which we should be thankful.
PS. Since the above was written Dr Baker passed away in 2011.
B. A "Kabbalah" Mystery?
Nov 26th, 2009
I would be grateful to know whether anyone knows the possible meaning of this Kabbalistic symbol. It is drawn on a public wall with a black felt tip pen by a person, or persons unknown as I enter, and depart from a block of flats in which I live. Essentially, it appears as a trident (bowled shaped like the Jewish Menorah)without the pronged endings. Two magan davids are to be seen both sides of it save the central "column" so to speak. At the base of the latter there is one more magan david. There also appears here to be a little "flame" on one of the apexes of the two triangles. The same is true of the one on the top left of the "trident". These may have no significance at all along with where they are placed exactly. The question is this? Is this a genuine Kabbalistic symbol possibly? Or is it just something made up by someone who has an interest in magic? Could it be a symbol of good luck, or bad luck, or indeed, nothing at all of note??I may sometime post a drawing, or photo of it but the detail in the first paragraph should be clear enough to its possible "identification," and "significance".
PS. An occult symbol in chalk was found on the wall(circa 2011)of an underpass very near the Masonic Lodge in Slough. If I recall correctly, it was a triangle in a circle, and appeared to contain astrological symbols. It has since been erased.
C. Who are the Eloists?
Sep 28th, 2009
Sometime ago I had a black and white dream. I could only recall the fag end of it. It was like an old grainy film being played. In it, someone looking like some Old Testament Prophet strolled along towards me with a staff in a stoney scenery. All of a sudden the words ELOIST appeared. I had never come across the word before, and so I had to go to the internet to find out what it meant. The following comes from the GG dictionary
.....E*lo"hist (?), n. The writer, or one of the writers, of the passages of the Old Testament, notably those of the Pentateuch, which are characterized by the use of Elohim instead of Jehovah, as the name of the Supreme Being; -- distinguished from Jehovist. S. Davidson. - Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Elohist, a name given by the critics to the presumed author of the earlier part of the Pentateuch, whose work in it they allege is distinguished by the use of the word Elohim for God; he is to be distinguished from the Jehovist, the presumed author of the later portions, from his use, on the other hand, of the word Jehovah for God.More light was forthcoming in the following "revelation" if such it could be called......Here, reference is made to a publication entitled Radiance which is connected with Oahspe an esoteric society which has been around for sometime...
Within Radiance flows the spirit of the Eloists. It is an expression of Light, and speaks with the Voice of the Living Spirit as It has come to be known through the Eloist family. 'Eloist' means a 'doer of the Creator's will.' The objective of Radiance is not so much to educate as it is to strike a keynote or set a tone that will help the reader to become attuned to 'the realm of thought in which angels dwell,' and in that harmony to learn how to rise in spirit to embrace a higher purpose.
Radiance, a publication of The Eloists, a religious non-profit organization, incorporated in 1918.....
PS. As Alan Kazlev pointed out I could have seen the the word Eloist before but completely forgot it until I had this "dream" experience..
D. The Guru Granth Experience..?
Nov 27th, 2009
Sometimes I have langar or free food at the local Sikh temple, or gurdwara in Slough (near Montem). I have the greatest respect for Sikhism. It ofcourse does not have a Living Master as their guide but their holy book the Guru Granth Sahib acts as their Teacher instead, and is worshipped,and respected as if it were a highly esteemed "human being".I once had four copies of this marvellously inspired mystical work which if I recall correctly was translated by Dr. Gopal Singh. I bought them at a Radha Soami Satsang Beas meeting in London!
I have to admit that I did find it difficult to accept a book rather than a living spiritual master as a guide. But my views have changed. It is possible,and feasible. The reason for this change of heart is when I saw the Guru Granth Sahib being taken out of a car covered in cloth. This happened just outside the gurdwara. Some people nearby paid a respectful namaste, or greeting to it. I did likewise, and much to my surprise a ray of light shot from it at me. Whether this was a trick of the mind, or something else is difficult to know. However, I have seen pictures of the Guru Granth Sahib with spiritual energies depicted around it. This indicates that it is more than just a book......
.PS. I was surprised to hear that the Hindu Temple in Slough was the first purpose built Hindu place of worship in Britain. It is very close to where I live in Chalvey,and found out about this when a group inspired by the Guru Ravi Shankar (not the musician ofcourse!) was making a presentation of their yogic teachings in December 2008.This group incidently claimed that it was the largest voluntary organization in the world. I do not know how true this claim is but I like to keep an open mind.
E. Recalling John Garland..
Nov 26th, 2009
In the late 1970s I recall meeting John Garland, the noted astrologer. He used to work for a time as a teacher at the Tutorials a private school at Windsor where I used to go to. It was run by Mr. Blundell (a rather Dickensian sounding name in my humble opinion).Anyway, John Garland was a charming fellow with a boyish visage, and ruddy complexion. If I recall correctly he had ginger, or blond hair. It is nice now to see him doing so well with his work in astrology as the following biodata reveals from Astrology Enterprises found on the net along with other "psychics", and astrologers
..."One of Britain's most respected and well established astrologers, John Garland's work has featured in the most diverse range of media over a highly successful, 24 year long career. John also has a unique distinction amongst other astrologers - in terms of understanding the needs of the media, for he worked as a journalist, leader writer and an editor, before the clarion call of astrology become too strong and led to his full-time profession. John writes traditional Western astrology but also has an avid interest and deep knowledge of Chinese astrology, a specialisation, and he has written extensively for Horoscope and Prediction Magazines'. In fact John was the first astrologer to introduce Chinese astrology to the west in the 1980's - strongly influenced by his Grandfather, who lived in China for many years, and who was imbued in Daoism and a great admirer of Confucius. From this John acquired a considerable knowledge of Chinese spiritual culture, including the "I Ching". Over his career, John has written for many of the most established Women's titles, has had much work published and his specialisation is in providing sparkling, either bespoke or regular content, with an almost lyrical and enchanting dimension. His is a rare voice of true authority in the astral and divination firmament."
In around 1983 I came across him again. He used to live in Upton Park, Slough in a basement flat. I got to know him pretty well as he had an easy charm about him. Often, or not the subjects we discussed were to do with psychic, and spiritual topics notably my growing fascination in gurus. He, himself seemed at the time to be much taken by the Western pagan tradition notably the celts, and their culture. Indeed, he even produced his own magazine aptly entitled CELT in capitals. I wrote an article on the mysticism of Inner Sound for his second, or third issue. This appeared on the front cover along with the drawing of a weeping willow if I recall correctly. He described my writing as being "scholarly" which I took to be a compliment.
Anyway,John Garland is among other things an artist. He showed me a number of his unusual "psychic" paintings. Indeed, I even saw per chance an exhibition of them at some fair in London.
He apparently claimed to have written, and published a book entitled The Mire. Brian Edgar who was one of my teachers at the Tutorials contacted me after 30 years via the "miracle" of the internet, and I was amazed to receive his email. He, also, remembered readingThe Mire
The next time I came to know of John Garland, and his work was in printed form. It was in the Maidenhead local paper in which he appears to have a syndicated column on his his artful, and insightful column on astrology! It is good to see that he has been doing well, and I wish him future good luck! Maybe we will meet again..or maybe not.... but ofcourse that is all in the stars!
X. Mental Illness, Psychic Self-Deception...and Danger!
Ref Thoughts, and Visions Blog
Over the years I have come across a few people who appear to suffer, or have suffered some form of "mental illness," and/or self-deception in connection with psychic, and spiritual matters. One person I knew used to wander at the dead of night proclaiming all manner of occult claims including the belief of being the Messiah, and having his Third Eye fully opened.
One elderly individual called Ralph who died in April 2007 was well known in Slough as he used to bicycle about in his shorts in all climes! He was by his own admission a bit eccentric, and claimed that when he was young he was struck by a Tesla (a word he used to describe a thunderbolt which I had never come across before). He survived it, and claimed that this enhanced his health, and well-being possibly giving him inner heat for him to peddle about Slough, and its environs in his shorts whenever it was freezing!
When I used to see him Ralph often, or not talked about his late brother George who appeared to have been suffereing (if that is the right word in this context) from the delusion of being someone special to the Royal Family at nearby Windsor Castle even though he was electrician by trade! Apparently, it was claimed among other things that:-
i) He had saved King George, et al from a bomb attack at Windsor during World War II.
ii) He had been developing a number of advanced technologies (including an ant-gravity device) but the government was not interested because it would cost too much money .
iii) George, and some other "experts" managed to teleport some creature, or object from England to America, or vice versa but it caused Battersea Station to shut down!
iv) He knew Lord Mountbatten well along with other notables often being privy to special meetings, and social occasions.
v) He claimed that he appeared in two places at once!
vi) He said that there were two, or more places in Windsor through which one could travel back to the past by crossing over a line of light. Indeed, one story featured him taking a Medieval cup, and burying it in its own time by a pub, and later in the present time dug it up. Obviously, it had deterioted somewhat through the passage of time..
Ralph seemed to have lapped all this up, and was suprised that the Royal family had not sent a message of condolences when George sadly died! It seemed that he had being living a kind of Walter Mitty like existence, and I came across this before from someone who seemed to imagine himself being some kind of James Bond figure working in the military!
One person I came across and who happened to be a Satsangi of RSSB claimed to have seen certain people turn into "reptilians" (shades of David Icke to put it very mildly!), and that he believed in some kind of hidden government of the world. He also feared staring up at helicopters (invisible ones!) as they would shoot a beam of light at him, and he would suddenly freeze!
However, such "delusions" can be dangerous, and I include here the following account in which I was actually attacked by a "nutter". In order to protect myself I have not given out the name of this individual, and use instead the pseudonym of X. This person who regards himself as a "low standard" Sikh is a somewhat chummy, and chubby. X was interested, and totally gullible in many aspects of the occult/paranormal, and was especially interested in dealing with "Voodo witch doctors," and Indian psychic helpers who sometime advertized themselves in Asian papers, and mags.In the latter case, one of them had examined his hand in which he could see Xs chakras, and claimed that they were out of line..! This could be seen perhaps as an indication of his long history of depression which he fully admited to me.
X claimed that he had attacked someone called Kevin from behind at the local day centre. This individual had been a friend of his for many years apparently. Xs assault on him was stopped by a support worker who along with Kevin it transpired (from another source)were threatened with death!The reason for the above was because X whenever he was befriended by anyone over a period of time he developed a dangerous paranoia complex. In other words, he became increasingly suspicious, and believed that his "friend" was passing on information about him to the "enemies" as he called them for money. This ofcourse is absurd as he is essentially nobody. I asked him what he meant exactly by the word "enemies". But I never really got a clear answer.
It was baffling...especially when he had such a deep interest in Sikhism, and regularly did the meditation practices prescribed by that religion (though he still drank alcohol, and was non-vegetarian). Quite often, he would discuss deep spritual philosphy, and I mentioned Harjit Singh a spiritual teacher already discussed to some extent on this blog. X expressed some interest in him but I never gave him his full address, or phone number for obvious reasons.
It is a great shame that X had this deep psychiatric problem with paranoia, and its delusions.Indeed, he used to think that whenever Kevin went to phone up someone in the public booth he imagined that he was passing on information about him to his enemies for money!
As such X had become obssessed in somehow protecting himself from his "enemies" notably his desire to get special rings made which would protect him. He also wanted to leave town altogether after he received enough money from his alleged Court Case. He intended to "disappear" to India where he claimed he could live off his newly acquired money invested in one, or more of the state banks there. As time went by X became suspicious of me, and asked whether I was passing information about him to the enemies for money! This ofcourse I denied as it was patently absurd....and made no sense at all. Things came to ahead outside the library when he chuckled at the notion that the Queen was possibly a shape-shifting repitilian (David Icke again!). He then went onto to reveal that he was going to do a sort of psychic name check on me undertaken by some Indian psychic in London. It was his way of trying to determine whether I was genuinely his friend, or not ...and apparently costing £30, or so. X also revealed that I would soon experience unusual dreams in which the psychic would probe my mind. Needless to say nothing of the sort happened. Vainly, I tried to explain to X that I was a genuine friend of his but it was becoming clear that he did not really believe it and that it would be a waste of time trying to convince him. He then went on to say how bad it was that anyone could betray him to the "enemies" by passing on information about him for money, and said that if the psychic name checked proved positive it would bring bad luck for the rest of my life. The whole thing had by now become absurd in extremis. So, I parted with him.
A few days later I went to a certain cafe. It was infact the one which X had claimed in our last meeting was the actual place where I passed information on him to the "enemies" for money. When he first "realized" this he laughed at the absurdity of the notion (!) as he had been wondering why I often went to this specific cafe other than just eat, and drink.. It was now all clear to him...
Anyway, on the day in question (August 28th 2008) I entered the cafe concerned and had a plate of saag(spinach), and rice. A little later X entered, and saw me. He muttered "You are doing it again. Will you never learn!" whereupon he headed straight towards me at the table, and rained down a whole load of punches. I lifted my hands, and arms to protect my face, and head. I fell off the chair, and there was short pause before he started to assault me again but this time I used my shoulder bag to protect me. He then left as if nothing had happened, and there was stunned silence in the cafe. No one ofcourse lifted a finger to help me. No suprise there! Also, the saag, and rice I had been eating coated the wall, and the plate was smashed to pieces. My nose started to bleed, and was in part broken. The police were called but I decided not to have X arrested, and charged even though the whole thing was probably recorded on camera. He got away scott free but if he were to do something like that again I would have no choice but to make sure he serves time, and ideally, be committed to a mental institution so that he cannot be a risk to the public with his paranoid delusions.
However, he did though attack me one more time but not as seriously as the last incident. As I was going down some steps he gave me a kick from behind, and I turned around to confront him, and uttered my anger at him whereupon he threatened me with death or words to that affect...Now, ofcourse, I try to avoid him like the plague. It is clear that the mind can be misled, and distorted.
Illicit drugs can also cause mental problem ofcourse. One example was a Muslim I used to know, on, and off. He claimed that he, and some friends had seen me commit a crime which was utterly false. He also said the same kind of thing (ie. false accusation based on an imaginary experience)to someone else I knew. It transpired that ofcourse he had taken certain drugs which could give rise to powerful delusions about people. He was also a member of the Sheikh Nazeem sect based in Cyprus. This is a Sufi organization. I once asked him about his inner experiences, and he was amazed to find that I knew about certain basic details concerned about his initial meditation experiences which were similiar to Shabd Yoga,and other types of practices. Ofcourse, drugs especially LSD can lead to "mystical" or rather psychic type experiences, and these can be similiar if not seemingly identical to "genuine" ones had through non-drug induced meditations.
The person I notably mentioned right at the start of this blog entry also had drug problems, and clearly it contributed to his delusions of being something spiritually special, and extraordinary. Infact, he revealed that he had a bad premature experience with the controversial Guru Maharaj who was known for opening the third eye to inner Sound, and inner Light. Anyway, as far as I know X did not do drugs save alcohol which can arguably be regarded as being something similiar.As I mentioned in the blog article The Realization of the Psychic I have never ever taken drugs, or indeed, legal psychiatric ones. Moreover, I hate alcohol, and never drink the stuff, and I am ofcourse a vegetarian.
PS. Since the above was written I have had some experiences with two other people who claim to have been affected by "black magic." One of them is a Sri Lankan. He claimed to see "spirits," and was on occasions seen speaking to "them" in Slough High Street. He tried to overcome this problem by contacting "whitch doctors" but to no avail. He went to psychiatric hospital for treatment several times, but to no avail. As he pointed out he was suffering from a "spiritual problem."
However, he did have a liking for alcohol, and smoking. He claimed that the "spirits" made him adopt these habits, and even, claimed that he felt sometimes "possessed" by a large number of them. On one occasion, he could not stay in his own digs. Instead, he became homeless temporarily to avoid them! He claimed too that the "spirits" would occcasionally appear in benevolent form, and then "shapeshift" into something less pleasant...
Apart from the Sri Lankan in question, I came across an intelligent African lady who experienced a variety of "illusions." that disturbed her daily life. However, she claimed that praying to God helped her. Yet, she still seems to be on the search for somekind of permanent cure. Hopefully, this will happen to her..
Though not directly related to the above as such I once met an African gentlemen. He had visited the Radha Soami Satsang in London, and I went with him with some friends to his plush flat. It was there that he wanted us to see his collection of Hogarth prints...but when we inspected them we noted that the faces of the characters depicted were erased presumably by him for reasons unknown, and we dared not ask why. He was clearly suffering from some kind of mental problem....