Michael has an amazing
story. While still a teenager, a 28-year spiritual odyssey began, leading
him to India, where he had dramatic encounters with some of the 20th
century’s most famous Eastern religious teachers.
Then, several years
ago, he had the most dramatic meeting of all – with Jesus, to whom he has
now turned over his life.
Michael is an
excellent speaker, and has shaped his unique personal experiences into a
powerful message of the false promise of the alluring East and of our
sufficiency in Christ. He has spoken at churches throughout Australia and
the US.
Here is a short
excerpt from his classic book,
The Experience of
Ultimate Truth, about the time he received Shaktipat, the
transmission of “divine energy” from his guru, Swami Muktananda:
I sat meditating all
alone late one afternoon, sitting on a real tiger’s skin. This was in the
veranda meditation room, which surrounded Muktananda’s quarters. Suddenly I
was startled by someone stroking me across both cheeks and across the
forehead. I looked up and there was Muktananda standing over me. I was
delighted and somewhat in awe. This over, he turned on his heels and left. I
had received “the touch” of the guru, the eminent one.
.…Two weeks after his
touch, I was sitting quietly, and all of a sudden my body began to sway.
Fascinated, I allowed it to continue and then immediately stopped it. I was
altogether curious that this bodily movement would be taking place all on
its own. I’d bring it into check and give over in an experimental manner. It
was as though I were researching a new phenomenon.
Each day thereafter
the scope and intensity of this gyrating circular motion of the body would
increase. It was nothing less than amazing. Never before had my body moved
without my volition. I was doubly fascinated as the intensity of these
bodily movements increased.
….A week or so
later…there was a terrific explosion of energy within me, and the degree of
the awakening I received from Muktananda intensified tenfold. I was flung to
the floor and started crawling my way across the meditation room making a
sound like a ferocious lion. It was devastatingly powerful and realistic,
not as any ham actor could do.
I was agog. This was
unbelievable.…In the next moment I was lifted to my feet with the energy and
strength of 10 men pulsing through me. I was swept to the door of the
meditation room in the grip of this powerful energy….The next thing I knew I
was running through the…garden on my way to the paddy fields.
….From the day of this
dramatic intensifying of my awakening, whenever I gave over to its workings,
all sorts of spontaneous experiences occurred. There were intense breathing
rhythms….Utterances came forth, the sounds of animals and birds, so
realistic without any volitional participation from the aspirant.
There were moments of
perfect quiescence, of peace and stillness, and in the next moment
hysterical laughing or crying attendant to nothing funny or sad. There were
ordered classical-like dancing, speaking in tongues, swaying and juddering
of the body and hopping about the floor like a frog, the seeing of lights of
different colours, even journeys out of the body. This is to name but a few
of the broad range of experiences typical of this awakening.
March 14th, 2003
