JOURNEY OUT OF DARKNESS

Suddenly she was deeply impressed with Baba's words, "Just as you have come awake to this extent from sleep, you must awaken to experience My Bliss. This takes My Grace."

Phyllis told me later, on reading this, she experienced right there and then, a sort of awakening. She described to me the impact of her experience that night, "I realized I had to have that experience. If I were not, as He says, really awake, then I needed His Grace, that experience. I felt I must have that Bliss, that Grace. Surely Meher Baba was inviting me to come for that Grace, inviting me to come and partake of His Bliss. I strongly felt, we have to go to India."

Waking me up out of a sound sleep, after arriving at this inner resolve, Phyllis informed me excitedly that we had to go to India right away. It must have been about three in the morning. I knew at once I wouldn't be allowed to sleep until I responded to her proposal, sensing as I did, though half-awake, it was most urgent to her. I had experienced spontaneous episodes like this with Phyllis in the past. I knew this was a serious matter.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. We have to do that," I muttered from my half-awake state. "Now let's get to sleep, for God's sake."

"No, we have to talk about this. It is very important. Don't you see, only Meher Baba can wake us up?"

"Wake us up? But I want to sleep. It's the middle of the night. Can't we talk about it in the morning?"

"No, this is too important. I have experienced a lucid and revealing moment, and I know we have to do this."

"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed, rolling over,"Whatever you say is okay, but let's go to sleep now, all right?"

"Look, we can't go on being half-awake like this. Don't you see, we have to go to see Meher Baba. We need His Grace."

"Right." I was starting to wake up a little. "Okay, we'll talk about it in the morning. It's a thought."

"It's not a thought! Don't you see, it's a necessity!"

"Yes, I guess you're right. We'll definitely discuss it in the morning." Looking back upon it, it seems there must have been some incredible, Divine Force at work in the room that night. Her voice sounded so urgent, almost desperate. At last she gave up and crawled into bed.

Something important has just happened to her, I thought, and I fell back to sleep.