The Spirit of Things

A character finds out they have a special power or ability. What happens next?

The Spirit of Things

Damian looked at the man standing in the doorway to the old curiosity shop.

He was lean grey haired, bearded and well dressed but not fashionable. He seemed to have a special character-raiment, seemingly from another era or place than Stockholm. As Damian watched the man; he saw the colour of his beingness and physical condition of health. The character was calm; definitely someone, he thought, worth getting to know by virtue of what Damian determined about him.

Another person appeared behind the man and Damian froze. There was violence in the air and the man was ill. Although he was well-dressed and looked like a man of the world his demeanour was of brashness and an ego-centricity.

Damian fell to a musing about his current situation, his occupation and the bustling city of Stockholm, as he watched the two characters at the door to the Antique shop. Many of the people he was seeing had no concept of their real ability or true identity and most suffered from amnesia.

Damian had been a glassblower for some 10 years and had moved from the Caucasus two years ago. People from the mountains of his home were different, much less concerned with the folly of ‘western mammon’ as his people called it. It had been some time that he had reviewed what these westerners called a ‘gift’. Really it was what all men and woman from his home did and why they were ‘poor’ or not ‘well off’ as the westerners would judge them. They displayed an ability and presence that is rare in the West. They had a spiritual life that gave them all an awareness that made them uniquely attuned to people and the world of the Spirit of Man.

People from the west were in his view ignorant of themselves. They appeared vain and self-centred but what was worse; they appeared in a dream state or to be only half awake.

One had to be careful because they had what they called ‘accidents’. These were moments when they fell or dropped things or crashed into the physical universe or broke things that were not meant to be broken. It appeared to be a condition of their psyche that they were not completely in control of the physical body at all times. This condition was responsible for ‘disasters’ which they frequently experienced in their communities.

Damian got up from his seat and walked to the antique shop. He waited for a few moments and the brash, ego-centric individual exited the shop looking flustered. Damian addressed the man.

“Sir may I have a word with you.”

“You have just done that. What else would you like?”

Damian said in as polite a manner as he could muster. “Sir! Are you aware of any malady you have that might curtail your movements in the near future?”

“What are you? A physician!” The man stammered and glared at Damian and turned red in the countenance.

“No Sir! I do however have a certain understanding and insight into the affairs of people which allows me to help them.”

“So, you think you can help me. Do You!”

“Well! I can tell you of some manifestations of which you may not be aware, that could assist your life.” Damian concluded as he watched the man become ‘hot under the collar’ as the saying goes.

The man brushed past Damian in a manner showing that he was ill-fitted to be walking around unescorted. He raced across the street in a hurry and tripped on the paving as he mounted the curb on the other side and fell heavily on his hands and knees, then, stood and raced off again limping.

Damian walked back to his premises and sat down inside once again. He continued to muse over his plight and the situation he found himself in. Western man truly was an opportunist, but in many cases, they were ego addicts and what the wise Mullahs say, they ‘wiseacre’ their way to the grave without gaining being knowledge.

He had two customers come into his premises requiring directions to a place in the Old City and he sent them on their way satisfied with directions. While helping them on their way he noticed that both had acute body functions that were ailing and needed to be addressed. They were in a hurry and he decided; neither wanted to spend time or be detoured.

He considered how any one of these individuals would learn this one datum: Everything in this world is of graduated matter energy space and time; that went from etheric through various degrees of liquid, gaseous or solid states. All were gradients of life on planet Earth, being charged particles that could be described as electronic manifestations of those four. (Matter Energy Space and Time)

Somehow the mathematics, chemistry and physics in the West never addressed their spiritual origins. What a shame, he thought, that so many are deprived of the truths of life. Western culture has many Religions and these seemed alienated from the rest of their technology. So! Too many diverse paths acted as a confusion of data for any individual seeking answers in life as their subjects did not unify knowledge.

He began to formulate an idea to help handle this for the ‘passing trade’. He would set up a space next to the Glassworks operation, that he had established. In this separate space he would set up a space to consult with interested people.

In the next months he had a space and began to consult people whom he met that were not averse to being helped; for Damian understood that there existed a graduated scale of tolerance from one person to the next of assistance they would accept.

The approach was simple he spoke to many people and if the conversation moved towards the personal life of an individual and they originated that they had some fault or ailment – he could then see if they would like assistance. He did not want to create animosity with anyone his intention was to advise and assist.

He started slowly, but within a few weeks the word spread that there was a savant in town and his clientele began to speak to others and recommend his office. He soon had to find larger space for his operation. The numbers of people that came to him recommended by his clients grew. He next had to work out a charge for the assistance he was dispensing to clients that was acceptable as many insisted on paying him for his services.

One day an official came to see him. A woman who explained she had heard of his operation and wanted to find out what he was doing. Did he have a client list and what were his qualifications and training. She was pleasant and not obtrusive and politely spoke about his plans and his other operation as glassblower. Then she departed.

Damian continued gradually proportioning his time between his two different enterprises so that he could accomplish both during any one day. The people wanting his other service soon outpaced his glassblowing as did the income he was earning from the donations from public.

On a cloudy day a uniformed man arrived at his premises in the Glassworks.

After introducing himself he told Damian he was a Police Officer responsible for inspecting healthcare facilities and their legal incorporation.

“As you are not registered as an independent company, I need to ensure that public safety is secure in the Stockholm area.”

“How does that affect me?” Damian asked.

“Well! He said. Firstly, I need to establish your training qualifications and then we will deal further with how this will affect you.”

Damian said:” I am a Glassblower from Caucasus, Georgia in the region of Tskhinvali.”

“What training have you done?”

“I worked for 8 years with my father and grandfather in their business in Tskhinvali.”

Is that the level of training you have done?

“yes!”

“Now what training or medical certificates do you hold for your medical and healthcare practise?”

“Since the age of 4, I have been tutored in the religious rights and wisdom of the Church, Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church, taught by the Essenes and the apostle Andrew (one of Jesus’ disciples) when he was here. I became an enlightened member of the Church with full religious rights of dissemination and practise. These are stages and steps of personal spiritual ability to assist and help the adherents of spirituality, no matter their travail.”

“Thank You! Damian, however the law in Stockholm and Sweden requires that you are registered with the Government as a company or business to operate. To administer healthcare or medical advice and healing also requires a certificated qualification and registration of the type of medical treatment you perform.”

“OK! I guess this is where I find out how this will affect me and the future of how I conduct business and attend to the people that want my services!”

“Yes! As far as the Glass blowing. You will have to register as a business. Now as far are the practise of healing you will have to obtain a license to practise as a medical health provider.”

“All right! I am registered as an independent company for my glass blowing.”

“But as far as helping people I am not sure how to obtain a license for something that is an acquired skill as a spiritual adherent. Is a Minister of a church allowed to heal the sick?”

Damian stepped towards the officer and putting his hands on the mans temples said: “You have regular headaches. You also injured your left leg but is has not recovered its former suppleness and motion. You will have relief immediately now from your headache.”

As he said this, he held the man’s neck on both sides with his hands, then held both the man’s wrists and touched the officer’s forehead.

The officer looked him in the eyes and said: “I no longer have a headache. You are correct about the injury. I never completed the physiotherapy.”

Damian responded; “I will show you an exercise to do daily that will handle that mobility in your leg.”

“I am amazed. You have an ability that few have!” He gasped.

Then considered Damian briefly as he stood before him with interest.

“The problem that we have is; I have to enforce the Swedish law. In this case I must shut down your healing practise or allow you some time to spare so that you can get a license.”

Damian now demonstrated with his own body how the officer should move and exercise his leg concluding with a few words of advice. “You should follow those motions 20 to 30 times each day and then also do them with your other leg as well to balance your body.”

The officer now looked around the premises and concluded what Damian was fearing.

“I have to ask you to close down your healing practise for now, even though I see that you are a rare breed of healer and are also good. There is one other thing you could do, but this is up to you. I feel you would profit from an association with someone who has an approved medical license. If you were employed by a doctor’s office – or a hospital the legal position is safeguarded.

I also understand what you said about the Church Minister.

Really! Does he need a medical license to heal a sick person in his congregation. You are a unique individual in this sense. I do not think the Minister or Pastor can heal as often as you do – even though he probably should be able to. He does however have the protection of the Church which is a recognized and legal establishment. Right now, you are an individual on you own with no legal status or establishment as a healer.”

Immediately this was a setback. Damian however was a man of the world and had a different perspective of the man and woman that he met here.

Though they were similar he never had a fixed idea about what different individuals could be or aspired to. He did have a depth of insight and he could analyse any one individual in the first glance. Most walked in a dream state and did not really see what was here and did not see their real potential of what they were really but spiritual beings inhabiting forms on Earth with a mission.

Damian thought quietly and wrote. Rested and thought again about his current plight and the affairs of Men. Then he composed a poem which he decided summed up the travail and times of a human. He called it An Ode to a Human.

An Ode to a Human

The humdrum of human affairs

Tends to get a bit unreal as one progresses

Along the way daily doing what one wants amidst other people’s stares

It is sometimes easy to interpret their guesses

As to how they regard your actions

But to you it is just allowing another

To do as he would and – so like he should afford you your doings

In the life you lead and your tasks of daily endeavour

It is the solitary hour

When you pass without others

That you reflect on living to either cower

Away from or be strengthened by your brothers

Life’s values, considerations and conclusions and the roles

People play beside you or sometimes fail

To help you walk through the myriad pitfalls, holes

Opportunity and triumph which you encounter on the trail.

It would sometimes occur or seem like ’Déjà vu’

When you can almost vouch that it

Like the very stone and the flower before you, are true

And you know this place or this person the moment it hit;

But your memory does not deliver

The simple answer you expected and it is a loss,

That you could not accord it the right time and place - but you shiver

As you try to reconcile this missing scene which seems boss.

When the moment is gone you again take up normality

And just continue along the road

Keeping to the fine accepted way and mores that are considered sanity.

All the while you still see there is another operation in progress, another mode;

That laces the deeds, times and happenings of humans.

You had passed this way – another time, or places and with other friends.

It’s somehow ethereal, a touch more of castles, dragons and swords of other clans

But a journey, a path somehow you knew, now lost to current mundane and worldly trends.

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