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Encounters 10/26/99 --- by Ray Hart

Virginia & Elsie: "Eternal Holiness Abides In Me" (ACIM)

When I watched "The Soul Collector" Sunday night I was reminded of my life in Truchas. The snow comes early in Truchas, and the first week I was there it was September. I awakened to a new-fallen snow and I smiled at the joy of the sun-drenched whiteness, of the incredible lightness of being. I seemed to float a little as I breathed the freshness of morning, walking around the quarter mile track. The horse barn was empty, with nothing but the sound of a gentle wind in the show circle. I envisioned the beautiful Peruvians prancing proudly around the center pole in days gone by. This needs to be alive again, I thought.

I walked out into whiteness out the back door and was greeted by the sight of fresh red blood splattered on the new snow. And there, for the first time in my life, I was greeted by a white faced calf just being born in the snow! The mother looked up at me with her deep soulful eyes and I said thanks to her for permitting me to share in this awesome sight of her newborn. The calf struggled to stand and I picked it up in my arms, hugged and kissed it, and bonded right there and then. Her name, of course, became Elsie. For a guy who grew up on the streets in Pittsburgh this was a miracle to share.

And "The Soul Collector" reminded me of Virginia who lived down the road in Pojoaque. I hadn't known Virginia long, and when I met her she immediately became my mentor. She laid in her bed smiling brightly while her body, laced with cancer, was giving up. She looked marvelous. Bright auburn hair, eyes sparkling bright and a cheerful voice that was obviously weakened by the physical ravages that weren't apparent outwardly.

"Come closer, Ray," she said. I sat next to her on the bed, held her hand and smiled. A beautiful young lady with one of those spiritual names hovered around, smiling too. She was there to assist in Virginia's transition.

"So, you're the guy that has been helping my sponsee Pam to get her life together? Well, I can tell that you are doing a good job of it. Just keep on with it." And then she told me a little about myself that I wasn't expecting to hear. Intuiting some of the life I had lived in the past, on the streets as a kid, in all sorts of trouble, she helped me see that I had come through it all with a sense of self worth. She also told me that I was to keep on sharing with others just as she was doing with me.

Virginia talked with me for the few weeks she had left whenever she felt strong enough. The woman with the spiritual name was Steven Levine's partner and when Virginia made her transition, she was there. She told us at the memorial celebration of seeing the Light with Virginia and how happy the whole experience had been.

"The Soul Collector" brought forth many other memories for some reason, but the transitions of birth and death were the thoughts that came through strongly. Recalling these memories reminds me of the gratitude I feel each day for having met Virginia, and, of course, Elsie.