Is There Heaven On Earth?
The Great Awakening
For the first time in his life young Joshua was away from the security of his family. His parents agreed he should be in an environment where his instincts could flourish. He was both excited and scared. He was determined to not fail. He wanted to live up to his parent’s expectations.
The ashram Joshua was attending was the most respected throughout the country. It was also the largest and had actual buildings as opposed to caves. No more than ten chelas were admitted at any time. The chelas ranged in age from twelve to thirty years old and were from several different countries. You had to know somebody that knew somebody to be granted access to such rarified air.
All the chelas were given specific duties that were required of them daily. For his first six weeks, his duty was to retrieve the donated food and help in the preparation of the meals. Being the youngest chela, he was afforded some slack. More arduous duties were in his near future.
Joshua’s days were mostly spent studying sacred scripture and attending lectures by several gurus. It was rare to have the Master give or attend these. In the six weeks at the ashram, Joshua had only one fleeting glimpse of the Master. He was tall, appeared to be about forty years old, with short black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Beyond that, he…
