The first saying arrived on the night of the 18th of January 2002.
In the depths of sleep, I hear a voice; ‘Tom Bombidal has arrived.’ I wake awed. Something significant is happening! I write the saying in my dream diary. I remember Tom Bombadil is a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The next morning I dig out my 1970s version. Who or what does Tom Bombadil symbolise? Who or what has arrived in my life? What does Toms arrival mean? As I ponder I pause at the question Frodo asks Tom. Frodo’s question becomes my own.
‘Who are you, Master?’ Frodo asked…‘Eh, What?’ said Tom sitting up, and his eyes glinting in the gloom. ‘Don’t you know my name yet? That’s the only answer. Tell me, who are you alone, yourself and nameless? But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that’s what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the elves passed westward, Tom was here already here, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.” J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Pg. 146
It feels as if Tom is speaking to me; ‘Tell me (Kevin), who are you alone, yourself and nameless?’ I.e. who is Kevin before his human birth into the world of social and cultural conditioning? Toms answer will, in time, become my answer. ‘Kevin is old. Eldest, that’s what he is… He remembers the first acorn and the first raindrop… etc.’ I understand that what is manifesting within me is the origin of all life. In India, the Origin is known as the Self (or Atman). In the sayings, it’s mostly known as the Self (and sometimes the Christ). The Self can also manifest as a sacred feminine presence, sometimes with a unique feminine name; e.g. ‘Our Lady of the Source.’
Over the next 20 years, I receive thousands of sayings. Mostly they arrive on the edge of sleep or in states of ecstatic awareness. The sayings are a gift from the Self. Some are personal and for my eyes only. Others are to be shared. The aim of the sayings is to guide, heal, teach, encourage and inspire. The Self, as the face of primordial Nature, has a deep love for humanity and for all the creatures and ecosystems of the Earth. The Self seeks to awaken individuals and communities. The Self wants humanity to protect the natural world from the predatory and destructive forces that are ravaging it. It’s the originality of life versus the destroyer. We each have our place in the struggle to protect the originality of life from the destroyer. My part is; messenger, activist, storyteller and poet.