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Maybe everyone is born with a magic lamp inside of them. I can't remember when I was a child the feeling of wonder, awe and connection I had with God. I certainly didn't have it when I grew up. My magic lamp as buried under a thousand pieces of clutter I hurled into my inner storehouse as I coped with living my life. Other people also threw stuff in my cupboard - tradition, religion, education, knowledge, standards, fashion, career, notions of all kinds that were not what I was born with. I think I came lightly equipped - with only my magic lamp. I think we all do.
Sometime in my life when I was a distressed and depressed 48year old, Sai Baba pointed out my magic lamp lying under all the other junk in my inner room. Curious, I took it out. It was tarnished, dull and devoid of any value to me because I had never polished it or cared for it in all those years. As I began polishing it up the first thing I saw was a reflection of my own face, and then a genie came out!
In my case, the genie was the idea that God is real and exists and is useable to improve life - but a friend who was also polishing her lamp found Jesus. I went to India to see what Sai Baba was all about. What I saw were thousands of people all throwing new stuff into their inner rooms, covering up their magic lamps.
I lived in a place where some people's homes manifested honey on their pictures, vibhuti in piles, coconuts with necklaces or rings inside them when broken open, lingoes and goodness knows what else. The folk to which this was happening swore it was Sai Baba who was doing it to them, - they only saw his face in their magic lamps. But I felt if they had looked closely at the reflection, they would have seen a reflection of themselves! They were polishing up their lamps with such faith, that the genie coming out, the divine, creative force which is there for all of us, was making such miracles in their lives.
I would have been very distressed if honey dribbled down the pictures on my walls, or piles of ash collected on my favourite chair - this is not my idea of a useful miracle! But the vibhuti did grow in my little vibhuti pot, a personal affirmation of the divine power we can all release in ourselves. I do not believe that Sai Baba makes vibhuti grow. It is not unique to Sai Baba.
If I rub my magic lamp, all sorts of miracles happen to me - life seems easy and synchronized and I am filled with the wonder of God. The more I am filled with this wonder, the more wonderful life becomes. But when life becomes drab, cloying, difficult and tedious, I know some inner housework has to be done and I scratch around for my magic lamp.
After I had written the vibhuti grows letter - I went upstairs to look in my vibhuti pot which I haven't opened for over a year. Well, it hasn't grown much - possible not at all since I last looked at it. But I tasted it - still tastes the same and has a delicate fragrance.
I believe the power that comes out of our personal magic lamps, is awesome. It can be used for good or evil. When we didn't know we had a lamp, it was pretty useless and powerless. But once we polish our lamps, our thoughts and actions have very wide influences and repercussions. My Christian friend sees Jesus reflected in the side of her lamp. As she rubs, HE is the power that lets the genie out. It's comforting to have a concept like that. My way is a bit more lonely - for when I look closely at my lamp - all I see is me!