SIGNS OF THE TIMES
by Nick Nicholls

No. 2 2 January 2003

How did I come to meet Roger? Before I attempt to answer that question, I need to draw your attention to the importance of being aware of the implications of our thoughts, or more appropriately 'desires', and recognise how they manifest in the world around us. I must also explain that when I started out on my 'journey' I insisted that in order for me to accept anything beyond the physical dimension, I needed for it to be confirmed three times, in a documented form, from outside of myself. (i.e. Something would have to occur which was beyond my control.) So here are the 'signs' that drew me to my first meeting with Roger. It is not important whether or not such signs are part of your method of communicating with The Universe. What is important is that you develop whatever method works for you.

The 'past life' experience seemed to have started at the beginning of 1995. I was on holiday in Israel staying with some ex-Russian friends. They had invited local friends for the evening to meet my wife and myself. After everyone else had left, our friends suggested that we have a short meditation. During the meditation the wife began speaking in Russian. Her husband interpreted what she said into English. Part of the communication was for me. 'I had had a past life as a priest in Egypt many years ago and had been put to death violently.' In my limited experience of past lives at that time, almost everyone who had become involved with past lives seemed at least to have had a life in Egypt, if not as a priest or priestess. I was not impressed.

We occasionally invited people to our home in Belgium to stay and share knowledge on different subjects that interested us. We invited a friend who worked as a medium to visit during July 1995. He would work, giving consultations to local people (we always had a waiting list) and in return one evening he would give a talk and possibly a demonstration of mediumship. During his stay, I asked what he had found to do during the 5 dark winter months in Iceland, where he had recently been working. He said that he had developed a method of 'seeing' and interpreting the chakra auras that developed into past life readings. I wanted to know how this worked. He commented that it was difficult to explain and it would be easier to show me and give me a reading. Yes, you've guessed, I had had not one, but 'a number of past lives in Egypt as a priest. I had abused young girls by making them worship and look into the sun, causing them to go blind. On one occasion I had been put to death by being staked out in the desert to dehydrate and on another, I had been sealed up alive in a sarcophagus.' Within a month there were other equally significant events that occurred, which convinced me that it was probably time I gave some credibility to past lives and investigated the subject further.

We held a weekly group meditation at home and afterwards would always note anyone's impressions. On the 12th Dec 95 one lady, Martine, commented that she had a link with me. I noted her comments as follows: 'Thought of Nick - I must follow my path. Coming out of water were three ships like those of Christopher Columbus. They had three masts. They were made of shining gold like the sun. Different boats behind coming towards Martine.' There is no way that Martine could have known that on 26 Nov 95 I had commented in my end of year newsletter 'I am looking forward to the new adventure. I guess Columbus must have felt a bit like that when he crossed the Atlantic.'

The following day, two Christmas cards arrived. The first one I opened had a picture of the sun in red, and below this were three sailing ships. The words written in gold on the front of the card were 'I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas day in the morning'. On the 24th December I wrote to the lady that had sent me the card with the three ships on it, to let her know how significant her card had been. I finished by commenting 'I wonder what Santa will have in his bag as a surprise for me tomorrow morning?'

After printing the letter I reflected that 'the Santa surprise' comment seemed a stupid thing to say but then pondered that after all, on the card it did say 'on Christmas day in the morning'. I had been attempting to give up Christmas as best I could over recent years but my sister had insisted on giving me a present. I consequently concluded that as my 'Santa' comment had evidently come from a non-conscious level, there must be a meaning somewhere. As there would be no post on Christmas day, the three ships could only be in my sister's parcel. What could it be? At this point conscious mind took over and I felt that it was probably some sort of toilet product. Of course, 'Old Spice' had a logo of a sailing ship! The parcel would contain 2 products in a box. The box would have a picture of a sailing ship on it, as would each of the articles - in all three sailing ships! I went to sleep believing I knew all the answers. Well as far as I had gone, I was right. However, what I received as my Christmas gift, from The Universe playing games with me, was not expected. The 'Old Spice' logo had changed. The old logo was of a three-masted sailing ship in shining gold. The new logo was of a sleek modern sailing vessel in white. Martine's comment - 'Different boats behind?'

On the 26th December I read the following in Ronald Beesley's 'Service of the Race': 'There is no such thing as an isolated event. Every event which takes place in our lives is linked to millions of other events which are taking place in other lives, and to events which will occur in the unfolding destiny of the human race, far beyond our comprehension of time. This great visionary future, which is beyond the grasp of these small minds of ours, is incomprehensible because it is so vast, yet there is no detail which is overlooked, there is no life which is ever forgotten, and no occurrence which was not foreseen and provided for.' Later that day I glanced in the TV guide to see the programmes for 31 December. For some obscure reason my attention was drawn to a film being shown on a channel I could not receive. The film was 'Mrs Doubtfire'. The stunner was the name of the producer, a certain 'Chris Columbus'.

On 29th Jan I received some publicity for the 1996 International Transpersonal Association Conference, to be held in Manaus, Brazil. On 30th Jan in our meditation group, Martine, who knew nothing about the above publicity, again said that she had a sailing ship for me. 'I saw a 3-masted sailing ship, closer than the previous time and it was landing in America. Nick was on board. People on the boat looked English and then they were all speaking Portuguese'. I looked up Columbus in the encyclopaedia and noted that although he discovered the Bahamas, Cuba and other West Indian islands in 1492, 'In 1498 he landed on the lowlands of South America.' Brazil? I could not ignore the 'signs' that took me to Manaus where I did my first 2-day seminar with Roger. After all I had sent out my 'conviction' that it was time I gave some serious consideration to investigating 'past lives'. But I am still left with the question of what prompted that lady in Israel in Jan 95 to describe one of my 'past lives'?