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How it all began
Shaoni, just another boy

Shaoni was playing by the small creek that ran through the garden behind his house. He had just turned twelve and for his birthday he had invited some of his friends from school over to play. Everybody liked going to Shaoni's. He lived with his mom in a little house just outside a small town called Upper Darlington on the Isle of Winds.

It was fun being invited to Shaoni's. Not only because there was lots of space to play, trees to climb in and a little creek they would sometimes go and swim in, nor was it because Shaoni's mom made the sweetest little cookies or would tell those incredible stories when evening fell. No there was something more.

Whenever you would go to Shaoni's, you would simply feel happy, without really knowing why. If you had worries or troubles, it was as if they would simply disappear. Not that they really disappeared of course but you just plain forget about them while you were there and then, when you left, they would only seem half as bad as when you arrived. Yes, going to Shaoni's was great.

Shaoni himself wasn't really different from any other boy his age. He loved to fool around and play rather than go to school. He preferred french fries to potatoes ... and as far as choosing between a marshmallow and an apple was concerned, the choice wasn't hard either.
He watched TV for hours on end but what he liked even more was to play games on the old computer his mom once got from an old relative who had bought himself a new one. He dreamt about a big house and lots of money and later, when he was big, he was going to be ... well, you know.
As far as religion and spiritual matters were concerned, his knowledge was limited to what he had learned in school and heard in the local church although this may have been a mosque, a temple or a synagogue too, I forget now.

The only thing that perhaps distinguished Shaoni from the other boys were those incredible stories his mom used to tell him in the evening. Stories about a wizard called Aneola, some sort of a magician who seemed to be able to live not only in this world but in some other world as well. A world of light and higher energy as his mom used to call it.

But apart from that, Shaoni was a pretty ordinary boy living a pretty standard life.

That was until one day, his mom suddenly fell sick.
For weeks the doctors tried to cure her but Shaoni could see how she was slowly sliding away.

One day, when he came home from school and rushed over to see her, she asked him to come and sit by her side and said :

Shaoni my boy, I feel that I won't be able to stay with you much longer. Pretty soon now I will have to leave this body behind and go to another place where you cannot follow me.

Shaoni looked at his mom, his vision blurred by the tears that had welled up in his eyes.
He knew what his mom was saying. He understood she was going to die as most people call it.
He knew that this wasn't a bad thing as such. His mom had told him about death in some of her many stories. She had told him that the 'passing' as she called it, was in fact like returning back home, back into the light you came from at birth. Still Shaoni felt completely overwhelmed and didn't want to accept what was about to happen.

His mom however felt her time was short and with the last strength left in her, she bent over to the boy and said:

Listen to me now Shaoni, because there is something you have to know before I go.
Always remember the stories I told you ... and when I am gone and Aneola comes to town, go to him and ask him to teach you about the Light and the matters of the heart.

"What?" Shaoni cried out, "Aneola? You mean Aneola, the wizard from your stories? You mean ... Aneola really exists?"

The answer was left open. Shaoni looked at his mom as she was lying in her bed, a soft smile on her face ... as if she just recognized some old friend paying her a visit, an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time.


A Message For The Reader
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Some of the people who read the stories of 'Shaoni, born from the light', think that Shaoni must have been a 'special' boy in some way or rather for the wizard to pick him out of the crowd and teach him how to become a wizard. Others think that it is just a collection of stories and that they could not really happen.

But neither are right for Shaoni wasn't special. That is, no more so than the next kid on the block. No more than you or me ... and as far as the stories themselves are concerned, let me invite you to find out for yourself if they are real or fantasy.

For this is not just a story about a boy becoming a wizard.
It is your story, your story about becoming a wizard. That is, if you decide to take it on

At the end of every story, Aneola invites Shaoni to experience the essence of the story he just told.
But who indeed is Shaoni?
Who dares to say he doesn't exist?
Surely not you, reading these lines.

Yes! You got it. Need I say more?

If you decide to take it on, I invite you to do the little exercise below, to write down your answers and store them. That's all.

At the end of the 52 stories, I will ask you to dig them out again and read back what you wrote. You will be amazed how your life has changed for the better.

 

Take the time to answer these few questions
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Ask yourself:
"What are the goals I have set for myself in life
and would reaching these goals, fulfil my desires?"

Would you be surprised to find that the things that you strive for...the goals you base almost every single one of your decisions on, are not actually or no longer in accordance with what you really want from life?  Wouldn't it be nice to check it out, just to make sure?

If your goals still reflect what you really want, that is great news. If they don't ... that's even greater news because now you can readjust them. Change your goals, change your life ... and feel good again.

Here is a little test to help you define what you really want in life. Enjoy this little journey ... and when you are asked to 'close your eyes', dare to visualize your most beautiful dreams ... as if they were wishes, all of them to be granted.

First
Imagine your house, exactly as you would like it to be. Not the biggest house of your dreams but the house you would be happy in. See yourself living in it. Feel yourself enjoying it to the fullest. Imagine the people sharing this house with you. See how happy they are. Finally, feel how happy you are together. Close your eyes and visualize this house.

Second
In the morning, from this house, imagine how you would leave for work. But just before you leave ... look at the job you have. The ideal job! The one you always wanted. Not because it pays you lots of money nor because you are the boss and everybody looks up to you. No, you are going to your job because it brings you joy. The project you are working on excites you. The people you are working with are your friends. Look at these people, they are happy too. Imagine on top of it all that you are being paid for this job and paid enough not to have to worry about money. Close your eyes and visualize this job.

Third
Look at your friends and relatives. They love to come and visit you. Observe how they feel. Even if sometimes, some of them feel confused, see how they feel less troubled while they spend some time in your house ... or anywhere else ... with you ... and with your other friends. Feel how your life is in balance. Feel how those who cross your path find the same balance too. Close your eyes and imagine the beauty. Feel how good you feel.

Now that you have defined what your ideal life would be like, ask yourself one last question

With the goals I have set for myself in the past and the life I am living now ... are these wishes or desires likely to get realized?

If by chance the answer is 'no', don't be sad ... BE HAPPY! For, starting today, you can change it all ... or rather ... 'YOU JUST DID', as you will soon discover.

For the time being, just write down what you felt or saw each of the 3 times you closed your eyes. Store these answers in a safe place and remember only this ...

You have just taken your first step, a life changing one. You have planted a seed ... from which a tree will grow ... even if you were to forget all about the seed.