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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Metaphysics and Miracles

Rev. James Connor

These twenty lessons have brought a lot of memories to my consciousness, especially the eight steps for using the gift of visualization to manifest miracles.

When I was a boy in the third or fourth grade, I noticed that at our morning recess time, while playing in the schoolyard, a twin engine airplane with the markings of “A.A” (American Airlines) painted on the undersides of its wings would fly overhead. Those sightings were my introduction to the field of aviation.

Even though my friends and I were not old enough to pilot an airplane, we could extend out our arms away from our bodies and pretend we were piloting World War I fighter planes. We had a glorious time flying at each other with our guns blazing. It didn’t take long for me to have a burning desire to become an aircraft pilot.

It so happens that I heard that a boy who was just three or four years older than I knew how to build model airplanes. He invited me to see his collection of model aircraft. He said he would be able to draw up plans that I could follow and start building my own models. I gave him my full attention everyday after school. In a very short time, I had my own model, which I had proudly built from his plans.

My friend helped me to realize my first vision: to successfully build my first aircraft. Before my tenth birthday, I had built more than a dozen WWI fighter planes. They all had wingspans between 12 and 18 inches. I moved on to building a Lambert monocoupe with a four-foot wingspan. It took me a month to make that model.

On my tenth birthday, June 28, 1940, my uncle Albert drove me over to Logan Airport in Boston. He gave me the most amazing birthday gift: my first airplane ride. I can still see it today so clearly; it was a single engine, two-seater, Piper Cub.

Back in 1940, Logan was not a grand international airport; rather it was very small, with only one terminal, actually, it was just a large, square room. Upon entering the terminal, I could see the American Airline ticket counter, and counter for a taxi-cab company. There was also a fixed base operator where you could pay $1.50 for a plane ride around Boston. After my uncle paid the operator/pilot, the three of us went out the door on to the ramp. Sitting there in all its splendor was the beautiful, yellow Piper Cub airplane just waiting for me to take a ride.

It had tandem seating (fore and aft). I got into the front seat and the pilot got into the seat in back of me. I had never been inside of an airplane, yet everything seemed familiar to me. There was the yoke, the rudder pedals, throttle, instrument panel, etc. In that moment I thought, “Thank you, God, for all your help in letting my dream come true.”

A mechanic “ propped” the propeller and the engine started right up. I was only ten years old, yet I felt that I already knew how to fly. A strange and glorious feeling came over me as the pilot eased the throttle forward and we taxied over to the runway. After coming to a complete stop, the pilot radioed the tower for take-off clearance. “Clear for take-off!” he shouted over the hum of the engine. He pushed the throttle to the firewall, and the engine snapped to with an exhilarating roar. We proceeded down the runway. When we reached lift-off speed, he came back on the joystick and we ascended toward the clear, blue sky. I thought, God Almighty, I’m flying again—but I had never flown before. Why is this so familiar?”

We flew over Boston Harbor, at a steady climb to reach a higher altitude. I wondered why it seemed that we were flying so very slow. Upon leveling off to our cruising altitude, I turned to the pilot and shouted a question, “Can we go any faster?” He replied, “We’re going 90 miles an hour, but because we’re so high in the air and we can see for miles and every directions, it seems like we’re hardly moving.”

After flying around for about twenty minutes we headed back toward Logan Airport. I was silent and content and oh so happy. After we landed, I thanked the pilot and ran to my uncle, Albert. I told him about my wonderful adventure and of my certainty that one day I would become a pilot. All the way home I thanked him over and over again for this great experience.

This was an early vision that came true in later years: I picked up my single and multi-engine ratings and I eventually owned an aircraft brokerage company.


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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

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