Our Friend Desmond Green

Desmond Green
by Andy Skadberg

Dear friends. Let me tell you a little about Desmond. Since I was introduced to him through my dear friend Yvette Dubel over 4 1/2 years ago I have never heard a single negative statement from him. I have not once heard him complain about a person, place or thing. I never heard him gripe about his living situation. I have not read a negative word that has been written or spoken about an institution or anything. Never. And I mean NEVER!

How can this be? Who is this man? The beautiful man who incessantly reminds me of the importance of the breath? I don't know how many times we have talked on Skype, he calls me like a dutiful friend, day after day. How has God blessed me with such a beautiful, powerful, patient friend as this. Day after day Desmond calls me to remind me to look at the beauty of my life, to notice the flowers, to taste the nectar of making love to a woman, to recognize the Glory of God, the One Infinite Creator.

Patiently, persistently, doggedly Desmond has been reminding of the truths that he has discovered in his full life. I think he is about 75 now. He began his life with a simple knowing, I guess, of God's love. A clarity of the abundance and richness of the glory of this world and other worlds - almost as if through the eyes and heart of a child. He credits it to loving parents, which I know helps. But Desmond just knows something that we need to know. His wife told me the name Desmond means "dweller in two worlds".

He spent many years researching psychology with some of the greatest names in the field. He specialized in child psychology. I don't know a lot more about him. He doesn't talk much about himself. I don't think he has any problems because I have never heard him speak about one - not ever.

It is clear to me he knows his mission. Of any single person in this world, Desmond knows his mission. That is to bring to the world, during this incredible time of transformation, the importance of us to know our breath. Through this knowing, and experience we will find ourselves on a red carpet. A red carpet to where? To ourselves. To our heart. To the love of God.

Some years ago, after many, many life experiences, I referred to myself as the "experience miester". This is because I have had a lot. The nature of my being, who I am, is to not let things rest. I have to investigate. I need to turn each rock over. I need to look behind the story. I am always compelled to get to the bottom of the story.

So, some 4 years ago I began to study, and look, and investigate this thing that Desmond has been constantly talking about, The Breath. And what did I find. Consistently, in every place that I have looked. In every spiritual book. In each place, where, after all of the words, and ideas, and concepts, and possibilities of something to think about, or dialog about, or pontificate upon about life as a human being has been put forward - the breath is always the grounding point. I found so much evidence that I was able to write a book with some of the more important places that I have found references. And since putting that book together I have another dozen references, or so. And these are not little, these are important like, Jesus "breathing" on the disciples when he commissioned them. And the citings have continued on.

Some time in 2008 I must have invoked, without really knowing, Jesus's prayer from the Sermon on the Mount "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it will be opened unto you". So I have sought, and read, and researched, and watched thousands of hours of videos on YouTube, and other informational sources looking to the answers to the big questions of life. I won't get into that here. But my point is to say, I have discovered many of the answers. Of course this always leads to more questions. But I have learned how God made something so perfect and extensive as the universe and our existence. I will write something about what I have found at a later date. But here, what I want to report, is that Desmond knows. He knows. He is aware, somehow, without conducting all of the analysis, without searching high and low, that it all comes down to our breath.

Desmond has written many books. His book of aphorisms are amazing. They are each fountains of wisdom. Short, quippy, witty statements, each if pondered upon for a day, a week, or even a year contain deep and simple wisdom that would transform how you see the world, the universe, your life. Desmond's heart and mind shares freely and openly.

And, in concert with his lovely wife Dawn, who has written her own books, have created a beautiful palette of colors to enlighten and colorize what many have come to see as a drab world. Dawn's book "The Mouse and the Magician" is a beautiful tale of the power of the mind. How perspective changes everything. What seems to be a children's story contains deep lessons for us as we have imprisoned ourselves, like the mouse, in a cage in our own mind.

But Desmond's most important book is The Practice. It is short, easy to read, and apparently simple. It is simple, but in profoundly deep and spiritual ways. Contained with those few words are the essence of what a human-being needs to put a solid foundation down in their life. To have something they can depend upon. To make a life, to re-create a life - or to discover their life. And then from their "the sky is the limit" as they say. And so much more than that.

I am like a butterfly. I have been pulled away to many experiences, many people have left my life - some through my choosing, some not. But somewhere in my heart, my intuition, something has told me to "stick with Desmond". So here I am. Telling you about my beautiful, loving friend. The only friend I have who calls me every day. And what does he say? I never know, for sure. But I do know the theme. He might begin with something to the effect "Andy, I had an epiphany, a knowing that has come into my being." And then he shares with me about the precious gift he has found, and knows is contained within the breath.

"And God breathed life into man" we have been told. And all the sacred texts, when you get to the crux of the matter will re-mind you of the breath. It will be the thing you are told to do when you do Yoga, or acting, or music, or mediation. Anytime you want to discover the source of your life, when you are needing to get grounded, you will receive guidance to relax and pay attention to your breath.

I can go on and on about what I have discovered in my spiritual research, which inadvertently always leads back to references to the breath. It always seems to be the bottom line. How did Desmond know this without doing all of this research? I asked him once "He just said he just somehow knew, at least in this incarnation".

So, today I invite you to join Desmond and I. Desmond, I can tell, as my friend - is LIVING LOVE! His words, actions and deeds are of God and the angels. I have never met another being like Desmond. And he is everyone's friend. He is patiently waiting, teaching and Sharing. Inviting us to the home he has always been. Spend some time to read his words contained in The Practice. On the surface they seem so simple. But embedded in them are great spiritual TRUTHS. The words can reach anyone, which is what we have to do now.

If you, like I, are working to save the world, then we have to be able to reach every heart and mind. Our words and concepts must be simple. They must sink into the mind of even the most wretched, the most pained, or the richest. And they must lead to action. That action, simply, is to begin to appreciate their breath. To notice, and play with the idea that the breath is our living, pulsating, gift from God that gives all life, life. That truly the Spirit that has manifested and created and sustains this incredibly diverse, extensive and beautiful creation - does so with the movement of the breath. The "Yin and Yang" the "In and Out" movement of invisible force that allows us to do all of this stuff in this world, and in all other realms - at least as Desmond knows.

Please join me in our journey to Share this Love with everyone. It is already here. Help us Share it with others. To remind them. To help them get in touch with their own life force and be grateful for it. To learn a basic, non-dogmatic, set of skills to empower them to begin to make the life of their dreams. And together we will learn that we have great power to make that world a reality, and much, much sooner, than later.

Thank you Desmond for Your Love and Patience. And thank you for being my friend. God Bless You.