I have been reunited with the “Blue Feather” in Minnesota.
If you have read Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach, you may be familiar with the parable of the Blue Feather.
Bookrags sums up the passage like this:
When Donald W. Shimoda challenges narrator Richard to practice “magnetizing” things to make them materialize at will, Richard chooses a blue feather. He carefully pictures every aspect of the feather for several minutes and then broods all afternoon because no blue feather appears as Shimoda assures him it will. Finally, at dinnertime, a blue feather appears as a logo on a milk carton. Shimoda explains a real feather would have appeared had Richard pictured himself holding one rather than as an abstract thing.
Because the universe of Richard Bach’s novels is a hopeful version of my own reality and truth, I decided to read more. I found The Bridge Across Forever, a non-fiction love story, in a thrift shop. One of my online acquaintences, Konrad, suggested I read Bach’s One. But I couldn’t find it in the library or in any thrift store. I didn’t want to pay for it online, knowing I would at the very least have to pay a few dollars shipping.
One warm Saturday, I ventured to the Santee Swap Meet looking for treasures. I did get one, season five of “The Simpsons” on DVD for nine dollars. This left me with 25 cents.
As I rounded the back of the lot, I thought of Richard Bach and his “experiment” with the Blue Feather. Also taking a cue from Dr. Wayne Dyer, “I decided” that I would find a paperback copy of One within the next week, and I would pay 25 cents for it.
Right by the exit was a bookseller with about two hundred paperbacks on the table. I scanned them quickly, and in short time, my jaw dropped and my soul stirred. There it was – the novel One by Richard Bach. I gave myself a week to find it, but it took only ten minutes! Sure enough, the sign above the texts read: “PAPERBACKS – .25″
That day I realized I could make powerful decisions and create a little miracle.
The year 2008 was a rough one for me and my family – professionally certainly, as I still feel I need free time to pursue my desires in the arts. My faith was thoroughly tested and I did emotionally break down at least once.
Now the fresh start of 2009 has me energized, and I answered an ad in the Cass-Crow Wing County Freecycle for a box of free books. What the heck, I said, I might be able to fund my non-profit this year with a book sale. Not to mention, most of Bronwynn’s and my books are still in my mother-in-law’s shed in El Cajon, including my copies of One and The Bridge Across Forever.
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Less than a half hour ago I dropped off the money order for the rent and looked at the books.
Lo, at the bottom of the box commingled with silly romance novels, Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews and Psycho II,
there was One by Richard Bach.
My Blue Feather decided to appear in Minnesota.
I read about all Richard Bach’s books…I’ve got my own copy of “One” and “The Bridge Across Forever”. They’re both great..but, you have to…have to read “Jonathan Livingstone Seagull”, if you haven’t. That’s the best book.
Nikita
Saturday 3 January, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Thanks, Nikita, for the comment. Indeed, the first book by Richard Bach I read was JLS.
Dan
Monday 5 January, 2009 at 12:16 am
Very cool story. I did this with a shark’s tooth. I told myself I would find a huge one and in 10 minutes, one appeared in the surf. It was the size of a silver dollar. The question I kept asking myself after this event was, “Why don’t I do this more often, tell myself I’m going to get something I want?” It seems that I just forget it’s possible sometimes.
Chris
Wednesday 18 March, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I think it’s because we’re not quite sure what we want in this life.
Or maybe it becomes the problem of, where am I going to store 1000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies?!
Dan
Sunday 29 March, 2009 at 12:54 am