It's your turn: I've seen the light

By Sandra McCarty , Contributor

Some 30-odd years ago I screamed my way into this world amid laughter and tears of joy from my parents.
Years later I learnt that I just barely managed to stay in this world. About seven hours after I was born, my mother went to visit me in the nursery. To her horror, she noticed blood on the bed linen. She ran shouting for help, and the doctor and nurses rushed to my assistance. I was losing blood through my severed umbilical chord otherwise known as my navel. The blood had soaked the linen and it was immediately clear that I had lost a lot of blood. I was very weak and struggling for life. I was rushed to the operating theatre and surgery performed. I still have the scars.

A MONSTER IN THE BAKERY

Then at the grand old age of five, I discovered that there was a monster living in every bakery, or so it seemed to me then. It so happened that my father took me to his workplace in Crofts Hill, Clarendon. About midday I got the first warnings of the resident monster. As I sat playing with my doll, I felt a blast of hot air and smelt fumes. Before I could investigate further, there was a deafening and frightening sound that came from the bowels of the bakery and the entire building trembled.

Too terrified to stick around to behold this monster, I ran from the building. I tell you, (Donald) Quarrie was a bwoy to me that day, him couldn't follow me!

I ran for what seemed like miles, my little heart was pounding in my chest, my spidery legs were not tired and weak when I heard shouts. "Sandra! Sandra! Stop! It's Ok, It's OK, I am here." That was my father running behind me and shouting in order to stop me. Boy was I glad to hear my father's voice. I slowed down and he caught up with me. I was still screaming in terror when he picked me up and wrapped his comforting arms around me. Looking back now, I am pretty sure he must have told me what caused that frightening noise, but at that time I only heard the comforting sound of his voice. Years later when the story was told around the dinner table, I discovered it was the engine for the breadmaking machine that was responsible for the sound.

I grew up in a closely knit family -- with three sisters and a brother. Fortunately for us we grew up without electricity in our home and did not have the distractions of the television set. We were able to focus on our studies and we are now graduates of a tertiary institution. We also learnt from an early age to create our own entertainment, singing, dancing, playing pranks and telling duppy stories.

DUPPY STORIES

At least one night per month, after dinner we would gather around in great anticipation to hear the next set of duppy stories. One occasion stands out in my mind and I remember it just as if it happened yesterday. I was 11 at the time and I was still rather scared of duppy stories, but could not resist listening to them. As usual we huddled together in anticipation for the storytelling to begin. As usual they were scary and were of people's heads "swelling up", rolling calves, headless men and rattling chains.

That night I was really quite afraid and did not want to go to bed. Eventually sleep forced me to approach my bed and I did so repeating the 23rd Psalms. The room was dark to my horror there was something in my bed. My head started to swell and my heart was racing. I kept saying to myself that duppies were not real, they could not harm me, but I was not sure I believed it.

At the end of saying the 23rd Psalms, I decided I was going to see what was in my bed, even if it killed me! Boldly I approached the bed and there was indeed something in the bed. I was hoping it was my active imagination that had conjured this thing. As I reached to touch it, it grabbed my hand and shouted, "got you". I screamed waking up the entire household. But it was my brother. He had sneaked into my bed and waited to frighten me. I realised there and then that I had to get rid of this deep, dark, fear of duppies.

It was at that age that I started talking to myself in order to convince myself that duppies did not exist and therefore could not harm me. Over and over I had to remind myself of this idea. It did not help that most of my family and friends believed in them. I studied the sciences in high school and pursued a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of the West Indies, majoring in Physics and Mathematics.

I learnt to be comfortable in the world of intellect supported by the foundation of logical thinking. Superstitions did not form part of this curricular and I had long ago abandoned traditional christianity. I found that traditional christianity was not based on logic, was rather unscientific and was not relevant to my life. However, I still had some unanswered questions about that non-physical part of me. That part of me that was invisible but I knew without a shadow of doubt that it was real.

THE UNIVERSAL CENTRE FOR TRUTH

I began the quest for personal development. I thought then, that if I could and learn from all the great minds around me, if I could read all the books on this subject, I would find all the answers that eluded me. This quest for enlightenment brought me to the Universal Centre for Better Living and Truth. It was as if a stadium bulb had burst in my head. It was certainly an awesome experience to be standing on the threshold of enlightenment. I knew I would find the answers I was searching for.

I learnt in Basic Truth I, that the only place duppies existed was in my mind and only if I gave it permission to do so. My views of God, Satan heaven and hell changed radically. It was an immense relief to know that God is all Good, and Satan had no power over me. I felt a great sense of happiness, freedom and personal fulfilment. Yes my friends, Universal Centre of Truth became the vehicle for my inspiration and spiritual unfoldment.

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