Tatienne Publishing

That Heaven A Sojourn to Heaven, Living in the Presence of God and Great Ones

Part spiritual journal, part instruction manual, but mostly a moving testimony to spiritual awakening, “That Heaven” is an intimate, personal account of experiences with God and the Masters that touches the reader on many levels. Mary Ann Johnston’s heartfelt sharing of her transformative experiences portrays spiritual seeking as a natural and integral part of life.
David Edge
Professional Violinist/Teacher,
Otterbein University

It is a great delight for me to allow Mary Ann’s magic words to bathe my soul. And the timing couldn’t be better in this period of turmoil in our world. As I read of her encounters with some masters and her visit to “That Heaven”, it is as if I am witnessing these sacred moments.
Tineke Wilders
Freelance writer/columnist
Gaylord, MI

“That Heaven” is a gift from above for this hectic and unpredictable world. It is quite refreshing to be reminded that one day we will graduate to something so much more. Mary Ann Johnston’s remarkable book puts life in perspective, as we gain an understanding of her life and her many conversations with Jesus. This book will reinforce your faith and hope in God.
John Paul Carinci
Author of novels and self-help books
Staten Island, NY

For more about Mary Ann Johnston, her blog, and her books, go to:
http://www.thatheaven.com

Oh Infinite God, listen to my plea.
Illuminate my memory of that heaven
shrouded by my mortal mind.

In the silence of meditation, I sometimes lose awareness of my body, as if I were an observer without a body. However, even though I intermittently bask in such meditations and long to return there, they have never given rise to the depth of longing for God that came when I returned from heaven after dying. I believe the magnitude of longing for what I experience in meditation is not as intense because, in meditation, the ego still lingers near and keeps me from experiencing absolute oneness with God.

~ ~ ~
I put forth an effort to survive and was able to bring to the light my soul’s knowing that I truly must stay the course, no matter how difficult, for living on held the promise of an infinite God-presence awaiting me when this life is over.

Still, I grieved, as I so longed for what had been lost. For I was never so blessed as I was then. There are no words that fully convey what I experienced. Even though I try, poetic language does it no justice. And what the soul felt and saw, the mortal mind cannot wholly contain.

I frequently get teased with a touch of that heaven followed by momentary feelings of unquenched longing for divine communion—agony and ecstasy all rolled into one.

Ah, what a selfish, foolish wish it was to think I could simply go to heaven and sidestep my work before its completion. I now know the reward for finishing my work far outweighs any trial that might be ahead for me. And even when my work is done, I will be patient until the appointed time when I am united with God.

LONGING

There, amidst the sweet and sour of my dream,
if only for a moment of peace,
a breath of selflessness comes, then goes. . . .

Ah . . . sweet sorrow . . .
what is there to be gained by teasing me to tears
with evasive joy amongst my heart-strings?

My constant longing for only you ... dear God ...
stands in my way, restricts my progress.

Erase this agitation of desire, Oh God.
Help me help myself
to cast aside this longing ...
for desire is not the path,
nor the truth, and only You are the Way.

Long I wait for release to come,
as desire lingers in the wings. ...
Then, quieting my longing down,
I faintly hear my soul sing ...
releasing me to simply be.

Amidst the sweet and sour of my dream,
where God displaces time and thought,
an all-pervading Oneness simply comes. ...

Suddenly I felt cold, as if a wave of frigid wind blew through me. Yogananda was before me; his lips were not moving, but his message was clear ...

“Set aside the longing in these moments of rapture, and the pain of it will vanish. Swim in the moment.

“Longing is a desire for something you do not have. By saying you ‘only desire God’, you are acknowledging, in some degree, separation from God. Even to have a goal of ‘going to God’ or ‘wanting to achieve God-realization’ implies God is separate from your self.

“Words are a form of manifestation. Be careful not to manifest separation through the longing, for it conflicts with oneness. Quench the burning longing to a warm glow and attend to God. Think not of desire.”

Then after a hesitation, he added:
“Accept the rapture; it is a gift.”

His words reverberated in my heart, while at the same time, I became aware of myself as omnipresent, immortal spirit—wiser by far than my mortal self—who already knew that God and I are one, no separation. I have been, I am still, and I always will be in the eternal present, wholly absorbed in Him—in a world that lies within and without, in the absence of space and yet spacious, a world without tangible form but far more real.