Those early days in the 70's eh!! The AMAZING stuff that used to go on at the Palace of Peace! Yes, I've jumbled, worked at the Camberwell "factory", partaken of those dreadful date slices they'd flog at the "So Hungry" cafe upstairs at the Palace, sung devotional songs on tube trains, dropped acid and gone to satsang, fallen in love with so many premies of all cultures and genders, cried my heart out on the P of P steps ...
I probably flogged 'em to ya as I was a kitchen hand there for months and months. Probably started Jan/Feb 73 right up till I got K in the November and then for some time after that, too. Early morn to midnight-ish, 7 days a week.
If you recall, little Julie, with the John Lennon specs, used to mainly run the place and I was her right hand man for quite a while. I started working there as an aspirant. I'd get time off to be bullshitted with satsang whenever there was aspirant Satsang but most of the time we'd be laying out those date slices, making up those enormous cheese sarnies, peanut butter sarnies etc.....preparing a mega bowl of soup and stuff for the evening meal. We'd get to attend the main evening program and then back to the kitchen for a mega clean-up. Many's the time I crashed at the Palace but I had a little bedsit just round the corner anyway.The bedsit was paid for by the Dole. Why waste time working at a job when I could immerse myself in Satsang and Service? Ho hum.
I carried on for some time after I got K then applied for the ashram and was sent to Preston. No 2 Christian Rd, formerly a druggie brothel ( so we were told) now had its chance to shine as an ashram of the true, pure Living Lord. Had a great laugh with most of my fellow inmates but even in those early days there was only so much crap I could take so, first I went on strike in a bed for a couple of days and then thought I'd fuck off for good. I remember smashing a pic of M that was in the hallway and tossing it aside as I left. Headed off to my hometown for ten days. Walking around the beach and doing about 8 hours med a day for the whole ten days. Eventually my evil doubts were quelled once again. So.....back to Julie and her kitchen for some more 24/7 service ,hehehehe. Then another stab at total submission......Leicester ashram......the rest, as they say, is history.
