FredAstell's physical body died and his spirit passed over to the light on 29th March 2011.
It was my birthday. He was there when I entered the world, and I was with him as he left it. There was half a century and more during which we hardly saw one another, but I adored him. The following was my tribute to him at his funeral in Keswick, Cumbria on 5th April. My sister Stella also read her personal tribute to her beloved father too. It was very moving, and very beautiful.
"When I was a child my dad seemed a big, magical man who laughed loudly, and whistled, and swung me high above his head. He filled my visits with adventures and created wonderful memories for me - then later he delighted in doing the same for my children, his grandson Daniel, and his granddaughter Claire.
My dad spent over half a century following his sacred inner guidance and saved many a soul's despair with his immeasurable kindness, his gifts of healing and good humour - and often at great personal cost.
Dad's passion for life came from his intimate knowledge and experience of the power of God's love which came to him through his friend and saviour Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the mystical visions and guidance of the angels.
Since I became an adult, for thirty years dad has been my spiritual counsellor and mentor. He has enthusiastically encouraged me in finding my own soul purpose. Together we interpreted many of my own visions and explored the ways in which I too could spread the message of love. The one legacy he hoped to leave me was an understanding and personal experience of God's promise of eternal and unconditional love."
This is dad's favourite version of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, taken from The Living Bible:-
If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them, and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth,… but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise.
If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew anything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. If I gave everything I had to the poor, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t have love for others, it would be of no value whatever.
Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love doesn’t demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges, and it will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.
It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost, always expect the best of him and always stand your ground defending him.
All the special gifts from God will someday come to an end, but love… goes on forever. Someday prophecy, and speaking in unknown languages, and special knowledge – these gifts will disappear.
Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor. But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.
It’s like when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away childish things. In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face to face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.
There are three things that remain forever – faith, hope and love… and the greatest of these is love.
With my love to you,
Chrissie xx
