A fariy tale

A Fariy Tale

I grew up in a little village in the foothills of the Big Mountain. Life was harsh, and the community was very tightly knit, because all of us depended on everyone doing their share to ensure our survival. The children would shepherd the sheep and the goats, the adults would work the ground and the elders would mind the smallest children and cook the food.

On a whole, it was a good life. We would gather to celebrate the seasons, tell stories around the fire, sing and dance together and beautify the tools and furniture we needed for our daily lives. Life was hard, but the community made it all worthwhile. Everyone had what they needed, everyone contributed, everyone was loved, cared for and valued.

And yet.

I found myself wondering if this is all there is to life?

There were some odd things that happened. Sometimes, I would see a bright light out of the corner of my eye. I would have these vivid dreams of beautiful, otherworldly beings coming to whisper secrets to me. Sometimes, one of the community would just mysteriously disappear, and it was just assumed that they had got lost in the mountains and we mourned them as having passed. As if we didn’t know those mountains like the back of our hands and learnt how to stay out of trouble as soon as we could walk!

There was a road that ran past the village that was always immaculate, which made me wonder, because our houses always needed repairing. But when I asked the elders, they just shrugged and said that it had always been that way. They also didn’t know where it came from or where it led, because no one had ever gone to find out and come back to share what they had found. And then they would tell me to stop asking questions, because everyone knew that grave dangers awaited anyone who stepped on that road.

Travelers would occasionally come to barter some of the things we could not make for ourselves for some of the beautiful items we crafted. They said that the road came from the big Port City on the Ocean. I asked about what an ocean was like, but I just could not imagine so much water in one place! The travelers didn’t know where the road led either, because they turned around and retraced their steps once they had completed their trades with us.

One day, my cousin Tesoro disappeared. She was 15 at the time. I was deeply distraught, because she was my best friend. Not even her dog Joya, her constant companion, was anywhere to be found! The villagers did their mourning and moved on, but I couldn’t. I missed her so much.

One night, I had such a vivid dream of her. She told me to walk the road. I woke up and just could not get that restless feeling out of my bones. I packed a bit of provisions and my few clothes, asked my cat to keep watch over the family, called my dog Bonnie and set off while the village was still sleeping.

(My dog wants me to tell you that her name is actually Black Lightening, because she is so fast. But she accepts that that is a very long name, and she’s happy to respond to her nickname because she is beautiful, too.)

I decided that what I had been taught and told about the road being dangerous might be true, but it also might not, and I would never find out unless I took the first step. And if I didn’t take that first step, I knew exactly how my life would unfold, and I wanted more adventure than that.

And to my surprise, I could take that step, and another one, and another one! It was like I crossed an invisible boundary that had been held in place by the stories and teachings of my elders. Bonnie was excited about the adventure and went up ahead, checking everything out.

After we crossed the first ridge, I could see a big castle up ahead in the distance. It seemed deserted, but I could see that the road led to the castle, so now we had a destination. 

As we came around another bend, there was a huge chasm. There were the remains of the bridge crossing it, two arches with some rotting planks spanning them, most of them long ago fallen into the depths. The wind gusted just then, and I was scared that if I crossed the chasm hanging on to the sides, I would be blown off, and besides, how would Bonnie manage?

Bonnie put her paw on the bridge, where there seemed to be a gap, and a solid, shiny plank appeared. She looked back at me as if to say: “Sometimes, you just have to trust the unseen.”  I took a tentative step, and the whole bridge materialized! We crossed easily, enjoying the magnificent view of the river in the chasm below and the lake off to the left.

We kept going along the path, which got us closer and closer to the castle, or rather to the tall, grey, wide, extremely solid stone wall around it. We followed the path along and came to the massive portal which was closed with a big door. Within the big door there was a smaller door with a grille. I looked at Bonnie, and she looked at me expectantly, saying “Well?”.

I did not have the sense that there were any living creatures in the castle, but I knocked at the door, and to my surprise the small window opened, and a frowning sentry looked at me. I said “May I come in, please?” and he said “Do you have a key?”.

Of course I didn’t have a key! We didn’t need keys where I grew up. But I checked and was startled to find a big, golden key in one of my pockets. I put it in the slot, and it worked!

The door opened, and the big, strong, frowning sentry barred my way.

He asked me “Are you worthy of entering the Sacred Land? Do you know the Rules?”

I looked up at him, wondering how I could possibly know the Rules, not having even known of the existence of this place until just a few hours ago!

But I had learned to trust the Unseen, and I asked my heart if I might know the Rules? And I felt my heart open and allow the most beautiful energy of love and abundance to flow straight into the back to the front of my chest and from there to the guard. And in the process, I grew taller and lighter. I looked in amazement at my hand, which now emitted sparkles like tiny fireworks.

I looked back at the guard, who stepped aside to let me in.

I stepped into a different world. It was so beautiful.

The streets were neat and tidy, there was a stream flowing along the road, a lot of the beautiful houses had vines growing up along them, with big, fragrant flowers. There was a grassy plaza, with a fountain, where horses were drinking their fill. There were birds and flowers and bees and butterflies everywhere!

I was thinking “No wonder no one ever came back! This place is so beautiful!”

All the people were beautiful and young. They walked along at leisure, some were singing, stopping to chat to their friends and neighbours, and you could hear laughter everywhere. Bonnie and I got plenty of welcoming smiles and greetings. It was clear that they knew everyone and that they weren’t used to strangers showing up at their doorsteps.

We made our way along the road up to the Castle. When we arrived, I was surprised to see that there was a big archway to the castle courtyard, without any doors or further protection. I asked someone about it, and they said that the door at the entrance and the guard were enough protection for the Sacred Land, because it was in a different space and time than the World surrounding it, and most people who lived in the World would not be able to find it, let alone get in.

I was invited to have a look around.

There was a big grassy area for rest, relaxation and basking in the sun. There was a stream and children were playing in the water and chasing each other in the grass or going around and around, making themselves dizzy. I leant that water was sacred here, and there were daily ceremonies to bless the water so it could bless the land.

We went into the open castle, greeted by everyone as they went about their day and their endeavours, and we found big rooms for celebrations, lots of big rooms with lush beds and bathrooms with sunk-in bathtubs. All the rooms had huge glass doors to let the breeze in, and big balconies to enjoy the beautiful view of the mountain slopes all the way down to the Ocean, which was far bigger that I could ever have imagined! I could see the Port with its white ships.

I came upon the throne room, which was empty, but in the middle of the room was a massive pile of gold coins. I saw a man arrive with a wheelbarrow, and he shoveled a big lot of coins into it, and yet the pile only seemed to grow bigger.

I asked him about it, and he replied: “Well, we don’t really have much use for coin here in the Sacred Land, because everyone has everything they need and want and more. But sometimes some of our citizens want to explore the World, and for them the gold is useful.”

The more I explored, the more amazed I was. There were no sick people, and you could literally do whatever gave you pleasure. There were rooms where you could do art, paint, sew, sing, read (oh my, the library!), cook, or practice sport if you wished, and anyone could decide that they wanted to retire to their room and have a rest or some time alone. Everyone contributed because they wanted to, being already so rich in everything that made life worth living.

Bonnie and I were invited to choose where we wanted to live, either in the castle or in one of the houses in the town. Traditionally, houses were for families or friend groups, so we chose a beautiful room in the castle, with a beautiful massive bed, a stocked bookshelf, and a wardrobe full of clothes that fitted me perfectly.

As soon as we settled in, I heard a shout: “Anima! Bonnie! You’re finally here!” and my cousin Tesoro flew in and gave me the biggest hug, and we laughed and cried and our dogs jumped and barked with excitement at being reunited.

Once I had caught my breath and taken in that it truly was Tesoro right there in front of me, I asked “What happened to you? You just disappeared without a trace or without a word? Did you know how much I missed you?”

“I am so sorry I had to leave that way, but that is how it must be! You yourself left in the same way, leaving your family to grieve. But I did keep coming back to you to tell you to join me, because I knew that this is your true home too, and now you are here!”

“You did actually come? Is that why I dreamt of you so vividly? Can we go and see our families?”

“You will find that … an interesting experience. But why don’t you rest and get used to the place first, and then we will show you how things work here in the Sacred Land.”

We spent time making friends, creating art and food, singing with others, blessing the water, playing in the garden and the fountain, making friends with the horses that chose us as their riders, growing plants, speaking with fairies and devas, eating delicious food, resting in the lush bed or on our balcony and just living in joy, recovering from the life we had led.

We got healthier, taller and lighter every day. I started to be able to hear Bonnie telepathically. She asked when Indigo, my cat, was going to join us?

Tesoro and Joya came to find us one day, and took us to the top of a turret, where a handful of citizens were looking at the Port City.

“There is some sickness there” they said. “We have already sent some healing energies, but we are discussing if someone should go down there to provide healing”.

I could see the flow of energy emanating from them down to the area that looked dark below.

“It would be really helpful if someone like you, who has lived in the world, could go there to dispense healing. You know how the World works and you can navigate it more easily than those of us who are native to the Sacred Land.

You need to know that by now, your energy frequency is so high that only very few people will be able to see you, and then only if you wish them to.”

This was news to me. “We would essentially walk those streets like ghosts?”

The citizens laughed.

“Yes, guess where ghost stories come from? Do you not remember seeing bright lights out of the corners of your eye and having vivid dreams about places you had never seen?”

Tesoro sparkled at me “That is how I encouraged you to come to find me and this beautiful place!”

Suddenly, a whole lot of things made sense.

“So – we would walk around amongst the people like ghosts and dispense healing?”

“Yes! Do you want to come, Anima?”

“Of course I do! This feels so right!”

The citizens thanked us, and we went to get what we needed: Horses as swift as the wind would take us, and we were given little phials with healing that looked like swirling patterns of light and sparkles contained in a small bottle. Travelling food that was delicious and would keep us healthy, and water from our sacred spring.

We set off at dark, and enjoyed the speed of our beautiful horses, laughing with freedom and joy. We left the horses and our dogs at the outskirts of the town, and kept going on foot.

I had forgotten how dark life in the World could be. I saw hunger and homelessness, sickness and despair, grief and anger everywhere. It was a shock, I had got used to living in abundance and harmony so easily.

I wanted to help every single person we came across, but Tesoro cautioned me.

“I know your heart is breaking right now, but for those who still choose to live this way, no amount of healing elixir is going to help. We are going to give it to those who have already chosen the light. They are living examples in this community of how life can be different, and they can be the beacon to the others.”

A homeless man looked straight at us.

“Here is a bright one” said Tesoro.

She approached him and greeted him. She asked if he needed any assistance.

He told us that he had come upon hard times because he had been betrayed. Tesoro gave him a coin in a purse and said that as long as he kept that coin, the purse would always be full. He smiled at her with the most brilliant smile of gratitude and thanked her profusely.

“They can’t see us unless they have pure hearts” Tesoro reminded me.

“Well that certainly makes this task easier. Everything seems so dark here, it’s hard to even see light”.

“Don’t worry, there are only a few more stops.”

We made our way to the town well. I could see the wrongness of the water in it.

Tesoro poured healing elixir into the well.

“Didn’t you say that we couldn’t heal everyone?”

“If the water is sick, the land and the people will also be sick, so this is the most direct way we can deliver the healing. It is not called ‘healing waters’ for no good reason.”

She emptied the phial into the well, and immediately the water started shimmering and glistening, and the wrongness was gone.

“Do people really choose suffering?”
“You would be surprised! Some choose it because they gain something else – care, affection, or to prove a point. Some have simply forgotten that there is another choice. Some feel that they dishonour their ancestors’ memory if they don’t suffer as much as they did. Some are scared of their own light. Some don’t want to let go of what no longer serves them, because they don’t trust their ability to live without, they are scared of the unkown.”

“Will the inhabitants be cured if they drink the water?”

“The healing is in the well, and everyone will drink from it. Only those who are ready to receive the healing will experience it, and it will be gentle because of the dilution. Their systems can’t handle too much all at once. We respect everyone’s right to choose for themselves at all times.”

It was dawn now, and we watched the people come to draw the water. We could see the change in some of them as they drank, and some of them stayed exactly the same. It was like the healing light was extinguished the moment they drank the water.

“Do they even know that there was a sickness?”

“Some of them suspect, but most of them never question it because most people are affected, so it seems normal. The bright ones are often envied and reviled because they live longer and are healthy, and sometimes, if the sickness hits hard, they are run out of town or worse because they remain unaffected. Thankfully we arrived here in time before it got that far.”

We made our way to a bright one, the town healer Sisina. She welcomed us in, and offered us shelter and food. We declined and offered her some of ours instead, as well as some of our well water. I found out that Tesoro was a regular visitor.

“We have healed the well water, so the sickness should abate now. We have come to give you this healing, as I am sure your last phial has run out by now.”

“Oh thank you! It is so good to see you, I do miss the Sacred Land.”

“You are from the Sacred Land, but you live here?” I was astonished. Why would anyone want to leave the Sacred Land permanently?

“I brought healing here just like you and Tesoro, and I met a bright one and fell in love with him, so I decided to stay. He was not able to join me in the Sacred Land because he had too many commitments here, so I became the healer here. We spent many happy years together, but he passed away 20 years ago.”

My jaw dropped.

“You look 40, how old are you?”

Sisina smiled. “We come from a place where age doesn’t matter, because our bodies are in harmony with the land and have what they need to keep themselves healthy. I am 80.”
“But don’t the local citizens notice you’re not ageing?”

“It’s funny how people only see what they want to see. Do you remember your parents not seeing the road where you grew up?”

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly what it was like!”

“Well, it’s much the same here. It’s like they forget to question why I don’t age like they do. Being the healer, I have some license to be different.”

We spent a lovely day with Sisina, learning about her life and why she decided to stay. She had to drop her frequency to live here like the natives, but she still had access to all she knew, and could consciously shift her frequencies. In this way was able to bridge both worlds.

“But don’t you want to come back?”

“I choose to live here now. I love the people and the land, and I can do more good here than in the Sacred Land. Every so often, someone remembers their true nature because of an encounter with me. It’s worth staying for that.”

I certainly had a lot to think about.

On the way back to our horses, Tesoro and I decided to stop at our old village on the way back.

It was so lovely to see our horses and our dogs, and we felt like we flew on our way to the village.

We set up camp on the other side of the road from our village, knowing that it would not be found.

I was surprised to see how bright the village was. It hadn’t felt like that when I lived there.

“The City certainly puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?” said Tesoro. “The water is very clear here.”

It was so strange to walk among all our friends and family with them being not able to see us. Some of the really young children did gaze at us, but they often looked at things in space the adults couldn’t see, and no one gave it any importance. But my cat, Indigo, immediately came to greet us. I had missed her, and she wanted to come with us.

“Animals are so much more perceptive than humans, aren’t they?”

My family and Tesoro’s were well, and we whispered to them in their dreams so they knew we were happy and well. We added a bit of healing to the herbs the villagers used, and left some small gifts for them to find.

“That used to be my job” I said sadly.

“It looks like your sister is doing a great job of it, and now her herbs will work even better. And her heart is really bright, so she might be able to see us soon.”

“Will she come and join us in the Sacred Land?”

“Not everyone who has a bright heart decides to go on an adventure to find the Sacred Land. Many are happy living an extraordinary life within a life that looks ordinary on the outside.”

I kissed my sister in her sleep like I used to, and she smiled. I gave her beautiful dreams of oceans and castles.

“You know you can come back anytime you want, Anima”.

I smiled at my best friend, who still looked 15 even if she was already 20.

“I know. And I know that love never dies. And I know that more and more people’s hearts are  brightening, and that all the World will soon be Sacred Land and all water will be healing water. And in the meanwhile, I want to go on adventures with you and sing and dance and live in joy and abundance in the Sacred Land.”