by Lucia Ashta
26 Tempestuous Awakening
Driving on autopilot, Elena found her way to Victor’s house. She sat back in the black, sleek rental car for a few minutes, trying to compose herself, but she realized that wasn’t going to happen to the extent she wanted. So she breathed in calm, walked to Victor’s door, and knocked.
He opened the door right away. Elena was just as surprised when she saw Victor as she had been the first time. Though seventy-seven years old with a shock of white hair, Victor emanated an ageless and timeless strength. Elena could easily picture him dominating in battle. She felt that Victor could protect her from anything yet she hardly knew the man.
Elena stepped into Victor’s modest home and into his embrace. Two people that by all accounts were virtual strangers shared a heartfelt hug. Elena felt like she somehow knew Victor. Maybe it was that Victor reminded Elena of her father—that quiet strength, strong will, and unwavering character that spoke the honest truth. Elena’s father had been a man of his word; Elena sensed that Victor was also.
“Victor, I need your guidance. I’ve started having visions. They are getting more intense and frequent. And there is something incredibly familiar about them, as if I’m seeing myself in another time. I think that maybe these visions are teaching me about myself, but I don’t understand exactly what I’m supposed to take from it all,” Elena said.
“And how have you felt since the clearing of the demon that we performed the other day?” Victor asked.
“Honestly, Victor, I haven’t had a chance to give it any thought. Life has been intense lately. I guess I feel good. But things have been moving so quickly that I don’t know what to think about anything anymore,” Elena said.
“Have things intensified since the clearing?” Victor asked.
Elena hadn’t thought to put it together, but now that she did think of it, things had gotten even crazier since the clearing. She’d had even more visions, each more vivid than the previous. She believed she had met the man made for her before time even existed then learned of his betrayal, she heard a rabbit talk, and then found herself at the exorcist’s home again.
“I don’t think I can really answer that question. My mind is spinning. So much has happened to me over the last few days. It’s as if my entire world is in upheaval. Everything I once believed is inside out or upside down,” Elena said.
Victor understood better than Elena knew. “I see. You are being activated quite quickly. That’s interesting,” he said. Victor stared out the window, deep in thought.
“Why is that interesting?” Elena asked.
“Because it makes me think you are needed for something right away. Usually the process of awakening gives you a little more time to get your feet under you. The awakening happens as you get your bearings. If you are given a vision, then you are given time to integrate what you have learned before the next vision comes. It’s not all easy and smooth, but you are given at least a little time to figure things out. It doesn’t seem that you are getting any processing time.
“It seems to be urgent that you awaken.” Victor met Elena’s fixed gaze. She was determined to find the answer to her concerns within Victor’s words.
“It makes me wonder why your awakening is so tempestuous. What are you being called to do at this time in the world?” Victor looked at her intently. “Do you know yet?” he asked.
Elena shook her head no. “Victor, I’m lucky that I know my name right now. And maybe it isn’t even Elena.”
“Where is Marco? Has he been able to help you understand any of this?” Victor asked.
Elena started crying. “I’m sorry,” Elena said, swiping at her running nose. “I didn’t mean to cry.”
Elena had hoped not to have to talk about what was going on with her and Marco. She thought that Victor was above petty dramas, and she felt embarrassed to bring it up. But her composure was so fragile that it crumbled at the mention of Marco’s name.
Victor showed surprising tenderness. “It’s okay. Emotions are healthy. What’s wrong? Where is Marco?”
Elena relayed the events of the last couple of days as succinctly as she could, trying to limit the drama.
“What does your heart tell you, Elena?” Victor asked, for Victor was wise. He had seen Elena and Marco together and felt that spark of divine connection between them. “What does your heart tell you if you open up to all possibilities?”
Victor suspected that something else was going on that Elena did not understand. Victor, familiar with the dark forces in a way that Elena was not yet, knew the darkness might be at work attempting to break Elena and Marco apart. The dark side would perceive two light beings coming together as a threat. And Victor had enough experience with the ugly and dark side of this world to know that nothing, absolutely nothing, was as it seemed.
Victor asked again, “If you delve into your heart, Elena, does it feel like Marco is this person from the note?”
Elena looked at Victor. The tears that were resting on her lashes broke free and slid down her face. For the first time, someone was offering her hope. She had not allowed herself to doubt the words in the note because she did not want to be one of those women who lived in denial, disrespecting and undervaluing herself; she had already been that way, and she would not repeat that behavior again. Now, Victor was suggesting that maybe there was some kind of mistake. Maybe Marco wasn’t married with children. Could she allow herself to wish that?
“I feel that Marco is the person meant for me. I feel like he is somehow my twin soul,” Elena said.
“And this is crazy, but I am beginning to think that my visions are about me, and the twin that I see in my visions is actually Marco. Am I losing my mind?”
Victor smiled a big, bright smile. “You know, Elena, I think you may be starting to see it. The visions are yours for you alone to interpret, but what you say makes perfect sense to me. We all have a soul, and those souls are in our bodies now. When we die, our soul goes back to where it came from, to prepare for the next stage in its evolution. Most of us have many incarnations; we keep returning to the school of earth until we learn all that we need to learn.”
Elena understood what Victor was saying. It resonated with her, even though it was contrary to everything she had learned growing up. When Elena experienced the visions, she knew she was seeing herself in another body. With Victor supporting her in this possibility, she became more certain of it. Now, there was no doubt. And the man she saw in her visions who was so connected to her, her twin in every way, was Marco in another lifetime. So what did all this mean? She knew the answer even before she asked the question.
She would allow herself the leap of faith from her heart. She would ignore the voice of reason and allow herself to follow some other prompting, some magical and invisible force that was calling on her now. She would follow through on her initial impulse to trust Marco and see how her reality might transform.
* * *
Arnaka was an island in the River Haakal. It was large enough that neither Ashta nor Anak had ever been to the other side, but small enough that it was possible to trek across the island, though it would take several weeks to make the journey. The river encircled the entire island and then gave way to the sweet waters of the Hosuul Sea.
Since the people of Arnaka were isolated by water, they were far from other civilizations and inconvenient to reach, accessible only by boat. Outsiders did not often bother them. There had been times in their culture’s history when aggression had come to their lands, but that had been a long time ago. It was whispered that magic protected Arnaka—literally, the land of enchanted water.
The people of Arnaka were content with their isolation. They had no desire to spread their beliefs and teachings to others. News of the rest of the world trickled into their island slowly, and often not at all, as there was little need for trade or travel. The people could meet all of their needs on the island. There was plenty of food for everyone, and their land was rich in minerals.
On
rare occasions, a few foreign men and women would come across the water to forage for plants that were not indigenous to their own lands. They used these herbs for medicine and, with their aid, healed many difficult illnesses in their people. The men steered the ships onto the shores of Arnaka, and the women, who were the medicine healers, harvested the plants in sacred ceremony.
There was limited verbal communication between these visitors and the people of Arnaka as the languages spoken were very different from each other. The medicine women could speak to the temple masters through telepathy. This non-verbal communication allowed the temple masters to see and feel what the rest of the world was like. Images of cruelty flashed in graphic images through their minds, the shared experiences of the tribes of these medicine women.
The masters saw acts of oppression caused by harsh rulers who put their own selfish desires first, before ministering to the suffering of their people. They saw images of civil unrest caused by a lack of tolerance and understanding of others, acts of fanatical genocide, and wars that lasted for lifetimes that devastated peoples and lands.
Nevertheless, the people of Arnaka knew they could not force their ways on others. The beliefs of every man, woman, and child were unique. There were as many understandings of life and death as there were human beings. When a culture pursued uniformity, strife and suffering inevitably ensued.
Even on their isolated island of Arnaka, within a community that was predominantly harmonious, there had been more incidents of darkness infiltrating people’s lives recently. There were stories of people doing strange things. More people were succumbing to these dark forces that compelled them to act outside of their norm.
The dark side was very effective at presenting illusions that led an individual to despair, spiraling down into despondency. The dark side ripped away hope, giving the impression that there was no alternative but to fear what was lurking in the shadows. It was when these acts of illusion and false impressions were stripped away that the people could stand in their true power and step into their destinies. The truth in light always set people free.
* * *
Marco sat on the bed in their room at the inn staring off into space, feeling helpless, until he lost track of time. He didn’t know what to do or feel, but he knew that he was scared. He wanted to protect Elena more than anything, but he didn’t know how to find her. Marco feared that whoever had taken Elena might hurt her, but he strained to control his thoughts. Thoughts were energy; they had the power to create. If enough energy was sent to one outcome, the likelihood that it would occur increased.
Marco fought to control his thoughts and emotions. If he could not physically defend Elena in the moment, at the very least he would not create the worst through the fears of his mind. He made himself picture the best outcome, working harder than ever before to control what he thought and felt. He was determined to contribute to the positive shaping of their future.
Marco pushed away fear and panic and entered the world of daydream. He reclined back on the bed and closed his eyes. He dreamt of Elena’s face, picturing every detail. He remembered her face as if he had been staring at it every day of his life. He reminisced on what it had been like to make love to Elena, to be joined with her while staring into the depths of her soul, feeling and knowing everything about her.
He convinced himself that he would do these things again. He would caress Elena’s skin, running his hands over the intriguing voluptuousness of her body that awakened the fire within his own. He would stare into her liquid amber eyes that were so much like his and discover her inner lioness.
Marco remembered the visions he’d had in Egypt. He had known this woman before; he had loved her before. He would love her again. That love for her filled his soul. Their meeting had been no accident; it had been destined. This reflection gave Marco hope. There was much that Elena and Marco were meant to do together in this life. There was purpose to it all.
This was what he had been preparing for on his journey all of these years since he first left Rome. He knew how to affect the illusions that created concrete reality. Marco knew that nothing was as it seemed. Focus of mind and energy could shape everything, as long as faith accompanied it. Marco reined in his focus and began to call out to Elena with the power of his mind. He beckoned her to him.
As Manay Quispe had taught him, Marco sent his consciousness heavenward to connect to the source of all that is and then pulled that divine light down and filled his being with it. Marco breathed in light and breathed out that which did not serve him, releasing it to the earth for transformation. Repeatedly, he breathed in light, filling his being with perfect calm and acceptance of all that happened in this world. Then, he breathed out those fears for Elena’s safety that threatened to take form within him.
From that place of peace, Marco again sent out his energy to connect with Elena, and, this time, he felt her. He suddenly became alert. He could feel her vibration. She was close, and she was reaching out to him too.
* * *
The days and nights went by rapidly, and it was already the eve before Ashta and Anak were to wed. The next day, at dusk, Kaanra was to perform the ceremony by the water, under one of the ancient trees that had stood there long before any of them.
Ashta watched the sun set with her feet in the river. The water calmed her. It reminded her of the flow of life; life continued no matter what thoughts or emotions ran through her. The tree she stood under had sprouted leaves and flower buds as spring neared. But fall would come again and the leaves would shed, and the cycle would begin anew. So it was with all nature. The world continued regardless of human life. Cycles repeated themselves, and life renewed itself through magnificent rebirth.
Ashta walked back to the bedroom within the temple that had been her refuge for almost sixteen years. It would be her last night in her little room. After this night, she would share a room with Anak, her husband. She would have to get used to that idea. It was foreign to her to think of him in those terms. Titles had never meant much to her, but since the temple masters were giving her and Anak the opportunity to marry, she wanted to take advantage of this chance to affirm their connection to each other before Creator.
Ashta arrived at her room and slowly opened the door, finding comfort in the door’s familiar creaking. She had lived here since the age of seven, and it was home to her. She felt a special tenderness toward the door and let her hand linger on the old wood; she leaned her forehead against it.
When she let go of it, she went to the window. There, she lost track of time as she watched the moon, almost completely full, rise in the sky. She stood perfectly still, mesmerized. When the moon was high in the sky, she pulled her tunic over her head and let it fall to the floor. She flopped on her bed without ceremony and fell to sleep instantly.
Deep sleep grabbed hold of Ashta quickly, but rest did not come. Archangel Michael appeared to her as soon as she entered the dream state to tell her that he needed her and Anak right away. The etheric world war had infiltrated the physical plane. Archangel Michael was calling the golden children of the prophecy to duty.
If only it could wait one day, she and Anak could marry. But Ashta knew that Archangel Michael would not appear to her in this way if it were not of supreme importance. She and Anak would respond to his call immediately. They would help in any way they could, although Ashta did not know what they would be able to contribute in a battle of etheric forces.
Ashta received very detailed information from Archangel Michael. She had grown accustomed to waiting for complete understanding until things unfolded, but she was grateful for the effortless receipt of information that night. The army of light, led by Archangel Michael, was preparing its soldiers. Creator had summoned Archangel Lucifer to the heavens to assist in returning balance between light and dark on the earth alongside his twin brother. Archangel Michael and Archangel Lucifer were now organizing the legions of both the non-physical and physical worlds for active duty.
Archangel
Michael showed Ashta that a contingent of beings from other planets was disobeying fundamental universal laws. These particular extraterrestrial creatures were sinister and had descended upon earth where they wreaked havoc and destruction. It was vital that light be protected. Without light, there could be no true life. All humans were light beings made by Creator; the spark that gave life was the light of Divine essence.
Once Archangel Michael had left, Ashta opened her eyes. There would be no wedding that next day, but she knew it would only be delayed and not forgotten. Ashta felt greater sadness over the reason for their summons. She knew there must be great malevolence in the world to provoke such an urgent call to the army of light.
Ashta lay unmoving, still on her back from the brief sleep, until she found stillness within her heart. Finding this inner tranquility helped her feel the strength of her connection to the divine source. It was the most important thing she could do then, especially since she did not know what the future would bring or when she might again have the opportunity to feel this inner quietude, undisturbed.
Lying on the bed where she felt safe, she knew Creator was in her heart as an ever-constant presence. From this place, she was able to embrace the role that Creator had chosen for her. In a space of acceptance of what was to come, Ashta sat up and swung her feet to the floor. There would be no rest for her that night.
27 Speech of Inspiration
“Are you feeling okay now?” Victor asked Elena. “I want to explain some things that may surprise you.”
This turned out to be a big understatement. Victor told Elena stories that shocked her. She listened attentively as Victor went on for what seemed like hours. He explained to her how the world’s power structure was a cover-up for a secret sector that caused great harm to humanity and the planet at large through meticulous planning. Victor explained how appearances had been distorted at such a deep level that very few knew what really went on in the world.