CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: SHADOW OF THE SOUL
“Hello, my son!”
Yeshua froze at the sound of the familiar voice. He turned around and, seeing his father, he quickly stood up and walked towards Yosef.
“Father?” he managed to say. “Is that really you?”
“Yes, it is I, son!” Yosef replied.
Yeshua teleported into his father’s arms, and the two men hugged each other.
“Yahweh be praised! You are so big and strong, son!” Yosef exclaimed as tears of joy washed down his cheeks.
He held his son at arm’s length, gave him a loving, appraising look and grinned.
“What have they been feeding you?” he asked, and both men laughed.
“I have missed you so much, father,” Yeshua replied, wiping his eyes with his right sleeve.
Yeshua noticed he was no longer naked, thankfully. It would have been a very awkward situation for the two of them. For a moment, Yeshua had forgotten he was in Akasha. But alas, his memory returned.
“Let us sit, father,” Yeshua said and chairs formed from the ground to accommodate both men. “I was at your funeral, father,” he spoke the words like an accusation.
“I know, my son,” Yosef replied. “I saw you there and what you tried to do for your mother and siblings.”
“But I never saw you, father,” Yeshua said, and then his voice almost broke. “If I were there, maybe I could have saved you, father! You would have still been alive had I not been away on this… mission or whatever this is!”
He broke down and wept.
“Yes, son, maybe you could have prevented my death,” Yosef agreed. “Maybe you could have changed everything. Maybe the family could have been whole.”
“But I was not there!” Yeshua rebutted. “I succeeded in everything but my own family! I failed you, father! I failed you!”
“No, my son, you have not failed me at all,” replied his father, reassuringly. “You can never, ever fail me. In fact, there just may be another way out of this.”
“Out of what?” Yeshua asked.
“Out of your feeling of failure, my son. It may not be wise for you to despair when you have come so close already,” Yosef pressed on.
“You speak in riddles, father,” Yeshua said, more out of skepticism than confusion.
“My son, what I mean is this,” Yosef began explaining. “I am dead on the Earth Realm, but not here. See?” He reached out with his right hand and gave Yeshua’s left hand a gentle, loving squeeze. “You feel me, do you not? So, you see, my son, you have not failed me at all.”
“You ARE dead! And so am I, father! We ARE both dead-” Yeshua argued.
“On the Earth Realm, son,” Yosef insisted. “But not here! So, all is not lost. Besides, here we can have everything we want. We can have ANYTHING we want. There is no sickness, no poverty, no disease, no pain or anguish or anything you do NOT want. We can create OUR own heaven here, my son. You and I… TOGETHER!”
Yosef let the words resonate for a moment before he added, “Here, there is no guilt. Here there is no failure!”
Yeshua pondered on his father’s words. Yosef’s logic was hard to ignore, but Yeshua could feel there was treachery afoot. A few moments later, he had his moment of clarity. He knelt in front of his father and took his father’s hands in his.
“What you say is true,” Yeshua said. “That in here I can create whatever I want. I can have everything and anything I want. You are correct that you and I can be here together and create our own heaven. You are correct that in here, there is no guilt or failure.”
He stood up and let go of his father’s hand.
“But this is the Shadow of the Soul, and you are not my father!” Yeshua continued more sternly. “You are my guilt and failure made manifest. You are an illusion! I may be dead on the Earth Realm, but I chose this test, and I will succeed.”
He took a step away from the illusion that was his father and resumed his argument.
“You are not my enemy. You are a part of me and I am a part of you. But I must let you go so I can move on!”
“No, wait!” the illusion called out. “You cannot just toss me aside like that! You must see that I am very important to you and I AM your father. Can you not see that?!”
But the illusion of his father slowly faded before his eyes, even as it tried to hold on and continue making arguments until it disappeared entirely. Yeshua closed his eyes and heaved a sigh but a voice called out from nowhere, and it startled him.
“I am very proud of you, son,” said a voice that was identical to the first.
“Thank you, father,” he replied.
This time around, he knew it was his departed father’s voice because he felt the connection and bond between the two of them that not even death could ever be able to break.
The bright, marble whiteness of the room peeled away to nothingness. Yeshua floated in a dark void, with no sense of space or gravity. He braced himself for the next test. Priya was not exaggerating about the Shadow of the Soul.
“Good job passing that first test,” a familiar voice spoke from the nothingness around him.
“Who are you?” Yeshua demanded. “Show yourself!”
“Oh, I think you know very well who I am,” the voice replied coyly. “You are just in denial. Or perhaps you wonder how this could be, no?”
The voice was right. Yeshua was going to say it was impossible, but then he remembered he was in Akasha and, in the Shadow of the Soul, anything was possible.
“Cease the trickery and show yourself!” Yeshua ordered.
“Your wish is my command!” the voice replied.
A form manifested in front of Yeshua. It was masculine, five-feet-eight-inches tall, with a neatly trimmed beard, broad shoulders and long, sandy brown hair that curled slightly above his shoulders. His big, brown eyes stared directly into Yeshua’s eyes and a very mischievous smile formed on his face.
“After all, I am you, and you are me,” the voice that was the replica of Yeshua’s said.
Yeshua’s jaw dropped slightly as he stared at his clone.
“Well, we both know that someone is taking a test right this moment,” said the other Yeshua. “But, I am thinking, which means you are also thinking, why is this test taking my form?”
He looked at Yeshua, but Yeshua remained silent.
“Silence…” the other Yeshua continued with just a dash of overconfidence. “Good strategy!”
He started pacing slowly around Yeshua, with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Do you know who I represent, though?” he asked.
“My dark side!” Yeshua replied flatly.
“So, you can speak after all!” the other Yeshua taunted. “Good answer, though. Yes, I am your dark side in all its glory.”
He waved his hands at all the nothingness around them.
“You see all this? This is what everything looks and feels like when you can tap into omnipotence. When you have the power of the Creator in the palm of your hand! What I want to do is create! I want to fill this void and design everything to MY taste, MY desires, MY style!”
He took a deep breath, held it for a heartbeat or two, before letting it out slowly. He then placed his right index finger Yeshua’s chest.
“And I want you to join me!” the other Yeshua said.
“And then what?” Yeshua asked casually.
“And then all of humanity will be better prepared for the next evolutionary leap at the Great Reset.” the other Yeshua replied, spinning around and spreading his arms in the air.
“Indeed!” Yeshua agreed. “But I am not to directly interfere with Earth Realm and the humans.”
“Who said anything about direct interference?” the other Yeshua asked. “After all, there is a fine line between leadership and direct interference, right?”
“And how do you propose I do that?” Yeshua asked.
“Why! Do you not know already?” the other Yeshua asked rhetorically.
“Is that not a most logical path?” the other Yeshua asked. “Take a look at their history! They are a violent and ignorant race. Left on their own, they will self-destruct, and you know that! Unless, of course, you have no problem with that...”
The other Yeshua left the statement hanging.
“Think about it!” the other Yeshua continued when Yeshua said nothing. “You are omnipotent! You are omniscient. Most of all, you are all-loving. What better king could there be but you? You will use your might, wisdom, and love to rule and usher Earth Realm through the cosmic countdown. You will be achieving your purpose! You become the greatest ruler ever, and Earth Realm survives. Everybody wins!”
“And what happens to those who reject my authority?” Yeshua asked.
“What do you do with weeds in the garden?” the other Yeshua asked.
Yeshua knew what his other self meant and thought about it for a few moments. Becoming a world ruler seemed like the most logical thing to do. Given his knowledge and abilities, he would have no competition. Everything would be according to his will. His name would go down in history as the greatest ruler ever. After all, what was the purpose of infinite potential without experience? But as he pondered, he had his epiphany.
“You forget one thing,” he said.
“What is that?” the other Yeshua asked.
“Free will!” he replied. “My purpose includes undoing the works of The Anomaly, not to bend the free will of the humans to suit mine. Granted, I am fully awakened to my true self; but the fact that the creatures of Earth Realm are not yet fully awakened to theirs does not grant me the right to lord over them. I will assist, but I will not interfere. I will not violate the rules like The Anomaly has done already. I believe in the creatures of the Earth Realm. They will survive the cosmic countdown and they will do so of their own free will!
“And as for you, my dark side, you are not my enemy. You are just my ego in its purest form, and you are doing what is in your nature. I am not my light side either. But both sides abide in my body, and I unite you two. I accept you both and take you in with me, as one.”
Yeshua extended his hand towards his other self, and his other Yeshua backed away from him.
“No!” it cried. “I want to be by myself! I want to be me! I do not want anything to do with you! Leave me alone!” and turned around to flee but ran straight into Yeshua.
“What are you afraid of?” Yeshua asked in a very calm voice. “You have nowhere else to go. Look around you.” He waved around. “Remember, you are in the Shadow of my Soul.”
Yeshua extended his hand towards his other self once again. Slowly and reluctantly, the other Yeshua extended his hand. As soon as their fingers touched, the other Yeshua was sucked into Yeshua so quickly that it seemed like the other Yeshua was never there in the first place. Yeshua closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He had just passed another test. When he opened his eyes again, he was not alone.
“Well done, Yeshua,” Priya said as her naked form walked towards him. “How about we have a little celebration, just you and I?”
Yeshua’s clothes evaporated from his body.
“I think you have earned it!” she added, as she pressed her naked form against his and leaned forward with her lips so close to his ear he could feel her breath on his ear.
“Now,” she whispered seductively in his ear. “Show me how badly you want me!”
Two bodies fell into the oblivion that surrounded them as they locked lips in an untamed passionate kiss. Two bodies were trapped in a wild frenzy of pure carnality. Two bodies fell… and fell… and fell… deeper… and deeper… and deeper into nothingness. He had longed for this moment from the very first moment he had laid eyes on her when he had awoken here. Everything had narrowed down to this singular, unsullied, raw desire and now, this desire was about to become a reality. They continued falling until once again, he was struck with a lurking feeling that something was amiss. Summoning willpower and strength he never knew he had, he ripped himself from her, and they both stopped falling.
“Why did you do that!” she raged and lunged for him.
He rolled over to the side, and she went flying past him.
“This is not right!” he exclaimed. “I know this is a test, but I am not sure what it is!”
“Then why fight it,” she hissed and took a step towards him, but her movement repelled him like a magnet.
“Did I not tell you that you could have me in due time? And you have passed two tests. So here I am! Congratulations!”
“Then why does it feel different from the first time I saw you?” Yeshua asked, rising to his feet.
“I do not know, and honestly, I do not care!” Priya spat with impatience. “You are the one with the feelings. So, YOU should have the answer.”
She folded her hands over her full, voluptuous breasts and heaved a heavy sigh.
“All I know is that I have wanted this for the longest time as well and now that I can finally have my way…”
She turned her back towards him.
“I thought we could have had something together, you and I, Yeshua.”
And then, to his greatest surprise, she buried her face in her hands and started crying. Yeshua felt terrible and walked towards her, but she crept away from him as he approached. “Stay away from me!” She barked.
“I am sorry, Priya,” he said weakly. “I just do not know what the meaning of this is.”
“Have you considered the possibility that there may not be any meaning to this at all?” her voice conveyed so much hurt that Yeshua was deeply moved.
“Perhaps you are right, Priya,” he said after a moment of consideration. “Perhaps, I just have to accept the situation the way it is.”
He sat down and bowed his head in contemplation. Priya saw her moment and turned around to face him. She crept towards him, her beautiful breasts remaining perfectly in place and not hanging downward, thanks to the absence of gravity.
“Then take me, Yeshua,” she said seductively. “I can be yours, and you can be mine!”
Yeshua looked up at her, took her face in his right hand and kissed her gently on the lips.
“Yes, Priya! I accept you,” Yeshua said conceded.
Priya grinned and gently pushed him on his back before she straddled him. She returned his gentle kiss, and they both enjoyed the warmth and comfort of each other’s body.
“I accept you,” Yeshua continued, “because you are not Priya. You represent the feminine side of me, and hence you are an illusion. You balance and compliment my masculine side.”
When she heard this, she tried to break free from him, but Yeshua held her fast.
“I accept you because in accepting you, I accept me.”
The illusion that was Priya tried to wrestle away from him. But when Yeshua kissed her, her body went limp.
There was a union of the male and the female. In that moment, Yeshua and Priya were not two, but one. They were united, not separated. They bonded and merged. As the two became one, the illusion that took the form of Priya dissipated and became absorbed into Yeshua. And for the first time in his current existence, Yeshua felt a completeness he had never felt before as he completely let go and accepted the illusion. He had passed his third and final test. As he savored the moment, a form began to appear in front of him. The form started with a pair of big, crystalline, green eyes and then the broad head of a cobra complimented the eyes before the rest of the serpent’s body slithered into a twenty-foot long form.
This magnificent creature was Kundalini, the Serpent of Consciousness. It hissed and slithered its golden form towards Yeshua and came to final stop six feet from where Yeshua was standing. It then fanned its head and brought its eyes to less than a foot from Yeshua’s face. Yeshua could feel the energy that coursed through this divine creature. It was unlike anything he had ever felt befo
re. This energy felt like qi multiplied a thousand-fold. Yeshua remained motionless and unafraid. He was a man at peace and ready for whatever else lay ahead of him in this realm. Kundalini then retracted and lowered its head to the ground, close to Yeshua’s feet.
From there, it proceeded to slowly wrap itself three and a half times around Yeshua’s body, starting from his feet, past his pelvis and up to his shoulders and neck area. The Serpent of Consciousness then rested its head on top of Yeshua’s head. Slowly, it pulled its head upwards and fanned it once again. A pair of long, curved and sharp upper golden fangs sprang from its open mouth. Then, it plunged its golden fangs into the crown of Yeshua’s head. Blinding beams of white light shot out from Yeshua’s mouth, ears, nose and eyes, but he felt no pain; only a surge of energy he could not describe, and a pure feeling of omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience.
Yeshua awoke in his chamber in Egypt. Salemwalek and two other priests were there present, staring at the master with stunned expressions on their faces. Yeshua propped himself on his elbows. He swept the chamber with his eyes before pushing himself all the way up to sit on the bed.
“Master!” Salemwalek exclaimed, unable to contain his relief. “You have returned!”
“Yes, Salem,” Yeshua replied with a smile. “I have succeeded yet again!”
“There was a bright flash of light right before you awoke, master,” said one priest.
“It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen, master,” another priest added.
Yeshua managed a smile. He then swung his legs off the side of the bed and proceeded to stand up very cautiously.
“How long was I gone for?” Yeshua asked.
“Four years, master,” Salem replied.
“I feel like I just took a nap,” Yeshua said calmly. “I will take a walk around the city. It is a gorgeous day, anyway.”
“Agreed, master,” Salem said. “Returning from the Shadow of the Soul makes any day a gorgeous day!”
Yeshua was walking in the busy streets of Heliopolis when a little girl, no more than eight years old, ran up to him and offered him an apple. He smiled and crouched as he took the apple in one hand. He affectionately ran his fingers through the little girl’s long black hair.
The Bright Eyes (The Soulless Ones Book 1) Page 23