The Seventh Chakra

by J. R. Bowles

  “The powers of Good and Evil are to some extent like I am, they are a manifestation of collective consciousness of all the living human souls, past and present. They have been draw by their beliefs, actions and faith, to either the positive or the negative.

  I differ, in that, I am the collection of all the life that has lived and is living on this planet. I am the collection of the beast, foul, and fish. I am the collection of those humans who were not polarized to the good or evil. I am mostly the living force of the very elements of the planet, the water, the minerals, the forces seen or unseen of the planet. I am all of these.”

  “But how will I know the difference between Good or Evil?” John's slumped down from the burden of this new knowledge.

  “You must forget the terms of good and evil. They are only labels. It is truth that you must experience. One force desires for this planet to continue and one desires for it to end.”

  “Then that's easy.” John scratched his head as if the answer was too simple. “Good wants the planet to continue and Evil wants to destroy it.”

  “That is not necessarily the truth.” Kumara answered.

  “But what are the consequences of these choices?” John asked.

  “You may chose to destroy the earth.”

  John's jaw dropped and Zolar just stared in shock.

  “Then the answer is easy. I won't destroy the earth.” John shook his head and glanced at Zolar for reaffirmation of his decision.

  “Dear John, sweet and gentle John,” Kumara patted his hand, “you have two centers that are yet to be opened. With these two centers you will learn much. When the time comes you will choose and only then will you be able to decide which is the correct course of action.”

  “When you say destroy the earth does that mean the destruction of just man or all life, or what?”

  “The earth, the moon, the sun and all of it's planets will cease. This solar system will be no more.”

  “They'll explode?”

  “They will cease.”

  John leaned back on the hard plastic of the booth and gazed up at the ceiling. He had become speechless.

  Zolar inspected Kumara closely. “Do you mind if I ask a few questions?”

  “Not at all.”

  John refocused himself to listen.

  “How do you know all of this?” Zolar asked.

  “From time to time I become involved with the two forces. I manifest myself to man and become involved. I help man to become aware of what he is doing to me. When I say me, remember I am the conscious of the earth. I interact with humanity, both mentally and physically. I have often helped to make man aware of what he is doing to the environment. I have held political office. I have been friend and lover to both man and woman.”

  “But why did you become involved with these centers if you are neutral?”

  “Like your own body, I have a body. It is the earth itself, and like your own body, I have energy sources which correspond with the centers in your bodies. I have been affected by each of your centers being opened. The place where the eight of you were born is my equivalent to your solar plexus, your birth center. There I have an energy center. You will be returning there tomorrow.”

  Zolar turned to John with the question on his face. John's response was a shrug indicating that was the first he had heard about it.

  “Your friend Michael has already made reservations for your travel. I am linked with you. When your second center opened I joined with your preacher, Thomas Lamb. I joined with him sexually so I could be intertwined with you as you developed. I can manifest as male or female, any animal, foul or fish. I can be anything, lamp or stone. My physical appearance is the vibration of my focalized energy.”

  “You told us that there are tunnels below this island. You want us to go there, right?” Zolar asked her.

  Kumara nodded.

  “Let's go then, I want to see this wall you told us about.”

  “We must wait until after dark.” Kumara answered. “When the sun sets they will lower their flag and then the shadows of the night will shield us from being seen.”

  “The next center to open, me, will that take place in the tunnel?”

  “Yes, in the chamber that houses the great wall, your truth will be experienced.”

  “Will you join us?” Zolar asked.

  Kumara stared deeply in to Zolar's eyes. “I will only show you the way.

  John looked down at his watch. “Still a couple of hours before the sun sets. I've heard enough for now. I need to sort all of this out.” He sighed. “Let's do something to take our minds off this for awhile.”

  “Hey there's a bowling alley right next door here. Let's bowl. The Coast Guard's got a regular little city here.” Zolar said and looked at John and then to Kumara.

  “Lov' it.” Kumara said slipping back into her Becky role of the street-wise girl who was born and raised in Queens.

  CHAPTER 51

  “Jamal would you quit pacing.” Mindy complained from the sofa. “We've sat in this room all day waiting for Azid to call. I'm getting bored. Can't we go out and get a little exercise. The hotel will take a message if anybody calls.”

  “Okay Baby, I guess you're right.”

  Jamal had called his place but none of his people had heard from Azid. Jamal told them to put the word out on the street and whenever they found out anything to call him. He was worried. This wasn't like Azid. He knew something was wrong, he could feel it but he didn't know what.

  “I'm going to slip into a jumper. I'll just be a minute.”

  Mindy changed and sat down on the edge of the bed too and slipped into a pair of leather pumps.

  “Damn.” She yelled as she jerked her right shoe off.

  “What's the matter?”

  “That damn kitten shit in my shoe.”

  Jamal laughed for the first time today. “What did you expect. You didn't provide it with a box.”

  “Oh, I know. I was hoping it would use the papers I put down.” She said as she hobbled to the bathroom on her toes with shoe in hand, so as not to smear it worse.

  Jamal was still grinning when she returned.

  Mindy leaned down to scratch the kitten's chin. “I'm not mad little baby. I'll bring you a treat back.”

  As they left the hotel Mindy lit a Camel and inhaled a couple of times. Jamal walked on the curb side still worrying about Azid.

  They approached a little white girl pushing a baby carriage. Jamal figured she must be pushing her sister. The baby was about five months old, her bare legs kicking, arms waiving, all dressed in a pink shirt. The white plastic pants stuck out as the baby's bare legs kicked. What drew his attention was the fact the children's mother was several feet behind them arguing with another woman about which store they would go to next.

  As they walked past the baby, out of the corner of his eye, Jamal saw Mindy flick her lit cigarette into the carriage. He started to stop and come to the baby's rescue before it was burned, then quickly decided against that action for fear he would be blamed. Even in all of his hate for the whites he had never thought about harming children. He kept walking beside Mindy. As they passed the two arguing women he heard the baby scream out in pain. A sound that pierced his nerve endings.

  They kept walking as the mother scrambled to her baby's call. Jamal wanted to look back to see if every thing was all right. He kept watching Mindy as her face remained stoic. Only a faint smile touched the corners of her lips.

  Jamal started to stop her there in the street and confront her with what he had seen. Maybe it had been an accident, he told himself.

  He shook his head and thought, “No, she did it deliberately. She seems so sweet, so gentle with the kitten. How could she be such a fucking bitch.”

  This was not the place, he decided. Perhaps over their dinner.

  They walked on quietly until Mindy chose where she wanted to eat. Jamal never argued over her choice, it didn't matter to him, besides she was the one that always paid.

>   After they ordered Jamal decided to question her but he wasn't sure exactly how.

  “Mindy, I've got something to ask you and I want you to be honest with me.”

  Mindy looked at him with her soft brown eyes shining. “Uh-oh,” she thought. “He must have seen what I did.”

  “Jamal,” she said softly, “there's no reason why I shouldn't be honest with you.”

  “I'm not judging you, I just want to know why? I saw you flip your cigarette into that carriage.” He stopped anticipating her denial.

  She nodded her head and said without a trace of remorse. “I didn't realize you saw it. It's wasn't like I could help it, I mean I could have, but I just hate the whites so much, I want to hurt them.”

  “But a baby?”

  “That baby will grow up.” She stated defiantly. “Jamal you of all people understand how I feel. Look at what they have done to your people. Well they enslaved yours but they took every thing away from us and put us on reservations. Reservations! It's the same damn thing as putting you into prison.”

  Jamal shrugged. “I understand and if you had asked me a week ago to help you I would have but after this past week I just don't feel the same hatred. It's not gone, I just don't feel the vengeance I did.”

  “You're a fool Jamal. This man John, that all of you seem to be drawn to, is no different than any of the other whites. Even if he's not consciously using you, he's doing it unconsciously. I understand a lot more of what's going on than you realize.” She decided it was time to lay some of her cards on the table, she would need Jamal to take John's power. She had to convince him that John was the enemy. All whites were enemies.

  “He's nothing without the rest of you. Don't you realize that? What is he, some kind of god or something?” She shook her head vehemently. “I don't think so and down deep I don't think you believe that either. Who the hell said god was white?”

  Jamal noticed that her eyes seemed to blaze. He had been a center and he had an understanding now of something that he had never understood before. He knew that he wouldn't be able to explain it to her. If someone had tried to explain to him, what he now knew, he would have denied it. As he looked at her he realized that he had fallen in love with her. More than sex, more than friends, it was a spiritual love, something he couldn't understand. He would just have to watch over her and protect her from herself.

  “Mindy, I know how you feel. I understand it. I truly do and I want you to understand that you can depend on me. No matter what happens, I will be there with you.”

  She smiled broadly. “Thank you Jamal, I knew I could depend on you.”

  As they spoke with each other neither one understood the depth of the conversation. Each one believing the other one's comprehension of their situation was far less than the actual fact.

  When they returned to the hotel Jamal had a message to call his place.

  Jamal hung the phone up after finishing his conversation.

  He turned to Mindy, “They found Azid. Dead!”

  He went to the bathroom and closed the door. Collapsing on the floor he cried silently, his tears flowing freely. His pride dictated his privacy.

  CHAPTER 52

  Michael hadn't told the other's that he had made reservations for them all to travel to Roanoke tomorrow morning. He had reserved eleven seats. He figured that after the next opening he would tell them what he did. Their flight was scheduled to leave at ten. It didn't give them much time for sleep but they would be there before 1:00 in the afternoon.

  The Reverend Lamb had slept most of the morning but Michael had to give him an injection to make him sleep after he had awaken and started to protest he was being held prisoner. Michael felt sure all of the others would be agreeable about going to Roanoke but he still wasn't sure how he would convince the good Reverend to go along with out force. He had made enough reservations to cover all of the centers and all of those who had been drawn into any of the openings. He guessed he had better call down to tell Rudy that he was going along. He didn't want to take him along but he had experienced Jamal's opening. After listening to them talking when they were together he deciphered that Rudy was the only one working. So he would be the only one who would have to make arrangements to be off.

  He was going to tell him he was going. He shook his head. Rudy was the type that like to be ordered around. Strange as it is, that was just the way some people are. He might as well tell the others while he was at it.

  He heard John ask Zolar to go with him back to the Coast Guard base. He didn't know why John had wanted him to go but Zolar was the next center. He would be the key that would help them all understand what was taking place.

  The Reverend was going to be the problem but he would figure it out.

  He had called them all and told them the plan. They had been agreeable. He hadn't reached John or Zolar but he was sure they would be agreeable. He had been right about Rudy too, the man had balked until he told him in no uncertain terms, he would do as he was told and he then became extremely appeasing.

  He had been shocked when he was told by Mindy that their friend Azid had been killed. He wondered what had happen to the man. Mindy said she would have to check with Jamal but she felt sure he would go without any problem. It was just that Jamal had wanted to be alone for a while to mourn his friend.

  There was something about her, Michael couldn't quite put his finger on. Almost something callous, yet she had made him promise to call the airlines back and tell them she would be bring that scruffy looking cat she had found.

  She had been gone a long time last night and Azid left shortly after her but he hadn't returned when she did. Apparently he hadn't been seen alive after that. He wondered how Azid had died. It was very strange indeed.

  Michael suddenly had a thought and went to the phone.

  “Give me Clarets,” he said into the phone. He waited for several minutes for the detective to come on the line.

  “Clarets, this is Michael. When you investigated the births that took place at the hospital you said one of them had died, a young girl, I want you to investigate that death for me.” Michael paused.

  “Give me a call back here tonight. If I'm not in, leave a message but what ever you do I need the information by tomorrow evening. I'll be in Roanoke tomorrow, so if you haven't called me by then I'll call you.”

  Michael listened for a moment and then said, “Listen I've supported you and your agency for years. I don't give a damn what it cost, I don't care if you have to wake up people in the middle of the god damn night! I want that information. Hire as many as you have too and I assure you, it will be worth your while. Just get me information.”

  He hung up the phone and turned and stared at his other problem lying unconscious on the bed. How was he going to get the preacher to be cooperative?

  Picking up the phone again he punched in several numbers.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello Jackie?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Michael, I need to talk with everyone. It's about the centers.”

  “Oh, hi Michael. Come on over, we're just sitting around playing cards. That's about all we've done all day.

  “Now's okay?”

  “Sure, I think everybody's ready for a break. By the way, how's the Reverend?”

  “He's sleeping.”

  “Still?”

  “Yeah, I sort of had to help him, if you know what I mean.”

  “I understand. Come on over. Do you want one of us to watch him?”

  “No, he'll sleep for a while. I'll be over in a few minutes. Bye.”

  “Bye.” Jackie said and then turned to the group gathered around a table. “Michael's coming over. He said he wanted to talk to us about the centers.”

  “Fine with me.” Bernie said. “I'm tired of rummy. I'm ready for a break. Jackie, I think you and Billy are cheating. What's the score?” He asked Morgan.

  “We have 220 to their 475.” She answered.

  “Come in.” Bernie
yelled in response to the knock. He leaned back to where he was balanced only on the rear two legs of his chair.

  “Didn't your mother tell you not to do that?” Jackie poked at Bernie with her foot trying to make him turn over.

  “Yeah, every day.”

  “Well?”

  “Well what?” Bernie responded.

  “Why are you leaning back?” Jackie scowled.

  “Because she told me not too.” He grinned.

  “Smart ass.” Jackie grinned back. “And I bet you leave the refrigerator door open to?”

  “How did you know?”

  Jackie turned to Michael as he sat down on the sofa. “Hi, we haven't heard from John yet.”

  “I didn't figure you had.” Michael answered. “Hi Morgan, I was hoping you were here. I called your room.”

  “We've been playing cards all day.” She said, “and losing I might add.”

  “We're playing strip poker next.” Bernie joked. “I bet you'll play a better hand then.”

  “Bernie you're incorrigible.” Jackie chuckled and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa.”

  “What's up?” Billy finally joined in and put an end to the horseplay.

  “As you know, “ Michael ran his hand through his hair, “the sixth center opens tonight.” He watched as they nodded in agreement. “Well tomorrow is the Reverend and from what I gather, most of you know, I was originally the first center. I'm sure Billy does.”

  Billy nodded in agreement and said, “And we know all of the centers have certain powers, or should I say abilities, but the two substitutes don't.” He paused and looked at Morgan.

  “I understand that, Michael.” Morgan answered. “I was going to say something earlier this morning but didn't get much of a chance.” She paused and looked around at the others to watch their response to what she was going to tell them.

  “My parents were members in of an ancient esoterical religion and when I was eight they began teaching me about John's coming. I was told I would be a substitute center for a girl who had gone crazy. They taught me what to expect and that I wouldn't have the ..., as you put it, the ability of the center but after my center opened I would have a certain amount of telepathic or rather empathic ability. I know Billy is the same. We've shared mental thoughts before.”