Love's Joy

by Emil Toth

  “It is good to be home. We cannot take all the credit for the tribes seeing the benefit of peace. Each ruler, chief and king saw the advantages of signing the treaty. And everyone in our group helped bring about the complete ratification. Actually, I have to go back to Taja and Batu; they were instrumental in bringing an awareness into our minds and hearts of how every man, woman and child should be treated with dignity and respect. Through them it began on a personal level and grew to societal proportions. We have endeavored to carry it forward to other villages so their women and girls would be honored and respected as well. The sessions have also brought an awareness of how debilitating it is to hound and bully a person. Any journey toward peace begins on a personal level and expands outward into the village.

  “I have been extremely fortunate to be part of a council recognizing the sovereignty and blessedness of each person. It is because of our rightminded council we are experiencing the growth in social and spiritual consciousness, which benefits our village and all of Mother Earth.”

  Many heads nodded and words of agreement were shouted.

  “Every man and woman on the mission was an instrument of peace. I implore each and every one of you to make it your mission to be an instrument of peace as you conduct business in the future with our new friends. As you go about doing it, you will discover you will be more joyful and content.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  Kaathi, Ashlee and Scarlet settled into their normal routine and were discussing the upcoming topics of the Spiritual Awakening Service at Taja’s meditation site. While Kaathi was away from the healing hut, a woman, Deshawn, in her late twenties came complaining of not feeling well. She had tripped on a gopher hole ten days ago and fallen upon some rocks. She told the healers she had started to feel sick soon afterward. Mara, Kacy and Marie listened to the woman’s account. Mara agreed to be the recipient of the information the other two would gather from Deshawn.

  Marie directed Deshawn to lie down on the examining table. Marie was competent in using her hands to sense injuries and obstructions in the auric energy field around the body. Marie told Deshawn, “I am going to check for any variation in your body temperature and energy using my hand. This will tell me something might be wrong in certain areas. Kacy is sight sensitive and will check for color variations out of the ordinary in your aura or energy body. We do not want you to volunteer anything.”

  “All right.”

  “I am going to be the first one to examine you. I will do it by running my hand over your body and I will report what I feel to Mara.”

  With her preamble out of the way, Marie started by placing her right hand four fingers above Deshawn’s forehead and moved it slowly around her head and did the same with her left hand. Marie moved her hands to the woman’s right shoulder and arm and detected nothing out of the ordinary. She went to the left shoulder and slowly slid her hands down her arm. At the elbow she sensed heat and again near the wrist. She went back over the arm starting at the hand and found the same temperature increase in both places. She went over the right hip and leg and to the other hip and leg. She next moved her hands over Deshawn’s chest and stomach and did it several times verifying what she felt. With her examination complete she whispered her findings in Mara’s ear.

  Kacy stood on one side of the table and slowly scanned Deshawn’s body from head to toe, went to the other side and did the same thing. She repeated the process. She went to Mara and whispered her findings in Mara’s ear.

  Mara approached Deshawn saying, “You can sit up now. Both Kacy and Marie agreed on what they felt and saw. They sensed your left elbow, hand, wrist and hip is where you hurt yourself when you fell. Are they correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Those areas are healing well. The swelling is gone and the coloration from the bruise is normal. Both healers were puzzled by what they sensed inside you and believe it is why you are not feeling well. They sensed it had nothing to do with your fall. They felt an activity aside from your own energy. I do believe you are pregnant. Congratulation.”

  The woman gasped. “What? Are you sure?”

  “We are sure.”

  “I never gave it a thought. My blood flow is erratic, so I was not concerned I have not had one for the last two cycles. Well, this is a wonderful surprise. My husband will be happy to hear the news.”

  Kacy and Marie were all smiles as Mara reported their discovery.

  “I am happy to say, Kacy saw the intermingled aura of you baby. She had to go around your body a few times to reassure herself of what she detected. It is pretty safe to say you are with child and it is doing well.”

  Deshawn smiled. “Oh my. This is our first child.”

  Marie gave the expectant mother a hug. “Congratulations. Babies are such a delight.

  “Do you want something for the morning sickness?”

  “My joy is so great I have forgotten. I suppose I could use something.”

  Marie went to the shelf and removed a small vile of oil and placed it in the woman’s hand. “First thing in the morning dip the tip of your finger in and rub the oil on your tongue.”

  The woman smiled. “Thank you.”

  Marie accompanied the woman out and saw another woman sitting on the bench she faintly recognized. “I am sorry. I have forgotten your name.”

  “Agnes.”

  “Mine is Marie.”

  “Did you need to see us?”

  “I do.”

  “Please come in.”

  The woman followed her in. She was introduced to Mara and Kacy, greeted and embraced.

  “How can we help you?”

  “My daughter, Tara, passed into the Land of No Shadows last year. She was only twelve when she was struck by the fever. She was alive and well and four days later she was dead.”

  Agnes shook her head sadly and was overcome with emotions. She collected herself. “Kaathi performed the funeral services. I have become frantic she no longer exists in spite of what our old and new religions said we do exist after physical death. I want assurance she still lives as a spirit.”

  “We have had other people come to us with the same concerns,” Mara informed her, “and we have assured them their loved ones do exist.”

  “I want positive proof and I want Kaathi to be involved.”

  “I can go to the other side and find your daughter,” Marie assured her.

  “You do not have the reputation Kaathi does. I shall wait for her.”

  “I understand. She should be here in a little while. Would you wait outside in case someone else comes?”

  “I can.”

  Agnes did not have to wait long. Kaathi appeared before any other patients arrived. Agnes stood and informed her why she was waiting. Kaathi guided her into the healer’s hut. “How can we assure you Tara is alive?”

  “Tara had a favorite name she called me. If you contact her ask her what the name was. If it is correct, I shall have the assurance I need.”

  Kaathi agreed to go to the Land of No Shadows and find her daughter. Kaathi took the time to explain the routine she would go through to place herself in the Land of No Shadows. Since Kacy had never been present for the event, Marie volunteered to sit outside to prevent any disturbance from prospective patients. Kaathi closed her eyes and started to breathe deeply. She quickly accessed the level of consciousness she needed and directed her mind to the Land of No Shadows. Assured she was there, she concentrated on Tara’s name and was drawn to her. She recognized the daughter even though she represented herself as an adult.

  Kaathi initiated the conversation, “Hello, I see you recognize me.”

  “I do, why are you here?”

  “I have come on behalf of your mother.”

  Tara’s face quickly changed to one of concern. “Is she ill?”

  “No, she is fine physically. Her problem is she pines for you and wants to know if you exist.”

  The daughter smiled. “Well, you can tell I do.”

  “She wants a dee
per assurance. She has requested me to ask what your favorite name was for her.”

  The daughter chuckled. “It is so like her. I remember giving her the name because she was always so overly concerned about me, just as she is now. I cannot tell you how many times I would respond to her concerns by saying, ‘Oh Ma.’ You can return and tell her I cried it out again, Oh Ma you worry too much.”

  “I hope you appreciated your mother being so concerned over you?”

  “Trust me I was and still am.”

  She came to Kaathi and gave her an embrace.

  “Would you give it to her? And tell her I love her.”

  “I will. Goodbye my dear. I love you.”

  Tara cocked her head. It was rare for her to hear someone tell her they loved her even here in the Land of No Shadows. “I love you too.”

  Kaathi broke the contact and withdrew from the afterlife level of consciousness and slowly opened her eyes to find the mother intently watching her.

  “So, did you find her?”

  “I did. She looked amazing and wanted me to give you this. Would you stand?”

  She stepped over to the mother and warmly embraced her saying, “I love you.” She did not release her until she felt the mother relax and truly accept the hug. They parted and stood near each other.

  “Oh, by the way Tara told me how concerned you always were and she would say to you, ‘Oh Ma.’”

  An instant flood of tears poured from the mother’s eyes. She clutched Kaathi and held on weeping. A long while passed and she gradually brought her emotions under control, she pulled away and wiped her face with her hands.

  “Thank you, thank you. I cannot thank you enough. It is hard to put into words how much my Tara meant to me. She was the world to me, and I loved her more than life itself. I thought I had lost her and you have calmed my fears. Thank you again. You have put joy back into my heart.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

  Kaathi, Scarlet and Ashlee concluded the Spiritual Awakening Service and bid goodbye to the last person who sought personal advice. They made their way to the convergence of ley lines where Taja had often meditated. It was early in the sunny sky season. The air held little moisture, and the river was still swollen from the rains. The river had not lost its volume.

  The moment they reclined Ashlee spoke. “I am still struggling with the Hindu philosophy of the universe. Could you cover it again?”

  “Of course. The Hindu’s believed the universe is in a constant state of flux and it is cyclic in nature. They envisioned its construction, preservation and annihilation to be a natural process of Creator.”

  “Their belief sounds similar to the belief we live many lives to fulfil our desires as we come to understand the nature of desire, love and creation,” responded Ashlee.

  “It does have its similarities. It runs parallel to how Mother Earth has transformed through the ages. We can look at the moon and see how pock marked it is and easily come to the conclusion the world has suffered in a similar manner in its history. Life on Mother Earth has gone through many changes due to cataclysmic events, which drastically altered life on her face. Humans, animals and plant life came and went based upon the cataclysms.”

  “So, we humans were not the only instruments for change upon this world,” declared Ashlee.

  “You are correct. There are tales saying the gods came to Mother Earth and assisted our physical and mental transformation.”

  “Did the gods actually do it?”

  “People called the beings coming to earth, gods because they did not have any other words to describe them. Much later the gods were called extraterrestrial travelers.”

  “Is this true?”

  “I am not sure. It does not matter to me how we arrived at our intelligence or philosophy or when we inhabited humanoid bodies. The important thing is we, as conscious sentient beings, at some point, utilized the upright human form to creatively express ourselves.

  “The world has altered itself due to disasters initiated by droughts, ice, objects crashing into the earth and volcanic eruptions. Within the universe, there is constant destruction. A better term would be change. You must understand destruction is the state of construction of something new and different. We as humans have a difficult time in comprehending the process.”

  “Why does it have to change?”

  “There are only a few things in life guaranteed and change is one of them. It occurs at every level of creation and consciousness. For example, your body is a composition of cells. Each cell is conscious and knows its purpose within your body. However the cells do not live for long. Within a comparatively short length of time all of your cells will have died, which can be seen as destroyed, and they will have been replaced by new ones, which is the construction or creation process. The whole process should be looked at as a magnificent and marvelous example of the ebb and flow of creation. It is the same with the universe. The universes’ cells are the stars, planets and galaxies. Their births and deaths contribute to the formation of new stars and earths. The stars gave birth to our physical bodies. The longevity of the glorious heavenly bodies is measured in greater lengths of time, however the principle is the same. The tiniest composition of cells are related to the galaxies and they all have their own consciousness. Some of these forms of consciousness have a better understanding of their relationship to their environment than you do to yours.”

  Scarlet’s face showed her confusion. “It all seems so complex. Do I have to know how all of creation works?”

  “Absolutely not,” answered Kaathi. “It is far more important to love and serve those you come into contact with in this life. In some other life, the how and why of creation will be important to you thus you need not think about it in this one.”

  “Interesting. Can you guarantee it?”

  “Of course not. All I can tell you is your interests and desires appear to create a series of lives allowing you to fulfill your dreams and wishes. I have said this before, and it bears repeating. Every thought you have creates a portion of reality. Every decision of opposites has its reality. If you choose to do something it creates your soul’s reality and every decision to not do something creates your soul’s reality as well. So every choice presents you with a number of paths. Each path has its own reality because you have thought of it. You focus on the path of your choice, while the others are going on merrily without you realizing it. If your awareness was more pronounced, you could focus your attention on one or more of the other paths.”

  Ashlee waited for Scarlet to ask another question, when she did not, she did, “I have heard you tell us how over a period of time we can grow spiritually. Is there a way to experience Creator quickly?”

  “There are ways a person not on the spiritual path can experience Creator. A near death experience can propel you or the death of a loved one can do it or facing your own death on the plains can bring it about. Being graced by a transformative spiritual experience can induce it and it can happen to the most awful person in the world. There is a way you can induce an experience with Creator, if your love and desire is great enough. To achieve it, you must weep honestly and continuously for Creator for three full days. This is not easy. Our minds are prone to think of many things during the course of a day. To focus on Creator and weep because you are separated from Creator for one day is difficult. To do it for three days is extremely difficult.”

  Ashlee’s brow furrowed. “When I was taken by the mutants and saw my parents killed, I cried for days. I remember there were times during the day I did not weep. To cry continuously seems almost unbelievable. It takes a lot of energy to weep for a long time. Do any of our stories tell of someone accomplishing it?”

  “I have not heard of any. One of the most spiritual persons in our past made the statement, so I would imagine it is true. I do know Creator’s love is always with us as is Creator’s energy. It is you and I who need to open ourselves to Creator to experience Creator.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-T
WO

  The Spiritual Awakening Session concluded and those wanting hugs and to chat with Kaathi, Ashlee and Scarlet had left. One man remained seated cross legged with his eyes closed in the back of the prayer hut. Ashlee touched Kaathi’s arm and nodded toward the man.

  Kaathi looked at her apprentices. “The two of you can leave. I am going to see if he wants to talk.”

  Kaathi walked over to the wiry-built man and sat across from him, emptied herself and waited with her eyes closed. A short while later she heard him softly weeping and opened her eyes to see his hand covering his face. He finally stopped and wiped his face with his hands. The darkly tanned face she saw looked as if it had the weight of the world etched on it. His hair was prematurely gray and thin and his eyes were bloodshot. His eyebrows were bushy and part of his right ear was missing. A wide scar was present by it and sliced through his cheek running halfway up his forehead.

  “Can I help?”

  “I doubt it. You tried years ago. My wife came to you and told you she was having trouble controlling her body. She is far worse; she cannot walk any more. I have to carry her to the river to bathe her. The same is true when she needs to use the latrines. I have to clean her up after she empties her body. Her relatives and friends have helped now and then but the burden rests with me. She has a hard time giving our two girls hugs. They are nine and seven. Sometimes she cries uncontrollably. The list of things she cannot do goes on and on and has been going on for years and frankly I am getting worn out.”

  “Do her parents help?”

  “Her mother did, unfortunately, she has been sick for the last two years. Her father comes less and less because of his wife. He has also grown tired. When he does come he is impatient with my wife. He cannot understand her because of her slurred speech.”

  “How are your girls taking it?”

  “They are afraid it is going to happen to them and they stay away from her. They are afraid it is catching no matter how much I tell them it is not.”