by Lucia Ashta
“And how, exactly, do I do that?” It was a sensible question, she thought.
“You’ll know, child,” Kaanra answered.
How would she know if she had no idea what he was even talking about? How was she supposed to become one with the water? She was almost amused at the vagueness and immensity of the task.
“Be with her. Be with her stillness, her power, and her knowledge. Feel the water as you feel yourself. Let yourself become her, and you’ll learn to master her knowledge. You must learn to harness the energies that surround you and are within you. You must become as familiar with the elements as you are with your own body. Know them and you’ll know yourself."
“Now go, child. Become the water,” he said, turned, and walked away.
Asara stood motionless in the temple hall where Kaanra had found her while on her way to the dining room for breakfast. She was unsure of what to do now.
She shook her head in an effort to clear it and decided that if Kaanra, who was wiser than anyone she knew, believed she could become one with the water, then she would at least try. If he believed she could do it, maybe she could. What just seconds before had been apprehension turned into excitement. It was a challenge. Life and the world were Asara’s ultimate playground. Eager, she turned on her heels, breakfast forgotten, and ran off toward the waters of the Haakal.
As Asara reached the water’s edge, prayer and reverence replaced playful excitement. At age thirteen, she knew that there was true power in ritual, in thoughts, and in the spoken word. As she walked, she held her hands folded over her heart center between her developing breasts. She sang words of praise for Creator and for the earth, the sweetness of her voice trailing behind her.
She thanked the sun that gave life in a burst of intense fire, and the moon that gave magic to the world with her cool stare. She focused on the slight breeze that had followed her to the water, and she sang her thanks to the air that was the breath of life. She thanked the earth, the Great Mother of all life on the planet, and she felt intense gratitude ripple through her.
Asara paused before taking the final step that would lead her into the water. She stood and waited. Patience didn’t come easily to her. A wild, intense spirit, she had to remind herself to allow things to unfold in their own time instead of forcing them to obey her desires. It was a lesson she was still learning. Patience went counter to that part of her that drove her into action as soon as she knew what to do.
She stood now with deliberate serenity at the bank of the River Haakal. The water lapped teasingly near her feet, beckoning her. She felt instant familiarity at the water’s contact with her spirit. Asara spoke to the water in her mind as the temple masters had taught her. The water was fully aware of her thoughts and intentions. She could communicate with all living matter since, ultimately, all emanated from the same source.
She told the water of her intention to become one with it. She asked the water to help her learn its sacred wisdom. The water welcomed Asara to enter her and begin absorbing her teachings. She stripped the tunic off her slim body and tossed it to the side. She then walked slowly into the river.
She was aware of each sensation, the feel of the water on her bare skin, how it glided like silk against her body with so much energy and life. She felt its coolness, the perfect temperature. She bent and scooped some water in her hand and brought it to her lips and drank. The water tasted as sweet as the fruit from the trees that surrounded the temple.
Placid, Asara walked into the water until it reached her shoulders. She listened for what the water might say to her but could not hear as a surge of panic bubbled within her. How could she will her body to take in water as breath when it went contrary to her natural impulses?
Asara realized the true lesson was surrender. Only with full surrender could she learn to be one with the water, to be the essence of water itself.
She would have to relinquish her very breath to those higher powers that dictated the outcome of her life anyway. Asara knew she could direct the happenings of her life, although in a larger sense, she had no control over her existence. It was humbling. As real and vivid as life seemed, it could easily be gone in the next moment. It was as much outside of human control as the rising and setting of the sun.
Even though Asara had always loved the water, this lesson would be one of the most difficult to master. She lay in the water, giving her weight to it totally. She floated along its surface for hours, barely noticing the moving position of the sun.
She identified the water’s peace with her own inner peace and felt the rhythm of its cycles and flows. Still she was unable to relinquish her human impulses to the water’s will.
By the time the sun began to set, Asara felt a beautiful calm, but she hadn’t managed to surrender to the water’s power. She was unable to relinquish her sense of control over the essence of her life: her breath. Determined nonetheless, she continued to float in the water, her skin shriveled and soft. She welcomed the rising moon.
Now bathed in a silver glow, under the feminine influences of the moon and the water, she slipped into the water’s consciousness. She was acutely aware of the magic it held.
As night settled in, she began to shiver and couldn’t stay in the water any longer. Once she made the decision, she moved quickly. Had there been an observer, it would have seemed inconsistent that the girl who’d lain inactive for so many hours would now rush to the shore.
Shivering violently, Asara fumbled as she pulled on her tunic. She couldn’t return to the temple until she completed the lesson so, instead, she ran off to collect wood to build a fire. While she looked for firewood, hunger reminded her that she hadn’t eaten all day so she expanded her search to include fruits and berries.
She worked quickly under the illumination of the almost-full moon.
Chapter 15
Asara awoke the next morning with the rising sun. She stretched, forgetting where she was, until her extended arms rubbed against grasses instead of fabric. This incongruity snapped her out of the remaining vestiges of sleep, and she remembered where she was and why.
“Uuugh.”
It was the second morning in a row that she awakened with a groan. She wasn’t looking forward to the long day before her and the monumental task that she had to accomplish. She covered her face with her tunic and rolled over, attempting to recall those moments of sleep that could give her refuge. Yet sleep wouldn’t return no matter how hard she tried.
Thankful that no one from the temple was around to see her complaining, she let the tunic fall from her eyes and sat up. She knew she should be grateful that Kaanra thought her ready for such an important lesson. But the truth was that she was scared. In this moment, she would have happily turned from the water to go to her mother’s arms.
A single tear slid down her cheek. She hadn’t seen her mother since the time of the winter solstice and that had been almost six months ago. She felt small and vulnerable.
Having indulged in self-pity, she summoned her will toward the goal. It was rare that she would allow herself to be that discouraged—she knew it was a waste of valuable energy—but the last few days had been more challenging than usual. She folded her legs into her accustomed meditation position and sat with her back straight and her gaze inward.
Perhaps today more than ever, she needed to focus.
Once she found what she was looking for: the trust that all was perfect and that she was an instrument of Creator’s will, she opened her eyes. She uncrossed her legs and headed straight toward the water, pulling her tunic off as she walked. This time, she didn’t wait for an invitation from the water. She already knew the water was willing to share wisdom with her. She walked straight into it and waded until the water reached her neck. Then she flipped up to float with her eyes closed.
She was ready.
The entire day before, Asara had floated in the water, trying, wanting to be one with her. But just as that day had been uneventful, this day would be filled with accomplishm
ent.
Unexpectedly, an intense knowing allowed her to surrender. In an instant, she gained access to the understanding of the workings of the universe. It was an experience she would later remember as having changed her life. It was the moment in which she became a true believer, not just in the mysteries of life, but also in herself. She connected to the water intrinsically and, through it, to all life.
She moved to lie in the river as if she were just another one of its stones. Her body was still as if it were lifeless, as if the water itself would give her life. She took one last breath, free of fear; there were only tantalizing possibilities. Exhaling, she allowed her head to sink below the water’s surface.
Her body lay curved upward, a rock at the small of her back, supporting her in an arch. Her form was organic, molded by the water’s flow. Her head sank until the water completely covered her face. Even her nose dipped beneath the surface. The rock cradled her head. She was supported by Mother Earth.
Peace and joy eliminated all thoughts. Only knowing and being remained, and timelessness. There was the water and her within it, melding as one. There was total silence within the sounds of nature.
She was at one with everything on the planet. Finally, she was truly ready. Without effort, or conscious thought, she breathed in water. It was no different than air.
She lay in the water, as part of it, for hours, or days, or perhaps it was just minutes. She didn’t know whether she breathed air or water. She didn’t care. Everything was pure wonder. To her, in that moment, there was not a being on the planet that wasn’t perfect and connected to her.
The water flowed. It cleansed Asara of her human limitations. It strengthened her, giving her the knowledge and power that we can all access through the gateway of Creator. The beauty of life moved her, and her tears flowed into and with the water.
The coolness of the water became her body temperature. The water became her essence, even the texture of her skin. She breathed in more water. She learned more with each breath. She expanded. And she cried joyous tears.
She could have stayed in the water like this forever, but her trance was disturbed. Her dolphin friend, Vilu, came in from the sea to find her. She’d met him before while playing in the water, but it had been months since she last saw him. It was perfect that he should come now in this culminating moment of shifting consciousness. The whole world seemed a fairy tale to her.
Ah-né Vilu. Ah-né Asara, She thought in her underwater world. I am Vilu. I am Asara. She was one with all beings, and so she was one with the dolphin. Vilu woke her from her stupor. He nudged her with laughter, and Asara instantly knew Vilu’s joy. She opened her eyes to see his dolphin face smiling through crisp water. There was no thought of her humanness or of her previous need to breathe air. She skimmed the water with her body as she swam after Vilu.
She swam until her muscles were heavy with exhaustion. When she could swim no longer, Vilu invited her to ride on his back. She held onto his fin, entranced in the moment. It seemed almost unreal, yet she was certain it was happening.
She realized that bliss could be ours if we just choose it. And with that realization, once again her life was transformed.
Vilu led her out to a sea of sweet water where Asara felt at home. She and Vilu glided as mystical water beings until they reached a pyramid she hadn’t known existed.
Jewels encrusted the pyramid’s surface as if they’d fallen in a divine shower. Even deep underwater, the jewels shone. Somehow, they’d escaped the fate of most sea objects and were free of the elements that would dull their shine. Red, green, and purple stones stood out against the sand-colored pyramid walls and glittered in the flashes of sun that filtered through the clear water.
Vilu deposited Asara at the pyramid and then swam away. There was no farewell. Vilu gave no importance to the moment of parting for there was no separation when they were connected.
Alone in the water, Asara examined the pyramid. It was small compared to those near the temple. It was only four times Asara’s height, with four vertical sides. She leaned against it and spread her arms out on the sandstone.
As she was one with the water, so she became one with the pyramid. Instantly, she felt it imparting its knowledge to her, though she wasn’t yet able to absorb that knowledge at a conscious level.
She rested there for several long moments. She remained against the sandstone, knowing in her mind that it was foreign to her skin, yet feeling no true difference between it and her. This was the foundation of magic that she would incorporate into her life in years to come. This magic of her youth captivated her and became the wellspring of her practices in adulthood.
She knew instinctively what to do. She held one of the flat sides of the pyramid. Now she was fully alert, aware of her actions. She breathed water in deeply, filling her lungs, and her body processed the water with ease. Then, fully in her power, she released light. It was gold—the color of pure love and it burst forth from her body. It was neither aggressive nor foreign. It was her essence.
When the golden light shot out of her body, it transferred to the pyramid. Its stones absorbed the light, and the pyramid began to vibrate with the light’s power for a prolonged moment. Then, it released the golden light to the heavens. The light went to the water, to the earth, to the air, and to the fireball of the sun. It infused all the elements of life.
Asara wasn’t drained. She didn’t lose life force energy, just the opposite. She only experienced an increase in her own energy as she too benefited from the force that had moved through her. Vague notions, that hinted at her purpose on earth, floated on the periphery of her consciousness.
After the light faded from the sky, Asara leaned against the pyramid in awe. She’d just become like a character in the tales she loved as a young child. She couldn’t think of a way to explain what had happened without considering magic.
A subtle current in the sea’s waters moved some sand in an eddy, and the water kicked up one of the red jewels that lay at the base of the pyramid. The ruby moved directly in front of her face. It hovered there in line with her gaze before she realized it was a gift.
As soon as she extended her hand to capture the jewel, the water current abruptly ceased, and the gem landed in her hand.
The water grew very still. The ruby was large enough to fill most of the palm of her hand and sparkled the deepest and most beautiful red she’d ever seen. She closed her hand around it, and then took another deep, unfathomable breath underwater.
Chapter 16
Asara walked back to the temple so slowly that her yellow hair was almost dry by the time she returned. She meandered and mused in her rumpled tunic, her hair loose and wild about her face, clutching nothing in her hands but a single jewel.
It was past midday, and the sun was almost directly overhead. The excitement she’d felt after her experience with the water and the pyramid had worn off. Exhaustion crept in its place.
She wanted nothing more than to go to her little room. It was so small that it could only fit a narrow bed with a petite bedside table, and a tiny fireplace just large enough to warm the space. However, it was her own room, and she could go there to be undisturbed.
Her bedroom also had a window. She very much loved this window that allowed her to look out onto the River Haakal and the large trees that dotted its bank. Through it, she could hear the running water. She’d always believed that the water spoke to her, and, now she knew it was true.
As soon as she reached the gates of the Temple of Laresu’u Kal, she headed straight toward her room. But before she could reach its solitude, Master Kaanra intercepted her in the open-air corridor. He knew exactly where to wait for her.
She surprised herself by running up to him and embracing him. It was an uncommon display of affection. Yet, Kaanra held her until she was ready to let go.
When Asara finally pulled back, she looked Kaanra in the eyes for several heartbeats. What Kaanra saw within Asara’s fiery, amber eyes delighted him. He wonder
ed if it was possible that through this one lesson the girl could have already seen the extent of her powers. Kaanra knew with certainty that she was the one that the great prophet, Dann, had foreseen.
“It’s done,” Asara said, and then, with a calm smile, she walked past Kaanra toward her room.
Kaanra turned to watch the girl retreat. Now that he was convinced she was one of the twins Dann had spoken of, he realized that the prophecy was figurative instead of literal.
Kaanra turned his mind to the boy he’d heard of, living in a temple on the other side of Arnaka. The suspicion that this boy had something to do with the prophecy loomed foremost in Kaanra’s thoughts.
He began to make plans.
Chapter 17
Kaanra had been walking for several weeks, and he felt every year of his body with each step. It was a tedious journey. He could have traveled with a horse, but decided to do it by foot instead. He’d chosen to make this a pilgrimage as a show of gratitude for finding the appointed ones. Now, Kaanra regretted that decision.
As he traveled across Arnaka to the other edge of the island, the scenery proved monotonous. Arnaka was a desert of sand except around its waters, and water sources were scarce inland. As Kaanra neared the river that flowed along this side of the island, he felt transported to a completely different place. Lush vegetation teemed with life. Animal calls rang out in the dusk.
He arrived at the Temple of Na’anesh Kal as the sun was setting. The sky was afire with fluorescent oranges and pinks. Dedicated to the ways of the temple since he was seven years old, appreciation for the beauty of life imbued his thinking. Kaanra looked at the sky with amazement. The colors were incredibly vivid, as if an artist had sopped up as much paint as possible on an enchanted paintbrush before flinging it wildly across the sky.