by Starr West
I returned to the house and read the words of the vision, written in the book by the same hand that wrote the scrambled words from my dreams. But these words made sense. Perhaps it was because I was certain of their meaning or the stone had calmed the chaos within. I wasn’t sure what the reason was, but it didn’t matter because the words were clear.
On the eve of the equinox, the healing stone will travel
Dawn reveals a perfect light and Heaven’s door will open
Libby stood at the table reading the words.
“Look, Psyche, there is something written in the book.” Libby had witnessed my response to the last entry in the book and her expression said it all. “They don’t rhyme, but they almost make sense.”
I smiled, saying “It’s okay, Libby, they make sense to me,” and she let out a breath of relief.
“So…” Libby waited.
I told her of the mountain and the stone and all I had seen. I told her of the children whom I believed were the same as I and how the images that meant nothing to me a week ago, now made perfect sense.
“I know where you need to go,” she said.
“Yes, you will lead the way,” I said, “I saw you in the vision, Emily too.”
“Emily? Do you know why Emily needs to come?”
“Yes I do, but there isn’t time to explain now. We leave tonight, it’s the eve of the equinox.”
“That much is pretty clear,” she said.
If it weren’t for Libby needing to show the way, Phoenix and I may have taken the horses, but it would have been unfair to ride and make anyone else walk. We set out as the sun was setting as if we were pilgrims heading for the promised land.
Chapter 32 ~ DIAMOND DUST AND RAINBOW LIGHT
Persephone was on my mind. I knew she protected me, but like Phoenix, she kept things hidden. Secrets that I needed to discover on my own. Life would be so much easier if I just had the facts. But who of mortal blood, has the right to demand answers from a goddess? Surely not I.
The spring equinox is Persephone’s day, the day she steps from the Underworld and walks the earth beside her mother, Demeter. She transforms from Queen of the Underworld into the Spring Maiden. As the spring maiden, she represents life, and emerges new and fresh.
Persephone is my goddess and I have much to thank her for. Tomorrow, when day and night are equal, I will spend time in the sacred garden with my goddess. My plan had not fully formed and the details were sketchy. But I knew enough now about the myth and reverence that I was sure it would come to me in time.
Tonight, we walked in near darkness toward the fulfilment of the prophecy. My mind settled back, away from the goddess and toward our destination. It was a short walk, compared to our journey to find the stone and the years that had passed since the birth of the prophecy. In less than two hours, we would stand at the base of the mountain; and two hours after that, we would arrive at Darnell’s Peak wait for dawn.
The moon was almost full and the golden orb hung heavy above the horizon. She was closer tonight than usual and ringed in a luminescent blue glow. Her energy streamed through me and I became aware of my beating heart and the inhale and exhale of my breath.
The earthy scent of the forest filled my nose and mingled with the crispness of the air. We may have stood on the eve of spring, but winter still held the night with a tenacious grip. In a few days, the chill of winter would be just a memory as the wheel turned, unaided by the hand of man. The days would warm and the earth would be blessed with new life.
Emily walked beside me, in place of my mother. She would sing the song my mother had been destined to sing. I loved Emily, but a sense of melancholy descended as I considered her presence and the role she would play in the prophecy. But I couldn’t blame Emily.
“Are you sure you understand?” I asked her.
“Yes, Psyche, your mother told me I would have to stand in her place. She knew this when she bound you. She knew the price even then,” said Emily.
Mum was the singer of songs. I didn’t understand when I read the prophecy, but there was so much I didn’t understand in the beginning. The singers were called to heal the earth, repair the lay lines that crisscrossed the earth and wove the fabric of life by acting as pathways for the energy.
Mum had sung the healing songs my entire life. It was why we left the valley, why we travelled like gypsies, and why she sang. It was why we walked to the tops of mountains and stood in ravines. It was why she sang wherever we went; she was healing the energy lines. I just thought she loved to sing.
Mum had the voice of an angel and so did Emily. I knew in my heart that Emily was the perfect choice. No one could replace my mother, but Emily could sing the final song of the prophecy.
Libby was also with us. Of course, Libby was with us! Even if she didn’t have to show the way, she would have come regardless. She knew where the prophecy would end, she always had. This path had been travelled many times. The way had been designed years before my birth when her mother built the foundation where I would lay the stone.
Phoenix and Tahinah had also walked this path, and they also knew the way. They stood on the peak and looked across the valley in the days before I arrived. It was insurance and reassurance, in case Libby didn’t survive in these final days and I didn’t return. I was surprised that Libby’s faith had faltered, but my absence created uncertainty in Libby’s heart. If only for a moment, it was enough.
“Near the top, there is a plateau, we can rest there and wait for dawn,” said Libby.
“Did you bring food?” I asked.
“Of course, don’t I always?” she said. She was still trying to fatten me up or at least create a healthy cover over my bony body. I had always been more round than thin. I missed it though, my old body, my curves and my waist and my bust. But that was me before. Like the death of my old life, that image had faded into the past and become a distant memory.
The path to the base of the mountain was easy, a gentle slope leading upwards. Ascending the mountain was harder. We slowed and often had to walk single file. Basalt rocks rose on either side of us, creating a narrow ravine. I eased my body through, feeling the pressure of stone on either side and the warm breath of Phoenix on my neck.
Moonlight didn’t penetrate the depth of the ravine and the darkness was absolute. But I knew it wasn’t by chance that the light didn’t shine here. Nothing on this journey happened by chance. Every detail was planned and finely tuned like the notes in a symphony. There was no room for error. Not now, nothing could be left to chance.
As the basalt passageway widened and the path rose higher, I felt the light of the moon on my face. That wasn’t by chance either. It was like being reborn under the light of the goddess. It was how I entered the world and how I approached my destiny. Well, not exactly, I was born under a lunar eclipse and didn’t take my first breath until the full moon bathed my face. Or so I’m told.
The path led to the plateau where we would wait until dawn. We had hours to wait and time to sleep. But none of us would.
The plateau had been prepared in advance for this night. Libby and her mother and perhaps even Tahinah and Phoenix carried items and hid them in a tiny cave beside the basalt passage. But I didn’t ask who had done this because it didn’t matter. I was happy for the pot that boiled our water and the cups for our tea. Thick winter throws had been sealed in plastic bags and now lay on the ground for comfort and warmth.
The stone hung in a pouch around my neck and beat gently, not calling with urgency or hot against my skin. It was the essence of the serenity that bathed my soul and calmed the chaos. It had been this way since I lay in the sacred garden and received the final part of the prophecy.
“You should rest, Psyche.” Phoenix placed his hand on my knee as I sat cross-legged beside the fire.
“No,” I said, “I don’t want to miss a minute of this.”
“At least rest a little,” he motioned to his lap and I knew that I could rest my head there. Perhaps I would before dawn.
“Thank you, but I would like a little more tea.”
I noticed that Navarre was not beside the fire, but stood guard on a rock beyond the circle while all of us rested. Pepper stood beside him with his tail raised and curled toward his head.
“Navarre, come and sit. We don’t need protecting tonight,” I said.
“I should watch anyway, just in case,” he said.
“There’s no need, Navarre, can’t you feel it? Other things protect us tonight.” For a moment, he stood silent. Pepper turned and sniffed the air. Then he ran to my side, nuzzled my hand and found a cosy position beside the fire.
“You’re right,” he said and laid his bow on the ground and sat beside Tahinah.
“I think we are like ghosts,” said Navarre. “Maybe the stone hides us like the spirits from another world.”
“Maybe,” I smiled. “Almost anything is possible.”
~~~
We left the plateau in the moments before dawn and walked the final steps toward the peak. A vertical wall rose at the end of the path. Phoenix lifted me and I pulled myself up over the basalt ledge and stood on the crest of the mountain. This was Darnell’s Peak.
The vision was perfect in every detail and from here, the land looked untouched by the hand of man or the ravages of time. One day, the earth would reclaim what was hers and this illusion would become reality, relegating human existence to a distant memory. But there was still a lot of healing to do and what I saw was nothing more than an illusion.
The peak was capped in a single stone, an enormous basalt boulder that curved away to the valley below. Boulders like this had been scattered across the landscape from the valley to Emma Creek, remnants of the turmoil of creation and the fluid of life that spilled across the earth when lava flowed and formed new lands.
I was surprised however, by the sight of an enormous man-made tower that stood proud and tall in the centre. The tower was bleached white and polished smooth, though small patches of lichen grew and mottled the perfect surface. It was a sign that Mother Nature still held the power.
The base of the tower was carved with symbols from the old language. Most were unrecognisable, but on the front of the tower, I read my name. I ran my fingers over the words. I liked the way my name looked carved in the concrete. Next to mine, Celeste was named and beside that, Libatina, Libby’s real name. The other carvings would be the names of the other daughters.
I stood here, on the peak of the mountain alone, knowing the others would arrive soon. But now I was absorbing the energy, comforted by the presence of the stone and the knowledge it possessed.
The moon waited on the western horizon, standing witness to the events that would follow as the sun began to rise, sending a blush of colour over the landscape below. I watched as the hands of life reached out and the darkness faded. The sun gave us life, but the moon gave us rhythm and balance.
The others began to arrive, standing beside me in awe of the view below. Phoenix arrived too, placing his hand on my shoulder. We stood in silence, a moment of respect and reverence. But a moment was all we had.
“Phoenix, can you lift me?” I looked up at the tower. It stood well over two metres tall and there was no way I could reach its apex without assistance.
Phoenix nodded and held me around my waist. I took the stone in my hand, warm and beating with life. I knew this would be our parting moment and felt as if I were farewelling a friend. Phoenix lifted me up, higher than the top of the tower. The tip was not flat, but crafted to fit the shape of the diamond. I reached out. My hands trembled as I placed the diamond on the tip and there she sat, exposed and waiting.
I slipped down and let my bare feet feel the cold of the stone.
“What now?”
“We wait, but it won’t be long,” I said.
I felt a tug in my heart and held one hand toward the tower. The energy flowed through me from the earth and into the tower and a beam of white light exploded from the sky and streamed into the stone. For a moment, we were blinded and I covered my eyes with my free hand. Tiny particles of dust filled the air as the light retracted and the stone sat clear and polished, as if touched by the gentle hand of a master jeweller.
Diamond dust created tiny glimmers of rainbow light that floated in the air and kissed our skin, settling at our feet. Emily began to sing, it was my mother’s song. Her voice created ripples across my soul as enchanting sounds filled the air and travelled beyond the valley.
Rays from the sun reached us now and the diamond began to glow. The energy was intense. Tears ran freely and I felt my knees begin to buckle. Phoenix caught me before I fell and held me upright. It was as if we stood in the presence of both our God and Goddess. And in truth we did. If the moon was the Goddess, then the sun truly was our God.
Rainbow light began to radiate from the stone and fill the sky. But it was more than a rainbow. Colours beyond the spectrum, colours without names; yet these colours seemed to balance the rainbow and complete the spectrum. The diamond dust sparkled and dazzled, the light refracting in the early morning sun, creating even more rainbows.
As I looked across toward the horizon, I saw other rainbows meet with ours. They came from every direction, as I knew they would. Others just like me had placed their stones, in sacred places just like this all around the world.
The sky grew vibrant and our blue had been replaced by a new light. I could feel the energy in the air. It was new energy, but it tickled at memories beyond this life and I found it familiar and pure. The energy flowed through the tower and warmth radiated through my fingers. It filtered down through my heart, and flowed into my toes until the air was humming around me. As I looked around, I could see that everyone felt it. The vivid light bathed us all in its healing energy.
The bright, white light began to retreat into the stone and the sky became blue again. Well almost blue, because now the sky was filled with vibrant ribbons of aurora light that danced to the rhythm of a new song. I could feel it in the air, hear it in my heart and I soaked it up like a lover’s embrace. But I expected that.
Chapter 33 ~ GODDESS OF THE EQUINOX
The sacred garden in the bottom of Libby’s yard was a recent discovery. But I knew it was the perfect place to spend time with the goddess. I didn’t expect her to materialise like she had in the past, but I knew I owed her a moment of gratitude.
Walking around the circular garden, I prepared the space using the energy that dwelled within. Raising the energy and creating a sacred space was knowledge gained naturally while possessing the stone. It was a lesson that Libby had intended to cover, but never found the time.
I sat on the chamomile bed in the centre of the circle. It was probably intended to be an altar, but it was a pleasant place to contemplate the goddess. I planned to do nothing more than consider the myth and revisit our earlier conversation.
I took a few deep breaths and began to elevate the energy. Within moments, the colours swirled around the circle like oil floating on water and I felt a surge of pride as I admired my work. It was nice to get something right. But the colours swirled into mist and changed to blue. It was the familiar glow that accompanied Persephone’s presence.
I wasn’t surprised, but it was unnecessary. I hadn’t called her simply because I figured she had better things to do on the equinox than visit with me.
“Psyche,” she said. She glimmered at the edges and then stood before me as real as any person in the valley. “I see you have fulfilled the prophecy.”
Everyone could see that. The ribbons of light still danced across the sky for all to view. I wondered what science would have made of this. Would they have found a logical explanation? Or would they have spent years decoding its meaning? Perhaps they might even consider it a natural phenomenon?
“Everything changes now. This is just the beginning.”
“Just the beginning? But I am finished. The prophecy has been fulfilled,” I said.
“Perhaps, but you still haven’t learned how to
use the power of your gift to its fullest potential.”
“I assumed that it was to assist the transfer of the light, to carry the energy from the earth,” I said.
“If this were true, then why do you still possess the power, even now?”
I couldn’t answer, because I didn’t know.
“The path to your destiny is woven in the fabric of time. The story of the ancestors is your story.” She reached out and took my hand. “But now is not the time. Let this not concern you today. The reason I am here is because you must learn how to use the gift. Your magick is squandered when you return it to the earth. The powers you possess are great and highly desired.”
“Then show me how to use it.”
“I’m sorry, Psyche, but you must learn this on your own. All will become clear in due time.”
“But this is not why I came here,” I said. “I came to thank you for helping me. I know that without you, I would probably be dead and the stone would still be at Emma Creek and the rainbow light would still be waiting to appear. Without you, we would have failed. It’s important that you know how grateful I am.”
She smiled. “Of course, you are grateful, but you should save your thanks for another day.”
“Because…?” I didn’t really understand what she was saying.
“Because you will thank me in another way, something more fitting to your destiny.”
“Oh, but you won’t tell me how I will thank you?”
“Not today, but the pieces, the seeds, have already been sown. You don’t really need me to tell you anything. Deep down, you already know.”
She stood and embraced me. I always cried in her presence. Today was no different.
“We are like sisters, you and I. Remember that.”
The blue glow returned and Persephone faded into mist. The swirly colours of my circle reappeared and then dissolved, leaving me with more questions than answers.
Chapter 34 ~ CHILDREN OF THE RAINBOW LIGHT