I stepped into a different world.
It was so beautiful.
The streets were neat and tidy.
There was a stream flowing along the road.
A lot of the beautiful houses had vines growing along them with big fragrant flowers.
There was a grassy plaza with a fountain where horses were drinking their fill.
There were birds and flowers and bees and butterflies everywhere.
I was thinking,
No wonder no one ever came back.
This place is just so beautiful.
All the people looked beautiful and graceful,
And very few had grey hair.
They walked along at leisure,
Some were singing,
Stopping to chat to their friends and neighbours,
And you could hear laughter everywhere.
Bonnie and I got plenty of welcoming smiles and greetings.
It was clear that they knew everyone and that they weren't used to strangers showing up at their doorsteps.
We made our way along the road up to the castle.
When I arrived,
I was surprised to see that there was a big archway to the castle courtyard without any doors or guards or further protection.
I asked someone about it,
And they said that the door at the wall and the guard were enough protection for the sacred land because it was a different space and time than the world surrounding it.
And most people who lived in the world would not be able to find it,
Let alone get in.
I was invited to have a look around.
There was a big grassy area for rest,
Relaxation and basking in the sun.
There was a stream and children were playing in the water and chasing each other in the grass or going round and round and round,
Making themselves dizzy.
I learned that water was sacred here and there were daily ceremonies to bless the water so it could bless the land.
We went into the open castle,
Greeted everyone as they went about their day and their endeavors.
And we found big rooms for celebrations,
Lots of big rooms with lush beds and bathrooms with sunken tubs.
All the rooms had huge glass doors to let the breeze in and big balconies to enjoy the beautiful view of the mountain slopes all the way down to the ocean,
Which was far bigger than I could ever have imagined.
I could even see the port with its white ships.
I came upon the throne room.
Which was empty,
But in the middle of the room was a massive pile of gold coins.
I saw a man arrive with a wheelbarrow,
And he shoveled a big lot of coins into it,
And yet the pile only seemed to grow bigger.
I asked him about it and he replied,
We don't really have much use for coin here in the sacred land because everyone has everything they need and want and more.
But sometimes our citizens want to explore the world,
And for them the gold is useful.
The more I explored,
The more amazed I was.
There were no sick people and you could literally do whatever gave you pleasure.
There are rooms where you could do art,
Paint,
Sew,
Sing,
Read.
Oh my,
The library.
Or practice sport if you wished,
And anyone could decide that they wanted to retire to their room and have a rest or some time alone.
Everyone contributed because they wanted to.
Being already so rich in everything that made life worth living.
Bonnie and I were invited to choose where we wanted to live.
Either in the castle or in the house in the town.
Traditionally,
Houses were for families or friend groups.
So we chose a beautiful room in the castle with a massive bed,
A stocked bookshelf,
And a wardrobe full of clothes that fitted me perfectly.
As soon as we settled in,
I heard a shout,
Anima,
Bonnie,
You're finally here.
And my cousin Tezora flew in and gave me the biggest hug and we laughed and cried and our dogs jumped and barked with excitement at being reunited.
Once I had caught my breath and taken in that it truly was to Soda right there in front of me,
I asked,
What happened to you?
You just disappeared without a trace or without a word.
Did you know how much I missed you?
She said,
I am so sorry I had to leave that way,
But that is how it must be.
You yourself left in the same way,
Leaving your family to grieve.
But I did keep coming back to you to tell you to join me because I knew that this is your true home too.
And now you are here.
You did actually come,
I said.
Is that why I dreamt of you so vividly?
Can we go and see our families?
You will find that an interesting experience,
But why don't you rest and get used to the place first?
And then we will show you how things work here in the sacred land.
We spent the next few months making friends,
Creating art and food,
Singing with the others,
Blessing the water,
Playing in the garden and in the fountain,
Making friends with the horses that chose us as their riders,
Growing plants,
Speaking with fairies and divas,
Eating delicious food,
Resting in the lush bed or on our balcony or on the grass,
And just living in joy,
Recovering from the life that we had led.
We got healthier,
Taller,
And lighter every day.
I started to be able to hear Bonnie telepathically.
She asked when Indigo,
My cat,
Was going to join us.
Tezoto and Joya came to find us one day and took us to the top of a turret where a handful of citizens were looking at the port city.
There is some sickness there,
They said.
We have already sent some healing energies.
But we are discussing if someone should go down there to provide healing.
I could see the flow of energy emanating from them down to the area.
They looked dark below.
It would be really helpful if someone like you who has lived in the world could go there to dispense healing.
You know how the world works,
And you can navigate it more easily than those of us who are native to the sacred land.
You need to know that by now,
Your energy frequency is so high that only very few people will be able to see you,
And then only if you wish them to.
This was news to me.
We would essentially walk the street like ghosts.
The citizens laughed.
Yes,
Guess where ghost stories come from?
Do you not remember seeing bright lights out of the corners of your eye and having vivid dreams about places you had never seen?
Tesoro sparkled at me.
That is how I encouraged you to come to find me in this beautiful place.
Suddenly a whole lot of things made sense.
So we would walk around amongst the people like ghosts and dispense healing.
Gaea's Tezora replied,
Do you want to come,
Anima?
Of course I do.
This feels so right.
The citizens thanked us and we went to get what we needed.
Forces as swift as the wind would take us,
And we were given little vials with healing that looked like swirling patterns of light and sparkles contained in a small bottle.
Traveling food that was delicious and would keep us healthy,
And water from our sacred spring.
We set off at dark and enjoyed the speed of our beautiful horses,
Laughing with freedom and joy.
We left the horses and our dogs at the outskirts of the town and kept going on foot.
I had forgotten how dark life in the world could be.
I saw hunger and homelessness,
Sickness and despair,
Grief and anger everywhere.
It was a shock.
I'd got used to living in abundance and harmony so easily.
I wanted to help every single person we came across,
But Tezoro cautioned me.
I know your heart is breaking right now.
But for those who still choose to live this way,
No amount of healing elixir is going to help.
We are going to give it to those who have already chosen the light.
They are living examples in this community of how life can be different and they can be the beacon to others.
A homeless man looked straight at us.
Here is a bright one,
Set Tesoro.
She approached him and greeted him.
She asked if he needed any assistance.
He told us that he had come upon hard times because he had been betrayed.
Chizuru gave him a coin in a purse and said that as long as he kept that coin,
The purse would always be full.
He smiled at her with the most brilliant smile of gratitude and thanked her profusely.
They can't see us unless they have pure hearts,
" Tezoro reminded me.
Well,
That certainly makes this task easier.
Everyone seems so dark here,
It's hard to even see the light.
Don't worry,
Tezora said,
There are only a few more steps.
We made our way to the town well.
I could see the wrongness of the water in it.
Tezora poured healing elixir into the well.
Didn't you say we couldn't heal everyone?
So Zora replied,
If the water is sick,
The land and the people will also be sick.
So this is the most direct way we can deliver the healing.
It is not called healing waters for no good reason.
She emptied the vial into the well and immediately the water started shimmering and glistening and the wrong was gone.
Do people really choose suffering?
I asked.
You would be surprised.
Some choose it because they gain something else,
Care,
Affection,
Or to prove a point.
Some have simply forgotten that there is another choice.
Some feel that they dishonor their ancestors' memory if they don't suffer as much as the ancestors did.
Some are scared of their own light.
Some don't want to let go of what no longer serves them because they don't trust their ability to live without,
And they are scared of the unknown.
Will the inhabitants be cured if they drink the water?
I asked.
The healing is in the well and everyone will drink from it.
Only those who are ready to receive the healing will experience it,
And it will be gentle because of the dilution.
Their systems can't handle too much all at once.
We respect everyone's right to choose for themselves at all times.
It was dawn now and we watched the people coming to draw the water.
We could see the change in some of them as they drank.
And some of them stayed exactly the same.
It was like the healing light was extinguished the moment they drank the water.
Do they even know that there was a sickness?
Some of them suspect,
But most of them never question it,
Because most people are affected,
So it seems normal.
The bright ones are often envied and feared because they live longer and are healthy,
And sometimes,
If the sickness hits hard,
They are run out of town or worse because they remain unaffected.
Thankfully,
We arrived here in time before it got that far.
We made our way to a bright one,
The town Gila Sisina.
She welcomed us in and offered us shelter and food.
We declined and offered her some of ours instead,
As well as some of our well water.
I found out that Tezora was a regular visitor.
We have healed the well water,
So the sickness should abate now.
We have come to give you this healing vial,
As I'm sure your last vial has run out by now.
Oh,
Thank you.
It is so good to see you.
I do miss the sacred land,
" Cicinas answered.
You are from the sacred land,
But you live here?
I was astonished.
Why would anyone want to leave the sacred land permanently?
I brought healing here,
Just like you and Tesoro,
And I met a bright one and fell in love with him.
So I decided to stay.
He was not able to join me in the sacred land because he had too many commitments here.
So I became the healer here.
We've spent many happy years together,
But he passed away 20 years ago.
My jaw dropped.
You look 40,
How old are you?
Cecina smiled.
We come from a place where age doesn't matter because our bodies are in harmony with the land and have what they need to keep themselves healthy.
I am 80.
But don't the local citizens notice you're not aging?
It's funny how people only see what they want to see.
Do you remember your parents not seeing the road where you grew up?
Yes,
Yes,
That's exactly what it was like.
Well,
It's much the same here.
It's like they forget to question why I don't age like they do.
Being the healer,
I have some license to be different.
We spent a lovely day with Cecina,
Learning about her life and why she decided to stay.
She had to drop her frequency to live here like the natives,
But she still had access to all her knowledge and could consciously shift her frequencies.
In this way,
She was able to bridge both worlds.
But don't you want to come back?
I asked her.
I choose to live here now.
I love the people and the land,
And I can do more good here than in the sacred land.
Every so often,
Someone remembers their true nature because of an encounter with me.
It's worth staying for that.
I certainly had a lot to think about.
On the way back to our horses,
Tesoro and I decided to stop at our old village on the way back.
It was so lovely to see our horses and dogs,
And we felt like we flew on our way to the village.
We set up camp on the other side of the road from our village,
Knowing that it would not be found.
I was surprised to see how bright the village was.
It hadn't felt like that when I lived here.
This city certainly puts things in perspective,
Doesn't it,
Said Tesoro?
The water is very clear here.
It was so strange to walk among all our friends and family with them not being able to see us.
Some of the really young children did gaze at us,
But they often looked at things in space the adults couldn't see,
And no one gave it any importance.
But my cat Indigo immediately came to greet us.
I had missed her and she wanted to come with us.
Animals are so much more perceptive than humans,
Aren't they?
My family and Tesoros were well,
And we whispered to them in their dreams so they knew that we were happy and well.
We added a bit of healing elixir to the herbs the villagers used and left some small gifts for them to find.
I used to do the healing here,
I said sadly.
It looks like your sister is doing a great job of it,
Said Tesoro.
And now her herbs will work even better.
And her heart is really bright,
So she might be able to see us soon.
Will she come and join us in this sacred land?
Not everyone who has a bright heart decides to go on adventure to find the sacred land.
Many are happy living an extraordinary life within a life that looks ordinary on the outside.
I kissed my sister in her sleep like I used to,
And she smiled.
I gave her beautiful dreams of oceans and castles.
You know you can come back anytime you want,
Anima.
I smiled at my best friend who still looked 15 even if she was already 20.
I know.
And I know that love never dies.
And I know that more and more people's hearts are brightening and that all the world will soon be sacred land and all water will be healing water.
And in the meanwhile,
I want to go on adventures with you and sing and dance and live in joy and abundance in the sacred land.