Welcome my beautiful soul.
Settle into a comfortable position and allow your hands just to rest softly in your lap.
If you have your Shiva Lingam nearby.
Place her gently in your hands or over your heart.
Let the rich earthy fragrance of Angelica root drift around you like a warm evening glow.
And now close your eyes if that feels comfortable and take a slow deep breath in.
And as you breathe out.
Feel the day beginning to soften around the edges.
Another breath in.
And another breath out.
With each exhale,
Imagine yourself releasing the need to hurry.
Releasing the need to have everything figured out.
Releasing the weight of expectations that have been resting on your shoulders.
The fragrance of Angelica root grows a little deeper now,
Earthy and ancient,
As though the roots of the earth itself are breathing within you.
As your body relaxes you become aware of a soft golden light beneath your feet and it rises slowly surrounding you until you feel held within a warm luminous cocoon.
Room around you begins to fade.
And when the light settles once more,
You find yourself standing at the edge of an ancient forest just before dawn.
The air is cool and fragrant.
Tall trees arch overhead,
Their leaves whispering in the morning breeze.
Fireflies drift between the branches like tiny floating lanterns and somewhere in the distance you hear the call of birds greeting the coming day.
The path beneath your feet is made of smooth earth and scattered rich stones.
And as you begin walking,
The scent of Angelica root accompanies you.
Rich and comforting.
As though the forest itself is offering protection for your journey.
And with every step.
The world grows quieter.
And you notice how easily your breathing falls into rhythm with the path.
Unnaturally your shoulders relax.
How the mind begins to settle.
Then,
Carried on the dawn breeze,
You hear it.
The sound of flowing water.
Soft at first,
Then clearer.
Song of a great river.
The tree's gradualing part,
And before you stretches the sacred Amada.
The sight takes your breath away.
The river glows with silver and gold light beneath the rising sun.
And mist circles above the surface like silk.
And beneath the clear water,
You can see hundreds of smooth Shiva lingams resting peacefully on the river bed.
Each one polished by countless centuries of flowing water.
You remove your shoes and you step carefully into the river.
The water is cool,
Clear and wonderfully alive.
And as it flows around your ankles.
New days.
You feel it carrying away tension you did not even realize you were holding.
Every worry.
Every fear.
Every unfinished thought.
The river does not force them away,
It simply invites you to release them.
And you move a little deeper into the water.
And the morning mist begins to glow.
And within the mist,
Radiant figures slowly emerge,
Beings of gentle light.
And their robes shimmer like flowing water.
And their presence feels deeply peaceful.
They do not speak at first.
They simply smile with such kindness that your heart immediately feels safe.
One of the luminous gardens step forward and kneels beside the river.
With both hands,
They lift a beautiful Shiva Lingam from the water.
Droplets cascade from the stone like liquid sunlight before the Guardian places it into your palms.
The moment you hold it,
Warmth spreads through your hands and into your heart.
The river around you begins to shimmer.
And within its flowing surface,
The memories appear.
Not painful memories,
Absolutely beautiful ones.
A moment when you comforted someone maybe.
A moment when you were brave.
A moment when you chose kindness.
A moment when you kept going even though it was difficult.
Brevard is reminding you.
Reminding you of the goodness that has always lived within you.
The Guardian finally speaks,
And their voice as gentle as the flowing water.
All this stone belonged to you.
It belonged to the river.
And before it belonged to the river,
It belonged to the mountain.
And before it belonged to the mountain,
It belonged to the fire that formed the earth itself.
And before all of that,
It belonged to the great mystery.
Nothing truly sacred is ever owned.
It is simply entrusted to us for a little while.
And you hold the Shiva Lingam a little closer.
Stone feels steady,
Ancient,
And wonderfully alive.
And the guardians invite you to follow them upstream.
You walk beside the mara as lotus flowers bloom along the banks and great banyan trees spread their branches overhead.
The fragrance of angelica root drifts through the air,
Mingling with the freshness of the river.
And eventually,
The path leads to an open stone temple built beside the water.
There are no walls,
Only graceful pillars carved with rivers,
Stars,
And sacred trees.
And in the centre rises a column of golden light stretching from the earth into the sky.
The guardians guide you into the centre of the temple.
One by one,
They placed their hands over their hearts.
So you do the same.
The first guardian offers trust.
A ribbon of golden light flows into your heart.
The second of his courage.
Third,
Offers compassion.
Fourth,
Offers patience.
The fifth offers joy.
The sixth offers forgiveness.
Each gift settles in with the new,
Awakening qualities that have always been there,
Waiting to be remembered.
And the oldest garden steps forward and places a hand lightly over the Shiva lingam you hold.
And he says this stone has spent thousands of years being shaped by flowing water.
Never hurried.
It never resisted.
It simply allowed life to polish away what was no longer needed.
And perhaps your soul has been doing the same.
You feel those words settle deeply within you.
And perhaps every challenge has shaped you.
Every season has polished you.
Perhaps you are becoming smoother,
Wiser and more whole than you realize.
And the column of light begins to expand surrounding the entire temple.
It flows through the pillars,
Through the river,
Through the trees and through your own heart.
For a few quiet moments,
There is no separation between earth and sky,
Between river and stone,
Between the sacred place around you and the sacred place within you.
The fragrance of angelica root wraps you like a blessing.
Feel protected.
Guys.
Hell.
The guardians gather around you one final time and each places a hand upon your shoulders and together they say.
Whenever you hold this stone,
The river will remember you.
Whenever you breathe the fragrance of Angelica root,
The temple will remember you.
And whenever you choose stillness over rushing,
You will remember yourself.
The morning sun now shines brightly across the Nemana.
You walk slowly back along the riverbank,
Carrying the Shivalingam close to your heart.
The luminous gardens watch with gentle smiles as the mist begins to dissolve into golden light.
Step by step,
The sacred river softens into memory.
The temple fades.
The forest grows cold.
And the warm golden light that first carried you here,
Now gently.
To know.
I'm aware of your breathing again.
Feel the support beneath your body.
Notice the room around you.
Like all your fingers and your toes.
And know that the pilgrimage is not ending.
The Namaada now flows within your heart,
The wisdom of the Shiva Lingam rests within your hands,
And the protection of the Angelica Root beside you wherever life leads next.
Take one final slow breath in.
And as you breathe out,
Carry this blessing with you.
May you be shaped by the River of Life.
May you be guided by wisdom deeper than fear.
May you remember the wholeness is not something you must earn.
It has been flowing through you all along.
And when you feel ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Welcome home.
