esson 36: Grail Queen, Grail Six and Grail
Sevenesson 36: Grail Queen, Grail Six and Grail
Seven
return to the ship and once more trust it to take me
where I should go. In the early darkness of evening, I lie in the
bottom of the ship and watch the stars, and am soon lulled into a
peaceful sleep. I dream of comforting a crying baby. The early dawn
wakes me and I see that the ship is now approaching a cliff-lined
shore. I disembark on the small beach and go into a cave in the
cliff. The floor here is paved and I'm shocked at what I see ahead:
another entrance/exit with the sea beyond, yet I've just left the sea
*behind* me! It seems more like a tunnel than a cave, but I know that
I am facing inland; or rather into the rock of the cliff.
And here stands the Grail Queen, greeting me.
"Hello, Moonchild. Don't be alarmed. This is the entrance to the
Otherworld. It may be a bit disorienting at first, but you would not
even be able to perceive it if you weren't physically, mentally,
spiritually and emotionally prepared."
"Ann!" I reply, "I'm so glad to see you! I need
your help with my baby. I want to be a 'Mother of Love' like you. But
I have to see the doctor almost every week and I am so scared!"
"Of course I'll help you," she says, puling me
close in a hug. She leads me out onto the sand and instructs me to
disrobe and bathe in the cleansing water of the Otherworldly ocean.
She spreads her green cape on the beach and after I emerge from the
warm and soothing waters, I lie down on it. She pours wine from her
cup over my belly, making sure to fill my navel. She rubs her hands
over my lower abdomen, her face lifted, eyes closed, murmuring, but I
can't quite make out what she's saying. Seems to be something between
an incantation and a prayer (like there's a difference?).
"Worrying doesn't help," she tells me. "Heal your
mind of fearful thoughts and know that everything will be fine. God
has granted you a precious gift. [More personal conversation
snipped.]
I rise and dress, feeling much
better and more confident. "If I may impose on your good graces and
generosity once again, could you please send some healing to my
brother Steve?"
Kneeling down again with the same attitude, she
pours wine onto the sand. "Everything will go well for him, but
always pray for him and for his rapid recovery. You know the danger
of him taking pain medication. Pray that he doesn't slip into old
habits."1
We walk together inland, into a lovely birch forest all November-golden. She leads me to a secret place--something that looks like a fairy mound or midden, with a linteled opening from which pours forth a stream. The water hits something like a basin, and sprays out in all directions. My skin feels dry, and I'd like to rinse off the salt from the ocean. Once again naked, I step into the basin. It's a little chilly! I slowly lower my body in, and the water splashes up and over me. As it splashes onto my eyes, I begin to see a vision:
In the sky above, I see my Trawick great-grandparents. They are misty like clouds floating there. Then I notice that my Simmons great-grandparents are there too. They are smiling down at me. A bit further away is my grandma. She seems anxious and excited, as she looks down over a river delta which flows into the sea. My grandfather is in the waters of the delta, swimming against the current, as if he is notyet ready to swim out into the sea.
Further upriver, my mom floats along on the water, but she keeps looking back over her shoulder, even further upriver, to check that her children behind her are still afloat as well. And at the so-called source, the rain falls, fertilizing the ground and swelling the waters of the internal underground unseen spring, which overflows out into the world.
Is it a coincidence that this source of living water resembles a pregnant belly? I think not! Life is a water cycle.
Ann sits on top of the mound and invites me to join her. What a funny feeling to have the water rushing underneath! I lie back and watch the clouds. Will I ever look at an overcast rainy day the same way again? Or will I be able to see it for the blessing it really is?
I doze, and wake alone, covered over with Ann's green cape. The cool of the evening has descended, and a stiff breeze blows the leaves from the trees as I hurredly dress. I follow the stream until it empties into a lake. There, on the other shore, is a castle, and I go to seek shelter for the night. But I think its strange that the only lights are in the towers, that the inhabitants are not gathered in a central room to share company for the evening. The central facade resembles a face too much for comfort, and I'm reminded of the story of _Christabelle_, the blood-sucking hostess.
Still, it's a lovely spot, and I can't resist
checking out the castle. I get no response to my pounding on the
door, and so I enter. The main hall is not only void of light and
life, but furniture or anything else. It is just a large empty room,
with high windows letting in the moonlight. I explore the towers, one
by one, and discover that the lights are created with many mirrors,
reflecting and amplifying the light of moon and stars. Coming to the
final tower, I climb all the way to its roof, to get a good look
around.
As I gaze into the water of the lake, I'm taken
aback by the reflection of the castle I see there. At first, all the
justifications and rationalizations run through my head: something
wrong with my eyes, the surface of the water is disturbed and
1) Steve's surgery went great, his kidney is fine, and he is healing better than expected! {back}
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