by Shea Meadows
Everyone, including Moon, Luan Du, and Wang Mang were waiting expectantly outside the structure, each beside one of the twelve doors of the Temple. Everyone knew the words needed to free the ghosts. Soon after Sima Qian emerged and took his spot, Du Yuesheng came out leading a line of ghosts through the left front door where Bonta was stationed. She quickly worked the spell of release for each group of twelve that appeared there. Houzi led another line through Nory’s door, and soon groups were flowing through each door.
Sima Qian stood aside monitoring for problems and noticed that those doing the releasing needed help. There were ten thousand ghosts to free, and even though it was happening quickly, it was a lot to ask. He popped out and returned with Milton Running Deer and ghosts from the Ojibway upper world who he quickly trained in the process. They stood next to the original group and took alternating dozens of ghosts. He popped out again and brought the Buddhist monks who had helped them at the Pagoda, and the ghosts were released faster still. Finally, a time came when the structure started disappearing; a sure sign that all ghosts willing to move on had left the Ancestral Temple.
Hugs were shared all around, with thanks to the Ojibway and Buddhist helpers. Du Yuesheng and his former thugs, all glowing with a sense of achievement, said goodbye as they, too, left the Mausoleum grounds and entered the doorway to the Celestial Kingdom, bringing Houzi with them.
The Clarks and their friends sat exhausted on the hilltop, with only the original stone floor and the magnetic Loujing stone remaining at the site. Moon sat with them, having let the Chinese guides travel through the Mausoleum site to release remaining ghosts in the statues. They would go next to the terracotta warriors to free the Qin Dynasty ghosts.
“I’m exhausted,” Ricky said. “I don’t know if I have enough energy to slip into my body.” Everyone else agreed with her with a chorus of sighs. “How long were we releasing ghosts?”
Moon waved off the question. “Who knows? We weren’t in earth time anyway. We will have you reenter the physical with a half-hour lapse. That will be fast enough for Kang and his wife not to get nosey. We don’t want anyone to discover your empty bodies on the hill.
“You all will be flying home tomorrow, and I’m sure you’ll be exhausted. When you get back to the guesthouse, go to bed early and come to spirit world. We will give you the higher dimensional cleansing treatment, complete with recharging light, stones, soothing waters and sounds. Are you folks interested?”
Everyone perked up and agreed to take advantage of the offer. They then slipped into their bodies and met Kang and Wu Liu.
Kang was grimacing as his wife sat patiently in the wheelchair. “Finally, you are ten minutes later than we agreed. I was about to have someone search for you.”
Ho bowed. “Sorry, we found the site fascinating and worthy of more than a quick look.”
Wu Liu waved her hand and said something in Mandarin, and Ho answered her with a smile.
“She says that her hip improved greatly after a few steps. She doesn’t think she needs to go to the clinic, but Kang wants her to go anyway,” Ho reported to the rest.
With that, they made their way to the van, looking forward to a restful night.
* * *
Chapter 23
Ricky floated over a slab of malachite with soothing tonal vibrations enfolding her and colors so radiant they could only be imagined in the physical dimension. As her energy field was cleansed and rejuvenated, great bursts of thought traveled through her etheric body then out into the eleventh dimension. She had been told she was in the Temple of Healing, and as the process continued, parts of her Akashic Records were replayed, reminding her that she had experienced this process before. Usually this process was reserved for the end of particularly traumatic incarnations, but an exception had been granted in this instance. All of those who released the ghosts, including the guides, were given this gift.
At the start, she missed David and Nory, but she had been assured they would be reunited when the cleansing was complete. She found it amazing how easily she put all concerns aside. Anxiety was not real there.
After a few minutes-- or was it a century?-- the process was complete. A willowy being made of purple light helped her to get used to walking again and brought her to the reception area of the Temple of Healing.
“Wait here. The others will join you as they complete.” The message flew to her on purple wings as she found a comfortable couch to sit on.
Ricky couldn’t remember when she had felt this relaxed. No one there was rushing about to meet schedules. If she wanted to get in touch with David and Nory, she made the intention to feel them. There was no separation.
Moon appeared next to her on the couch, glowing with renewal, and hugged her sister. “They let me have the cleansing, too. Last time I experienced it was after I was murdered.”
Ricky nodded. “I remember doing this after another incarnation. Not sure what went on, but I think I was burnt at the stake after they strangled me.”
Moon sighed. “Yeah, that was both of us and ten others. We weren’t that popular in Ireland that life.”
“Does this feeling of joy transfer to the physical bodies of all of us sleeping at the guesthouse?” Ricky asked.
Moon nodded.
“Could I ask a favor?” Ricky asked.
Moon smiled. “You want to know what happed to Norton Reston and Ta Yi. Am I right?”
Ricky laughed. “After the cleansing, I felt a surge of compassion for them. Were they neutralized, or will they get another chance?”
“I can take you where they are,” Moon answered.
Just then David and Nory joined them, and the couch extended to hold them.
Nory smiled. “That was wonderful. It was the second time recently for me. I had this cleansing when I stopped being a ghost. Are we going back to our bodies now? I’m tempted to stay in spirit world. My primary objective was accomplished.”
David shook his head. “We’d really like to be part of your growing up. Please don’t give up on the physical yet.” Nory gave him a kiss on the check and a smile.
“Ricky wants to see how Norton Reston and Ta Yi are doing; then your guides and the council have requested a meeting,” Moon said. “Are you ready to go?”
They nodded.
“Then, follow me.”
Before their nod was completed, they were in another part of the eleventh dimension where the repair of damaged souls was explored. It appeared as a large glass room divided into three parts. Four spirit beings were monitoring the two sections where the unconscious etheric bodies of Ta Yi and Norton Reston could be seen. They turned to Moon and the Clarks as they entered.
“Good, you arrived. The fate of these souls won’t distract you during the rest of your incarnation if you are told what was decided. I am Jiam, and I am the teacher in this unit. We are intricately observing their Akashic Records, starting from their times as ghosts and working backwards. We pay special attention to the things agreed upon between lives.”
“What have you decided so far?” Moon asked.
“The review is done instantly since time is different here, “Jiam replied. “Norton Reston is obsessed with his past lives in China. Last incarnation, he was to stay in the United States but found excuses to return to China, breaking his agreement. He seems unable to use free will productively, even though he’s had many chances to learn. He will stay here with us for as long as it takes to soften his resistance to the purpose of his plan.
“When we feel he is ready, he will incarnate in the deep jungles of South America. He will be presented with the opportunity to serve a small, endangered community. He will have no exceptional spiritual powers but will be physically fit. We will see what he does with that incarnation and reevaluate his progress at its end.”
Ricky looked at the slumbering form of Ta Yi floating above a slab of what looked like obsidian.
“What about the sorcerer? He didn’t plan to spend two thousand Earth years in the Bi Mo Ch
u dimension.”
Jiam nodded. “That is true, but the Bi Mo Chu would not have been activated again if Ta Yi had not gone to great lengths to find the information about it and duplicate it. He was trapped in his own device. Without his giant ego and misuse of his psychic powers, thousands of beings would have continued their incarnations.”
Jiam looked to his companions. “We are debating about this one. Some of us wish to reutilize his energy as an unconscious rock formation on a new physical planet that is now being created. He has had multiple chances and has ruined them all. The others think he should be moved back in time to the beginnings of Gaia’s history and start over again in a very primitive setting. What is your opinion?”
Moon looked at the others. “Any ideas?”
“I think we should get Susan and Ho in here. They knew him before he became a ghost. Is that possible?” Nory asked.
Jiam nodded and Susan Fry and Ho popped into the room. They glanced around and spotted the two beings from their recent quest.
“Did you bring us here for input about Reston and Ta Yi?” Ho asked
Jiam nodded. “Just about Ta Yi; we are sure about Norton Reston.” Jiam explained the choices again.
“Personally, I say let him work his way back up,” Susan said. “I was every bit as horrible as he was in the life where I worked with him. I was allowed to return if my purpose was a life of service, and I’ve had several lives that were worthwhile since then. Maybe he’s redeemable.”
Ho crossed his arms and looked at Ta Yi. “I wasn’t the model of a benevolent emperor in that life either. So, I can’t deny him another chance. I would suggest he not be allowed psychic powers for many lives until he’s proven he’s ready for them.”
Jiam looked to the others on his team and they agreed. “We will allow him another go-round, but if the first few lives have not improved his behavior--”
“Then he’s a rock on another planet,” Nory said. “It could be interesting for him.”
David shook his head. “I’m glad you guys decided. My present incarnation started out with a large dose of crime and punishment, and I’m still working through those tendencies.”
“Thank you, Jiam, for allowing us to be part of this,” Ricky said. “We have another stop to make before we return to our bodies, so is there anything else we can help with?”
Jiam shook his head. “Thank you for your service.” He then turned to Nory, “Consider training to be on my team after your present incarnation. You would be good at this.”
Nory smiled and waved as they disappeared from the room and appeared in the chambers of the council of elders. This reminded Ricky of a library. The space had leather chairs and books lining the walls. She remembered the elders from several years back but even then, they had not given their names. With them were Maya, Ricky’s guide, Francos, David’s guide and Megon, Moon’s guide. They spent a little time hugging their guides and greeting the elders then found comfortable chairs.
“I am called Sumara and have the honor of overseeing the projects that involve Moon and the Clark family. We first wish to congratulate you for two quests completed in the spirit of love and respect for all involved,” a tall, gold-skinned being, dressed in a rainbow of light told them.
“We have asked your presence here to make a request. Your family is better suited for this service than any other incarnated at this time, and you know the souls in question,” Sumara continued.
Sima Qian and Wang Mang popped into the room and smiled at them.
“I will let them make the request themselves,” Sumara said as he turned to their Chinese guide friends.
Sima Qian cleared his etheric throat and looked down at his hands. “What I did for you in our quest was a growing experience of me as well. I did not accept, until late in the process, that I have a strong attachment for all things Chinese. It is keeping me from progressing as a soul.
“The Han witch that spoke to me in the Ancestral Temple was harsh, but her question awakened me. If you remember, she asked why I had not needed to incarnate since my life as Sima Qian, two thousand years ago. I responded that I acted as a source of information in challenges.
“When I got to the energy cleansing we were offered, I realized I am thoroughly attached to the Sima Qian persona and the country of my birth from my last incarnation. It is time for me to incarnate again. Because of my service, I was granted the wish to choose my parents. I wanted people who would understand my interests in philosophy, history and research. People that lived in a higher vibratory field would be ideal. You three, Ricky, David and Nory, would be my perfect family, if you agree to my request,” Sima Qian concluded and then looked to Wang Mang.
“I was closed up in the Bi Mo Cho for many centuries doing the bidding of Ta Yi. Until you treated me with acceptance as an individual and offered me freedom, I had forgotten who I was. When I came into spirit world and conversed with Sima Qian, we both remembered we had been friends and brothers in other incarnations. I realized, as he has told you, that it was time for us to reincarnate again.
“There is a tendency for those who were identical twins to give birth to twins as well. Sima Qian wishes to be part of your family, and I wish to be his twin brother, if you would welcome us. I am fascinated by the study of herbs and the reintroduction of ancient healing methods into modern culture. I have looked at this extensively since I returned to spirit world. I would like support in that endeavor as well as the love and support that is present in your family,” Wang Mang said.
Ricky, David and Nory looked at each other and nodded. “We welcome you into our hearts and home and consider this an honor that you asked us to be your parents,” David said.
“We want to clarify some points,” Nory said. “Will you remember who you were when you are in physical bodies?”
“The agreement, for their advancement, was that they won’t. They will be born with high spiritual skills, much as you were. But, in order to decrease their attachment to their past personas, they might remember their past lives later as they mature, but not as infants,” Sumara answered for them.
“What about the attachment to China? It is obvious we are not to talk to them about it,” Ricky said.
“It might be difficult for you, but we will trust you not to bring up the subject with them,” Moon said. “We also request you refrain from traveling to China in the future. The tendency to reattach will be strong within them. You can maintain your mementos of your current trip, but do not dwell on them with the boys.”
David shook his head. “That feels like living a lie. How can we possibly do it?”
Sima Qian smiled at them. “It is what all parents who are unaware of their children’s past lives experience. If a child brings up an interest in something, you explore it with them. We simply ask you talk about other things with us as well. Teach us how to play baseball or mountain climb or learn foreign languages, as long as it isn’t Chinese.”
“If you’d like, we can erase your memories of these men and this adventure. Would that be easier for you?” Sumara asked.
The Clarks huddled together. Then Nory spoke. “I have been thinking about this for a while now; I want to change what I remember. A normal child would not recall things that she did as a ghost or things from a past life. She wouldn’t remember a trip to China she took as a baby. Maybe it’s time for this power to be set aside. If I keep talking telepathically, I might never learn to speak through my body. Maybe I will reclaim those gifts when I am older, but for now, I want to be simply Eleanor Marie Clark. I will have unique parents and live with them and my twin brothers. I will probably learn how to talk with ghosts and leave my body, but not because I remember how from before.”
Moon and the other guides applauded. “I think that will be helpful. It will give you a better experience of a human life and decrease the possibility of the boys being told about their involvement with China.”
“David, this is part of the growing experience for all of you. Since Sima Q
ian and Wang Mang have asked to join your family, they understand that you can’t tell them everything you know about them. All we ask is that you ask for guidance in circumstances that are uncomfortable for you. Consider directly utilizing my services more frequently. I am always available,” Francos reminded him.
David nodded and smiled at his guide. “Now that we have agreed, when will this be happening?”
“I would like the boys to be born on my birthday, since Nory was born then,” Ricky commented. “It will be New Year’s Day when we arrive in Minneapolis. It is too late for them to be born in June. We will have to move back into our house on York Street and figure out what to do with the physical cube that was the Bi Mo Chu. I will need to document our journey for the instruction of the people that look to Moon Angel Spiritual Network. It would be nice if Nory had some time to get used to being a more normal child as well. So, how about June 20, 2006 for your birth?”
Sima Qian and Wang Mang nodded. “It will seem like no time at all since time is different in this dimension. We are excited to be part of this adventure.”
“Can we tell the others about what’s happening?” David asked.
Ricky shook her head. “It wouldn’t work. It will be challenge enough when we’re the only ones that know.”
David sighed. “Guess you’re right.” He walked over to his future sons and hugged them. “Next time I see you, you’ll be very different, but I’ll never forget all that you both have done for us.”
Ricky and Nory hugged them as well and were about to return to their bodies when Moon reminded them. “When Nory awakens, she will be a normal six-month-old. She may still see and hear me, but she will think I’m her invisible friend. She will stop talking telepathically to you, but she will learn language quickly. Be prepared for the change, all of you.”
“What have I done?” Nory said with a giggle. “I suppose I won’t get to visit spirit world until I’m older. I will miss everyone here.”
Moon hugged her. “We will show up as fragments of dreams when you need us. Before you know it, you will be old enough to take Ricky’s classes and visit on your own. Your job now, is to get used to being a girl in a human body.”
