by Lucia Ashta
She looked around, her eyes out of focus, and took in the magic of the world, seeing with newborn eyes. Everywhere around her colors flickered; she was in an enchanted world. This time, she didn’t question if she was going crazy. If this was crazy, she embraced it. It was phenomenal!
She looked around in awe as Marco patiently looked on. She had eaten hallucinogenic mushrooms once while in college, and this seemed remarkably similar to that experience. Her reality was different. It was as if she had stepped into another dimension. Yet she was sitting on a restaurant terrace. Or at least she thought she was.
She turned her unfocused eyes to Marco.
“Marco, I don’t understand what is happening to me.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. And then with concern said, “Are you okay?”
Elena found that she couldn’t answer him. She was in awe at the fantastical world that she had lived in all of this time without knowing it.
“Amore, are you okay?” This time Marco was more insistent. Elena heard the concern in his voice and explained herself.
“Yes, I am okay. I am more than okay, I think. I am seeing all sorts of dazzling colors and lights. It is so brilliant. I never knew the world could be so beautiful.”
Elena continued to look around her. She was delighted with everything she saw.
“Come,” Marco said and stood up from the table. “Let’s go.” Marco took Elena’s arm and led her toward the restaurant’s entrance. He stopped briefly to explain to the hostess that they had to leave.
Elena didn’t question their hasty departure. Marco wanted her to be able to have her experience without interruption or distraction. He wanted her to be able to grow and expand into the delight of the world as she was seeing it. He was right; a restaurant was not the place for this altered state.
Elena was silent as they walked to the parking lot. She allowed Marco to protectively usher her into the car, buckle her seatbelt, and close the door. The imagery continued to wow her as he drove. Even in the darkness of the night, there was color—bright, brilliant color everywhere. Color fluttered though Elena could not make out many specific, distinct shapes.
Little by little, the self-doubt that had plagued Elena released its hold on her. Marco’s support was invaluable. He was a believer, and, because people who believed the world was a mundane place had surrounded Elena for so long, he was the breath of fresh air that would give her new life.
Marco drove while Elena marveled. Marco put his hand on her leg, and Elena could see a surge of love pass through it; a vibrant green and pink swirled together and glowed around Marco’s hand. With her new eyes, Elena could see the green and pink spread throughout her body and end at her heart. This beauty filled her and moved her so deeply that tears formed in her eyes.
Elena did not ask where he was taking her. She would have allowed him to take her anywhere without question, so deep was her trust in him now. As it turned out, he took her to the moon. He parked at the base of Cathedral Rock where the almost-full moon lit up the mountain. Marco guided her on unsteady feet up the mountain path.
Elena was so absorbed by the world of spirit that it was a challenge for her to orchestrate the basic functioning of her body. Even walking was a challenge. She stumbled and almost fell several times. It was as if Marco were leading a drunkard up the mountain.
Though the walk was not long, it took them time to navigate the trail in her state. Finally, Marco guided Elena to a ledge where she lay down on the rock face of the mountain. Elena felt supported by the earth that still held the warmth from the day’s sun. Marco, her champion, lowered himself on the rock beside her. He covered her with his light coat and lay close to share his body heat with her. In the desert, it chilled considerably in the nighttime.
Elena kept her eyes open, taking in the fluttering change of colors, and nestled closer to her beloved. She felt her heart’s warmth and looked down toward her chest. She gasped as she witnessed the faint glow of her heart.
The moon looked so much larger from their high perch than it had from the parking lot, even though Elena knew there was no logical reason for the discrepancy in size. She felt that she could almost touch the moon if she reached out to it. Elena turned to look at Marco. Under the glowing orb of the silver moon, she could see color all around him. It flew in sparks from him as a circuitry of color ran through his body.
Safe against her beloved and supported by the earth, Elena gave herself over to the sensations that had been waiting to overpower her. She gave into them, and the breath left her body in a sudden rush, so powerful was the experience that claimed her then. This had been inside of her all of her life, waiting, just waiting for her to be ready. She had said yes to life’s mystery, and now it had come.
Before Elena knew what was happening, her eyes had closed, and the visions that waited at the edge of her consciousness settled over her. This time, something different happened. Marco went with her on her visionary journey. He was right there with her all the way, seeing the times of Arnaka through the amber eyes of a lion.
* * *
The twins finally arrived at the mainland after many hours of rowing. The sun was not yet in the sky, but they could see the shore well, lit as it was by the almost-full moon. They disembarked and tied the boat to a tree, hoping to find it upon their return. They sat on the unfamiliar shore, taking the time to connect to the land and their inner guidance so that they might be sure of their actions.
They sat in stillness until they were certain of their next move. It no longer surprised Ashta that their eyes opened at the same time. As often happened with them, they received their guidance in the same moment, although they did not speak of it. They cultivated subtlety together and surrendered to the flow of the Divine. They were ready and knew which direction to take.
* * *
Elena left the world of Arnaka and returned to attend to her body. The cold of the earth had chilled her, and she lay trembling beneath Marco’s thin spring coat. Elena turned and looked at Marco groggily. He lay next to her with goose bumps covering his bare arms. He had given her the coat that he needed; he was her protector. He looked so beautiful to Elena in this life, just as he had in the last. His light hair tumbled across his forehead in contrast to dark lashes; his nose and cheeks were pink from the cold of the dry night.
A breeze whistled across the mountain ledge, and Marco stirred. He searched for her even before he opened his eyes. He reached out to her, pulling her into him once more. Elena didn’t resist him. She would never resist him. She relaxed into the safety of his embrace.
Marco opened his eyes and looked into hers. “Hello, amore. It is nice to see you in this body once again. You look very much like you used to.” His face spread into a warm smile. “You have those same eyes that I have loved so very much before. And now I can love them again.” He kissed her on the nose.
“Did you see what I saw?” he asked her. “Did you see what we can do?”
Elena nodded. She was finally seeing the truth.
“You know,” Marco said, “if we are being shown this wisdom now it is likely that we can do these things in this lifetime too.”
Elena nodded again. “Yes,” she told him, “I feel that. I have begun to sense how powerful we are, God’s perfect children. Maybe we are being shown all of this to remind us of what we are here to do now.
“But how is this happening so fast for me? You have been on this path your whole life. How can I be expected to transform in days? All of it—the visions, the other lifetime, the knowing, the seeing, and you—it all seems like a dream.”
Marco looked at her resolutely. Elena saw that he was a powerful man.
“Yes, amore, it is all a dream, an illusion. But finally we have come together to choose the right dream. We can now create the reality that will change the world. We have come together to do our part.”
Elena knew with every fiber of her being that what Marco said was true. Within her, she heard reverberate: The time is now. The
war between light and dark is ongoing. The time is now.
This message intimidated her, just as it had the first time. She still didn’t know what she could possibly contribute in such a war. Then, she heard it. You are a light warrior. You are here to show that love and light are more powerful than any other weapon before the threat of darkness. Light will always prevail. You will show the world that.
Elena felt the weight of the task requested of her. It concerned her that she was expected to do great things. But if this was being asked of her, then she must trust that she would be given the ability to do it. It was then that she agreed to do whatever it was that she had come to earth to do. She would never doubt again.
She sat up on her perch on the mountain, feeling so close to the iridescent moon, and tilted her head toward the heavens. She outstretched her hands and talked with God. I accept, she said. I accept my responsibilities here on earth. Help me to accomplish what I have come here to do. From that moment on, she would always know the meaning of her life.
When Elena was finished, she lay back down on the red earth next to Marco. The surge of energy that rushed through her warmed her. She curled her leg around Marco and closed her eyes once more. You are God’s angel. You can do anything. She smiled in gratitude at the voice that encouraged her on her path.
31 A Miracle
They left the shore and headed inland. Although it was still night and they could not see the sun, the twins were certain they were heading in the right direction. They felt an energetic pull within their bodies that pointed them the right way. They crossed the new terrain, appreciating each step they took into the unknown of Mother Earth.
Trees surrounded them as the twins started to put distance between them and the shoreline. The land was more lush than it was in Arnaka, which only possessed this kind of succulence by the water. This foreign land had bright green trees. Ashta and Anak stretched out their arms as they walked among the trees and bushes, caressing their leaves. The twins heard the trees’ whispers; the rustling of leaves spoke to them in hushed tones.
The twins continued and soon found themselves among wild grasses that grazed their knees as they walked. Anak reached for Ashta’s hand, their swords swinging on their belts as they walked. Although they were in unfamiliar surroundings, they delighted in the night walk. It had been a very long time since either had spent so much time outside in the dark. Because they synchronized their sleep patterns with the rising and setting of the sun, they rarely were out of bed in the middle of the night. This lent a tone of adventure to the night’s wanderings.
Before long, the fertile grasses and trees gave way to a clearing. A large town loomed before them. As it was just on the other side of the river from Arnaka, the twins were aware of the town’s existence, but knew little about it. The people of Arnaka were interested in preserving the integrity of their culture and time-tested ways and had little need to learn about other civilizations.
The twins continued walking, now keeping a watch for any person that might cross their path. But they walked through the large town without seeing another single living being, not even an animal. It was eerie. It was as if the town were frozen in time. The entire community seemed to sleep soundly and noiselessly, something that the twins had never witnessed before. There was some kind of divine hand at play which allowed them to traverse the town unseen and undisturbed.
And so it was that Ashta and Anak stole through the town in stony silence, in the quiet of deep night. Most of the houses and buildings were made of a dark gray stone that felt damp and cold as the twins passed by them. The twins also passed a few chairs that had been left outside and some forgotten clothes that hung out to dry. The garments hung perfectly still from a rope in the heavy, moist air of the night. No candles or lanterns glowed anywhere. There was no movement. Even the typical breeze of night held its breath as the twins quickly crossed the streets.
The twins continued walking. Though their bodies needed rest, Ashta and Anak wanted to cover more ground before stopping to sleep. Once they left the long night shadows of the town, the foliage became increasingly sparse and the plant leaves more compact and spinier. The twins were unfamiliar with the land and did not know how long the desert area they were entering stretched. The sun could be very hot, especially on the desert sands. Were they to cross the desert in the daytime, the heat would drain them of essential energy.
The twins traveled swiftly. They needed to reach a more yielding environment before they stopped. Anak sang to keep their spirits high and to help them put their focus elsewhere besides on their growing fatigue. Ashta joined in on the songs they had sung as children at the temples. Though they had not sung these particular songs in many years, the words were as familiar to them then as they had been when they were children. Anak began with a traveling song of journeys through foreign lands. This time, the song applied to them.
Ashta and Anak sang for hours, which kept their spirits uplifted. The sound of melody and song could awaken the joy in almost any heart. And, as they grew tired of singing and began to feel the weight of exhaustion in their bodies, the twins saw the edge of the desert nearing. What wonderful news! They had rowed for hours and then walked even longer all through the night. As Ashta and Anak reached the end of the desert, the sun was a faint glow on the horizon. The land had just lost some of its harsh aridity as the sun burst forth above the verdant landscape that stretched in infinite vastness before them.
Their feet fell on land that had seen water in recent days. Soon, that land, dirt instead of sand, began to show signs of green. The twins knew that where there were grasses, there was a source of water nearby. Ashta, always so drawn to the water, felt it would be a perfect place to rest and regroup. Just the thought of the water had begun to replenish her. She turned to Anak and said, “Let us find the water.” He nodded in perfect understanding.
* * *
Elena had no idea then that her life was about to change in a very real way. She was still dazed from her out-of-body mountain experience, and she kept her eyes closed. She never saw it coming. Marco would later tell her that he did not notice anything unusual until seconds before impact, which was too late to do anything about it. Marco could not have avoided the accident; their car was an intentional target.
Marco drove the empty streets of Sedona where it was quiet after dark, catching occasional glimpses of coyotes and javelinas at the periphery of his headlights. He drove down Highway 179, circling through the multiple roundabouts. He didn’t think anything of the car that appeared from a side road and entered one after him. He swung through the roundabout where another car waited, idling, at one of the streets that fed into it. Still, Marco suspected nothing.
Then, panic seized him. In an instant, he realized what was happening. The car that had been idling entered the roundabout against the current of traffic and headed directly toward Marco, accelerating in the short space between them. The car was an oversized four-wheel drive vehicle and Marco’s small sports car was no match for it. Marco had only a second to register that the car behind them, also accelerating and closing in, was the same kind of vehicle.
It was then that Marco realized that he and Elena were under attack. As bizarre as it seemed that someone was trying to hurt them, Marco knew it was true. In the last second of breath before impact, he yelled out, “Archangel Michael, protect us!” That prayer saved their lives.
Elena’s eyes snapped open at the urgency in Marco’s voice. She threw her arms up to shield her face while Marco jerked the car to the right in an attempt to protect Elena from the brunt of the crash while exposing himself to the worst. It was an act of ultimate self-sacrifice. However, it did not work. As chance would have it, Elena would receive the more grievous injuries in the accident. In his love for her, Marco had desperately tried to shield her.
The massive four-wheel drive vehicles converged on the sports car and flattened it like an accordion. One plunged into the little car from behind, ramming the car’s trunk all t
he way up against the backs of the driver and passenger seats, bare metal cutting through fabric and cushion. The other jammed the hood until the engine appeared where Elena and Marco’s feet had been only seconds before. Elena and Marco had instinctively lifted their feet onto the car seat to avoid the impact from the front end.
Elena and Marco were trapped inside the tight space between the crushed front and back ends. Shattered glass covered them even though much of the windshield still held together by a shatterproof treatment. What Elena witnessed next would make her a life-long believer in all things sacred and pure.
The trucks in front and behind were reversing, trying to break free of mangled metal to ram the little car again. But all Elena could see were the angels hovering over them. They were a brilliant white and Elena knew that, even though they were truly present, her hand would pass right through them. As it was, Elena’s arms were pinned, and she could not have reached out even though she wanted to.
The impact had knocked Marco unconscious, yet Elena didn’t panic. Instead, she watched herself observe him. There was a peace and serenity about the scene. Later, when reflecting on it all, she would realize that she was hovering above her body watching.
The angels moved around Elena and Marco, attending to them. Elena watched an angel move Marco’s left leg that was twisted at an improbable angle, and set it down gently. The angel blasted healing light through his leg, and the broken bone mended while Elena watched.
Another angel moved Elena’s arms from their strained angle and pushed the bone that protruded from her right elbow back in through the gash in her skin. The angel pressed his hand against the open wound; the bone mended, and the skin healed shut. Everywhere, angels touched them and healed them. The wounds Elena and Marco had suffered in the crash were severe. However, with the angels’ touch, they would survive the ordeal. Marco’s prayer requesting intervention had saved their lives.
