Beyond Sedona

by Lucia Ashta

  She grabbed a medium-sized globe and took it over to a chair and table that were mostly hidden from view. She sat next to the globe, closed her eyes, and hoped she wasn’t totally losing it. Then she spun the globe. It wobbled, tipped over, and fell to the floor with a crash.

  She didn’t move. She held her breath, waiting to see if anyone would come. After a minute or two passed, she dared to look up. No one had noticed. She let out a big sigh of relief. The tension gone, she laughed and picked up the globe. It was nice not to face the usual criticism in Robby’s eyes.

  Holding the base down this time, she spun the globe again. God, it’s up to you. Choose the right place for me. She closed her eyes and extended her index finger until it hit the spinning globe. Only then did it occur to her that, by using a globe, she hadn’t limited herself to the United States.

  After a minute, she decided to trust her choice of instrument, and she committed to going wherever her finger had landed. Whether it was Calcutta, Paris, or Timbuktu, she promised herself she’d go.

  She forcefully pushed the worries away. She wouldn’t live her life the way she used to. Besides, she’d asked God to show her the way, and that was the way it worked, right? She was finally trusting the divine nature of life—or she was losing her mind. Only time would tell which of the two it was.

  She drew in a deep breath, and then another; one wasn’t enough. Then she peeked, one eye open just enough to see hazy shapes. She made out the blurry outline of the U.S. and exhaled loudly. She wasn’t sure if she would’ve really been willing to move to the tundra of Siberia if her finger had found its way there.

  That it had ended up in the U.S. was a good indication that God was responding to her prayers. If not, it might have landed on another continent, or even in the ocean. This must truly be her destiny. She had to go wherever her finger landed.

  With a burst of courage, she opened her eyes. Her finger rested in the state of Arizona. She could live with that. She’d never been to Arizona, but it was warm there. Her breathing, which she didn’t notice had stopped, resumed. She squinted at the diminutive print and read ‘Flagstaff,’ but that wasn’t exactly the place. She lifted her finger, and beneath it was the word ‘Sedona.’

  Sedona, Arizona would be her new home, a place she’d never heard of. Excited by the prospect of her new life, she ran to her car. She reached the parking garage and went straight for the trunk. She rummaged through her bags until she found a thick, cable knit sweater. She pulled it over her head with urgency and rubbed her arms along the sleeves to warm up the wool.

  With the sweater on, her teeth relaxed their chattering, and she was able to find her laptop. She grabbed it, locked her car, and broke into a trot; it was too cold to walk. Careful to avoid any patches of ice that survived the salt, Lena made it back to the bookstore.

  Now that she knew where she was headed, she had things to do. She ordered a hot tea and asked for the Internet code.

  It was a four-day drive to Arizona, and alone, in the emotional state she was in, it would be too much to handle. She’d figure out what to do with her car later and found a flight to Phoenix leaving Detroit the next day. She already had everything packed; she could actually make it. Her friends would help her with any final details and store whatever she needed to leave behind.

  They’d all offered their homes to her, but Lena felt the need to be alone with her thoughts. Staying with friends now would be a relief after enduring the squalid motel, where she had nowhere to hide from her shadow.

  She decided right then she’d no longer make things hard for herself only to prove she was tough. Being strong didn’t exclude being wise. And she hadn’t been wise.

  Yes, she’d stay with friends. She’d let them comfort, distract, and then drive her to the airport. It would be nice to have someone see her off as she started her new life.

  She booked the ticket.

  Chapter 4

  Lena woke the next morning in a warm, soft bed, and for the umpteenth time she regretted not having taken her friends up on their offers before. She pulled the down comforter up to her chin and stretched her legs wide in the queen bed. She took in the sun-filled room with its yellow curtains, white comforter, and sunshiny yellow sheets. The floorboard heater kicked on, causing the shimmery curtains to billow as if a warm breeze were blowing in through the windows. It all made Lena forget that it was snowing outside.

  Then she remembered. Today was the day.

  Talking with her friends the night before, Lena made some important decisions. She’d renounce her role as an attorney. Every time she worked in her profession, her soul complained. Dealing with a contrived system of laws made the whole world seem as if it too were artificial. She wouldn’t practice architecture either, despite the fact that it satisfied her creativity more, but not enough. Her spirit craved the lack of limitations only achieved on a blank canvas or piece of paper. She was an artist and writer at heart. She’d allow herself the freedom to be the person she was meant to be.

  Even though the flight was relatively full, the two seats next to Lena were empty, allowing her extra space to stretch her legs. She’d never been out West before and was surprised that the flight would be over six hours long.

  While Lena stared out the window at the fleeting landscape below, the stress of the last few weeks caught up with her. She relaxed into her seat, her eyelids grew heavy, and the hum of the engines lulled her to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  The temple masters had been observing Asara for thirteen years, since the night she came into the world. Today, they watched her perform an ancient meditation.

  Her body began in a crouch, her muscles accepting the demands she made of them. She moved with great deliberation, inches above the ground as a wild animal teasing the surface of the earth, but never touching it with anything but her bare feet.

  She swung her right leg out, parallel to the ground, and then moved it forward before bringing it to the earth again, as if it carried no weight. She repeated the motions with the other leg.

  The meditation appeared to require little effort, but the masters knew how difficult it was to accomplish it with such grace. They too had been performing this meditation since they were children.

  Out of the seven masters living in the Temple of Laresu’u Kal, three were there that day. Laresu’u Kal meant flowing waters in their native tongue because the temple was built on the edge of the River Haakal five hundred years before. It stood like a stoic tree, stately and strong along the riverbank.

  Forty-nine students, ranging in age from seven to twenty-one, also lived at the Temple. Of the forty-nine, only one had captured the full attention and hope of the masters—of one of the masters in particular, who’d monitored Asara since the day of her prophesied birth. On the day she turned seven years old, her parents brought her to the temple to begin her training.

  Exactly two hundred years to the day Asara was born, a great prophet named Dann foretold the birth of twins, who’d bring peace and golden light to the world. They’d be born on the night heralding birth on the earth, the spring equinox. The stars would shine unusually bright on that occasion, announcing their birth to the world.

  People had faith in Dann’s prophecy. They passed it down from one generation to another. For two hundred years on the spring equinox, all women about to give birth were invited to the temples. Outside, the community held vigil through the night, praying and chanting, in hopes that the twins would arrive. Yet their prayers didn’t receive an immediate answer. Clouds obscured the stars every spring equinox.

  As the years wore on, the people of Arnaka grew dismayed. Temple masters encouraged them to continue in faith, that the twins would be born in accordance to the prophecy. Only Creator knew the right time for the great event. Holding space for mothers giving birth on the spring equinox became a ritual in the land of Arnaka. A powerful intention for miraculous beginnings supported the women who gave birth in the temples. The women’s labor took on a tone of the mystic
al as they gave birth with the natural impulses of their bodies, aligned with their intuition. All babies born in the temples came into the world enveloped in an undeniable sense of magic that set the stage for their lives.

  Finally one day, it became clear that the spring equinox that year would be extraordinary. There was a stirring in the air as darkness began to descend, as if the wind also knew that night would be enchanted.

  A rumbling spread among the people. The sky was different. The stars shone with fluorescence. Excitement collected on the cool breeze as it became evident that the prophecy would be fulfilled that night.

  People of all ages arrived at the twenty-one temples across Arnaka. Everyone, even the infants, held vigil all night. The anticipation was palpable. They chanted and prayed.

  The level of excitement outside the temples was nothing compared to what was going on inside. The temple masters, intuitive and attuned to the workings of Creator, realized that night would bring what they’d all been waiting for. They positioned themselves so that at least one of them would be with each woman giving birth since no one knew who would bear the twins. The energy at the time of birth would have a substantial impact on the infants.

  For hours the temple masters sat on the floor of the birthing rooms, behind privacy screens, with their legs crossed and their backs straight. Across Arnaka, the temple masters prayed in unison in a rhythm that bordered on the hypnotic:

  Source of all things:

  You radiate within and all around us,

  Even the darkness shines with your light.

  Let us breathe sacred breath,

  Creating a temple within, where there is only you.

  Lead us in each moment,

  Guiding us to create reality in its fullest.

  Help us love all creatures as you do,

  Showing compassion for all life.

  Meet our body’s needs with plenty

  And grant us the wisdom to walk this earth.

  Allow us to forgive ourselves as we do others,

  Creating peace within.

  Grant us the knowledge of our divine purpose,

  With the strength to fulfill it.

  Repel the advances of darkness

  While we strive to hold pure light and faith in our hearts.

  We are grateful to you always. Thank you.

  As the women labored and the babies were born, silence gradually descended. At the Temple of Laresu’u Kal, there was one woman that the temple masters feared might not give birth on the prophesied eve. But just as the sun was about to rise, the woman pushed out a baby girl. The infant was strong. Her cry was robust and commanded attention.

  The temple master in the room with the newborn Asara took notice.

  At the other end of Arnaka in the town of the green valleys, Na’anesh Kal, an almost identical scene played out. The temple master that sat with Anak’s mother was hoarse from the repetitive incantations, yet she continued on to support the mother.

  Seconds before pink tinged the sky, the cry of a single boy pierced the silence that had descended upon the Temple of Na’anesh Kal as the other new mothers and their babies gave over to exhaustion. The boy was vigorous, and he stared the temple master deep in the eyes when she rushed over to witness the child.

  The temple master sensed that something was different about the infant boy Anak.

  The masters of the Temples of Na’anesh Kal and of Laresu’u Kal understood something extraordinary had happened that night. They recognized that the infant born at their temple was special. However, they couldn’t explain the discrepancy between the prophecy and what had occurred.

  Dann’s prophecy told of the birth of twins. But that night two children of different mothers had been born, a girl and a boy, on opposite sides of Arnaka. They weren’t twins.

  Nevertheless, despite this seeming contradiction, the temple masters acknowledged that, somehow, the time of the twins had come. They prepared to wait for the years to reveal how it would unfold.

  Chapter 6

  At first Lena didn’t remember where she was. Her dream had been a continuation of the one Robby had interrupted, and it seemed too real. She came to alertness gradually. They were flying over a mountainous forest of pines, and it made her happy to see such vibrant green after months of white in Michigan. She turned to take in the rest of the cabin and startled to discover a man sitting a seat away from her.

  “Hello,” he said in a European accent that she immediately tried to place.

  She couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was. There was something more appealing to him than his sunny features and strong shoulders, as if electricity sparked around him.

  The man’s face broke into a grin. Lena’s cheeks colored as she realized with sudden self-awareness that she’d been staring at him without even responding to his greeting.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, with a hint of playfulness that Lena thought she might have imagined.

  She blushed more. She honestly didn’t know if she was okay. She checked in with herself and was surprised to discover how happy she felt.

  “Yes,” she said with unexpected complacency.

  Then Lena let a genuine smile spread across her face. She felt true contentment without understanding why.

  And with that one guileless smile, the man was captivated.

  Lena gazed out the window while the man observed her, unnoticed. Beyond her physical beauty, he detected something uncommon, something extraordinary. You had to know what you were looking for to see it, and he knew.

  Lena turned away from the window to address him. “Do you live in Phoenix, or are you just passing through?”

  “I don’t live in Phoenix. I don’t live anywhere at the moment. But Sedona is my destination.”

  “I’m also going to Sedona,” she said, incredulous. “I’m in search of something; I just don’t know what yet.”

  “So you don’t live in Sedona either?”

  “No, I don’t.” After a pause, she added, “I suppose I don’t live anywhere at the moment. For the first time in a very long time, I’m open to where life takes me. I’m in search of my destiny.” She paused again. “And joy. That’s truly what I’m looking for. I want to remember who I am.”

  She found it curious that she was telling this nameless man ideas she’d unearthed only a day before. It was unlike her to bare herself to someone she’d just met. In situations such as these, she tended to be private and reserved.

  He made her feel as if she could trust him, and, before she knew it, she was sharing her life story. She talked about how difficult and painful her marriage had been; how disappointed she was that it had taken her so long to extricate herself from it; how she hadn’t even mustered the courage to end it. How long might she have stayed with Robby had he not insisted on a divorce? Why had she valued herself so little?

  She shared private thoughts with this man until tears started to well in her eyes. That got her attention. Was she really crying in front of a stranger? Telling her sob story?

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I don’t ever do this.” She gestured with a tear-streaked face. “I’m sorry,” she said again, this time more softly, more timidly.

  She looked lovely when she cried. Her cheeks were flushed, her nose pink, and her eyes tinged with red so that their yellow glistened. Lena noticed him studying her and tried to hide her face behind her hair.

  “There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m so sorry you had to experience that.” Protectiveness ran through him, which he found alarming.

  Caution bells went off in his head. He was on the path to understanding himself, to enlightenment. He couldn’t get caught up in another person’s drama, even if she happened to be a striking woman with an apparently beautiful heart.

  As the plane approached Phoenix for landing, Lena pulled herself together. It had been comforting to share time with this man, but now she braced herself for the experience that lay ahead of her. She was there to begi
n a new life.

  She had no idea where she would go. She didn’t even know where she would be sleeping that night. Her friends tried to convince her at least to set up a hotel room for her arrival in Sedona, but she refused. She wanted destiny to lead her, free from the influence of her reasoning mind.

  She and the man stood together waiting for their bags to appear on the baggage carousel. Lena realized that, in all the hours they talked, they didn’t exchange names. When remembering the alluring stranger that accompanied her on this destined flight, she wanted to attribute a name to the face.

  Lena turned to him. “I want to thank you for your compassion in listening to me. I’m a bit embarrassed that I told you so many personal things.”

  He interrupted her. “Please. It was my pleasure to be there for you.” To her astonishment, Lena realized that he meant it. She’d become accustomed to callous and apathetic men, yet this perfect stranger was genuinely happy to be present for her.

  The man took the opportunity to ask Lena the question she’d intended to ask him. “For when I think of you later, what’s the name of the beautiful woman I met on the flight from Detroit to Phoenix?”

  He’d called her beautiful! There was a time when she’d known she was beautiful, but that was before she met Robby.

  “My name is Lena.”

  “Lena. That’s not a very common name for this country, is it?”

  “That’s because I’m from Argentina. “I’ve lived in this country only part of my life.”

  “Ah. Now it makes more sense.”

  What made more sense? Lena was puzzled.

  The man had recognized there was something exotic about her that could be partially explained by her origins. She looked at him with an unspoken question, only to catch him staring at her face, trailing her features and stopping at her full lips.