Beyond Sedona

by Lucia Ashta

  They watched Asara’s mother birth her into the world. The darkness heard the cry of Anak’s mother as her child drew his first worldly breath. But because it was identified in the ethers that the light bearers would be born on that destined night, there were also forces of great light that surrounded the children at the moment of their births. Powerful angels who knew how important the twins were to the world safeguarded them. With the support of the angels, the light and love in the infants’ hearts held robust and forced the dark to leave in frustration.

  As Asara and Anak were growing up, they had to keep their light strong because their souls became of greater value to the dark. The dark forces would consider the conquering of either one of their souls a significant achievement.

  Kaanra continued to guide the twins. He encouraged them to seek their training outside of the structure of temple life. The twins learned from nature. They listened to Creator and to their spirit guides. Once they were left to their own ways, they developed a strong love and affection for each other and all living things. Their teachers were the air and its birds, the water and its creatures, the land and its animals, and the heavens and its guidance.

  The more harmonized the twins became with their mission, the more the presence of darkness affected them. It became difficult for the twins to be in tainted environments.

  They could sense the slimy, long-reaching fingers trying to lure them. The feeling was palpable, even though it occurred in a different dimension of reality. It was as if a snake were slithering up their legs, attempting to wrap itself around them and pull them down to lower levels of consciousness. The unnerving echo of a snake’s ssssss warning sounded on the etheric plane. It was unsettling. The twins had to learn how to bring awareness to the strength of their light and to stand strongly in it. They couldn’t allow themselves to falter to the impulse of fear, not even for a moment, because fear itself led to darkness.

  As warriors of the light, it was important for them to keep their hearts buoyant and avoid heavy thoughts brought on by fear and darkness. They learned to focus on those beliefs that would further their ability to shine light for the world, and instilled within themselves an automatic response to dismiss any negative thought.

  As with all forms of reprogramming, it was progressively easier for the twins to have the thoughts they desired. Soon, positive thoughts born in full faith in Creator became automatic.

  Life then became even more amazing.

  The dark forces employed various beings to influence human souls toward darkness. Spirits weren’t inherently malevolent but were human souls that hadn't yet found their way back to the heavens. However, even though spirits didn't necessarily have bad intent, they could negatively influence a person involuntarily. The spirit could affect a person by imposing its fears and unhealthy patterns, those that it had wrestled with in its most recent earthly life.

  There was a natural tendency with human beings to succumb to fear. Humans fell into the grip of fear—of lack, pain, and rejection. It was only through a conscious awakening to the bigger picture that they broke free of these limitations. Fear, ultimately, was a mutation of faith. Fear was faith in negative outcomes in life. A person had to release fear from her habitual patterns of consciousness to flow within Creator’s abundance.

  Demons were different from spirits. They were the most powerful envoys of darkness, whose sole purpose was to cause confusion and despair within human souls. They interfered with the light to such an extent that human beings would completely lose sight of their ubiquitous connection to Creator. Once a demon ensnared a human soul, it wouldn’t release it willingly. It was only through targeted intervention that the demon would leave. If someone didn’t rescue the person from the dark, that human incarnation was wasted and the objective the person had come to earth to complete would be unfulfilled.

  When commanded with the power of Creator, the demon obeyed the authority of universal law and left. Thus the afflicted person recovered the chance at free will that would benefit the evolution of their soul.

  In rare situations, a soul could free itself from the hold of darkness a demon imposed. This would happen when there was such a strong connection to the source of light that the person realized what the forces of darkness were doing. The strength would grow within that individual to the point that he could break free of the demon’s will and reclaim sovereignty over his soul. But the person powerful enough to realize that a demon possessed him was uncommon, and the threat of possession was ever present.

  The twins learned to protect themselves so they could assist persons afflicted with darkness while remaining safe from its influence. It wasn’t enough to intend to interact only with the light. The shadow world couldn’t be ignored. Regardless of whether the darkness was acknowledged or not, it still existed. Creator had birthed both light and dark in a dualistic system where each was an essential part of life and of the cosmic world.

  As Asara and Anak matured, the villages that surrounded the Temple of Laresu’u Kal began to place expectations on them. Though the people were unaware of the twins’ actual purpose on earth, they assumed that since they were the golden children of prophecy they should be able to help them in some way. The community was eager to place the twins into the role of saviors.

  To meet with the increasing demands on their energy, the twins requested the assistance of Creator, the archangels, the angels, and the ascended masters. This was the etheric team they called on for help and guidance.

  The twins learned to work with Archangel Michael in particular. They were able to hear him clearly when he spoke, and he told them of their origins. Confused at first, bewildered next, the twins finally arrived at acceptance of Archangel Michael’s explanation. They were part of a team of angels under Archangel Michael’s direction whose job was to fight using light as their weapon.

  Just as Asara and Anak were twins, so Archangel Michael had a twin brother. This was largely unknown due to the confusion that darkness wrought. Most people lacked the understanding that darkness possessed its own form of beauty; after all, it was an essential component of human growth. Archangel Michael’s twin brother was Archangel Lucifer.

  Humanity had misunderstood and maligned Archangel Lucifer for longer than anyone alive had memory. It had attributed great darkness to him, yet there was no darkness within his being. Only light. However, the job appointed to him by Creator was to ensure that darkness lived on to play its role in human development.

  Archangel Lucifer’s duty was to guarantee the existence of darkness at a general level. He supervised the luring of darkness to human souls even as he blessed the souls on their journeys, that they might find the strength to outshine the dark.

  The connection between Asara and Anak continued to grow until it was time for them to come together in the most powerful way that Creator had given man and woman to unite. Since that destined day in the pyramid when they had experienced their first light emission and shared their first kiss, they knew that one day they would become lovers. There was no other way on their path but deeper bonding.

  Asara and Anak were strong as individuals. With their strengths combined, they became a united force that could stand against the surging powers of darkness.

  Chapter 32

  Lena needed time to think. She stood by herself at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, a short walk away. The innkeeper told her it was the heart center of Sedona. Paolo and Victor’s words competed for attention as she took in a 360-degree view of Sedona’s red mountains. Lena was trying to wrap her mind around everything she’d learned in the last few days.

  She’d felt lost for as long as she could remember. She’d take one step after another with the idea that if she just kept moving forward, someday it would all begin to make sense. Lena thought that this might be the time. She couldn’t deny that unusual things had started to happen, things that were inexplicable except within the supernatural world Paolo had described.

  Movement at the corner of Lena’s visio
n caught her attention. She turned and saw a rabbit to her right. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed the rabbit’s approach.

  “Hello,” Lena said to the rabbit.

  Hello, Asara, Lena heard the rabbit say inside her head. Lena smiled at the rabbit and turned back to look at the view of West Sedona. It took a full three seconds for Lena to register that she’d just heard this cottontail rabbit speak. When she turned back, the rabbit was gone.

  Chapter 33

  Lena ran down the mountain as fast as she could. The shock of hearing the rabbit speak had subsided; she ran because she felt more vibrant than she’d ever felt before and walking wouldn’t suffice. Her feet pounded on the red rock in spellbinding motion. The adrenaline pumped, and the blood pulsed through her veins. She felt spectacularly alive.

  She ran all the way back to the room, flung the door open, and bounded in. Her smile fell away. Something was wrong. She went to Paolo immediately, “What is it?”

  “My mother called the front desk. It’s my other sister, Carla. She’s dying. I must go to her. I haven’t seen her in many years. I shouldn’t have stayed away this long.”

  “Oh no. What happened?”

  “She was hit by a car.” Paolo barely managed to get the words out. That cars should strike two sisters and take their lives didn’t seem possible.

  “Mi amor, lo siento tanto,” Lena said in her native tongue. “Will you leave right away?”

  He nodded, as he looked up at her. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “But you must. You’ll come back. Now that we’ve found each other, we’ll be together. We won’t lose each other again.”

  Lena hit the mark. Paolo feared losing her. After a lifetime of yearning and searching for this twin of his soul, Paolo had finally found Lena. He didn’t want to take any chances.

  “You know my phone number. Okay, I guess you don’t know my phone number, but I’ll give it to you. You know where I live: at the Javelina Inn. You’ll find me again. I promise.”

  “You promise that I’ll find you again?” Paolo couldn’t tell what it was, but something felt strange. He didn’t want to leave Lena when he felt unsettled. It was nothing he could identify, but it was enough for him to be uneasy. He didn’t know what to do about it though. He had to go see his sister.

  “I do,” Lena said.

  She sat next to Paolo while he pulled out his laptop and booked his flight. He had to leave for the airport in two hours and insisted on booking a shuttle to take him there. When she protested his intention to leave the car for her, he insisted. When she offered to drive him to the airport, he asked her to stay and enjoy Sedona instead. Paolo was adamant about the shuttle and she finally stopped trying to talk him out of it.

  She helped him gather his things into his small suitcase. Paolo left a few things behind to help him feel that he’d return shortly. When he’d zipped the bag, and she’d programmed her phone number into Paolo’s cell phone, there was nothing left to do but wait for the shuttle pick-up time to approach. Paolo was apprehensive, but Lena assumed it was because of his sister’s condition.

  “You’re all ready to go,” she said. She was surprised at how sad she was to see him depart. She didn’t want to be without him. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

  “I don’t know. It depends on how Carla is and what’s really happening. I have to be there with my family. But I don’t want to leave you. I can’t explain it, but my resistance to leaving you is strong.”

  Lena nodded. She understood. She guided Paolo onto the bed next to her, and there they lay, limbs entwined, hearts connected, comforting each other. The love that radiated from them calmed Paolo’s worried heart. His heartbeat slowed, his breathing grew deep, and he nestled into Lena.

  In that lover’s embrace, they agreed that if Paolo needed to stay in Rome for long, Lena would fly out to join him. They’d be apart for only a few days. Either Paolo would return to Sedona, or Lena would meet him in Rome. It would be okay, they told each other and shared a final kiss.

  As Lena watched Paolo ride away on the shuttle, he assured himself repeatedly that everything was fine. With the shuttle pointed toward Phoenix, he tried to make himself comfortable for the ride.

  Chapter 34

  It was mid-morning and Asara had been walking along the riverbank since sunrise. She moved slowly, occasionally allowing the water to lap upon her feet. Her walk was rhythmic and peaceful. She smiled. It was a bright, emerald green by the water’s edge, which stood in sharp contrast to the barren, arid land away from the river.

  After a long time of walking in complete serenity, Asara heard a clear instruction. Her angel guides told her it was time to learn true freedom. They were insistent. She needed to learn freedom from many of the concerns of human life. Others’ opinions shouldn’t influence her choices and actions, or her mission would suffer. And the best way to achieve that was for her to run free, truly free.

  Before she knew it, Asara was running away from the water toward firm land. She increased her speed, launching herself forward. She ran without holding back. She ran with everything she had, without thought. Her legs were grateful for the power that coursed through them. They’d craved this burst of energy. Her shirt, which hung loosely tied, twisted around her through her movement and eventually fell, liberated. Though she owned few clothes, she wasn’t concerned about it. Nothing in the material world was important.

  She ran. She ran so fast that she tripped, but that didn’t matter either. She recovered quickly and gracefully from her stumble and kept running. In accepting her imperfection, there was perfection.

  As she ran, Asara shed self-judgment and those demands that she placed on herself to be emotionally concise. Her breathing was heavy. Exhilaration pumped her legs and arms. She wanted to run faster still. Her body gave more from reserves she wasn’t aware she had. It performed at peak efficiency as she jetted across the sand. Her feet acknowledged the warmth beneath bare soles; the stimulating heat spurred her on.

  Finally, a thin scarf unwove itself from her hair and dropped to the earth. It felt like a small victory for the scarf, and Asara celebrated it. It had whipped in the wind, seemingly struggling for liberty, and achieved it! She rejoiced in the feeling of emancipation. No material possession would control her. No earthly moment would grasp hold of her soul. She ran harder and faster, her heavy breathing a vivid reminder of her animal nature. She embraced it all.

  She experienced joy, exhilaration, and understanding. Only the pure love and light in her heart were significant. Details didn’t matter! She accepted this now. It resonated within her being. She was truly free. She understood the importance of Creator’s plan and allowed this knowledge to course through her. Creator’s design was deceptively simple in its infinitely complex balance of intricate functioning.

  Asara was an angel in human form that came to earth on a mission. She was to provide a service to humanity that only she could complete. Despite their angelic origins, she and Anak, would have to live a human experience.

  She ran on. She ran and ran. Her yellow hair flapped behind in triumphant tangles. She was in flow with what Creator had made and that included her body. Her long muscles stretched and bounded. She imagined the spirit of the lioness within her, and she roared and panted to honor her strength. The lioness’ ferocity urged her forward, incited her to embrace life. And she did! She felt whole and complete.

  Asara acknowledged her perfection with each infinitesimal part of her being. She felt every individual speck within her, just as she felt each grain of sand beneath her feet. The sun that warmed her was perfect. The breeze that blew and cooled the sweat on her skin was perfect. She knew the breeze had come to cool her, to respond to her need, because she felt the embrace of a loving universe.

  She came to a sudden halt, bending over, rapid breath pulsing through her. Her body hungrily took in air. Once the rise and fall of her chest began to slow, she stood and looked around her. She had run far;
it was a long way back to the temple. And that felt wonderfully right, just as she knew everything would be for some time.

  Before returning to the temple, she wanted to feel the water’s power against her hot skin. She smiled and took off again. She was a lioness reaching full speed from a crouch, and she ran like this as far as the river. She jumped in, dressed in her remaining clothes, without a second’s pause. Clothing was an illusion. Things were an illusion. And she’d just broken through the illusion. She was free, and she knew it as she drank in the sweet water of the Haakal.

  Chapter 35

  Paolo tried to relax during the overnight flight from Phoenix to Fiumicino, near Rome, but was unsuccessful. He felt more uncomfortable than ever in his seat and didn’t sleep more than an hour or two. When the plane finally landed, Paolo was relieved. He retrieved his suitcase and made his way to the terminal, where a short train ride to the Trastevere neighborhood departed every 15 minutes. He was able to board a train almost immediately.

  His parents lived on the opposite side of the Tiber River from the Roman Forum and Vatican City. Growing up, Paolo had appreciated being removed from the center of Rome and its constant busyness. Even though Trastevere had become trendy lately with its bars and restaurants crowding on weekends, it still had its own distinct character. Paolo realized how much he’d missed the narrow cobbled streets and the familiar sounds and smells. Brightly colored laundry hung between houses drying, and the morning smell of fresh bread wafted out of bakeries and filled the air.

  Paolo had spent very little time in Rome over the last fifteen years. It was nice to speak Italian again, to walk the same streets he’d walked as a child and see that not much had changed. Storefronts were similar even though some businesses had turned over. Families lived in the same homes they had for generations. Parents and children had grown older and new babies had been born. The passing of time had been accepted with complacency in this neighborhood.