Gate: The Magician
I stepped through the vision gate and was standing in a world made of stone. A tower was struck by a bolt of lightning and toppled. Immediately, another tower rose from the ground to take its place, was struck by lightning, and collapsed. The ground shook with the energy and power of the cycle of transformation.
Again and again, a tower emerged from the earth, a storm descended from the sky, the tower was destroyed, and then rose again. Finally, a tower came from beneath my own feet and propelled me up into the sky. I waited for the lightning to strike and destroy me, but something came from the sky and took me up into the storm and I could see nothing else for a time.
When I could see again, I was gazing down through a glass floor at the stone landscape with its shifting towers. I realized I was in the Temple of Imagination. Michael stood next to me, watching the towers’ destruction and rebirth.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“The Hall of the Magician,” he whispered, reverently. “See how she shapes the raw forces of creation?”
“I see it,” I replied. “What else does the magician do?”
“She shapes reality and also measures it,” said Michael.
“How does one measure reality?” I asked.
“By comparing it to the reality in her head,” he explained. “As you can see by the endless cycle of creation and destruction, she always finds reality unsatisfactory.”
“Michael, please take me to this magician,” I said. “It is time that I met her.”
“Of course,” he said and took my arm. We moved through the endless halls of the temple together. As we did so, I could sense activity all around us. My badger came storming by, chased by a group of laughing children. Lickspittle grinned at me from behind a pillar and then disappeared. Many of the treasure chests opened and closed by themselves, being manipulated by persons whom I could not see.
“This temple has become rather busy, hasn’t it?” I observed.
“Your Light Congress is wide awake,” said Michael. “They’ve been making some changes. Would you like to see? It will only take a moment.”
I nodded my consent and Michael turned down a new hallway. At the end of this space, he opened a wooden door and gestured for me to go within. “They built a Mirror of Light for your own personal use,” he said. Within the mists of this room, a golden mirror shone with a bright light.
“How is a Mirror of Light different from a Mirror of Shadows?” I asked, admiring the beauty of the mirror.
“The Mirror of Shadows shows things as they are. The Mirror of Light shows reality at its finest and highest potential,” my guardian replied. “More than that, the Mirror of Light shows things as they could be.”
I stood in front of the glowing mirror. I saw myself reflected on its surface. Then, I saw my real child run into my arms among a crowd of children. They all called me, “Mother.” I gathered them into my arms in an enormous hug.
“Your family dwells within too,” said Michael. “Well, some of them.”
“I have but one child,” I replied, transfixed by the scene and the peaceful smile on my face.
“You’re so wrong,” said the angel. “All of these meditations are your children. Every member of the Light Congress is your child. You are mother to us all.”
“What is the purpose of the Mirror of Light?” I asked.
“To dream the highest dreams,” Michael said. “And to birth them into reality.”
The scene in the mirror changed. Now, I held a baby in my arms and I watched myself coo at him. At first, he was an infant in swaddling clothes. But then, he changed into a large, glowing book. The vision within the mirror flashed back and forth so quickly I could not tell the infant from the book.
“Michael,” I whispered. “I’m holding my Light Congress.” I reached out my hand to touch the mirror’s surface, but it wasn’t solid and I fell through into light and mist.
“Heidi, what are you doing here?” said Merlin when I could perceive my surroundings again.
I was standing in Merlin’s library, clearly having just disturbed him in the middle of one of his projects. “I fell through a mirror in the Temple of Imagination,” I explained. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Time for a break anyway,” said Merlin. “Would you like to see what I have been working on?” I nodded and Merlin grinned.
“You showed me how to create a thought, remember?” he said. The wizard brought his hands up to his chest and, when he removed them, they cradled a sparkling light. “Now, watch this!” Merlin threw the spark into the air where it exploded into streaming lights of various hues.
Then, as the light fell to the floor, it shaped itself into a multitude of Merlins, all made of light. This crowd jostled and pushed each other, then shot off into every direction and disappeared from the library.
“What on earth was that?” I asked.
“I’ve learned to clone myself so I can be in many places at once,” he said, laughing. “Time used to be my enemy but, now, he is one of my dearest friends. In fact, I’m expecting him for tea any moment.”
“You’re meeting Time for tea?” I asked.
“Yes, the great centipede and I have lengthy discussions on reality. He is quite knowledgeable, having seen and experienced everything existence has to offer,” said Merlin.
“I didn’t know he could say anything beyond his own name,” I said. “At least, he’s never spoken more than that to me.”
“And here he is now,” Merlin declared. There came a sound like a train rushing through a tunnel and then Time in his aspect of a centipede was sitting at the table. He had on a top hat which he removed with a flourish and then, with one of his mammoth forelegs, he adjusted a monocle to a tiny eye and peered down at me.
“Time, we are to have company,” said Merlin. “You’ve made her acquaintance so I’m sure you won’t be put out by the addition to our tea party.”
The centipede nodded his head gravely. “Heidi is known to me,” he said and Merlin poured a cup of tea for the two of them. As Time picked up his cup, that strange rushing sound came again, there was a shimmer, and suddenly, the centipede was holding a tea cup in each of his ‘hands,’ which amounted to hundreds of cups.
I must have looked surprised because Merlin said, “Handy person to have around: Time. As you can see, given a small amount of material, he can make his own repast.”
“How does he manage it?” I asked.
The centipede sipped daintily from one of his cups. “All things come in time,” he said.
“Shall I pour you a cup?” asked Merlin.
“I prefer coffee, if you please,” I replied. From the same teapot, a stream of coffee went into the cup in front of me.
“No trouble at all,” said Merlin and we all three drank our beverages together in companionable silence.
“Once upon a time,” said the centipede, breaking the revere. “There was a girl who sought the nature of Time. She went forth into her mind and discovered many extraordinary beings. What she didn’t realize is that, as she met these powers, the powers met her. Through their interaction, the beings took on a life of their own and Time himself began to speak to her.”
All were silent around the table for a moment. Suddenly, I felt as if I didn’t know where to place my teacup. “Silly me,” I thought and put the cup back on its saucer upon the table. Then, I picked up a shortbread cookie covered in granulated sugar which I happily consumed as Merlin politely wiped a drop of tea from his lips.
“I too have a tale for this company,” Merlin said after a brief pause. “For once upon a time, there was a girl who sought the nature of Magic. She went forth into her mind and discovered magic there. What she didn’t realize is it had been within her the whole time, waiting for her attention to bring it back to life. What she didn’t realize is, as she sought Magic, Magic looked for her.”
Merlin and Time gazed expectantly at me. I opened my mouth and these words came out: “Once upon a time, there was a girl who sought the nature of Love…” but I began to choke and couldn’t speak the words.
“Go on, Heidi,” encouraged Merlin. “And what did she find?”
I coughed but couldn’t dislodge the lump in my throat. “She sought the nature of Love…” I tried again, but again was silenced. Tears began to pour down my cheeks. “But she didn’t have the words to tell about it,” I said and the blockage in my throat came pouring out of my mouth. A black shadow fell into my lap and shaped itself into a hissing cobra with its tail wrapped around my throat and chest.
Merlin and Time glanced at each other in concern and then back at me. I shook as the cobra squeezed my chest and constricted my air. “Heidi,” said Merlin. “If you could only speak the story, we could heal you. Time heals all things, as you know.”
“I can’t…” I wheezed. “It’s crushing me. The shadow has stolen my breath.” The snake opened its hood and prepared to strike.
“Thank goodness, I know someone else who likes to drink tea and I invited her to this party,” said Merlin. “And here she is now.”
Love walked through the garden wall into the tea party. She took in the scene at a glance and sat herself across from me and the shadow serpent.
“Once upon a time,” said Love. “There was a girl who sought the nature of Love. She loved deeply and truly but she didn’t tell anyone because she couldn’t find the words or courage to do so.” Love reached into her pocket and drew forth a shiny, red apple. “Now Anxiety, you old snake, release my friend and I will give you this in her stead.”
The cobra hissed. “Why would I need apples?” it said, the creature’s forked tongue going in and out of its mouth.
“This is more than an apple,” said Venus. “This is true love from me to you, no strings attached.”
“And more,” said the centipede. He touched the red apple with one of his forelegs. “This is a moment of Heidi’s time.”
“And some of her magic,” said Merlin, who also tapped the apple with a finger. The fruit glittered and sparkled, then it changed to pure gold.
Anxiety released my heart and threw itself at the golden fruit. It swallowed the morsel with a snap of its mighty jaws and then it disappeared. I took a deep breath of relief as the monster left my throat.
“Can you tell the story now?” asked Love.
I shook my head negatively. “There are still no words for me to speak,” I said.
“Now, Heidi,” said Merlin and he took my hand. “Do try. You have Time, Love, and Magic sitting here with you. We will help.”
With his encouragement, I started again. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who sought the nature of Love and in this journey…,” I said.
“She fell in Love,” Venus interjected.
“She fell in Time,” said the centipede.
“She fell in Magic,” finished Merlin.
“And healed the wound that wouldn’t heal,” I said. “And she became complete.”
“The end?” asked Time.
“It is never the end,” said Venus and the tea party began to spin around me. The figures at the table melted into each other so there was only one big mass of light. I blinked and realized I was gazing into the Mirror of Light with Michael beside me once more.
“The Light Congress was hoping that you’d like it,” he said, peering anxiously into my face.
“Like it?” I said. “It is unbelievable.” Then, unceremoniously, I fainted into his arms.
When I opened my eyes again, I was reclining on a Roman-style couch in the midst of my friends, the Light Congress. We faced a square stage with sumptuous red curtains upon which Dionysus stood with his golden curls, leopard skin attire, and green grape leaves adorning all. “Can I begin now?” he asked the crowd with a disdainful sniff.
“Heidi’s awake, you may begin,” said Michael, who was seated next to me. “The old drunk,” he whispered teasingly into my ear.
“I heard that,” said Dionysus, but then he opened his arms wide and addressed the room. “Most august friends, I present to you: How Dionysus Discovered Wine.”
There was harp music and then twelve ladies with nothing on except leaves appeared on stage. “I was in a cave in Thrace with a handful of my worshippers,” said the god. “And there was nothing to eat nor drink.” The divine muses danced and spun around Dionysus. “So, I filled the cave with grapes.”
He waved his arms and growth exploded from the stage, swathing the ladies in a profusion of vines and luscious fruit. “We frolicked together in the cave so long the grapes were crushed beneath our feet and seasoned with our sweat and love.” Dionysus began to chase the maidens and they giggled and fled from him, smashing the grapes upon the wooden stage. The god kissed first one muse then another.
“For god’s sake, Dionysus, keep it clean,” said a voice from the crowd. “There are children present.” I saw my Inner Child laughing in the front row at the god’s antics.
Dionysus looked affronted. “I think we all know what was done in that cave,” he said, then, from out of the vines, he drew his personal cup. “When we were through, I had discovered the way to ferment grapes and thus gifted wine to humanity.” The god climbed down from the stage and offered the drink to me with his own hands.
“What would Heidi want with your vintage?” called Odin from somewhere behind me.
Dionysus appeared angry from the slight to his dignity. “Heidi healed me, once,” he said, pressing his lips together in a firm line. “Now, I offer her the same and I would appreciate no further comments from the gallery at this time.”
The god of wine raised the goblet to my lips. “Drink, Heidi, and know the blessing of Dionysus,” he said. I swallowed the rich contents of the cup and where there had been a room full of the Light Congress, there were now only growing vines.
I sensed a familiar presence in the wilderness and he called my name so I tried to run to him, but the plants were too thick from the gift of Dionysus. Finally, he came to me out of the vines and I wrapped my arms around his neck, allowing him to carry me through the foliage.
“Would you crush some grapes with me?” my Animus whispered.
“I thought you’d never ask,” I replied. I kissed him and my vision ended.
The Light Congress 