Into The Unknown

Luna cascaded her waves along the shore while Amore caught herself squandering. Water flowed between the sacred soles of her feet that calibrated with the earth. There is nothing like being lit up under the comfort of your Mother’s spirit. This was her final attempt at rejuvenating her mind, body, and soul to embody the her she knew. Or thought she did. The flintknapping continued, stone against stone, shaping her own tool of survival, sharpening her soul.. "One thing is for certain; this is monotony in motion," she gently muttered to herself while blowing a curl that abandoned the bun on her head to tickle her eye. The sharpening of the apex intensified an ache that dulled her heart. She pounded her chest as if to announce her ruling of the jungle. "You are deceiving. You do not know what you want. And what you love does not love you back." She retorted callously to her heart. People experience broken hearts but hers was unlike anything anyone else had experienced. At least that's how she felt. The first time you ever experience something it can most certainly leave a mark that feels permanent. A subtle hum. 'Pain is an indicator that your body needs release'. She looked behind her. That sound wafted in the most crystalized form she had known to exist. 'Telepathy?' All the cells within her body began dancing. The grandeur of her heart’s desolation was a dungeon so immense, that at the time, she could not recognize what she was experiencing. No words can describe the depth of a connection that was contracted. Ordained. What do you do when it is taken away? Or in her case, when you remove it. This foreign exchange is apart of the human experience. No such thing as a mistake. 'Truth is, one left move can knock anything right out of place. It is something the human race cannot evade. Everyone dreams of a soulmate but what about when you encounter them but neither one of you were prepared to behold one another in the regal light as the royalty they are. When you’re just, kids at heart. When you sit with your thoughts, they’re not so indescribable anymore.’ Amore sank in this preposition. ‘It is a strong possibility that when a piece of your soul leaves, you feel empty. Then you become empty when you ignore how you feel because now it’s a projected identity due to your failure of acknowledging its' first arrival. This makes it easy to run simply because you’re scared to heal. You are because you know what will come of such a collision, is entirely out of your control. This was beyond you, this was sent from the cosmos. So, you try to fill said void with any familiarity that lands which ends up being you really filling yourself with yourself or monotony to feel productive and busy. But aimlessly drifting aloof avoiding purpose due to pain. Now you are left with a you so lost that, self itself, becomes confused.’ The waves continued crashing and speaking while she Amore continued working on her stone in the same spot that she always does. Erupting out of the stillness to feel more productive. So universe forced her to stop with a friendly visitor that greeted her with a cheerful chirp. 'Joy' Amore reminisced. This is one she recognized. Once more, allowing herself to appreciate the emotions (energy in motion) of the world around her, she absorbed what she felt she no longer naturally contained. Every inhale released a pressure she knew only how to relieve thru breathwork. Gratitude flooded her veins and encapsulated her mind. It was medicine. She acknowledged her new lighter being and thanked it for its return. That same messenger landed on her shoulder. The redd cardinal looked her in the eye. Almost as if to say, it is your time. So she remained there on the ground. Really feeling every sediment beneath her feet. It hit her. This evening was indeed different. The air illuminating her spirit. The bird departed leaving remanence of a seed. Intently, she tuned into the prophesy being whispered unto her. Something about the ocean brought out a solace that had not sung to her in three years. Her receptivity revealed a stillness. As it draped over her, she surrendered her fight. Her heart raced against the sea shells that armored her chest. She comforted it with a loving hold. The battlefield she thought she was preparing for was one she surmised on her own will. It was never apart of her story. Prophesy revealed she was to tend to a specific wound. 'I do not wage war,' she recollected, 'I surrender peace.' Untying the leather that clung to the base of the arrow before she snapped the wooded shaft in two. With the toss of the arrow to the side, she soaked up the love of her Mother knowing her Father, the Sun would arise soon. She pulled back her silky spirals and folded it into two braids out of her face. She placed the feather of a crow in the string that wove her together her locks. Her figure illuminated by the glow of the Moon, Amore's red dress supported her powerful physique. Sinewy in nature. Robust in soul. The clock struck. 0:00. 'I no longer guide myself, I rest in you' she retreated silently. The bird flew again in her path crossing directly in front making clear the direction to proceed. Each step forward propelled a new power that was only accessible thru the spell she just granted. 'After this, there is no turning back' she assured herself with dignity. Unsure of the path ahead, she steadied her breath with the rhythm of her heart. Into the unknown. Aloud she cried, "Though it is dark, I vividly recognize the ground beneath my feet. My shoulders have carried the weight of this kingdom while my feet have guided every step. I extend grace to myself for trying to control what should naturally flow thru me. I allow my heart to take the lead." An electric current shocked the palms of her hands as she laughed. 'To be alive again' she smiled, thanking the earth. She grabbed her gourd blessing the water before she partakes. With one deep exhale, she looks up to see the entrance of a forest known to the yucayeque as "forbidden". The darkness that never left it casted a shadow no man was known to escape from. 'But maybe, it is to embrace. Not escape' she pondered. Amore knew from the shadows, there is light. Even though she presumed that she was being guided back to the bohios, she allowed this present moment to be exactly what it was, a gift. This was magical. A tree, unordinary, drew her in. Proudly, she shared, "I am the author. The beginning and the end. I will not give up. I know my ancestors depend on me to clean our blood line. I must speak." So she did. She spoke to the tree. "Firm in your roots. Strong in your leaves. You may sway from time to time yet you never break. Can you share the secret to your stability?"

The tree spoke back;

‘Rooted in stories deep, lessons learned, knowledge applied, I withstand the test of time.

My story is timeless.

My lives, a mystery.

Riddle me this, do you bask in my glory or camp out under me to read a story?

Because I can tell you one.

One you’ve never heard, one I’ve never told.

Deep deep within you, it’s one you already know.

You see I am not the tallest or of the most girth in the land.

Nonetheless grounded, I am. Enveloped in truth, upon honesty I stand.

I greet you by the markings etched deep within your soul.

A sacred scroll once held to a flame.

It does one of two things,

EXpose or ENlighten

Which is your currency?

The price you pay is your penalty.’

“What a riddle.” Amore gasped.

“Your bark reveals complex layers anchored beneath. I forgot how the earth speaks. I love all that you have shared with me. I rest in you. I think I’ll lay here til dawn. I’m intrigued”