Water Elemental

Water Elemental

After my encounter, I learned that throughout the recent history of the west. Men wearing dresses with an aversion to women, children, and family, have instructed the general population on morality and religious belief. Moreover, these people promote a system of religion that bears no relation to western etiquette, literary references, culture, customs, phonetics, geographic similarity, or climate.

Correspondingly, any objection to Christianity’s Ad Hominem Fallacies, is met with the classic “Tu Quoque Fallacy” (Who are you to talk?) Needless to say, if a person constructs a solid argument against an Abrahamic desert philosophy the niceties are dropped! To be replaced with violence in the name of their peace-loving nomad god. Unfortunately, this “modus operandum” has been the script for millennia for Christianity and Islam. Thank Goodness! My encounter filled me with unconditional love: Leaving me proud to be a child of a different God!    

Raised in the seventies and christened a protestant. Did not seal my fate! However, through destiny’s mechanisms. I was not to be bonded to Henry the 8th church! My Catholic-orientated school imbued its spiritual faith structure on me. Hence, enforced through dogma, I found myself a Catholic! An inescapable condition! As my tutors included Sisters and Priests. These relentless religious zealots gave students spiritual studies and religious guidance.

 I learned quickly! That any entity not belonging to their cabal was an enemy or demon! For the first few years of Catholicism, indoctrination, and dogma. Their hail and brimstone lectures encapsulated me in their faith. Contrary to their efforts, other divinities and philosophies had other ideas. Hence, different gods and alternative religious and philosophical ideologies kept appearing in my life.  

As the first alternative religious thoughts, alien from Catholicism showed up in my way of life, troubled me! Like any decent Catholic, I heard mass in Latin, learned the catechism, and prayed to the saints and Angels. But strange powers still reached out to me? What made matters worse! The more devout I became, it heightened spiritual and otherworldly encounters increased.

One of my strong supernatural encounters happened on a saint’s day. I had attended Benediction in Latin. However, during this mass, I noticed the Monstrance the Priest holds looks like a star/sun. This I found baffling! I kept thinking is God the Sun. Or does the Sun represent God?

When the mass had finished. I asked the Priest which answer was correct? As usual, God is everywhere answer aired. Along with everything is symbolic to represent god’s power. “I went along to get along.” However, the Benediction having such a strong sun/star presence kept me thinking.

The best thing about being a young catholic is saint days which equated to no school. Hence, eager to make the most of my free time; influenced my decision to attend Benediction at eight AM. Normally, on free days, my horse or motorcycle occupied my time. Not today! A yearning to explore an area that contained an ancient well obsessed me. I knew little of its pagan significance. But something kept pulling me to find this ancient structure. In a strange coincidence, a quiet voice appeared in my life, it kept whispering. “The well would be of great importance to me.”

As I rushed home, the warmth of a June day burnt my skin unnoticed. A part of me remained acutely occupied with what I may find on my adventure in a part of the forest known to be dangerous.

 Home reached, my keys released the door lock, and triggered a desire to remove all my uncomfortable sweaty church clothes. Some, I returned to their hangers, others got slung in the wash bin. A want to catch the day speeded me into jeans, a jumper, and a light jacket. I collected the dog’s lead, and opened her run, she bound out like a released prisoner. Her furiously wagging tail kept hitting me with hard slaps.

We crossed the road from our house to the adjacent field, framed by a magnificent forest. My dog Tess relieved to be free of her kennel; ran ahead, hot on a sent. I Sucked in a sizeable amount of breath and sped after her. A Shouted command; returned the dog to my heal panting like a train.

“We have a long walk, dog!”

Tess looked at me, ignored my advice, and bounded ahead, chasing another sent. It was hot! My concern, she would over-heat. Nevertheless, our destination was a natural spring. In a dangerous forest area where people had died or disappeared. However, I had to find it! Its location became known to me via an old man in our village, hence, until now it remained a mythical unexplored mystery.

Stillness punctuated an unwelcoming fenced-off dark forest that loomed before us. I Stopped to check if this unknown area was safe? I felt uneasy. Sure, something languished in its forbidding darkness. A decaying tree thrust between railings in front of a dilapidated old entrance; blocked my way. Undaunted, I pushed through it!

A wall of dry branches and pine leaves hit me, dust swirled making my eyes squint and blocked my nose and mouth. Choking and coughing ensued. My hands scraped dust and leaves from my mouth and eyes like a man possessed.

My breath and vision returned. Before me looming out of the forest shadows stood a strange circle of stones! I Walked around the ancient circle until I spotted the described old route to the well. Following this path was slow and difficult, it had become overgrown with thorns and nettles. Relieved Tess was with me because unsettled spirits are one thing. As for irate human encounters? My dog’s reputation went before her!

After a few meters, the path forked. All vegetation and debris had mysteriously cleared. This route now started to show a lot of activity! I looked at Tess her ears were pricked and her eyes focused on something. She began to drop on her haunches a dark growl emanated from her. A shadow moved through the trees just ahead of us. Was somebody following us? I was not going to take any chances,

“Get it, Tess!”

Hissed from my lips. She tore through piles of undergrowth towards where the figure had been.

 I expected to hear a person shout for help. Not a sound murmured from where Tess stopped. Agitated, she jumped and barked at nothing. I ran towards her, tense and confused. She never barked unless something was in the vicinity. I slowly approached her trying to calm her down. Tess still growled and barked! I could see nothing or smell anything. The soft ground only showed old footprints and Tessa’s large paw marks. 

 Eventually, I called Tess to heel; she came over to me, displaying signs of agitation. She would not calm down. A click of a carbine secured a running lead to her thick collar. I wanted her close! If we were being followed by some joker? Tess would have them; we were miles from society, and a delayed response to a dangerous situation in the wilderness could be costly!

 Many people have lost their lives under mysterious circumstances in this forest. I did not intend to join the list! My insurance policy was a highly trained and intelligent attack dog, a deadly combination of Border Collie, and German Shepard.  

 As we followed the path, after a few meters, it joined a fork and became clearer and well-trodden… All vegetation and debris had mysteriously cleared. This route now started to show a lot of activity! Wrapping her lead around my hand I pulled Tess closer.

My reason, if there were people around? My dog would get stressed and react. She did not like strangers or groups of unknown people; she hated outsiders stroking her. Tess stopped suddenly! Her nose sniffed the air. I threw a question at her.

“What do you smell, girl? Some little animal you want to chase?”  

I pulled on the lead; Tess froze and sniffed the air again. I looked to see if a person lies ahead of us; the path veered to the right behind a group of bushes with no one in sight. Another gentle pull with some kind words encouraged my dog to walk. However, a strange feeling of anxiety gripped me. An unfamiliar sound filled my ears, my heart palpitated it made me clutch my chest. Tess growled! Straining my ears to recognize the sound only increased my anxiety!

 I pulled Tess closer; she pushed against my leg; making me stop. I shouted towards the blind bend of the path. Only the strange sound returned. I angrily issued a threat! 

“I will let the dog loose! You have a couple of seconds to show yourself! Trust me, it’s better that you identify who you are, than face my dog!”

Tess and I stared at the closed bend! I picked up a club-sized stick. She went crazy as the strange sound got louder! We were ready for action! Whatever happened, it would be “do, or die!”

A bush juddered Infront of us! A metallic click released fifty kilos of pent-up ferocity! I held my stick to strike with maximum force and sped towards the sound that advanced on us, from the bush.

A little hedgehog crawled out, looked around, and curled into a ball! I felt stupid! Tess barked and pawed at the frightened little thing, I reattached her lead, we continued to follow the bend, it led to an open area of grass. The strange noise returned! 

As I seized my impromptu club, thoughts raced, and every muscle tensed. From the hidden vantage of thick foliage, I stared into the long grass of the facing field. Desperate for affirmation of what made the noise?

I gave Tess the command “Seek!” She crouched low, sunk out of view, stalks of grass moving indicated her direction. Following her lead, I dropped to reduce my profile.  In a pincer movement, we closed in on the strange noise.  Halfway to the source, I paused, to cup my best ear to identify the sound.

 What was causing the sound, remained obscured in the long grass. Every sense in me tightened, I crept closer to the invisible cacophony. Without warning, everything froze like a paused film. Silence fell like a blanket, smothering all noise. A feeling of pressure prior to an explosion replaced normal ambiance. Frightened and tense, adrenaline surged through every bodily fiber.

An impulse to run surged. But my feet remained rooted in the soft grass. I had stiffened like a manakin, held by an invisible force. Kaleidoscopic colors replaced solid earth, vibrating muscles juddered and shook. Forlorn, I accepted this feeling of inevitable death, as the world disappeared in an inverse swirl. Trying to cling for life failed. My soul tore from its body. Before me, a black sun, burning with a bright blue flame that pulled me into its vortex of love and peace. 

 My soul entered a wall of blue luminescence, a painful wrench released all memories and traces of ego. Earthly consciousness left me. I had died! Around me, like a sea, floated our solar system. However, no discernable differences between me and it existed. It felt strange to be, yet not have a form? In this body-less state harmony and peace flowed through me.

 A Jolt followed by a shudder tugged on me. Within seconds, earth and being reunited. My body moved, however, my world remained frozen.

The strange noise still emanated, with confidence I walked towards it. A blinding white light mixed with orange formed in a fluxing circle. Held in its center, an Elemental meditated above the spring. I Showed reverence, with hands supplicated, and head bowed, I sat on a rock transfixed by the vision. His eyes opened, followed by a broad smile. He looked like me! I was about to speak when a gentle voice spoke.

“Confused by thoughts we experience duality in life. Unencumbered by ideas, the enlightened only see one reality.”   

Did I just experience reality?

In one way yes, in another you awoke to who you are.”

I looked confused. My belief in the Catholic Doctrine had evaporated. However, disbelief and confusion filled the empty void.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Love radiated into me; my body became warm as a swarming volley of information-saturated me. Between waves of knowledge, I kept asking.

“What happened to me, and why?

You are a Buddha that has been here many times, on this level of existence, your body is of the essence, the unmanifested mode if you wish. However, you experienced the heavenly mode. Finally, what you think is someone else is another of your incarnations in a higher dimension.”

The vision vanished! Like a switch being thrown, everything returned to normal. Tess thundered towards me, sound filled the air, crystal clear spring water danced, releasing strings of bubbles.

 I felt connected to everything. All my thoughts circulated like scurrying mice, trying to find an explanation. Racked with guilt, I pushed aside years of indoctrinated dogma, allowing a bitter realization to rise. If this religious experience was authentic? It lacked hail and brimstone and fanciful tales. Had what I’d experienced what Jesus described as heaven within? If so? Existence and being are simple. Why do we complicate it?