Ascension

There was a shudder followed by a deep loud earthly rumble that woke Althea from her sleep. It was then she realised that everything around her had changed. It must have been almost dusk as the sky was a vibrant red and the land itself was blanketed by its deep shade. But she soon realised that it was in fact the earth itself that was emanating this warm glow and it was coming from under the surface. The ground had started to split and shake with such ferocity Althea began to panic. She looked around and there was no one to be seen, only the blood red sky now matched by the earths lifeblood that began to pour out of the cracks like lava.

As fear took hold, darkness began to envelop her as her heartrate accelerated and her breathing was almost in unison. Her very foundation was about to collapse along with her, and she felt powerless to stop it. It was in that moment she reached into her pocket to find a piece of garnet she had found what now seemed like a lifetime ago but had always made her feel grounded whenever she had it with her. She grabbed the crystal, pulled it close to her chest and closed her eyes.

Her awareness then shifted to her body, her breathing, her heartrate, and she felt a sense of calm wash over her as the floor below her seemed to respond and return to a state of calm also. She took a few more deep breaths and reminded herself that she is safe and secure before opening her eyes again.

The land was now covered in a beautiful orange glow and was now flowing with water where the lava had been pouring from. However, instead of feeling a sense of calm, it brought up memories of her childhood and being bullied by the kids at school for not being “normal” for talking to animals and playing in nature instead of on computer games like all the other kids. To her adolescent years and not fitting in with the cool kids and being told by her art teacher that she would never amount to anything, when art was one of her favourite subjects because she felt she could truly be herself and create anything her imagination could come up with. To her first boyfriend breaking up with her for not being like the other girls.

All these memories began flooding in, catching her off guard and making her feel like that 7-year-old little girl again sitting in the corner trying to shut the world out from ridicule and pointed fingers. And she realised she never did pick up her artwork again or allow herself to be vulnerable with another partner. She found her peace in nature but still longed for that person who shared the same love for the rainforest and oceans and all the magical animals within. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she is worthy of love, that she is safe to create and express herself freely and then hugged herself tightly and stood a little taller.

All of a sudden, a burst of sunshine came over the horizon lighting up the sky with a golden yellow glow. It was then that Althea burst into tears. She had been holding so much pain for so long it had nowhere else to go but out. Having always felt like an outsider, her self-worth and confidence was near to non-existent, which only became worse through adolescence into adulthood. All she ever wanted was to feel understood, but found the only thing that ever truly understood her was her cat Bossi and nature itself. They never judged, never criticized. And they were beautiful, each in their own way. Every tree had its own look and bend and twist, and the other trees were never expected to look or be a certain way, they just were. Althea wished people could just be kind to one another in the same way. That we all grow differently and look differently, and that’s okay. Althea felt she could always relate to the trees, especially the big oak tree she used to try and climb as a kid with its deep roots, she knew it would hold her with its strong foundation and she could climb nearly all the way to the clouds and touch them. And it was this tree that taught her how to connect deeply with the earth if she closed her eyes and imagined her feet as roots that grew right down deep into the soil holding her safe and strong against anything that came her way. And when she did this, she felt powerful and truly connected with nature. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath…

When she opened her eyes again, the big sacred oak tree stood in front of her with its beautiful luscious green leaves and winding branches that reached up to the heavens and roots that went deep into the core of the earth. She felt a sudden urge to hug the tree as it was one of her oldest and dearest friends. When her heart connected with the tree, she finally felt a sense of belonging and she could feel herself open and expand like the branches of the tree. She felt like she could breathe deeply for the first time and allow herself to feel, to really feel. To be open to love without fear or judgement. And in this moment the world felt right…

All of a sudden Althea remembered a song her mother used to sing to her as a child, she had forgotten all about the song after her mother had passed. All she had was a locket she had left her which she wore day and night so that they were always connected. And whenever she felt sad or alone, she would reach for the locket and knew she was safe. The locket was a beautiful sapphire laced with white gold and it always reminded her of her mothers’ blue eyes. She sat against the big sacred tree and hummed the song while imagining herself in a deep blue ocean swimming amongst the waves and allowing them to wash away her sadness.

Althea must have dozed off, because her mother was standing in front of her smiling. She had a glow about her and was surrounded by the most spectacular indigo aura. She kept saying to follow her intuition and inner wisdom, and that her ancestors are watching over her and they have always been there. To stay true to her heart and trust her path.

And as quickly as she appeared, her mother began to fade as this brilliant diamond white light took over everything. Althea begged for her mother to stay as she had so many questions she wanted to ask, but there was nothing but white light. She wanted to wake up, to go back, but there was no going back…she looked around trying to find the exit, to find the return ticket, to hit the alarm button, but she was already at her destination.

Pure consciousness.