Saf

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. It used to be a place where the old tribes would congregate celebrating with great festivals that ran for days with lots of dancing, playing music, eating local delights and tripping on hallucinogens. It has always been known as an important energy centre and maybe that’s why the dragons came. When they showed up a stone circle appeared and the trees around it disappeared. It looked to be ancient but had never been seen previously.

Saf watched from the safety of her observation hole. It was a cave on the side of the mountain where she could observe the interactions of the dragons. Two long months of watching and she was still no closer to understanding what they did in the valley. It seemed that they stood guard over the stone circle which sat on flat ground about five hundred metres above the river. From the centre of the stone circle in a radius that reached the river was a perfect circular tree line, which then became the forest of Leronix.

The circle had stones large enough that the dragons could move freely between them and even into the centre of the circle which was covered by a large slab of rock. This made it difficult to observe and understand what was going on. Different dragons guarded the circle but one showed up more regularly than the others . He was one of the larger dragons and had a green sheen to his black scales so Saf called him Green. He was a magnificent looking creature and Saf was in total awe of him. He was there today.

He had lain quietly outside the circle for most of the day. He looked to be sleeping but she knew from previous experience that he was always aware. All other creatures had learnt not to venture near the circle. She felt safe in her spot watching through her looking crystal but today she decided it was time to get closer. Her fellow observers had warned her to go no closer than the cave but staying put was getting her nowhere, she needed answers.

Saf was a master of moving through the forest in silence but she knew the dragons possessed a remarkable ability to hear the slightest sound. Gathering up her boots she slipped them on over her pants and proceeded to zip up her coat. Grabbing her supplies and notes she packed her small back pack and slung it onto her back. After she camouflaged the entrance to the cave she picked up her bow and arrows. She used only quiet weapons in these woods and if she couldn’t use her bow she had several knives on her. There were many other creatures about that one had to be cautious of.

Saf starting walking towards the stone circle. As she moved from the cave she had a feeling of being watched and everything seemed quieter and the air felt heavy. When observing she had often got little visions and a feeling of something reaching out to her. Now as she moved closer those feelings only increased. She shrugged it off thinking maybe it was her nerves. Stealthily she hiked down the mountain and finally got close to the tree line surrounding the stone circle. As she could no longer see where Green was in relation to her she listened intently and remained on high alert.

Seeing the circular tree line ahead she noticed in order to get there she had to walk out into an opening or she could choose to take longer and walk through the trees to come around the other side of the stone circle but it would be getting dark soon. As she contemplated what to do she shook her head, it was becoming hard to think and she felt a great drowsiness coming over her. Sliding down beside a tree she sat on the ground and tried to collect her thoughts. Everything seemed jumbled, she closed her eyes to gain clarity but once shut she started to see the colour red then green, blue, purple and white. The colours coalesced and swirled together then started to take shape in the form of a pattern. All of a sudden the colours turned to something resembling sand and fell dramatically and all went black. Saf felt something was wrong and her eyes shot open. Standing in the smaller clearing looking straight at her was Green.

Saf stood quickly and started to run straight up the mountain towards the portal that would take her home. She heard Green take flight behind her and came to her senses, she would never beat him up the mountain. Still running she changed direction to run across the mountain. She didn’t know this terrain so it slowed her down and she could still hear Green flying overhead above the trees. She needed to come up with a plan but found it increasingly hard as her mind was still wavering and she felt unbelievably tired.

Climb away from the stone circle.

That was her only thought. So she turned to again run up the mountain. She kept going using the cover of the trees aware that Green was flying overhead. It seemed he didn’t know exactly where she was but she needed to keep moving. As she got higher the terrain became harder to navigate at a fast pace and when she came upon a large Mother tree with a hollow she decided to stop and hide within it.

This offered her a space to sit out of sight. She concentrated on slowing her breath. She could hear Green coming closer. She closed her eyes and immediately the colours started to come again, this time it wasn’t as strong. She shooed the images away and concentrated on her breath, bringing herself into a meditative state. She heard Green fly overhead and he kept going. Breathing out a sigh of relief she lay her hand against the trunk and thanked the Mother tree for the safe haven. Continuing to regulate her breath she tried to think of her next move.

Saf woke with a start.

What is wrong with me?

She had drifted off to sleep but something had woken her. She had dreamt of the colours again forming circular patterns that were never ending overlaid with a golden grid pattern. What did it mean and why was she seeing and dreaming these colours. It seemed like she was about to grasp the meaning when she woke. It was a sound, a sound had awoken her. Sitting very still in the fading light she listened. A tree cracked as if being pushed and then it fell.

Green!

He was close. She darted out of her hiding place and ran. More trees fell behind her as Green once again took flight. There were garbled sounds like someone talking but in a language she did not understand. She ran hard heading along what looked like an old trail. It was hard to see properly but that meant it was also hard for Green. Adrenaline coursing through veins gave her the strength to run as fast and hard as she could. Up ahead she could just make out another clearing, she slowed needing the cover of trees if she was going to make it. Through the tree tops up ahead Green was flying to and fro looking for her. Saf felt deflated.

How can I outrun a dragon?

She wasn’t even sure where she was. Looking out into the clearing something caught her eye. It looked like a mud portal. If it was it could take her home. She had also heard that some take you to another dimension. Travelling to another dimension without preparation was not something she wanted to think about. She watched the mud for telltale signs of it being a portal. Sometimes a portal would release small mists that looked like flowers when it had been used in the last few days. At last a mist of flowers streamed into the air. While observing this she could hear Green flying back her way. In that moment she decided the mud portal was her best bet.

She ditched her bow and arrows and grabbed her portal oxygenator from her bag and slipped it over her face, it would allow her to breath and see whilst in the portal. She tightened her bag to her back and started to sprint hard for the mud portal. Clearing the tree line she pushed her body with everything she had. Green came at her flying in low, she could almost feel him. The mud was right in front of her and she dove head first. Mud portals were always the worst portals to travel within for obvious reasons. They could also be slow unless you swam through it. Saf started swimming as soon as she hit the mud, pulling her body through. The sensation was like swimming through very heavy water. Her body was halfway through the portal and her legs were quickly following when all of a sudden something clamped around her foot. She struggled and kicked out with the other foot, twisting and turning but was pulled out of the portal. Panicking her breathing became laboured, her head dizzy and her body limp.

Saf came to feeling confused and her head throbbing. She was lying on a bed in a large room. Standing she studied her surroundings trying to get her bearings. She was in a cave like room full of beautiful wooden furniture all which were elaborately designed in a way she had never seen before. She spied her bag hanging on a hook, emptied it on the table and found nothing was missing so put everything back in and strapped it to her back then walked to the other end of the room through a door and found it opened into an expansive bathroom. She got a glimpse of herself in the mirror, her long blonde braids and clothing were caked in mud. But her bag and oxygenator had been cleaned. Seeking answers she walked out of the bathroom and found a hallway that lead to another door out of the bedroom. Relieved it wasn’t locked she then explored the space beyond.

It seemed she was in a system of caves below ground which were lit up from globes inserted in the walls. It wasn’t very big so she was able to explore the space quickly but there seemed to be no way out.

Returning to her room she decided to clean herself up by showering and brushing as much of the mud off her clothes as she could. Saf then explored the cupboards where she found some fruit to eat. Whilst sitting at the table she heard someone coming. They were stealthy but she was just able to make them out, and they were close. She only had enough time to grab a small knife from her boot to hide in her palm.

She heard a knock on the door and called out to enter. In walked a tall man with long dark dreadlocks that fell down his back, dark skin and the greenest eyes Saf had ever seen. He seemed friendly and bowed to her with hands pressed together from the doorway.

“Hello Saf.”

“How do you know my name?”

“I have waited a long time for you.”

“What are you talking about?” Saf was utterly confused. “Who are you?”

“My name is Bembe and I will explain everything. Firstly though can I get you more to eat or would you like some water?

“No thanks. I just want to know what’s going on. Where is the dragon? How did I get here and where am I?”

Bembe smiled. “ You can put away your knife, you won’t need it. I can answer all your questions but the best way to explain is to show you. Follow me” Bembe turned to go out the door.

Saf stood to follow, she kept the knife in her hand. Bembe seemed trustworthy, he even felt familiar but she would have to be careful until she understood what was going on. Hopefully she would get her questions answered and she would be able to find a way out of this place.

Bembe lead her along the hallway and stopped at a wall. He pressed his hand into a carving in the rock and a door slid open in front of him. Behind the door was a ladder which he started to climb looking behind to check that Saf followed.

Once at the top they walked along another hallway and into a large circular room. All it held was four huge rose quartz crystals in the centre which radiated patterns on the walls. It was the pattern Saf had seen in her dreams. A pattern of circles overlapping each other and within each circle were intricate patterns. Overlaid on the circular pattern was a golden grid which had a point of perspective which moved to the point that you observed it from. It was truly astonishing to look at.

Saf stood mesmerised by it. “I saw this in my mind. What does it mean?

Bembe moved to the centre of the room to stand in the middle of the crystals. He held out his hand. “Come here and you will understand.”

Hesitating Saf moved towards Bembe and held his hand. He directed her to stand facing him. She looked up to him, still gripping the knife in her sweaty palm. Her heart beating fast, unsure of her safety.

Bembe was calm and spoke softly to Saf “To activate the Ether Crystals, which will show you what you need to know, we need to come from our heart space. So I need you to calm your breathing. Breath slowly with me. In. Out. In. Out.”

Saf was accustomed to bringing herself into this space and did as asked. Very soon she was calm and breathing in unison with Bembe.

After breathing for an extended period Bembe said “ We need to bring our hearts closer together so they may beat in unison.”

Saf felt a little awkward but as Bembe moved closer and started to hug her she responded and hugged him back. At first it felt very uncomfortable but once she stopped her mind from chattering she was able to concentrate on her heart. She could feel it beating strongly. How was she going to make it beat in unison with Bembe?

Almost as if he read her thoughts he said “You need to let go and let the heart do what it will. It knows what to do.”

How? How will the heart know what to do? Ok. Let go. Let go. Let go. This was a mantra she knew so well but had not mastered. Once again she worked on stopping her mind chatter and thought only of the beating of her heart. All of a sudden she realised she could feel Bembe’s heartbeat and then she felt their hearts unite and beat as one. It was if she had been shocked. In that moment the knife fell from her hand and visuals rushed in at her.

Saf saw herself as a child, she was talking with her secret imaginary friend. He was one of the ancients with grey wavy hair and dark skin, his name was Ginan. He always had a smile and a cheeky way about him. Sometimes he would dance the old dances and tell her of old customs, when she would show her parents they would wonder how she knew the old ways.

He told her “Challenge yourself to break old habits for the soul is always starting anew.”

Through her many conversations with Ginan and the life lessons that followed she had come to realise that the journey of life was the important part not the goal. Life was about constantly learning.

Next she saw herself weeping when her father had left. She had hated him for leaving. She was left with the pieces of her heart scattered but had to concentrate on helping her mother and siblings navigate their new predicament. Her father stared at her as he was pulled away from her and she could do nothing but watch as he became a speck. The speck then started to move towards her again and she saw her first love. They had been young, they had both been stubborn and passionate and too alike. It had ended with her walking away with a hard heart. He stared at her with tears in his eyes and she knew now that he had been hurt just as much as she had. It had been an opportunity to grow. It had taken her many years to understand that.

His face morphed into past lovers and faces of male friends and relatives. They flashed before her bringing up a litany of emotions which welled up inside her and she found herself weeping into the shoulder of this man she had only just met. He held her firmly and she felt a great comfort as the emotions swept through her.

Once again Ginan appeared and told her “It is time to heal your heart and truly know yourself.”

Saf understood that all these males in her life were reflections of the masculine within herself. They showed her a puzzle she needed to solve to understand her own being. Through the healing of the masculine she could start her journey to becoming whole. In her mind she felt an overwhelming clarity like a cog falling into place. Her heart healing was the next step.

She felt Bembe take a step back and as she wiped her eyes she looked up at him. “Did you see all of that?”

He nodded. “I have seen it all before. I have watched you for many years?”

“Why” Saf asked.

“Because I am one of your guides and I am here to help you.”

“Help me to do what? What is my purpose?”

“That I cannot tell you, for it is up to you to figure that out, but I will help when I can.”

Saf felt frustrated and emotionally spent, she walked to the wall and with her back to it she slid down to sit.

“What about this pattern, why could I see this in the forest?”

“This has been my home for a long time and is a part of me. This pattern is the energetic centre of the stone circle you watched. Because you and I are connected you would see the energy of this place as you got closer.”

“So I am in the centre of the stone circle?”

“Yes”

“Who brought me here?”

“I did”

Saf was confused. “But what about the dragon? I’m sure it was he that pulled me out of the portal.”

“It was. But the dragon let me bring you here to rest”

Saf sat staring at the walls. It all seemed too unreal. What she was feeling and what she was seeing, it was a lot to take in.

“What about this pattern. What does it mean?

“The circles are all totems for different souls and they are interlocked with other souls as they travel their life journey. These will change as each soul moves through their lives. The grid pattern is a way to traverse through, around and within the different time lines. This can only be done when the soul is ready.”

“I kind of get what you’re saying but not quite.”Saf said.

“It’s ok. It is something you will understand when you need to.”

“And when will that be? What must I do now?”

“Only you can figure out your next steps and it is up to you when that will be.” But I think for now you should get some sleep.”

Saf agreed. She was so tired she found it hard to think clearly. Bembe helped her up off the floor and walked with her to her room. He had pointed out a room on the upper floor where he would be if she needed him. As soon as he left she promptly fell into bed and was fast asleep in no time.

Saf woke suddenly and sat bolt upright. She had dreamt of the pattern again and she realised that all the circles had different patterns within. As the pattern rotated it stopped and expanded till she was only looking at one circle. The pattern within had triangles and circles of all sizes. She knew that this circle was where she needed to travel to. Was it her soul? She had to find out.

She grabbed her bag, and moved quietly to the patterned room so as not to wake Bembe. When she arrived Saf started to look for the circle. She had no idea how she would find it but she needn’t have worried as the grid seemed to pinpoint the exact circle she was looking for.

How did that happen?

From the doorway Bembe said “The grid shows you what you need to see.”

Saf spun to face bembe. “I dreamt of this circle. Is it me?”

“It could be, it may be you now or in the past or future. It may also be a soul you need to meet. Or…”Bembe stopped and looked Saf directly in the eyes.

“Or?”Saf asked.

“It could also be your death.”

“My death! How can I know?”

“ You can’t. When you use the Ether Room to travel it is always a leap of faith. You have to be prepared for the fact that you may never come back.”

This rattled Saf. She had to truly let go in order to move forward. It was a big ask. But she knew with all her heart she could not walk away without knowing what all these experiences were leading to. Feeling anxious she took some deep breaths staring at the ground in front of her. Thoughts swirled around in her head. She would have to leave everyone she knew behind, no goodbyes, no way to tell them where she was or where she was going. Finally she looked up at Bembe.

“I have to know” she said.

Bembe nodded. He had known she would choose to follow the signs. He walked towards her and motioned for her to stand in the middle of the crystals. Saf followed as Bembe explained what she needed to do.

“Bring yourself into your heart as we did previously and concentrate on the circle. You need to have a clear mind and think only of that circle. If your soul is ready then the Ether Room will do the rest.”

“Have you done this before?” Saf asked.

“Yes”

“What was it like?”

“It is different for everyone and telling you of my experience will not help you. Just remember if you decide you do not want to do this, you can stop it at any time until the circle starts to open. Once the circle opens you are committed.”

Saf nodded. She could feel her heart rate getting faster. She had to do it now before she chickened out. On impulse she gave Bembe a mighty hug and stood ready in the middle of the crystals.

Saf controlled her breathing and cleared her mind. She looked intently at the circle and noticed although the circle and grid stayed stationery the rest of the pattern moved in a clockwise direction around the room. The pattern moved faster and faster and she kept her eyes and thoughts on the one circle in front of her. Eventually the circle started to expand and open up as if hinged. At this stage the pattern was moving at an incredible speed so that it appeared as a blur beneath the grid. Saf looked down at her hands, they felt weird like nothing was holding her cells in her body anymore. Startled she looked up to Bembe with wide eyes. Her body started to loose it’s form and like sand swirled around the room and into the open circle.

Bembe watched solemnly from the door. Saf was gone. Where she had gone he did not know for he had not seen where this path would take her. He didn’t even know if he would see her again which was not an easy thing for him. He had watched her all her life. She had been his purpose for so long and he couldn’t help but hope she would become it again. It would all depend on where she went and what choices she made but for the sake of them all he hoped she made the right ones.

As he turned to leave the room a glint of metal on the floor caught his eye. He realised it was Saf's knife. Admiring it he decided he would keep it to return to her if he had the chance.

It was now time for him to return home but first he had to do something before he left. He walked out of the Ether room and climbed the ladder to the top floor and opened the outer door. As he crossed the threshold he shape shifted into a magnificent dragon with black scales and a green sheen.