Footprints

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Footprints You are walking along the shoreline of a pristine beach, dressed in a simple shift of white linen. About your waist is a braided ribbon sash of soft hues of blue and silver. Dangling from your sash on your left hip is a satin bag containing smudge, sweetgrass, a candle, and magickal treasures and tools. On you right hip resides an athame, its blade sharp, its hilt, mother of pearl, glistens in the moonlight. Waves crash along the shoreline spraying you with its salty mist. A gentle breeze caresses your body making your dampened clothing cling to your frame. The bright full moon accentuates your silhouette in shadow upon the sand. It is a beautiful spring night. The night sky twinkles brilliantly over head, cloudless and clear. You deeply inhale the fresh evening air, relaxing in the beauty of your surroundings. Before you appears a young girl, flaxen curly hair, blue eyes and a cherubic dimpled face. She dances before you innocently and freely. Her laugh and smile are infectious. Suddenly she stops, winking at you mischeviously. Stepping up to you, she reaches her arms up to you and rests her hand on your heart. You feel love and light flow from her and feel at ease. Stepping back, she gestures for you to follow her to the tropical forest behind you. Curious, you do so. Looking about you, you see an immense ledge of jagged rocks to you left. An opening in the tall sea grass and giant palm trees lead to a gently sloping path leading up to the rock face. The sandy path is lined with large boulders, tropical flowers and feather leaf ferns. As you near the overhang of the cliff face, amongst banana and mango trees, you see a large opening before you leading to a cavern. As suddenly as the child appeared, she vanishes with a giggle. Stepping inside, you are surprised to find it well lit. Moonlight shines through a large circular opening towards the top of the cave, high above the cavern entrance flooding the large room before you. Looking about you, you see a large fire pit, beside it sits a large stack of wood ready and waiting. Before long, a warm cozy fire adds its glow to the large room allowing you to see even more of your surroundings. Suspended to one side hangs a large hammock filled with luxurious soft furs. Across from the cave entrance is a small pool of fresh, clear water, just large enough to relax and refresh your body. A small fount of water bubbles up from a ledge near the pool of water. The overflow from both filters over the edge and back outside the cave. You step back outside the cave entrance and gather some of the fresh mangos, bananas, and coconut and bring them inside to enjoy later. You check the fire, light some candles and some incense, saying a blessing for what is before you, and then step from your clothes and into the pool of water. The foliage around the cave fills the air with its exotic scent. The light from the candles, fire, and moonlight dance about you creating a soft glow within the cave. Relaxing, you begin to drift....... Before you appears a a beautiful woman, as exotic as the flowers about you. Dressed in a silver tunic, her body lithe and graceful, she has long dark hair and olive eyes. She pulls from a pouch fragrant flowers and herbs, adding them to the water. She speaks in a tongue unknown to you, her arms raised to the sky, in prayer. She lays her hand at your heart and you feel the love and light that flow from her. You feel healing energy coarse through your body. Smiling, she removes her hand and turns away, vanishing. Just as suddenly as the woman and child had appeared, a man appears next before you. His tanned, muscled body gleams in the light. The short white tunic shows his powerful legs and arms, his shoulders, but it is his eyes you are drawn to, their wisdom and strength. He has ocean blue eyes his golden hair hangs loosely to his shoulders. He stands before the fire, offering prayers in an unknown language, sprinkling herbs on the flames that crack and spark. Turning to you, he comes to the edge of the water and places his hand on your heart as the others have done. As the love and light flow from his body to yours, you feel empowered, strengthened, quickened. Pulling you to your feet, you step from the water. He gestures for you to look at where you moments ago lay. Within the water, you see the reflection of the child, the woman, the man, and yourself, and you realize all of these things are not seperate of you, but part of whom you are. Turning to look at the handsome young man, you find that he too has vanished. You sit before the fire, thinking on all that has occured, as you eat of the fruit you had previously gathered. You feel strong yet relaxed, peaceful and blissful, alive. You take two of the shells of the coconuts, split in halves, and fill them with fruit and place them at the cave entrance as an offering of thanks. You climb into the hammock and cover yourself with the soft furs and sleep, dreaming peacefully of all the blessings you have in your life. Upon waking, you dress and eat. Taking herbs from your pouch, you toss them into the dying embers of the fire. Standing, you raise your arms and pray, giving thanks for all that has been, all that is and all that is possible. Gathering your belongings, you step from the cave and make you way back to the beach. The sun shines brightly above filling your heart and spirit with hope and joy. When you reach the shoreline, you see three sets of footprints, those of a child, a woman, and a man, and you smile as you watch the ocean waves slowly erase them from the sand. 5-24-05