I’m hanging off a cliff. The ocean is crashing below me. I try to pull myself up, but
my hand slips and I look down as giant red reptile splashes out of the water. It’s a
fucking dragon! I slip and fall into the ocean. I try to swim to the surface, but it’s
no use, I just keep sinking. I stop fighting it and watch the light fade into darkness
as I sink into the nothingness.
I wake up. Wow, it was just a dream.
The days merge into a mix of magic and mystery with no certainties, just
possibilities. I am growing stronger and more enthusiastic with the changing
moon. We walk towards the dance floor where the festival will be taking place in
a few nights. Time really does fly when you are having fun, but when nothing is
fixed you somehow also get more done.
Amphi squats next to pots of red and black paint. She paints my brow. I think it’s a
bird, like the one she had when I saw her on the first day. She paints strange
swirls and patterns in red paint on the right half of my body. She hands me the
paintbrush and I paint a seed on her lower abdomen that runs up her tummy and
opens into a flower at the center of her chest. She laughs and dips her nose into
the paint and slides it over my lips. Fuck, I think I’m falling in love.
“We channel cosmic energies through music” she explains as she gets up and we
walk to the dance floor.
The lion with the fiery mane and the bucking bull holograms are just chilling and
strolling around. We walk to the lion. It has a ruby around its neck. It walks
towards us and faces me.
“It likes you” she smiles. It’s super realistic and a bit scary. “Afraid of your
power?” she winks and takes her finger and draws a flower in the air. It glows
briefly, then she pushes it towards the lion and a sunflower appears plaited in its
mane.
“Wow, trippy. How did you do that?” I ask amazed.
“The same way we do everything around here, with clear intent. We exist on the
boundaries of ordinary space and time, between the world of the seen and
unseen” she says as she strokes the lion’s mane.
The lion bows down and so does she. I follow her lead. “Come on, you try” she
takes my hand and pulls me toward the bull.
“Focus on something and project it to the bull” she says excitedly.
It makes me think of my tattoo. The girl with the head of a bull…and the noose.
Suddenly a noose appears around the bull’s neck and it starts freaking out. Amphi
quickly turns it into an emerald necklace and hushes the beast.
“I’m sorry” I try to explain myself, but she interrupts me.
“You are powerful” she says surprised.
“You are here to learn to use your power wisely” she says as she strokes the face
of the bull, not the beast.
“Everything is a reflection of your feelings. Your imagination animates energies
and brings them to light, so you can comprehend them. You are in between one
and zero. As your connection with your dark mind grows stronger you will be able
to hop in between realities with ease.”
“One and zero, binary code?” I frown.
“His Light, the world of matter, the phallus, The One, and Her realm of magic, the
quantum realm, the circle. Journeying into Her brings your state of being to Light”
she nods.
“Ejaculight” I joke.
“Fucking clown” she laughs and pushes me away playfully.
“So, my imagination reveals my true feelings to my conscious mind?” I ask a bit
shaken by what just happened.
She smiles and nods in approval.
“Anyway, the Sun is in Taurus. Venus rules Taurus and it is the energy of harmony,
unison and fruitfulness” she continues.
“So, the planet’s influence brought everyone together?”
“Yes, so we danced for love, harmony, beauty and balance and the Trunks
channeled the energies through music to us.”
“The Trunks are those freaky people that were on stage, right?”
She laughs. “Yes, the Trunks are our guides. Just like the tree forms a link between
the Earth and the sky, the body and the mind, likewise the Trunks help and guide
us on our journey to our true self. They recall the ‘old-world’ as the time before
The Urge. Only a few remember the old ways as everyone else released their past
fears and limitations during re-root. They help citizens de-conform and become
individuals by clearing channels and releasing stresses that block the flow.”
“What were they doing during the festival?”
“They were taking turns as spirit guides to channel cosmic energies. The music
reflects our tribe consciousness, our collective mind. As our collective mind
changes the way we interpret the cosmic energies changes too and you can feel it
through the music.”
“I thought that they were DJ’s” I laugh.
“They are like DJ’s in a way. They orchestrate the vibe for the night and draw
down the stars and the planetary energies as a bonus.”
“So, they create the music by tuning in to the cosmic carnival and then channel it
through the collective consciousness to create the feel for the night?” I gasp for
air to exaggerate “that was a mouthful” I laugh.
“Jip. You’re a natural!” she cheers.
“Yeah, a natural at making sense of trippy shit” I joke.
“So, the music isn’t pre-recorded or mastered?” I ask amazed.
“They are already masters” she says irritably and looks at me like I’m the weird
one.
“We draw down the energies for the day and each one manifests on the dance
floor as a projection followed by a wave of energy that pulsates throughout the
tribe which sets the vibe for the day.”
She points to the lion “The lion represents the Sun, and the constellation it is in
appears on the dance floor too” she says and looks at the bull.
“The Moon is in Scorpio” she points to a scorpion in the distance, “its stinging
intensity symbolizes regeneration, transformation and rebirth inside the dark
mind” she looks at me intently like it is relevant to me somehow?
“So, each planet represents a sign of the zodiac which has its own energy?” I ask
just to be sure.
“Yes, and every constellation has a unique frequency that changes depending on
how they interact with each other, and subsequently create infinite variations of
frequencies that affect our moods, thoughts and behavior. When we are
receptive to it we can feel the emotions connected to that part of our psyche.
When you get used to letting go and allowing it to flow through you, the energy
will saturate your being and you can relish in it until the next constellation is
ready to be made manifest. In this way you awaken different parts of your psyche
that can take on different forms in your imagination and seep into your reality. It
can be both a healing and empowering experience.”
“Impressive” I nod.
“Why were all the stars present during the festival?” I recall the dancing zodiac.
“They are always present in each of us in varying degrees, but during festivals we
build up enough energy to draw down different constellations to join us in
celebration of life, love and unity. But it was the first time we were able to draw
down the entire solar system and summon Mu!” she jumps excitedly.
“Yeah, what was that about?” I give a nervous look.
“Mu is Her guardian. It is the first time the energies have been strong enough to
summon the serpent. It was spectacular!” she claps her hands in excitement.
“Spectacular might not be the right word” I mutter to myself.
“Are you afraid of change- I mean snakes?” she stumbles over her words.
“Let’s just say I’m cautious, and that one could swallow me whole” I say
nervously.
“Yes, she could” she laughs as we walk towards a crowd of people up ahead.
“So, let me get this straight, The Vanavasi Way is that of using your energy to
better yourself and the Whole by releasing excess fire through dance or self-
expression as excess energy can harm you?” I ask to make sure I’m grasping this.
“Pretty much” she nods. “Dancing grounds distorted energies and releases excess
fire back into the Earth. It is also a form of soul-art” she continues.
“Uh, soul and art…” I raise my brow. Two words I can’t relate to.
“Soul-art is a form of self-expression that invokes feelings in those around you
and can be directed to healing and sharing joy.”
“Like sex?” I joke.
“Exactly like sex” she winks.
“Yeah, I must admit I was a bit freaked out during the festival. Especially when I
realized that I was surrounded with naked people and everyone started stomping
around uncontrollably. It had a real jungle zombie feel to it” I say loudly over the
music that is becoming louder as we enter the dancing crowd.
“You were projecting your fears onto us and then you continued to project it into
your path finding experience, that’s why I had to use the shoal to ground you.”
“Ah, fear you little fucker” I joke. She laughs and nods in agreement.
“A little fucker that can turn a king into a slave” she smiles sympathetically and
takes my hand and guides me through the crowd. We head towards the source of
the sound. Everyone is dancing around a group of people that are playing
instruments at the center.
“So, if I use all my energy to develop my skills I get more energy but when I
prevent its flow, or don’t use it all, it kills me?” I ask loudly over the music.
“If you love what you have you get more, if you don’t use it or become tired of
your experience, without doing anything to change it, the fire inside will burn
you” she sings back.
“Hectic” I laugh.
“That’s Nature’s way” she raises her shoulders nonchalantly and starts shaking
her booty.
“Let’s dance” she yells and pulls me closer.
The beat starts off slow and gradually picks up as the crowd gets more excited.
“Let your heartbeat synchronize with the rhythm and allow your body to move
freely” she instructs. “Let the music guide you on the journey” she says and lifts
her arms into the air and sways her hips from side to side.
The sounds are mystical and make me feel light and excited.
We dance for a long time. I feel sweaty and relaxed. She bends down and scoops
up some mud and rubs it all over my face. She runs away as I chase her through
the crowd.
“It protects from the sun!” she laughs as I grab her around her waist and dive into
a big puddle of mud.
“You are amazing” I say as I try to wipe the mud from her eyes.
But it’s no use, more people start jumping in and everyone gets down and dirty.
We get up and start stomping and splashing each other with mud. Everyone is
hysterical, and the musicians catch the vibe and pick up the pace. I’m about to
slide through the mud when she grabs me around the waist.
“So are you” she says and kisses me. Muddy kisses, fucking romantic, damn.
She smiles as she steps back and tries to wipe my muddy mouth and instead
makes it worse. We laugh and start rocking it out together, stomping in the water
covered in mud. The vibe is healing and freeing. I feel so alive.
We grab a bowl of water, drink some and rinse our faces with the rest, but our
bodies are still covered in paint and mud.
The musicians continue collaborating with strange sounds that merge to make
you feel different things...art, I guess?
I watch the musicians jam out on their strange instruments. There is a guy playing
on a few strands of light and a chick creating wind sounds with a hula hoop. I
watch a couple take turns igniting each other’s flames and blowing fire through
giant didgeridoos that invigorate the crowd.
“Uh, so the musicians kind off just ‘wing-it’?” I ask amazed by the way the sounds
merge into a rhythmic beat.
“Yes” she laughs seeing the amazement on my face, “Music ignites a feeling
within us depending on the rhythm and is used in daily ceremonies to synchronize
our intentions for the day. Music is always playing. The musicians amongst us can
play whatever they want for as long as they want because we believe self-
expression allows for personal understanding, while others prefer art and dance,
but the music inevitably affects everybody's mood and unites us emotionally.”
“So, it changes every day?”
“It never stops. The music changes with the interactions between the planets and
our vibe synchronizes with the universe. The rhythms are composed from any
sound that you can imagine in your mind and projected through music, so we can
experience it together.”
It’s like they are free styling with the planetary energies and whatever they
receive is reflected back to them through the music, art, dance or whatever they
express themselves through.
Now instead of watching musicians I am watching cosmic DJ’s channel different
energies through sound and harmonize with each other’s souls to create a
universal symphony.
I think of the word ‘Universe’ life is truly one song, and we are the instruments.
Fuck, I’m getting deep. If Colin were here I’d say I need to have sex.
Amphi distracts my thoughts as she attaches a black stone to one of my dreads.
“What is it?” I ask.
“It’s Jet.”
I pull a funny face and wait for her to elaborate.
“It’s a piece of fossilized wood, compacted by the forces deep below the
ocean…just like you” she pulls the dread over my face playfully.
“It will help you on your journey” she smiles.
“What journey?” I frown.
She ignores me my question and pulls me into the center where the cosmic DJ’s
are channeling, and passes me a space drum. It’s a hollow metallic drum that
looks like an upside-down bowl with flattened parts that you tap like a drum. She
sits down and guides me into it. She places it on her lap and starts tapping the flat
parts with the tips of her fingers and the sides of her palms. She winks for me to
join her. I start off slow and another guy starts chanting as Amphi picks up the
pace. The sounds she creates make it sound like she has four arms…a goddess.
The beat is contagious, and everyone starts adding their instruments into our
song. There is no way I can keep up with them, but I just keep jamming my simple
rhythm, and watch them jam it out on their trippy instruments. I feel the rhythm
take over my body and I close my eyes and just flow with it.
When I open my eyes and there are colors everywhere. Every time Amphi taps
the drum it sets off a vibration that resonates outwards and lights up the air. The
different sound frequencies create an array of colors like psychedelic fireworks
that ignite with different sounds. The colors contract and expand as it affects the
listeners, dancers and musicians’ personal energies. The dancers that channel
their primal power make animal noises and summon their power animals who
start appearing around the dance floor and dance among the colors too. There is
an orangutan shaking its booty on its person’s back and bats and birds getting
jiggy with it as the different energies interact with each other.
When they stop I’m still recovering from the flood from the super consciousness,
it’s like motion sickness but more colorful and less uncomfortable. Amphi jumps
up, pulls me to my feet and helps me climb a vine ladder up to a drumming
platform in the trees. She hands me a pair of drumming sticks. The drum is
fucking enormous. It’s probably twice my height. She slides down the tree and
yells for me to start drumming.
“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DRUM!” I yell down to the crowd that has gathered
around her.
“You don’t know how to drum YET!” she yells back. I feel nervous. I look up at the
drum and it feels even bigger now. I gently slam the drum with the one stick and
the crowd cheers. I laugh because I haven’t even done anything spectacular yet
and they already like it. This place is different to what I’m used to. I jam a simple
rhythm, left-right, left-right, and jump twice to hit the bass drum below my feet.
Yeah, I’m getting this. The crowd quiets down and I feel the bass drum send
shivers up my spine. I pick up the pace and the crowd start clapping to the beat. I
close my eyes and just play around with the sticks. The clapping and drumming
collaboration sounds pretty decent. I’m telling you I’m a fucking psychedelic drum
king in the making! When I open my eyes, I realize that the guys next to me joined
in, no wonder I sounded so groovy, but it’s a spectacular feeling though, making
people feel something, even just for a moment. It’s magic.
We continue drumming together and new sounds harmonize as some of the
ladies start chanting a beautiful tune. One of the Trunk ladies with the semi-
transparent silky wings appears and starts looping the chants and playing with the
beat. I think they just summoned her with their chant? But I can’t be sure. The
men follow suit with deeper tones and we all join as the music climaxes. The
people start dancing and chanting along. Their animal totems are going wild and
I’m sweating, but feeling happier than I’ve felt in my entire life. When the vibe
calms down we all relax and watch the sun’s rays shine through the canopy and
divide into the color spectrum. I watch the water evaporate from my body and
the light reflect off the droplets like a gazillion tiny disco balls.
“Physics has a face” I laugh in disbelief and watch the sound waves move outward
and excite the disco balls around me, making them rise into the sky. Geez, I’m
becoming poetic now too.
I watch the people play around and their strange luminescent animals play
around them too. Some animals are floating above them while others rest on
their shoulders or latch onto their torsos. I hold the jet stone for a while to
ground myself, but the animals are still there.
“I think their spirit animals are getting jiggy with it too?” I say to Amphi and point
towards the people playing in front of us. Amphi smiles.
“Each Vanavasi soul resonates with a certain animal. The animals can sense your
intentions and help you if it is in line with the greater good” she explains. I
remember the bear image that formed on Bo’s abdomen during the festival.
“So Boarian resonates with a bear?” I presume.
“Yes, that’s pretty obvious.” she laughs.
“When your intentions are pure, and you become a channel where cosmic
energies can move through you will germinate and you spirit animal will appear to
you.”
“I saw a seed in your groin. You haven’t germinated yet have you?”
“Wait, what?” she looks surprised.
I get up and try to explain what it looked like. “I saw a seed in your groin” I point
to my groin, “and red energy pulsating through roots extending down your legs” I
bend down and touch my toes, “and going into the Earth when you pushed your
feet on the ground” I stomp my feet on the floor to mimic what I saw.
“You saw my light crest?” her jaw drops.
“Yeah, but when everyone’s groins started glowing it was a bit much” I confess.
“Our groins started glowing?” she looks awestruck.
“Yeah, so that wasn’t part of the show?” I ask confused.
“No! Is that what you were looking at when you were staring at me the night of
the festival?”
“Yes” I nod.
“What else did you see?” she looks uncomfortable.
“I saw red illuminated patterned that look like trees on everyone’s groin. Boarian
had a fully developed tree and a bear figure in his branch system” I try to draw
what I saw on my body as I explain.
“Remember I told you that we are connected to Her Body?” she asks.
“Uh-huh” I nod.
“Well, the crest is described as the seed that shoots from Her and grows into the
light like a tree that grows as we grow.”
“Yeah, it sounds like what I saw” I nod my head excitedly. Feeling like a kid again.
“So, I guess the bear on Bo’s crest has something to do with his spirit animal?” I
try to stitch everything together.
“Yes. The overall form is the same for the entire energy center, but individual
crests change with individual life experiences and power animal” she explains.
“Like a social media profile” I joke.
“More like your body, but you get the idea” she laughs.
“The animal that chooses you reflects your energy back to you” she continues.
“There are a lot of animals around. How do you know it has chosen you?” I ask.
“It will challenge you or teach you a lesson.”
I recall the falcon on the line. “I think my animal has already chosen me…?” I say
hesitantly.
“Really?! When?” she asks wide eyed.
“When I walked the line, a falcon landed on the line and made me lose my
balance.”
“The falcon...of course” she strokes my chest “…can it be?”
“What do you mean?” I tilt my head curiously.
“Never mind” she shakes her head and continues walking, “coming of age is an
internal quest as well as a solo jungle mission to discover your spirit animal and
higher calling.” Ankaa’s hologram comes to mind. “And the jungle noises we make
are to summon our spirit animal” she adds.
“Yeah, I figured” I laugh and try to make like a falcon. We both laugh.
“How did you create this magical world?” I ask amazed.
“When we sat down as a Whole and focused our energies we decided to create a
world free of need and suffering” as she explains excitedly the last sunlight falls
on her face.
The fresh air and the mud on my body make me feel good and in a strange way.
My senses are enhancing. I can smell the fragrance of flowers, everything I eat
makes me feel something. Everything I touch seems to affect me too.
“Your senses are heightening, and you are becoming more receptive” she turns
and smiles like she just heard my thoughts.”
“You are starting to experience life through a clear channel. Your new seeds are
sprouting, and your perception and interpretation of life is transforming your
reality” she continues.
The mud and paint on our bodies start chapping and I follow Amphi into the
jungle. It is dark, but I feel safe here now. The jungle has transformed into a
magical paradise. The fire flies guide the way and Amphi’s excitement is
contagious.
“I am beginning to feel closer to animals and plants. Animals have personalities
now and it feels like nature is becoming a part of me” I try and find the right
words to explain what I am feeling.
“We are one” she smiles.
As we walk through the jungle the surrounding plants emanate green light that
makes my heart expand in my chest. My body feels revitalized even though I have
been active the entire day. My presence seems to excite the plant life and make
their energy emanate stronger, it’s like they are excited to see me. We are all
connected. I see it now. I understand.
The expanding green light in my chest reflects off the jet crystal that is bouncing
off my shoulder. My braids have turned into dreadlocks and I feel stronger and
more secure than ever before. My life in Light City feels so far away now.
“Nature heals and purifies” she says as she spins around spreading her red pixie
dust everywhere. It mixes with the green energy of nature. “When intentions are
pure, passion and compassion mix” she spins faster until she gets dizzy and walks
loopy. I laugh and help her balance.
We walk until we reach a pool of water that leads into a cave. She runs in and
swims to the cave. Trying not to think about what could be in the water, I jump in
too. I swim inside, and she is already sitting on a sandy beach. The water is about
waist deep. She lights a few floating fires that hover above the water surface.
We wash off the mud and she wraps her legs around my waist from behind and
pulls me closer to her. I sit down in front of her as she massages my back from the
shoulders down to the base of my spine.
“Your connection to Her is here” she pushes the base