Footprints

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.

By: Lady Kiya 5-24-05