Entering The Mystical

(If you are looking for the Special Offer, please go to the blog post from March 15th.)

I've mentioned my friend Diane on this blog before.  She was very interested in Native American wisdom.  She was so convinced that Native American wisdom held answers for humankind today that she kept walking into that experience, to the point that she invited a traditional medicine man (and his entourage) to come perform a healing for her terminally ill daughter.  When they came, we all contributed to the building of the inipi … the sweat lodge structure.  This was all foreign to me at the time, but we were told that our hearts and intentions must be pure and aligned in order to participate, so as we worked I worked on my acceptance and alignment.  This was important to Diane and I was going to stand with her on this.

When it came time to enter the inipi, I felt as if I was physically walking out of my body and entering an unknown spatial zone … a non-linear dimension where time stood still and everything that had seemed real to me all my life slipped away.  I walked into the mystical.  

As the rounds continued and more hot stones were brought into the structure, the small space grew hotter and hotter.  It was far hotter than any sauna I'd experienced.  I felt the smallness of the space and began to feel a bit claustrophobic.  It became difficult to draw breath.  I knew the feeling that was welling within me, and I knew the only antidotes were to get out, or surrender.  I surrendered.

The moment I did I was transported.  Though it was pitch black in the inipi and I could not even see my hand when I held it in front of my face, all of a sudden I saw tiny faces in front of me where the stones were lying.  I had heard the Lakota people in our presence refer to Stone People … these must be them, I thought.  Then I looked up where the ceiling would have been … should have been … and what I saw took my breath away.  There, where I should have seen nothing but darkness, was a night sky full of twinkling stars!  I blinked.  They remained.  I shut my eyes and lowered my head, sure they would go away, but willing them to stay.  When I looked up again, they were still there.  

I just watched them and watched them, my heart full of awe and peace.  My whole being was praying and I asked The Creator to help me with all I desired to do with my life.  Then an even more amazing vision appeared before me.  Out of the sky came two great hands and arms.  They were gigantic!  They came down, reaching for me.  There seemed to be a message coming with them, something like, “All you have to do is ask, to reach for me.  I am here for you.  I will help you with anything.  Everything.”

I began to reach up to the hands and they disappeared.  I felt like crying, “No!  Come back!” but immediately within me there was another message:  “You reached for Me.  That was all you had to do.  I shall do what you wish.  I am always with you.”

Tears ran down my cheeks and all of a sudden it was over.  The inipi was being opened and fresh, cool air was pouring over me.  I felt refreshed, invigorated, and alive.  And I felt so very loved.  

That message and vision have come back to me many times since that day.  Whenever things around me seem to be going sour, I remember. I remember to ask.  And help always comes.  And each time I feel again and again the imprint of love, support and peace I felt that day.  

Help is always only a surrender away.

May the mystical find and inspire you, too.

CJ