Chapter IX, Reading 1

Flindra walked to the crystal cavern and out of habit bowed her head in reverence as she entered. She knew this was a sacred spot and always entered with a profound sense of veneration. The Presence was easily discerned in this holy place.

Kewero had moved some cushions into the cave to sit upon when they had first started their lessons together. The translucent, crystalline floor was beautiful but it was anything but comfortable to sit upon. Generally, their discussions lasted for hours so it had been a necessity to arrange for seating that was more comfortable.

Flindra kneeled on one of the cushions and bowed her head in reverence. "Beloved Spirit, please hear the request of your humble servant. Be with me today and guide me to the knowledge I need to serve Your Will. Grant me clarity of thought and heart so I may divine Your Truth." She breathed deeply for a moment. "Let it be so," she ended with the ritual parting.

Flindra took her seat in her accustomed place and held out the crystal orb before her. The crystal always felt so alive here. It was now vibrating in the same rhythm as the pulsation of light in the glowing crystals of the cave walls. With a deep breath, she gazed into the depths of the orb and allowed herself to be drawn within its powers.

Her path into the realm of the sphere brought her beyond the familiar color vortex and then through the blinding flash of white light. She was now adrift in a zone of concentric circles, which glowed with a pure and intense gold, in effect, a tunnel of light. As she went deeper and deeper into the tunnel, she developed the sensation of motion without movement. She was suspended in the center of the circles of light, which were rushing by her at an ever-increasing pace. She felt her mind was rushing through the moving circles to places unknown, sensations never before felt, and thoughts never before imagined.

As she looked at the lights around her, Flindra began to notice that the gold was changing. She could make out new and shifting colors. Shapes began to coalesce within the colored aureole. The shapes took the form of people and places and were constantly changing.

Flindra soon realized she was watching her own history. It began with her recent past and moved slowly to her beginning. It was if she was reading the book of her life from the back pages to the front. Everything was faithfully recorded on this strange canvas of shifting lights. She saw her months in the caverns studying with Kewero, her dangerous trek to the Northern Reaches, her coming of age under the gentle guidance of Eghero and Dakra. The images of Flindra's entire life passed before her.

She was filled with a deep awareness of love and comfort. She loved her family and was loved in return and these memories reinforced that knowledge. Her happy childhood was a glorious blessing of the Spirit.

The ever-changing patterns then progressed to a time before her conscious memories. Flindra now lived through the emotional agony of her parents’ tragic end and going further, she witnessed her own birth as seen through their memories. She was more than a spectator watching the unfolding story of their lives, for she experienced the intensity of their thoughts and emotions. Flindra knew them and felt the love they held for her and the passion they felt for each other. They were no longer strangers to her. She loved them.

Her entire family history unfolded on the stage around her. Generation after generation played out their lives. She noticed that there was a tremendous variety in her ancestor's lifestyles. The memories of their lives would provide much knowledge to draw upon if she needed it and she felt a deep and abiding kinship with them. Her roots were deep and strong and would give her great strength.