Chapter IX, Reading 3

She also knew in her heart of hearts that she must probe this contact further, that here was the source of knowledge she needed to fulfill her destiny.  She needed to push through the pain, which was, in a sense, a barrier to the knowledge.

Gathering her courage, she pressed her mind against the barrier.  For the briefest moment, there was nothing; then her mind was totally overwhelmed and pain erupted like countless exploding suns.  She drew back and hesitated.  She didn't doubt the Absolute Benevolence of the Spirit, but she grew afraid of the incomprehensible magnitude of the Presence and doubted her worthiness to continue.

She hesitated but knew she had been called.  She must proceed.

Flindra forced her mind back into the searing pain and was carried away by the torrent of overwhelming sensation.  She again had to retreat.

How was she to succeed at this trial?

"Dear Spirit," she prayed.  "You have brought me here and I feel a deep understanding that I need to push forward.  How can I do this?  Please guide me."

She quieted her mind in hopes of receiving some answer.

In the stillness, the memory of King Meldh's voice seemed to speak to her.  "Do not fight the pain.  The more you resist the hurt, the greater it becomes.  Breathe in the pain.  Become one with it and you will reach your goal."

"But it is so overwhelming," she protested.

Her protest disturbed the flow of the memory and her thoughts were empty again.  Flindra knew what she had done and with practiced discipline, she forced herself to relax.

Finally, the memory continued.

"You have the tools you need to pass through this barrier.  You have the memories of all who were before you.  You are one with those memories and therefore one with the strength of all.  Use it.  Draw upon its power.  Remember and become one."

King Meldh's words had come to her touched with a sense of love and tenderness - a father's caress for a beloved child.

Flindra's heart was filled with love for all the dear people in her life, now and before.  She knew in her heart that the greatest of all gifts the Spirit had bestowed on humanity was love.  Love could never fail and could endure all things.  Love was the best of all possible binding agents for life.  Love was the key to welding her memories together and becoming one with all.

She celebrated the love she felt for her family and the feeling expanded to include all she had seen in her vision today.  Warmth filled her heart and power fused with her mind.  She lost herself in the sense of profound oneness.  She was no longer just Flindra; she was now a vessel containing all those whose lives had led to hers.

Now she was ready to face the barrier for she was filled with love, a deep sense of peace, and a certainty of her oneness with life.  Again, the searing agony pressed against her mind, but this time the sensation contributed to the awareness of joining.  The agony was only an awe-striking knowledge of the Spirit, which exceeded the limitations of sensation.  She pulled the pain closer to her awareness.

For a moment, she felt she was staring directly into the blinding depths of the sun and her consciousness wavered for an instant at the painful exposure and she almost fainted.  Then the light joined with the love embedded in her heart and Flindra became aware of an infinite, unimaginable sensation, which penetrated to the core of her soul.

A universe exploded around her and power and wisdom pulsated into and through her mind.  Her mind became an empty vessel, which was filled with the wisdom.  She could only drink of the knowledge - letting the power flow to her, through her.

Time ceased as Flindra was absorbed into the essential fabric of life and Spirit.  She learned, but at the cost of being so overwhelmed, she could hold her place no longer and she lost consciousness.