Journey

Since I didn't find an animal in the lower world, I decided to try to journey to the upperworld and look for a teacher. I wondered if a hummingbird could take me there. I found a different recording to play during this journey.

I walk onto my balcony and wait at the hummingbird feeder
A hummingbird flies toward me and I slowly reach out with one hand
The hummingbird quickly grabs my hair and pulls me skyward
We rush upward and through the clouds
Moving fast we pass through a circle around the earth, but are still in earth's atmosphere
We continue climbing, even faster
Then we're in space (it's not black, but I know we're not in the atmosphere any more)

Hummingbird sets me down on something solid that I can't see
There's movement and I see people in the distance climbing up and down white stairs
I wave at the hummingbird and run toward the people
I begin climbing the stairs, too

I see a few buildings, small and white with domed roofs
I rush toward the doorless entry of one and almost rush in
I stop myself and call into the darkness, Hello?

A man's voice responds

I ask, May I come in?

Yes

I approach an elderly man
He's wearing white and has something on his head
I ask, Are you my teacher?

No

Do you know where my teacher is?

He points and I leave

I climb more stairs between homes
There are lots of children playing; I can't hear their laughter
There's a girl skipping rope in front of one home and a boy bent over and drawing with chalk

The stairs end and there are two new sets of stairs
I see, descending from the left, a woman
She is dressed magnificently
Transparent gold over a heavy, long, red dress with a broad skirt
Some sort of head ornament that I can't see clearly
She sees me and pauses
I bow and then walk toward her
She smiles as I approach and I bow again

Are you my teacher, I ask

Yes

She touches my shoulder and leads me down the steps

I ask, Are we going to your home?

She laughs and takes my hand

We fly away from the white stairs and houses
There's a landscape now, Mediterranean
Before, the stairs and houses were just in space, not grounded in a place

We approach a large building
I can't really see it, it's not a palace or castle, I just know it's large
We enter

It's very open and there's a fountain in the middle
She leads me to two low couches and a table and we sit down
She calls for... tea?

Someone appears immediately with a tray and an unusual pot
After it's placed on the table, she pours and we drink from tiny cups
It's thick, but not coffee or tea
She offers me another cup

I look at her hands as she sipps her drink and I look at the water falling in the fountain
Is she wearing a veil? transparent gold, but I think it was just over her hair, not her face
She offers me another cup
I ask her what she has to teach me and she laughs

I refuse, she waits, and then I accept (it's not as if I'll have to pee if I drink too much here)
I finish the third cup of tea and someone appears to take the tray away

I tell her I didn't meet an animal in the lower world

She says, Yes

Yes, I did meet an animal, or yes, you know?

Yes, I know

My teacher pulls an instrument towards her and the places it on the table
I ask, Do you play?

She laughs and hands the harp to me
It's very light
I ask if I should play it
Yes

I run my finger across all the string
They are taut
I don't hear any sound
Keep playing, she says

I pluck individual strings randomly
She laughs and rises to dance
I keep playing and she dances away from me towards pillars that open onto a balcony
Afraid she's leaving, I stop playing and rush toward her
She stops dancing and takes my hand

Look into the fountain
I turn around and walk to the fountain
I see my own reflection in the water
It's me... but different... younger? prettier? definitely me but different
I stare into the water, waiting for other images to appear
Something over my shoulder, but I can't make it out
I look up at the falling water and turn back to my teacher

All will be well, she says

I beg and ask two or three questions
She laughs

I asked if she'd be here when I came again

Yes

Will you come back with me

Yes

She took my hand and we flew out the door, back to the town, over the descending stairs

Hummingbird was waiting
She reached out to him and we three traveled down
We reached my balcony and I asked, You're really going to stay?

Yes

Will you speak to me?

I will watch and I will listen

We land on the balcony

I am back

Why didn't I ask her name?

Several of the journeys described in Cave and Cosmos include a very rapid ascent to the upper world
I thought of Jacob's ladder when I wrote that people were moving up and down the stairs
White buildings with domed roofs-- clouds?
Interesting that I bowed to the woman several times; I felt she deserved reverence
I didn't interact with her; I was rushing and perhaps the scene wasn't vivid
Cave and Cosmos includes many stories of music in the upper world
Odd that I couldn't hear it, just as I couldn't hear the waves in the lower world
Her dancing reminds me of Miriam and the women at the sea of reeds
Looking into the fountain is from The Mirror of Galadriel
All will be well is reminiscent of Julian of Norwich
I was rude; I want to be really present to her the next time I visit the upper world