Valley of the Souls part 3

 Release...or so I thought?

    So once again I found myself on a journey. This time, going back to the place where this had all started, back to the place where I had encountered this strange man and spiderwoman. This place where everything had started out so innocently and I was just trying to find a place to relax and find some meaning to my life. 

    I knew this journey was something I had to finish while it was still fresh on my mind and I had to deal with everything that was going on while the connection was still fresh. It was kind of like having a conversation with someone and addressing the issues while the individual you were having a conversation with was present and everything was fresh on your mind. The longer I let this incident go on the harder it would be to get her out of my life. So the faster I took care of it the easier it would be. It's like letting cement cure. As long as the cement is wet the easier it is to work it. Once the concrete cures it becomes extremely problematic to work it. So removing whatever it is Spiderwoman had done to me had to be addressed as quickly as possible.

    So when I arrived on the scene and had traveled deep into my meditation again I found myself standing on the shores and was surprised to see more beings on the beach waiting for me. Indian warrior was there, and he already had a sacred space set up. A large square perhaps thirty feet by thirty feet was set up with a ceremonial fire burning in the center of it. On each corner was a spear thrust in the ground with a flag on each one. A white flag on one, a brown flag, a red flag, and a yellow flag on the others. Each spear carrying its own flag. I am not sure what the representation for the different colors were. Off to the side of the fire was my totem animal who happened to be a bald eagle. Not a small eagle, but a rather large one much taller than a man. For scale it was more like something you could ride and that was exactly what we were going to do, unbeknownst to me at the moment.

    With that, and without saying a word, Indian warrior and I both climbed upon eagles back as eagle lowered himself to the ground and with a flap of his giant wings we were were soon skimming the water towards the direction of the cave on the beach where Spiderwoman had first taken me into the valley of the souls. The whole time we were flying my mind was racing as to how I was gong to destroy this alter which stood at the cave entrance. This spot where I had the energy beam flow through me and I had watched it flow through me as it rose and disappeared somewhere off in the distance. 

    As we neared the entrance and the alter we flew over it a couple of times before an idea came into my head and I instantly found myself holding a giant mallet in my hand. It can be debated on whether or not I was actually holding a large mallet with a three foot diameter head on it, or if it merely represented my mind focusing and creating concentrated power in order to destroy this alter. In my mind I was going to pulverize it and turn it into dust so this alter could no longer hold any power over me. And just as I was about to strike the alter as we flew over it a voice shouted to me just as I raised my arm, my only arm, and instructed me in no uncertain terms to stop. I don't know where this voice came from but it had a commanding presence to it and I immediately froze in my tracks and lowered my arm. No sooner had I heard this voice coming from nowhere in particular but everywhere at once, eagle turned and we immediately flew as fast as eagle could fly into the cave and we found ourselves traveling through the center of the valley of the souls. 

    Once again I stared in fascination at all the souls twirling around us as we flew by, their necks twisted as they all cranked their heads to stare at us as we glided by. Not one tried to stop us, rather I felt as if they were staring in wonder at us trying to figure out what we were and why we were there. I think they were a bit confused as to our motives. Still, with the mallet put away I was hanging on to eagles feathers and could feel Indian warrior hanging on to me, his arms wrapped around my waist during the whole time eagle was bearing us.

    It didn't take very long before we just seemed to burst out of the valley of the souls and and suddenly we were flying through Spiderwomans lair and we found ourselves gliding directly over the alter she had me stand on. This one was a duplicate of the one I was about to destroy at the entrance to the beach cave.  Needless to say I didn't waste anytime and once again I found myself clutching the mallet in my hand with Indian warrior holding me as I really unleashed on this alter, pulverizing it as I hit it again and again and again, watching it turn to dust. I was unleashing my anger on it and once I was finished, off in the distance, I heard a blood curdling scream rising into the air and seemingly surrounding us. None of us really wanted to stick around and see what it was that was letting out that scream so eagle made a mad dash back through the valley of the souls towards the beach we had come from. 

    The journey back was nothing like the journey to Spiderwomans lair though and it was not an easy trip back. As eagle was flying as hard as he could to get back through the valley of the souls I could see hands reaching out from the walls of tunnel, hands and arms desperately trying to grab us, to stop us from leaving. 

    

    Apparently, Spiderwomans screams had alerted these beings and I was seriously wondering if eagle was going to make it. He was really struggling as if he had hit a headwind and was battling to stay aloft. This was not going to be easy. And just as we felt eagle starting to make headway about halfway through the valley of the souls something reached out and knocked me off of eagles back. I felt myself flying above eagles back and over Indian warrior and with a desperate grab I was able to grasp eagles tailfeathers as he flew through the air. At that point Indian warrior crawled down eagles back and managed to grab my arm and hold on until we finally made it out of the cave and back to the beach. 

    Needless to say we wasted little time in sealing the cave entrance and destroying the alter. With that we flew off the beach. Apparently Indian warrior who had said nothing at all, but was just noticed with his presence, had plans for me and off we flew. I remember flying high into the clouds and when we emerged from the clouds we were suddenly flying through some amazing high mountain peaks and far below us was this amazing crystal clear lake. As we descended and got closer to the lake I noticed a green meadow next to it which gave way to to a group of Quaking Aspen trees which spread as far as the eyes could see. 

    As we got even closer I noticed at the shore of the lake in the clearing was a teepee. And next to the teepee was an older Indian who was waving at us like he had been expecting us to arrive. As eagle touched down to the ground next to this man I understood him to be a shaman and a healer. I stood next to him and looked him in the face. He was smiling at me like he had just gotten away with something and as I smiled back a warmth came over me.

    "You look warn and have been in a battle," he said as he motioned me to his teepee.

    "No," I replied as I contemplated climbing on the back of eagle and taking off again. "I am fine and I have other things I need to do."

    I had recently been wary of another issue which had threatened me and I thought as long as I was on a roll I would get that taken care of as well. I noticed Indian warrior had moved right behind me but I had little idea why he was standing so close to me.

    "No," the medicine man replied. "You are too weak and you have expended to much of your energy in this battle. I must heal you. You are in no shape to be a warrior right now."

    And for whatever reason I realized he was right and the minute he explained to me what kind of shape I was in I collapsed back into Indian warriors arms. The last thing I remember was Indian warrior carrying me into the medicine mans teepee and laying me on a pile of furs. As I was looking out through the teepee entrance I saw eagle flying off with Indian warrior on his back. 

    This part of the journey was over. I had dealt with what I thought was the worst part of the incident I had been forced to deal with. And yet, it was still not quiet over. 

There are times in life where you must let the ego go in order to survive. It's only when you surrender to the act of observation and listen from the heart where you can be truly saved from yourself.