This journey was a little different than the way I normally journey on my own and it was actually kind of fun. Instead of just one drummer there were, I believe, four, which was incredibly powerful seeing as the drum is the driving engine -- The Wind Horse (I love that term!) that carries you into the shamanic realms. Also, rather than sitting up like I normally do, we journeyed laying down which meant we were in our Spirit Canoes.
So as the drums began beating I set off in my canoe, Jeshua on one side of me and Artemis on the other (Oh My Goddess was she gorgeous!! -- all silvery and sparkly!). I hadn't before used masculine and feminine allies on journeys, but going with my teacher's traditions, that was who showed up when I asked, and I happily realized I couldn't be in better hands. Meryl, my Pelican guide, with whom I've been doing a lot of work lately, sat up front.
It's important when journeying to the other worlds to be anchored in this world, so we use a real-life physical place -- A hole, cave, or hollow tree that we have been to, for example -- from where we travel to the other realms. So I began, as usual, at the tree that stands in the middle of the old Faerieworlds site. Since I was in a canoe, however, instead of the normal spiral stairs leading down to the Underworld, I discovered there was a river running right into the cleft in the side of the tree, and once we entered it, the river went straight down, ala Land of the Lost. Gravity didn't seem to make a difference, though because we didn't fall but just kept paddling down the river as if we were floating horizontally.
Finally we emerged from beneath some overhanging plants, and as we eased down the river the first thing I saw was a cave about half-way up a cliff face. "Oh, a dragon lives there," was my first matter-of-fact thought -- one that I almost instantly rejected, thinking that since that would just be way too cool I must be projecting my wishful thinking onto the journey's background. Still the cave highly resembled, again, the one from the Land of the Lost TV show, and as I looked around I realized the landscape was very jungle-y and prehistoric looking. In fact the first being I saw there was an allosaurus-like dinosaur who came running, chomping his teeth-laden jaws. "Nope! Not talking to you!" I thought, recalling my teacher's earlier comments about not talking to fish with big teeth.
A number of birds made appearances. A kestrel flew over, dropping a ribbon to me as she passed, and a king fisher landed on the side of the canoe and slowly transformed into a flicker before flying off. Then an owl flew down and landed in the canoe, apparently just to say hello because she didn't stay long either. None of them were the power animal I needed to talk to because whoever that animal turned out to be, would appear to me four times, in four different ways, as a signal that he or she were the correct one.
That's when I saw the dragon, up close and personal, his huge nose right up in my face -- a seemingly common way my guides make themselves initially apparent to me. #1. Then I saw him further off, a stick in hand with marshmallows on the end as he breathed fire on them. #2. Next I saw his gigantic head from the side lying in front of me, as if asleep, then watched his eye slowly open and stare at me. #3. Finally, I got a glimpse of Elliot, the dragon from the Disney movie Pete's Dragon, flapping his tiny little wings which miraculously held him aloft. #4.
With the necessary required signals out of the way, I asked the dragon (whose name is "Mike" -- but that's another story) my question of what I could do right now that would be beneficent to the world. "It wouldn't hurt for you to be just a little bit arrogant," came the reply through a toothy grin. He talked to me of stepping into my power, and as he raised himself to his full height, blue and green scales shimmering, he told me of my power of presence -- something my teacher has recently mentioned to me that I'm just starting to realize. The full impact of this monstrous creature standing before me in all it's brilliance and power was truly awe-inspiring, and I realized when you stand in your power and authenticity, there is no hiding. It was akin to the message I got from a reading a few years ago, "You are tall for a reason. You are meant to be seen!"
Mike leaned down toward me again, saying, "Some will fear you for this. Some will love you. But it is all coming from the same place -- awe." Not awe because I'm greater than anyone else, but because the more authentic and in my power I am, the clearer someone looking at me sees the reflection of their own authenticity and power.
In a seemingly change of topic, he told me not to worry about my breath (which reminded me I'd just run out of altoids...), as he unleashed a steady stream of flames onto some nearby stalagmites of the cave we were in. "It can only burn away that which is untrue. The Truth always remains untouched." It took me awhile to process this, and the more I sit with it, the deeper the meanings I find. And I had to laugh (actually almost choked) this morning as I took part in a Chanupa ceremony (Peace Pipe) and realized I was literally breathing fire. Anyway, it basically comes down to expression. It is the natural expression of a dragon to breathe fire, and I do not have to worry about my natural expressions, whether artwork, poems, conversations, or whatever, because if they come from authentic power, though reactions to them may initially be of pain, it is helping to burn away the illusions and cut through the darkness with light. Like it says in the Course In Miracles, "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists."
An interesting connection, and the initial meaning I took away from this, is that I recently have noticed a change of tone or intention when talking to friends about their respective lives and stuff. I sometimes feel like I'm not being very supportive because I'm not just blindly jumping up and down cheering them on, or diving into the depths to join them in their misery -- which is kind of the way the world seems to teach us to be. Instead I'm more thoughtful about whatever it is, and say the things that I am feeling, whatever they are. I am finally stepping into the name the Stone People gave me on my vision quest a little over a year and a half ago -- "Speaks His Heart."
I think it was at this point that I asked for a ride. ...What? ...You know you would have wanted one if in my shoes! Graciously Mike allowed me to crawl up onto his massive neck, and flapping his great wings, we flew into the air. He told me to remember I was at home in all the elements -- I was an Earth being who had the spark of Fire within me, who was equally at home in the sky (Air) as he was in the sea (Water). And at this last bit he dove into the ocean that was sprawling out beneath us.
Back to dry land and it was time to go. I was wondering what I could give him as a gift. Duh! From out of nowhere I handed him a big pot of gold for his dragon horde. Then after scratching him under his fuzzy chin I gave his chest a hug, and I felt his foot tenderly and lovingly settle on my back with a very slight squeeze as he returned the sentiment.
Before I had the chance to return to my canoe for the journey home, I looked up and Mike had taken a scale from his own body, and with a great finger pushed it into my chest. There wasn't time to ask for an explanation before I had to turn back, so I plan on journeying back this week to inquire as to what exactly this gift was that he gave me.
As an addendum, I went to the monthly Jeshua meeting last night (which I have a feeling will be playing a significant role in an upcoming post or two) and what he told me gave me in a single word what this whole journey had been about: Sovereignty.
Sovereignty, thy name is Dragon.
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