Soft, flowing flute-like music enters into your mind. A woman’s voice, moves with the music, rolling, spiraling, uplifting you. You can’t understand what she is saying, but you feel it drifting in and out.
As you come to, you realize that you were asleep, and these tones are waking you up. You open your eyes a slit. There’s a deep sense of not knowing where you are. Through the slit, you see unfamiliar colors. Tones of sand, red, and turquoise. You keep your eyes half closed, and sense for movement. You decide you are alone, and it’s safe, so you open them fully.
The floor is covered with deep red and brown tapestried rugs, the walls moving in what must be a gentle breeze. There’s an ornate brushed gold full-length mirror in the corner. Next, to it, a set of pale blue and teal clothing, with the same brushed gold jewelry filled with deep teal toned jewels.
You look down at yourself, and you are wearing a pure while delicately embroidered cotton flowing dress. Perhaps it’s a nightdress you think.
The music is still floating in and out of your little enclosure, it reminds you of a tepee, but much bigger. You hear laughter. So there must be people here, you think?
You spot where the opening is, and move the material in as slow a motion as you can. You don’t know what’s going on here; you could be a prisoner or a princess.
You manage to put on eye up to the crack and see a huge expanse of sand, a deep blue azure sky and then you locate the laughter. There’s a group of women, maybe 5 sat around a low table, each with a large golden cup.
Pearched calmly on turquoise falt square cushions, underneath a structure, which has swathes of white cotton draped elegantly, covering them professionally from the penetrating rays of the sun.
There’s one cup alone you notice. That must be yours. The women are all wearing these beautiful pale blue and teal robes, again all with brushed gold & bejeweled chains. Not the same colour as yours though you note.
You get dressed quickly and tiptoe across a red ornate tapestry carpet that appeared when you moved the opening to your enclosure. It stretches out to where the group is seated.
You take a seat, the women look at you. Immediately you are seized with panic. What if you are not supposed to be here, you think?
A woman with brown curly hair that cascades loosely down her back you, says “welcome, we were waiting for you to wake up. Mohammed brought us the most delicious cooled rose water”
You feel a presence to your left; you turn slightly and see a group of camels, with men leading them towards you. The camels walk patiently, calmly, and majestically. For such huge animals, they are full of grace you think.
He comes over towards the group, looks at you and asks you if you are ready for your journey? You feel a nervous excitement in the group, but no one says anything.
“Yes”, you say. “We are ready”.
“Let’s go,” says the man, “your camels are waiting to support you. This journey may be short or it may be long, it’s all in the legs of the camels. ”
“Are you not coming you ask him”?
“No”, he says. “This is your journeys. These are no ordinary camels. They will journey to the place you most need to feel. It”s best that your group journey alone”.
“Do not worry. If you need anything, please just think it, and it will appear. Words are spells. You are in the desert now; you are deeply connected to the divine. Here the veils are thin, and the portals are everywhere.”
“Connect to yourself, and the camels will connect to you, and protect you”.
“I wish you well” are his parting words
———————-
Sometime later, it could have been seconds or days, you arrive at the shore of what you can only describe as a lake. A lake with a pinkish glow, merging with the delicate blue sky through waves of pink heat.
It must be a mirage, you think.
“Shall we dismount?” says a lady in a dark blue veil.
In surprise you turn to see 5 women. You had forgotten you were journeying with others. The journey had left you in a meditative daze, so powerful was the spiraling energy that moved up through you as the camels moved rhythmically through the sands.
They must see it too, so you think, and decide to keep your mirage thoughts to yourself.
———————-
At the far corner, you notice an elegant white bird, standing on long thin legs, staring into the water, deep in concentration.
An ibis you think. Alone , standing majestically in the beautiful pink water, seemingly oblivious to our presence. How can she not notice us you think, or be scared. 6 women journeying in on 6 imposing creatures.beasts.
I guess she knows she has the power to fly away you think? Or maybe she does not need to. We are not a threat. She remembers what the guide said. The camels feel you; perhaps the ibis feels us too?
———————-
“Can we swim”? another of the ladies says
She’s already stepping into the shallows. “It’s sooo cool,” she says.
“Of course”, you say. “It’s here, it must be part of our journey”.
We 6 all glide in, the water moves and sparkles around us as the sunset throws it’s dying rays upon it.
“Tell me how it feels I ask them”?
They answer in turn, listening deeply to what the other says. The words flow out in rapture. You wish you could capture this moment. Sisters united in pure sharing pleasure.
The water is supportive, buoyant; there is no need to struggle to say afloat. We move gracefully within the water, held up, in its salty hammock.
We look at each other, and we all feel it, the unspoken deep connection welling up within us. Each of the others words, although not our own are expressing thoughts, we had not yet found in ourselves. Here they rise up out of us, as potent, pleasurable enchantments.
You can feel the moment of deep unstoppable potential rising up through you, through all of you collectively. You feel tears come to your eyes and fall salty into the lake, salt meeting salt, back to source.
Image: Annelie Solis – The Inner Desert
How lucky was I to find this image on Annelie’s website? The same colours, the perfect description. Fits this dreamscape like magic… This image is available to purchase on her website.
