You are stood silent and still, one leg straight, another bent to above your knee. Hands in a prayer posture. You feel strong, noble and elegant like you could do this forever. Your eyes are closed, and there’s a deep peace within you.

There’s a gentle breeze hitting you from your left side, cooling you from the overhead sun. You open your eyes and see you are on the top of a rather high hill, with all sides sloping into a deep valley.

As you look further, you notice many more hills, a beautiful and tranquil scene. Until it suddenly occurs to you, that you are balancing on one leg and at any time you fall down and will almost certainly die.

A deep fear of falling rises up within you from your chest to stomach and the tranquil calm moves in an instant to panic as your muscles tighten. Your place of serenity has transitioned to extreme fear and a need to get down.

You wonder how on earth you got up here unsupported. There is no ladder or rope. And the tiny pentagon shaped golden platform you are standing on has just place for one foot. You are trapped, on top of a hill you conclude and at some point, you will fail to stand alone, and so you will die.

——————–

The golden pentagon begins to turn clockwise, slowly. Oh my goodness you think. How can I deal with this? You are beginning to wobble, even though it’s not even fast. Death is imminent you think. This is torturous. I’m going to die on the top of a hill, in an unknown place, alone.

You rattle through a list of possibilities in your head, thinking of how you can not fall. Flapping around won’t work you think, so perhaps the best plan of action is to stay straight and rigid. You spot a tree on a hill on the far left. That’s it, you think. Be a tree. A tree has roots though, that’s why it does not fall. So you begin with all your might to imagine you have roots burrowing down into the hill. Strong strong focus on the roots.

——————-

A huge gust of wind arrives; you are momentarily blinded, by a flash of eyes everywhere. Blue, green, yellow, flashes and eyes everywhere. Then it calms down and you hear a hello. You look to where the voice is coming from and it’s a peacock, with its beautiful tail opened, displaying those marvelous sets of eyes.

“How are you doing” ? he asks calmly

“I’m not okay at all. I’m so overwhelmed with trying to stay upright, that I was wobbling and almost fell over”, you say.

“And what did you do to stop yourself” ? he questions.

“I pretended I was a tree”, you reply.

“Well done”.  you passed your first test.

“What test”, you say perplexed “and what am I doing on this hill?”

“All will become clear in time”,  he says. “Just keep practicing”

By the way, did you notice your sisters?

“What sisters”,  you say  “Where?”

“On the other hills”, he says. “Open your eyes properly and look”.

You look around and sure enough, you see girls, teens, women of all shapes, sizes, and cultures,  all perched on little hills doing the same as you. Perched on their hills, each with their own Peacock next to them and concentrating hard on standing up.

‘Why are we here”, you ask?

“You are learning”,  he says.

“Tomorrow is a big day for you; there will be another lesson. May I gently suggest that you further practice your tree pose, and also send wishes of support to your sisters, who are also learning their lessons?”

Why should I wish them support you wonder to yourself. It’s enough for me to stand up here, concentrating and not fall off.

“Because the more support you show each other, the stronger you become as a team, collectively”, He says.

“You read minds”, you ask?

“Of course”, says the peacock. “Did you just think I was a pretty face? I could deduct a point for that thought miss, but I will let it pass for now. Watch your thoughts, they become things….”

“How can I wish them messages of support, when I can’t speak to them”? You inquire, confused.

“That is for you to work out yourself”, he says. “Part of your lesson”.

“Now I will depart. I wish you well for your next steps”

“And will you return”, you ask?

“I can’t tell you what will happen next, this is part of your journey. If you know what’s coming up next, you won’t learn the lessons that you really need to”.

——————-

The sky is filled with eyes again, blue, green and gold flashes everywhere.