Blurring The Edges Of Reality: TimeLess Fables; A Golden Afternoon and the Queen Of The Future Worlds
There is a place very far removed from memory; it is one of those magical crossroads in time that you find out about if you’re meant to. But otherwise it stays hidden, never a tourist attraction, it is not a destination of any significance to the average person.
It is rumored that this small village is a place where magical things occur, and many legends have been written in the aftermath of events that took place in this seemingly unobtrusive and quaint community.
Surrounded by an ancient wall in the oldest section of the village is a garden, it is not small, but it could not possibly be a big as it seems to be, once you are within those walls.
Living somewhere in this lovely sanctuary is a woman who is called the Queen of the Future Worlds. No one knows how old she is, yet she always appears to be young and resplendently beautiful.
Legend and Myths are told about this secret garden, and about the fountain of youth within it. Still more are told about the Queen, and her ability to grant your wishes; she is the oracle who knows your future, The Fairy Queen, in the land of the forever living, certainly you have heard countless versions. What you may not know is that there have been travelers who ventured into that garden with selfish or ill intent, and were never seen again. The villagers for generations have left offerings at the gate of the garden, in hope of the Queens favor. Sometimes they attach small notes requesting a good harvest or some such impersonal request. But for favors which might benefit yourself, it is known that one must go to the Queen in person, and few are brave enough to walk through those enchanted gates and ask for her blessings.
It is a matter of feeling worthy I suppose. It is well known that anyone who does not have adequate or great merit, character, or value, who trespasses within those gates, may not be allowed to live. It is often a topic of speculation what happens to people who venture there but never return. The villagers are extremely superstitious and fearful people, for the most part, they hold the Queen in great reverence, and they are in awe of her power. Rumors and ballads in that village are always about the Queen, she is their saint, their heroine, the Fairy Queen, but she is also the monster who turns men to stone, or devours them whole. She is the bringer of justice, the one they love and fear most… She is greater than the God they pray to in their humble chapel, the God who is deaf and never seems to hear their prayers, because she is like a Goddess incarnate, known to them, real and available, for anyone who has the courage to go to her.
In the golden light of the setting sun, seven very different young women found their way to the garden of eternal mysteries; each brought with them an offering. Each had their own reason for seeking the Queen’s favor.
The first was a priestess of the temple, she was known as the keeper of secrets. She gathered small snippets of conversations over many years until she was certain that she had something of significance to offer the queen, fortified with her knowledge of secret things she went to the garden seeking eternal beauty and long life.
The second was the daughter of a poor but devout woman who had lost her husband to illness; this young woman’s mother supported her family by growing flowers. Her daughter came to ask for long life as well, not for herself but for her mother, who had been barren of spirit since the death of her father. Her parents had known true love and were lifetime companions. She held in her hands the flowers which her mother’s tears had grown.
The third was a woman of vision, she saw things not as they were in the past or as they are now, but how they might be. She was a daydreamer, and visionary which allowed her to be a true artist. Her offering, like many of the others, was symbolic: “the seeds of tomorrows”, said the artist, as she held the seed pods from her favorite tree.
The forth young woman was a virgin, but she came from a long line of fertile bearers of beautiful children, she came with an offering of abundance, a plump red pomegranate. She wanted great and enduring love, passion, and most of all she wanted someone who would always adore her.
The fifth was a common villager, who had no special talents or beauty, she could not name a single thing that made her stand out from any other person, and she claimed to be as ordinary as the next. What she did possess was an unseen purity of heart. What she brought to the garden was a prayer, not for herself, but for the world.
The sixth maiden was especially gifted with a beautiful voice, her song, like the clear notes of a nightingale, sang out strong and true, on this day, as she walked through the garden. She was so preoccupied and self contained that the splendor of this mysterious place, was hardly noticed. As was usual for her, she did not see anyone or anything which might bring a troubled thought to her mind.
The Seventh and last who ventured on that day to the garden was a traveler, a wild and free spirit who valued above all else the open spaces and endless natural landscapes which she traveled; the mountains and rivers of the untamed wilderness. She loved best the wild creatures and felt a certain affinity with them. It broke her heart to see them suffer, and more often now she found them starved or injured. It was not usual for her to be drawn to such a place as this small enclave of civilization.
The keeper of Secrets was a rather proud and vain young woman, who was accustomed to being admired for her beauty and her seductive nature. She was always able to get her way; if not at first, then later with clever manipulations she would find some key to unlock what ever resisted her charms, a subtle clue, or a brilliant inspiration into the nature of her desire, but always, it would finally unravel and fall into her possession. She had never found a mystery she could not solve, until now.
The daughter of the flower merchant had a tendency to worry. She was plagued by doubt and constantly thinking about what ifs, she would obsess over visions of her future and her family, with the worst possible outcomes. She imagined that she would be left alone and would have to raise her siblings all on her own, as she was certain her mother was going to die of a broken heart. She was not selfish or outright unwilling to help her family, but she did not really want the responsibility to fall on her shoulders.
The artist, appeared to be untroubled by what this day might bring, she accepted that all was not as it should be, but she was certain that if only more people would want a better world, one would be created out of the collective unconscious dreams of those who wanted peace and abundance above all else. It would be a sort of enlightened awareness passed from one dreamer to the next, a cascading effect, which would spread without the need for words or doctrines. It would change the very paradigm of our existence, without the amendments of old laws, or the making of new ones, without the adoption of religious practices, or the creation of a new world order. It would just be part of the whole of our being, because we expected it, and wanted it to be so.
The young virgin was full of hope, and joy. She was bursting at the seams with desire of the unknown, a wish to be filled up with life. The strength and purity of her being was so obvious, she almost glowed. She was richly gifted, so vibrant; an example of all which is healthy and pure. She often laughed, not a silly giggle, but a laugh that was like a true happiness, a cup that was so full it overflowed.
The village maiden was timid, but she was not shy about some things. She was wiling to tell the truth as she saw it, and was able to stand tall and straight in the face of the worst intimidators. She had nothing to hide. She knew in the depths of herself who she was. And although she was not remarkable, she was honest. She often stood up for those who were oppressed or abused unjustly. She was empathetic and thoughtful, she never felt that she had to apologize, because she always tried to do what was right, and she did her best.
The Songbird, as many called her…was greatly loved. She healed the hearts of many just by the beauty of her voice. She, like the artist, was not fully a part of the world, but lived in her dreams. However the dreams of the songbird were of accomplishment, she saw herself as a famous stage talent, greatly loved and admired by important people, who lived far away from where she lived now. Everything about her life was music. She was dedicated to the point of obsession, from the time she was small she had goals, and held herself to a strict program of practice. She was given a natural talent but did not rely on it. She believed that you could only reach a level of perfection with a great deal of hard work. What troubled her was that she doubted if her rare talent would ever be discovered unless she moved away from this remote and tiny village. She was seeking escape, not from her routine, but from the confines of what was too familiar.
The traveler found closed-in situations disagreeable. She preferred the open space and unrestricted natural environments. So even though the garden was one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in the village; it was too cultured, and too manicured for her comfort. But she nevertheless found herself wandering there looking for something, which she could not explain. Something had drawn her to this place. And she was a woman who trusted her intuition without fail. She knew from experience that not trusting that inner voice could be fatal, and would, at the very least, always lead to trouble. She was a creature of intent; she listened, observed and never missed a single nuance. Her ability to recognize a lie was uncanny. She could read someone’s disappointment or disfavor; by the way their lips would become a thin line and then tighten at the edges, and she was a natural defender of the weak, a great fighter. She had a way of seeing a fight brewing behind the mask of an otherwise placid face… These were her talents, which she trusted with the whole of her being.
All the young women found the Queen in her garden. As they gathered around her, all murmuring and singing stopped. All you could hear were the voices of the garden itself; the gentle wind in the trees sounded like they were breathing. The water in the brook was a conversation. The birds twittering and the little clicking sounds the insects made. All of these became noticed the moment the women were silent.
The queen had those eyes that could see into your soul. All the hopeful and practiced speeches were forgotten the moment she glanced at them. They felt all their desires were known to her, all their faults exposed. They seemed to hold their breath, and for some, there was expectation and a giddy sort of feeling, while the others felt a bit of dread, all the fears of the villager’s superstitions coming to mind.
The queen turned to the keeper of secrets saying, “You are clever and bright, you do not know failure, and your pride is your greatest obstacle. You gather knowledge, not to better the world, but to gain personal gratification; what you need is a visionary, someone to teach you how to use your beauty and your gifts to change the pattern of life. The artist was brought here to teach you.” She then looked kindly at the artist, “you have beautiful dreams for the future worlds, but you lack the ability to gather worldly knowledge. And with out knowledge, your dreams will have no useful purpose. The keeper of secrets can give you these insights. The two of you, for the rest of your lives, will prosper and grow only if you give to each other.”
Then she spoke to the daughter of the Gardener, “you came to me with a request that your mother would be spared the death of so many lovers before her, and that you would be spared a certain life of drudgery and the responsibility of raising your mother’s other children. If your heart was pure and your wish single-minded I might grant your mother the peace you request. But your mother’s pain burns away the traces of sins from days you cannot remember, and her suffering has a purpose. If she dies, it will be her time, and it will be your destiny to care for your siblings. However, I have brought you the songbird who can lighten the burden and remove your doubt, if you will let the music into your soul. She will also teach you to give up your resentment for the everyday chores in your life; she knows from experience how practiced movements can give you greater gifts with time.” “And for you, she said to the songbird, your home is here, not in some far away glamorous city. I am not saying that you will never have success or that you will not travel, indeed you will. And you will have a great following of admirers; all these things are in your future. But you must value your home and your roots, as nothing with true meaning can grow on barren soil. The gardener and her daughter can teach you the value of family and the beauty of this land; what they can give you will enrich your soul, making what you take out into the world more worthy, and more desirable. The two of you have much to share. If you both support each other, you will have everything you need.”
Next the queen observed the traveler and she smiled a little and sighed, I know you don’t really like it here, and you wonder why you came and what all this is about. You are a person without an agenda, you just want to get back out on the road and find your way to the forest. But I know the deeper and darker concerns of your heart, I know the things you have seen and how they trouble you. And you are right to be distressed. This world has become stagnant and damaged, and the creatures we are entrusted to protect are dying. It is out of ignorance and our neglect that this problem has spread so far and wide.” Then she turned to the Virgin, “I have brought you and the traveler together so you can find a way to heal the earth, it may not be possible to do this in your life times, but with the generations to come, you can instill the right values, and plant the seeds of renewal and hope for a better world. You do not know it yet, but you need each other”, she said this to the virgin, who was still too young to feel the pain of the world; she did not witness the devastation, she had no experience of grief, as the traveler had… “But you have the ability to give birth to a future generation who will see the value of healing this earth. Together you will alter the path of humanity, and prevent a great misfortune.
Oh and yes, you will find your sweet admirer who will always protect and cherish you.”
Then she reached out her hand to the common village girl who stood well behind the others, and she smiled. “You are the only one who comes here pure of heart. You brought me a prayer for the world and simply trust that I can do something to help. But it is all of you who will change the world, I can only bring you to the place where you believe in yourselves, and have the clarity to recognize what you came to this world to do. You have proven yourself to be a person of merit, and although you are humble and you think of yourself as being nothing special, you have uncommon empathy for others. You are the one who will be blessed with a long life, and it is you who all the others will return to, in time, to tell you their life stories, to share their richness of knowledge, and their treasures of heart. You will never want for anything. Your life will always be full of the best things this world can offer.”
“Each in your own way, are gifted from birth; I called you here, so you could meet, because together, you have the power to change the world.” And so it was that the seven maidens who found their way to the Queen’s garden learned that it is only by supporting each other that they would succeed in this world. With respect and understanding they all would grow and better themselves and use their gifts to shape a new world. “It is always best, the Queen of the Future Worlds told them…To believe and trust in your sisters.”
Story and Photographic Illustration by Nina Pak © 2009
The choice of characters the models represent in the story is not a reflection of how I see them personally, the images were chosen because they fit best with the character in the story, and Angie, you are most certainly beautiful and not common.
Characters:
Queen of the Future Worlds: Elena
The Priestess, keeper of secrets: Tiegen
The flower child, the gardeners daughter: Elektra
The artist visionary: Cristiana
The virgin: Mysti Moon
The common village maiden: Angie
The songbird: Kara
The traveler: Mireille