Athena Chapter 3: Part 1: Kano of the Wandering Isles

Part I. The Narration: Kano of the Wandering Isles

“The Sorrowful Victim”

“The Tyrant and the Victim contain each other”

Visitants:

Path Guide: Aiden Priest of Alchemy

Helper: Elaine, Priestess of Alchemy

Oracle: Deirdre of the Visions

TEMPLE OF ARTS – ISLAND OF KAUAI, HAWAII

Aiden: “We are grateful to you, Uri, for inviting Elaine, Deidre and myself to this lovely spiritual centre in this island of Kauai. Elaine, Deirdre and I feel a strange premonition of great events here. It is no ordinary place.”

Uri: “You have divined well my predicament. This island is the birthplace of us all, born of the Goddess Marama of Dark Space. She is the Mother of the Goddess Haumea, “ the Warm Pillar of Fire” within the earth. Mother of the dark oceans of space. It is here that the present human race burst forth from the darkness through a cleft in the Mountain of Birth, AnaHola.

Deirdre: “Indeed, you did show it to us as we drove by. I received a mysterious vision of the future, and would like to return there. I asked in my mind as we drove by: “When will it happen?” And the reply was: “Sooner than you expect!” Yet I don’t know what “it” is, or what I expect! I therefore would like to receive the Oracle of the Goddess Haumea. I know that in her ‘Big Island’ is The Tree of Life, with each of us one of her divine leaves.

Uri: “Let us pray for Her Oracle. It may help me in my misfortunes.

Alchemical Ceremony: All wear robes relating to the sacred elements

Aiden: (invokes) “Come to us, Haumea.”

ORACLE OF THE GODDESS HAUMEA

“My body is the stem of the Tree of Life growing through this holy earth; my arms are the branches animating sacred centres in each land; my roots are within the womb of Our Mother Marama, and She rejoices to see Her children reach out to the encircling stars in the void of Space. Dearest Child Uri, to attain Heaven, the floating Isles of Kano, you need to pass three voids where your Lower, Middle and Higher Selves are. You need to reconcile all three Selves, so that the sap of My Tree of Life, Mana, may arise through the tree within your body. Otherwise you will be as a withered branch, bringing your sorrows to all you meet.”

Elaine: “We give thanks to the Goddess Haumea for Her Oracle.

Deirdre: “Her Presence was very strong. Allow me to lie down and recover.

Aiden: “Uri, She speaks of your sorrows, your longing for the Hidden Islands of Kano, and your failure. Will you tell us about it? We shall listen but not burden you with advice!”

Narration

Uri: “I was born on the Big Island of volcanoes. My mother said that my twin brother Eri and I came as lava flowed near our home.

No twins could have been more unlike! My brother Eri was a smiling baby, loved by all! He had a cheerful disposition and enjoyed being cuddled even by strangers – whereas I would scream if anyone touched me. They said I was a plain child, but hoped I would grow out of it …I didn’t. My mother would look at me and say that my looks were not on her side of the family. If I complained, she would pinch me or slap me hard. She never hit my brother.

My father was proud to have a son, and taught him to sail in our canoe before he could walk. He left me to be cared for by my mother. Once when I complained that she hit me, he replied: “You should obey your mother given to you by the Gods. You will learn to be a true, loving and obedient woman, despite your lack of beauty, which is not your fault.”

So I grew up hating my mother beyond any words. I used to day-dream of a kind old woman in our village coming to me one morning to wake me up. “Little Uri,” she would say: “I have very sad news for you. Your mother and father were both drowned in their canoe hit by a giant wave. Only your little brother is still alive. You are an Orphan.” In these day-dreams I never killed Eri. He was always nice to me. He would tell me not to mind what people said or did. He didn’t. But then they only did nice things to him and nasty things to me.

However, things suddenly changed when I became a woman. I wore lovely garlands for my hair, which was long and wavy, and I dyed my robes in beautiful sea colours. And a fine young man courted me, and I was very happy.

But one terrible day I heard him making fun of me to a pretty but poor girl of our village. “All this finery,” he said, “is like a black bird in borrowed plumage. But her father has wealth so I shall marry her. But I’ll never desert you, and I’ll give you beautiful presents.” And they both laughed.

I was enraged. My mother’s devilish temper broke out and I cursed them both. But because of that I had a frightful punishment from the Gods.

I had not realised that the young man was a sorcerer who worshipped a God who had killed his wife. He came to me one nightfall with a cruel smile. He held a package wrapped up in brown cloth.

“Open it, Uri,” he said. “It is my farewell gift to you, in gratitude for all you have done for me.”

I opened the package. Inside was a curious necklace. It was made of large black nuts or roots. “This, Dear Uri,” he said, “is the Necklace of Death. While it lasts it will bring about your lingering death. I see what is in your mind. If you dare to cut it, you will die at once. So this is truly a farewell gift.” And with this he darted away like a black shadow.

From then on my life changed. I became religious, hoping to break the spell. Eri suggested I just cut the necklace and chuck it into the sea. He would. The man was just angry because he thought I led him on, to hope for a rich marriage. He was too stupid to know that I had fallen in love with him.

So, on another island, I joined a spiritual group. The Teachers taught Enlightenment through Soul Saving. They welcomed me, and the Holy High Priest said he would deal with the necklace of death. By saving my soul, I would be free from all evil. So he brought a beautiful alabaster jar, and said I was to breathe into it. So I was giving my soul into his safe keeping. When my soul was cleansed he would release it into their Sacred Pool, to join the rest of the redeemed. Ardently I breathed my soul into the jar and the Priest sealed it with a magical secret sign.

So I joined the Brotherhood, with the permission of my father, a trustee of the Order. I wondered where his soul was in the rows of jars in the Sanctuary, but the High Priest said my father was not ready for Initiation, being too much immersed in material affairs.

The auspicious day dawned when we all assembled round the Sacred Pool. There were four successful candidates before me, who gave testimony of their spiritual experiences. Their jars were opened and the new Initiates had the privilege of passing through a Moon doorway to receive further enlightenment.

Oh my dear friends, how fastly my heart beat, my eyes filled with tears as the seal on my jar was broken. I had left my heartless home, I had given up my lover and now I would receive my reward.

Nothing happened. The jar was held upside down, and the High Priest declared my soul was now purified and luminous and ready for further Initiation. All applauded. I was now to give my Testimony.

But I burst into tears. I could not tell lies and tell them all I had attained Illumination like the others. I cried out: “I am unworthy. I am not blessed. I am not enlightened.” And I ran away. I took shelter with the kind old woman in our village and I did washing to pay for my keep. I had disgraced my father and my family. I was a failed candidate, a spoiled Novice, so I was fit for nothing. I’ve lost my soul….

Then I heard of your Society, and you brought me hope as I followed your ideas on the World Wide Web in our village library. You are my only hope. Can you find my soul and bring me to the floating isles of Kano?”

Aiden: “Your story has deeply moved us.” We will try….

Please go to Part 2. The Revelation. The Revelation of the Isles of Kano

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