Meditation: Visiting the White Goddess, Goda
You open your eyes to see bright sun glinting through a leafy
canopy above you. The sun is high in sky, and the day is hot and humid. You hear
a buzzing of insects at the verge of the forest where the treeline gives way to
the verdant farmland. Birds and small animals of all sorts fill the day with a
hum of life that you can feel all the way to your bones.
You rise and look to the south, across the deep green corn
field that stands just outside of the little woods. The corn is high, but you
can see a hillock some distance away, and you know you want to go there.
Gathering yourself together for the walk through the corn, you set your feet
into the fertile soil. It is loamy and almost black in its richness.
The corn is taller than you, now that you are trying to find
a path between the stalks. The smell of the soil and the chlorophyll fills your
nostrils as the sun warms your scalp. You fill your lungs with the warm, earthy
scent of life and lift your face to the sky. Two swans fly overhead, honking as
they go.
You continue through the cornfield, following the straight
tracks of the plentiful land until you hear a plodding clip-clop coming from
your right. Curious, you adjust your course until you are walking in a small
lane. An unbridled horse stops in the path and looks over its shoulder at you.
You approach the horse, speaking in a low, soft voice. It allows you to pet its
side and neck. Then, surprisingly, it bows low for you to mount it, which you
easily do.
Seated upon the horse, you can see ahead on the path much
more clearly than you had even from the forest’s edge. You certainly see much
more than you did amidst the cornstalks. The path you were taking would lead
through a grove of trees before climbing the hillock that you had set as your
destination. A glimmer of sparkling water told you there was a stream or pond
near the hill, as well.
Riding this horse will bring you to your destination faster,
but it also gives you more opportunity to revel in your senses while you make
the journey. You take some time to touch the horse’s short, bristled hair and
feel its massive muscles moving under your legs. You smell its sweat mixed with
the perfume of summer field and the approaching orchard. You see the vibrant
and varied shades of green, laid with a foundation of deep brown and accented
with colorful flowers and birds in the distance.
Soon, you are within the boundary of the Apple orchard. The
trees are old, thick and twisted. The branches are full of both fragrant
blossoms and ripe fruit. The horse bites an apple from one of the trees, and
you pluck one, as well. You bite into it. The skin is firm and the flesh is
juicy and sweet.
The land slopes upward and the path spirals around the hill.
The horse bows again, and you dismount. You walk the path together. The orchard
hugs the base of the hill on one side, but as you come around to the other side
of the small Tor, you see that a stream caresses that edge. The two swans you
saw in flight earlier are now gliding on the glittering ribbon of blue water.
When you have almost reached the top of the hill, you see a
curious gate – two large rock pillars. You must pass through these twin
standing stones in order to reach the zenith of the hill. You can’t see beyond
this strange gate, because of the shape of the land. You cannot walk around
this door. You must either go through it
or turn back.
The horse whinnies and stamps one hoof into the ground,
urging you to choose. The stones are carved with strange markings and symbols.
Some are unfamiliar to you, but others have deep meaning in your mind. (Pause.)
You see a pentagram carved into one of the rocks along with the Apple tree rune,
a horse, and a swan.
A woman is singing and laughing somewhere beyond the two stones,
and you step up and through. Once you are over the hump of the hill, you
clearly see the woman whose voice you heard. She is voluptuous and beautiful,
her body curving and ripe and delicious. She dances naked in the sunshine, her
hair loose around her shoulders. Round wooden platter filled with fruits and
grains surround her – some set on the ground, others on large rocks. A few
round wooden discs are sitting on their sides, with heraldic designs and family
emblems painted on them in vibrant colors. You recognize some of these symbolic
devices.
The woman stops singing and dancing, but laughter is in her
voice and the air around her seems to shimmer as she greets you. “You’ve had a
taste of Elphame. Would you stay for the sacrificial feast?” She holds a red-handled
blade toward you.
“This place is Life Overflowing. Every living thing revels
and quakes in the awesome rush that is this bounty. The beauty and love and
life and joy that are here for all to claim with both hands are splendorous
magics, and ones that are so easily overlooked and undervalued.” (Pause.) She holds
one of the discs up as a shield. “Guard what is yours.” Taking another shield that
is filled with food, she gestures for you to take what you want. “And be
generous with the bounty of Love and Life and Beauty and Joy that are given to
you.” She give you a round shield of your own, and a design appears on it.
(Pause.)
“Life comes from Life. These bodies bring forth life while
they live, and yet again when they perish and rot.” She smiles, lifting her
arms. “There are deep Mysteries that lie hidden in their nakedness beneath the
noon-time sun. Search them out.” She pulls you into an embrace and speaks a
message just for you. (Long pause.)
You thank her, and she releases you, turning back to her
dance and song. Knowing that the time has come to leave, you turn and walk back
to the stones.
You pass out of the standing stones and wind back down the
Tor, led once more by the horse. You hear the swans leave their stream as you
leave the orchard. You cross the cornfield and bid the horse farewell. Sitting
down again in the warm forest floor, you close your eyes and breathe deeply,
coming back to yourself.
