The Moonlit Path to My Creative Soul

Sarah received an announcement that the S.S. Vulcania was embarking on a new adventure. She wasn’t ready to leave the Abbey yet. She had a lot of soul work to do and she didn’t want to move on. Her thoughts were interrupted when Francesca passed by her in the small hallway.

“Francesca,” Sarah called after her, but Francesca didn’t stop. Sarah followed quickly behind her until Francesca stopped in the large arched door leading to the grounds.

“Let’s go to the fields,” Francesca whispered. She opened the door slowly trying not to arouse suspicion and they quickly slipped out into bright morning sun, its warmth enveloping them.

They walked down the stone path, a brisk wind blowing the leaves from the large trees lining the path. The path opened up into a large expanse of fields designed to bring travelers staying at the Abbey closer to nature. Everything was silent except for the sound of the grass caressing each other as they yielded to the strength of the wind.

In her excitement over the new pending adventure, Sarah had forgotten that today was a day of silence at the Abbey, a day for introspection. She realized this as they stood at the mouth of the large fields.

“I’m so sorry,” she said to Francesca.

“It’s okay,” she replied, “What was so urgent that you broke your silence?”

“The Vulcania is getting ready to depart on a new adventure to Rainbow Beach. I am just not at a point that I can leave. Would you like to go in my place?”

Francesca looked quizzically at Sarah.

“Look,” Sarah continued, “I know you are ready to leave here and that you have been waiting for just the right opportunity to come along and push you in the right direction. I think this is it.”

Francesca remained silent, her face belying her deep contemplation of the emergence of this sudden but intriguing opportunity.

“Come back with me,” Sarah said, “I will show you the message I received from Enchanteur. Everything will be provided for you on this journey. Come, let me show you, there isn’t much time.”

“Yes, let’s take a look,” Francesca responded, a bit apprehensively.

Sarah knew it would take some convincing to get Francesca to agree to take this journey in her place. She wasn’t sure why she was so invested in Francesca accepting this, but it was something she felt strongly about. She had remembered someone telling her that there were no mistakes. The strong feelings certainly could not be a mistake. She was sure that this new adventure was meant for Francesca to take; tailored for her, really.

They turned back towards the stone path leading to the Abbey. The wind was at their backs now pushing them back with such force that it seemed to agree with the urgency of the situation.

Sarah had become more in-tune with her inner guidance – her intuition – since coming to the Abbey. She had a lot more work to do, she knew that, but she liked this new connection. She liked the new feelings that were arising from this connection. She liked the freedom that trusting herself was bringing to her.

They reached Sarah’s door to her room. Sarah pulled her key from her pocket. It was an old, ornate key with a red ribbon tied in the large oval hole at the top. The key was part of the process, part of the beauty of opening the door to her private space. It was a space where miracles happened before her eyes; a safe space that allowed her to confront what haunted her, what held her back from becoming who she wanted to be.

As Sarah put the key in the lock and twisted knob, the door sprung open releasing a spray of golden sparkles as the sun met with tiny specs of dust. She knew this was a sign. She had seen these golden sparkles before and they always signaled something good was about to happen. She knew right then Francesca would go. She needed to give her all the information she had so that Francesca’s transition would be as painless as possible. Francesca had been here at the Abbey for quite some time. Sarah could feel her anxiety at leaving, her fear was palpable.

“There is a time, though,” Sarah thought, “when you have to let things go and just jump in.”

It was Francesca’s chance to do that now and Sarah would do everything she could to help her.

Sarah pulled out the rolled parchment announcement from her special drawer inside her large wooden wardrobe. She began to fill in Francesca with all the details.

“It is a journey to Rainbow Beach. It will not be an easy journey to take but will fill your soul with joy upon its completion. You will meet at the Rose and Swan and there will be a donkey waiting for you. Her name is Maya. You will know her immediately. She will be carrying a pouch on her with special gifts from Enchanteur that you will need to make your journey a success. You will be required to relinquish seven things during this journey. I have the first gift for you to give to the Keeper of the Mine.”

Sarah went back to the wardrobe and opened the two doors wide. She opened her secret drawer once again and pulled out a beautiful, purple velvet pouch. She opened the pouch and pulled out a clear crystal gem. Sarah knew it would be an extraordinary gift, given its immense power, and that the Keeper would know this immediately and would guide Francesca in the right direction.

“You must gift this to the Keeper of the Mine so that you can continue on the journey. You will know from then on what you need to surrender. I can only provide the first one for you.”

She pulled something else from the velvet pouch. It was a shiny silver key with a bright purple ribbon threaded into the hole at the top.

“This is a key to my cabin on the Vulcania. This is specially made for you. You must go there now and wait for the horn at the stroke of midnight signaling your journey is to begin. You will know what to do from there.”

Francesca’s eyes began to fill with tears. She was ready and Sarah could see how grateful she was at being given such a gift. She took the velvet pouch in her hands, stroked it a few times and then placed it in her pocket. The two women embraced, each wishing the other luck, and Francesca quickly disappeared out the door. Sarah knew that she would pack her things quickly, say her goodbyes, and head to the Vulcania. She lay down on her bed, sinking into its softness, letting it comfort her and fell into a deep sleep that would last until late afternoon.