Quest for the Rose

She took my hand and led me down a path strewn with fresh fallen leaves

Beautiful waves of curls adorned her regal head

The fragrance of fall followed after her

There was a twinkle in her green eyes reflecting the setting sun and the intent of her heart

But I did not miss the deeper layers there, hidden within the flecks of chocolate brown

Like a finely cut gem the glory of her eyes were found in their depths

A portal, a door, an entrance there at her core

Pouty lips pursed with the hint of a grin at their corners

Hopeful yet cautious, willing to give but not to be subjugated

Wild, dangerous, powerful was her beauty

Only the true warrior might find the way

She adorned in the Celtic tradition, blonde hair braided, scarfs protect against the cold

Her warm hand steady as she led me silently down paths I have never trod

She had spoken of a rose, a chalice which holds an elixir granting one eternal life

Not eternity in the pedestrian use which seeks a state of unending time

But rather that existence where all moments become one and makes time irrelevant

Where the deep Soul is quickened, where energy’s frequency transforms matter into spirit

Spirit into matter, where flesh mind and feelings are changed and rearranged, broken and remade

Where the Incarnation again walks the earth in worship and praise and thunders it hallelujah

Together we sought this sacred mound using the signs she had been given

She knew the way if I could but follow, learning with each step to walk the path

I am slow of wit and the lessons were sometimes pressed from me like fruit under a wheel

Sweetness made strong and the lees left behind but only after the ferment and the stillness

She guided me to a fine alabaster column which watched over a pool at its base

Here I learned to listen, to sense, to feel the heartbeat of the land

She led me up the mountain pass where we lingered at the summit nursing the weariness

Renewing ourselves, finding new strength and motivation to reach our goal

We found ourselves more in sync and in rhythm, increasingly aware of the strength and the pounding pulse of the place

As we made our way down the mountains and into the gently curving flatlands, instinct taught us the geography

Our steps were sure, firm here, lighter there, as need be

Our growing anticipation moved us toward the mound and the hopes held hidden there within the valley

As we neared the place, breathless from exertion and anticipation, we slowed our movements

Deliberate, gentle our steps as we entered the valley

The muted light required touch to proceed if we were to find our way to eternity’s passage

The exploration continued until, there behind a slightly parted curtain of the finest silk the Rose was revealed

Trembling, I gazed, pulse rushing, pounding in my ears

I beheld a flower with moist petals glistening with the light from my eyes

I was humbled and filled with adoration, with love

I brought the flower to my lips and as I did I felt the place begin to quake, a storm raged

Thunder, lighting, tempest winds blew, yet my kiss was true and held till the elixir washed over me

To describe what happened after would be to desecrate that holy ground for it was beyond words

And if one would know they must go find the thing for themselves, words would profane the sacred

They must step away from the common and join the quest

Seek the Grail cup and give themselves fully in both seeking and in the finding

And there one will discover themselves in the Other and the other already inhabiting them

She held me there out of time till the trembling stilled, there was only quiet rest

We breathed in and out, slow, long, and deeply, remembering that which we had always known

And the waves of time finally eroded the sand walls and called us back to the place from which we had come

She smiled and took my hand as I led her Home

To have been found worthy humbled me, for it was from no virtue I possessed

But only by and through Her grace was is made so