CHARLOTTE V:

The Sacred Stones were even more prominent than Charlotte had imagined. Strong pillars that conformed to a semi-circle facing the lagoon. 

Charles sat down on a rock and remained in silence. Charlotte was nervous, not really knowing what to expect. She walked towards the lagoon and decided to lay on the shore. 

When the sun began to hide on the horizon, the air changed. Charlotte realized that something was about to happen, so she walked back to Charles, sitting in the middle of the semi-circle. 

The plants started to move and shake, and suddenly, an enormous turtle appeared. Probably the most giant turtle existing on Earth. She had many tiny turtles hanging on her neck and walking on top of her. But she didn’t seem to bother. 

Charles smiled and made a reverence. Charlotte’s eyes couldn’t get any wider. The smile on her face was huge. 

‘I honor your presence, Charlotte’, the turtle said, putting his head down in a sign of grace. 

Charlotte lowered her head and remained silent. She was so moved by Grandmother Turtle’s presence that words wouldn’t get out of her mouth.

‘She came right through one of the old portals,’ Charles began. 

‘It is ok, Charles,’ Grandmother Turtle interrupted. ‘Give her some space to understand her own journey. Tell me, Charlotte, why are you here?’

‘I am not sure,’ Charlotte said. ‘I was on my way back home in London and I took a train then an elevator, and somehow I ended up in Charles cabin, where I met two wonderful beings, and then came here to meet you. But I guess it all started after I got this book’, Charlotte said while taking «The War of Orion» out of her bag. 

‘Huh! The war of Orion’, Grandmother turtle exclaimed. 

‘I have no idea what this means. I didn’t learn about this war at school.’

‘This is because it is not exactly a war, and it is something humans haven’t remembered yet.’

‘What is there to remember?’ Charlotte asked.

‘Ah…a question from the soul. There is a difference between those questions created in our minds when we try to understand or analyze something. But there are other questions, the inevitable ones, that come out of the body like pieces of heaven, those, my dear Charlotte, are the questions from the soul. And this is yours. What is there to remember? You tell me’, Grandmother turtle said.

‘I have to remember what happened in Orion, I guess,’ Charlotte said.

‘Clever. And when you remember what happened in Orion, you will understand what exactly you are doing here’, Grandmother turtle said.

Charlotte tried to add something, but Grandmother turtle nodded and interrupted:

‘Yes, your purpose.’

Charlotte remained in silence. She was optimistic and at peace with not knowing what was going on. 

Grandmother turtle turned to Charles and asked:

‘Do you have it?’

Charles nodded. 

‘You can give it to her. Trust me’ she said.

Charles opened his eyes in surprise. He opened his bag and took out the Old Manuscript. That old blue book with no title on the cover. The pages were old and delicate. Charles treated them like a newborn. He walked towards Charlotte and handed in the Old Manuscript to her. 

‘It is your responsibility to take this manuscript to Unow. I will guide you half the way there. Then you will continue by yourself. We will leave tomorrow morning. Now, come, follow me. The celts are waiting for me. I need to rest. I am old, but there is food and water for all.’ Grandmother turtle said and led the way.

Charlotte and Charles followed her between the trees until they got to a fire circle. There were tree houses around it. A group of men and women took care of Grandmother turtle in a very loving way, making her feel comfortable, feeding her, caressing her neck, and washing her shield.

Before Charlotte went to her designated tree house, Charles called her apart next to the fire. The flames lighted up his face. He couldn’t hide his tears. He kneeled down and looked into Charlotte’s eyes. It was a moment of intimacy and truth. 

‘Hey, young lady, I won’t be here when you wake up tomorrow morning. I have to leave early. There are places I need to be at’, he said.

‘Are you going back to the surface? Can you tell my parents I am alright?’ she said.

‘There is no need. Don’t forget we are out of time. But, hey, listen, I am very proud of you. You are a brave spirit. If you ever get lost, I mean, spiritually lost and confused, talk to a tree. They might take their time to respond, but they are great guides once they do. They talk in a different layer of sound’, Charles said.

Charlotte didn’t respond; instead, she hugged Charles. It was the first time they hugged each other, and they both could feel that they were someone special in each other’s lives. 

Before going to bed, Charlotte sat around the central fire, just staring at it. And the more she stared at it, tiny sparks like minuscule shapes started to dance inside the fire. They seemed to follow the sound of the drums that came from afar. 

There were plenty of stars in the sky, and the weather was nice, not too cold. The wind would come and go and make the fire even brighter. And the spark figures in the fire danced even faster. 

‘Do you like lumins?’ a voice asked. 

Charlotte turned over and recognized one of the boys of the tribe. 

‘Hi, I am Luke’, he said.

‘Charlotte,’ she answered. They both were silent, staring at the fire. ‘How did you call them? Lumins?’, she added.

‘Yes, lumins. But my favorite are the salamanders! They don’t show up very often. They usually do during our gatherings around the fire. They love the sound of music, but they only come out when there is a purpose in the sound. This is why you can see them during eclipses when we worship the union of the sun and the moon’, he said.

‘Everything is so wonderful here. So perfect. Everyone is so nice. Nature glows…’ Charlotte said. 

‘What do you mean? Where are you from?’ Luke was confused.

‘I am from the surface, I guess,’ Charlotte said.

‘From the surface?!’ Luke asked with a shaky voice. I had never met someone from the surface before. We try not to talk much about the surface. Just like the old saying says, those who wonder about it never come back from the illusion.’

‘The illusion?’ Charlotte asked.

‘The illusion, they say, is when you attach yourself to your physical shape and forget you are a spirit. Then you start to believe that everything around is separate from you. You fall into the plot’s trap forgetting that you created the story in the first place. Isn’t that what the surface is about?’

Charlotte didn’t answer. She suddenly became sad.

‘Are you ok?’ Luke asked with confusion. He had never seen someone sad before. 

‘I don’t know. All the things you have just said make sense, and now I am starting to understand that I have lived in the illusion my entire life…and that makes me sad. It feels as if everything I have experienced, my life, is dying’ Charlotte said. 

Luke realized that Charlotte needed time by herself, and he knew that it was not good for him or anyone to wonder in other people’s processes, especially those regarding the illusion.

‘I think you should rest,’ he said. ‘I heard you are heading to Unow tomorrow, and you will have a long way to go.’

Charlotte agreed and walked back to her treehouse.

The following day Grandmother Turtle was waiting for her on the lagoon’s shore.

Charlotte was ready. It was easy to read on her face that the conversation with Luke moved her. She looked worried.

‘Hop on!’ Grandmother Turtle said. Charlotte smiled and began to climb on top of her. It was a challenging task. Grandmother Turtle was enormous. The shield was very high, but it was fun.

‘Wow,’ Charlotte said when she got on top of the shield. The view was even higher than she expected as if she was up in a tree. The lagoon looked immense from up there. 

‘You can sit down, lay down, or stand. Either way, you are safe. But let me tell you something before we kick-off. You have to make peace with that sadness inside yourself; otherwise, you will never make it to Unow’, Grandmother Turtle said, and she began to walk towards the water, ready for a big swim across the lagoon. 

Charlotte remained silent during the first hours of the trip until Grandmother Turtle broke the silence.

‘Why are you sad, Charlotte?,’ she asked.

‘Last night, I realized that I have lived my entire life in the illusion of the surface….’

‘And what is wrong with that?’

‘Well, now that I am here I feel like my life is not real. It has lost all meaning. Do you understand what I am trying to say?’ Charlotte asked.

‘You are missing out on an important fact.’ Grandmother Turtle answered.

‘The illusion is not a bad thing nor a good thing. It is what it is. It is part of this planet’s journey to hold the illusion on the surface. Just like you have your own purpose, like every single being, the planet has its own purpose too. And the illusion is necessary for it to unfold. What is true, though, is that the purpose of this time and space we are here right now is to continue holding the planet’s highest frequencies of love and unity. Until one day, the illusion will fade, and even the surface of the planet will hold this sense of unity.

‘Do you really think that one day love will reign on the surface? Do you know what horrible things happen up there?’Charlotte asked desperately.

‘Well, I don’t know much about what living on the surface feels like, but I know how the universe works. Everything is created for a reason and nothing in the universe remains unfinished’, Grandmother turtle answered.

Charlotte was pondering on Grandmother turtle’s words, when she continued.

As I said the illusion has a purpose, and everything is perfect as it is. Seeing beyond your physical eyes, like you are doing right now,  implies letting go of many beliefs. And that is what brings you sadness. To let go of what you know hurts. To let go and surrender to what it is beyond your own understanding. Do you know what keeps the illusion ongoing? The fear of the unknown. But Charlotte you are free now. And it is up to you. You can give up on your own purpose, or you can continue letting go of your fears and experience the eternal love that reigns here. Let me tell you, giving up on your purpose is a way of dying too. A spiritual death.’

‘But I don’t know my purpose,’ Charlotte said. 

‘Finding out your purpose is not just getting an answer. It is a process. A process you must love. A process where you learn to love yourself and others. Love your process, Charlotte, and the purpose will come as an evident response.’

And Grandmother turtle began to sing. Charlotte recognized the song right away: it was the Lemurian chant!

Listen to your heart,
make your star shine.
We belong where Love is
and Wisdom does.
No division stands
in the rainbow lands.
When you hesitate,
there is only one place
where the wrong can be transformed.
Close your eyes
and feel the grace.
The heart is the home of the fire.