My first nations spiritual teacher continued to instruct me, or rather introduce me to new ideas with minimal practical exercises, via email. It turned out to be quite an effective way of communicating as he didn’t have to justify why he was teaching someone outside his tribe, (which he went to great lengths to apologise that he couldn’t properly teach – he was merely telling me some traditional ideas with some practical exercises to help me understand those ideas) and there was little misunderstanding in our communication due to subconscious emotions and unconscious cues.
One of the greatest ideas my teacher exposed me to was that of a spirit quest, what is commonly known a shamanic journey. He prepared some exercises that would prepare me for the quest. With great enthusiasm and abandon I did all his exercises and found myself immersed in different scenarios. At first my scientifically trained western mind was sceptical thinking its just make-believe, just imagined, a fantasy. But I suspended my scepticism and treated these ‘worlds’ as parallel to the one of which I am most familiar.
Over the thirty or so since being introduced to these ideas I’ve had many deeply profound experiences in different ‘worlds’, or ‘Bardos’ during vision quests, meditation or dreams. One such realm I ‘visited’ several times was the Crystal Cave.
As with many journeys I began by carefully walking down through the opening to the tunnel deep in the earth. Once through the tunnel l patiently waited for someone to guide me to my destination. Sometimes it would be one of my power animals, other times a friendly being introduced to me by a power animal. This time my power animal told me that it couldn’t go where I was going so he introduced me to a little human-like creature, like a fairy but with the temperament and mischievousness of a leprechaun. Without a word off we went, my power animal reassuring me I was safe. The tiny human was fast and impervious to vegetation and rocks and streams that got in our way.
After climbing higher and higher I started to feel cold, the landscape started to change and become icy and windy. We reached a snow-covered plateau and the little human promptly left me behind as it even more quickly descended the mountain. I was having doubts about what my power animal had intended for this journey. I was anxious and I was feeling very vulnerable and confused. I wandered around the plateau for a while until I found an entrance to a cave. I wanted to get out of the cold so I walked into the cave and was totally blown away but what I saw.
In the midst of the frozen mountain-side sat a cave of astonishing brilliance and warmth. The light in the cave was as bright as the warmest day on a tropical beach with a warmth to match. The cave was not made of rocks but of pure crystal. The most translucent, brilliant sparkling crystal. At once I felt years and years of neglect and toxicity be drained from my being… Deep Deep healing was taking place. For the first time ever I started to feel totally integrated in my being: body, mind and soul. At one end of the cave I could just make out a figure. Slender, of average height but radiating the most exquisitely attractive energy. At once I felt love and in love. I wanted to bask in that being’s radiance as well as lose myself in it. I started to desire its possession out of fear of losing it and at this point the being materialised fully and at the same that intense energy dissipated.
The desire remained as the being turned out to be an impossibly beautiful dark haired woman, not young but not old. In the most loving and patient way the woman held out her hand asking me to join her. I did so gladly, still intoxicated but by a different desire. She instructed me that the healing I experienced was available to me at any time wherever I might be. She showed me various crystals, of different shapes and different colors indicating each one was empowered to heal in different ways. With that she started to leave, or rather I was being pulled away from the crystal cave.
The more I resisted the more the beautiful woman ignored me until I was no longer in the crystal cave but sitting at the end of the tunnel where I began my journey earlier on. I communicated with my power animal to guide me to understand what had just happened. It said I already knew but that there was a shroud covering that understanding. If I could penetrate that I would understand. I now understand.
To get a sense of the variety and beauty of the various crystals I was shown in that cave The Holistic Sage has a great selection of such crystals and gems. Have a look!
The Spiritual Journey 