The Arrival
CHAPTER 140
The Arrival
The story for the full moon time:
Jul 21 – Aug 3
MOON DETAILS
Full Moon
29°09′ Capricorn
Jul 21, 2024
6:17 AM EST
REFLECTION DATES
Mar 19, 2021
Jan 11 – Feb 8, 2024
Jun 21 – Jul 4, 2024
8 MINUTE READ
It took three years, four months, and two days, but you finally made it.
The soles of your feet are no longer blistered and bruised. Every scrape has become a callus. Skin thickened from the trek across the valley of glistening stones.
Rubies rolled beneath your feet as you traveled through land once filled with sparkling water. The Lake of Miracles, they called it from the shore. Some spoke of it in hushed reverent tones. Others rolled their eyes and smirked. But you — you had simply watched the water. You observed it patiently before taking the leap, landing in the lake, and eventually finding yourself here — miles from where you started, weather-beaten, and changed.
You bend forward and plant your feet on the smooth, soft sand. The sounds of sighs — high and low, male and female — make you look up and see that you are not alone. All along the beach, people are arriving.
You stand up straight and watch them drag themselves ashore. Not an inkling of surprise crosses your face when you turn back towards the valley and see that the water has returned. The land that just moments before had been full of rubies — to you — is yet again a shining, inviting lake.
You wonder how all of these other people got here. Did they swim? Did they walk? Many are arriving on bent knees. Surely with stories of their own to tell.
The sun is high and hot and you look to the trees for shelter.
Through the palms in the distance, you see a thick thatched roof. You make your way the extra fifty feet towards it. You walk alone, for everyone else seems to be going their own direction, towards their own destination, and as you arrive at the cottage door, you can’t help but think that this spot, this shelter here, was built just for you.
A yellow light glows above the door. Its knob a translucent gleaming red like the stones upon which you’d walked. You wrap your hand around it and pull.
A gust of cool air slams against your body, filling your lungs and soothing your skin.
Relief.
You close the door behind you and take a look around. You’re standing in some sort of tavern. Circular tables surrounded by chairs are symmetrically placed throughout the room. A large bar lines the back wall before a row of empty stools. In fact, the whole place, you realize, is completely empty. There’s not a single person or other living thing in sight.
You walk towards the bar and pull out a stool. As soon as your seat hits the wooden surface, a fan turns on and blows a stream of cool air towards you. You search the stool and counter to see if you accidentally flipped some poorly positioned switch. But for the life of you, you can’t find a reason for the fan’s whirling blades. You look up at its circular silver cage, and as your eyes focus on the light indicating that the fan is running, it stops.
Perhaps you would have been more disturbed by the mysterious on/off effect if it wasn’t for the fact that you’d already witnessed the changing lake and all the miracles it holds. For a moment, you wonder if you’ve evolved beyond ever being surprised again. You think that perhaps the long journey has beaten all sense of wonder out of you, but then — life stirs.
A caw to your left grabs your attention, and a crow flies through an open window. It lands at the end of the bar and lifts its little black feet — one then the other, as if checking to ensure that there really is something solid beneath them. Then, the crow cocks its head and caws again. It flaps its black wings and takes off flying across the room. You scoot off the stool and hurry after it, following it around the bar, down a long hallway, and towards an open back door. The crow flies through but you stay put.
Cold air strokes your cheeks as you stand at the threshold. You had assumed there was A.C. cooling the cottage, but now it occurs to you that there aren’t any vents or ducts. And save for that brief moment, no fan was running. This open door, you realize, is the source of the cottage’s cool air.
But beyond the door…it’s dark. Too dark to see. You think that perhaps this is because the sun has set and night has fallen, except…there is still light streaming through the front of the cottage.
Whatever lies beyond that door is completely unknown.
Though really, if you were honest with yourself, you’d acknowledge that ever since leaping into the Lake of Miracles, all of life has been a mystery. And while the beach outside had looked just like any other beach, you were struck by the idea that it wasn’t. That somehow, your trek across the rubies had actually led you into some strange otherworld, separate from wherever you began. Back when you first took the leap in March 2021.
And now, as you stand at the threshold, contemplating where on Earth you have arrived, a small white flake lands on the top of your shoe, and — shoes! You’re wearing shoes!
They appeared the moment you entered the cottage, fitting you so perfectly you didn’t even notice them cushioning the soles of your weary feet.
What is this place??? You reach an arm across the threshold and feel something wet and cold land on your hand. You pull it back, and in the cottage’s light, you see…snow.
Everything is evolving rapidly now. Even more than you know.
The lake. The land. The days themselves.
Ice melts at the planet’s poles, causing the entire earth to tilt off its axis and spin more slowly, increasing the length of days and altering the geodynamo spinning at the core of the earth. There, molten waves of iron and nickel emanate, producing a force field around the planet that protects you from dangerous solar winds…and something else.
Everything’s changing.
Beating, black wings return through the door, and the crow lands on your shoulder. It tilts its head, Did I not ask plainly enough the first time?
Perhaps you’re losing your mind, but it really does seem like you can read its thoughts through those glossy black eyes.
You take a deep breath and one last look at the cottage. Water. I should get water.
You walk back to the bar and find a leather satchel with a thermos. You fill it with water, take a big sip, and fill it again to the brim before screwing the cap on tight.
Okay, now you’re ready.
You walk back to the door where the crow is waiting, perched on a rack of coats. You run your fingers over them. The first is red with pearl buttons, woven of fine wool and long enough to cover your ankles. The next is blue, a thick heavy trench with a plaid lining of camel and grey. The third is quilted, a floral brocade of bronze, pink, and emerald green. And the last is long and dark, crafted from the most supple leather and lined throughout in a plush cream shearling.
You choose your favorite, pulling it tightly around your body as the crow hops back on your shoulder in approval.
You take one more deep breath, preparing yourself for whatever lies ahead — another rebirth, another transformation — Does it ever end?
You ask the question silently to yourself, but it seems you’ve been heard. The crow shakes its head “no” as you step into the darkness and snow crunches beneath your boots.
A full moon shines overhead, painting a path through the snow. By its light, you can see a forest before you — a field of towering oaks.
You start to step forward but stop when you see something small and green at your feet. You lean forward and pick it up. You roll it between your fingers — an acorn.
In winter.
A sign of fertility, new opportunity, and a promising future.
You tuck it in your pocket and begin to walk along the moonlit trail through the snowy woods.
☆
To be continued…
The Story in the Stars:
Key Takeaway
This period of time marks the second Capricorn full moon of the summer. The first came at the end of June — reflect back. What happened then was a precursor for what happens now. And now…is a time of major transformation. A total rebirth as the moon conjuncts Pluto — the planet of death and rebirth, named after the god of the underworld. And with any rebirth, there is uncertainty. Often discomfort and fear. Things are rapidly evolving all across the earth, and this is the beginning of a long journey into the unknown. But this is different than your previous entries into new territory. For now, you are more experienced. You have already changed again and again. What’s one more time in the cycle of life? Turn to the reflection dates above to explore what this transformation means for you.
*Note for new readers: For all reflection dates, look at the exact date(s) and then also a few days before and after. Sometimes something significant falls just outside. I recommend turning to your calendar, camera roll, journal, IG feed, etc. to help you remember what you were experiencing. Whatever jumps out at you as important probably is. Stay tuned! You just may be surprised by how it becomes relevant.
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