The Enlightened Ones

At first, I couldn’t make out who was speaking but as I took a few steps forward my vision got clearer.  It was middle age man, medium in stature; he was sitting in one of our chairs by what was left of the dying fire.  His head was bald, and upon his face he wore a long, well-groomed go tee.  “Come, sit,” the man said.  As I approached the circle, the entire place gave off a warm blue glow, resembling a halo.  As I entered the calm, blue light, I could see there were others seated around the fire as well.  As I sat down and took place within the circle, I couldn’t help but think this was some type of elder’s council.  Each one had done something to become enlightened during his or her life, and I was lucky enough to be among them.   

 

            As the man began to speak, a certain calmness came over the group, we tuned our ears towards his teachings and listened with great reverence:

“You must first understand, before you can know, and you must then know before you can understand greater teachings.  Like this, the ladder of knowledge and understanding is built.  Much like a painter must climb to the rooftop one step at a time, so to must you use these two gifts to ascend the enlightened plane.”

He then went on to say:

“While knowledge and understanding are the building blocks of enlightenment, they are merely weapons that must be forged through experience.  A man may wield a claymore, or a dagger, but without the training to use either, they are worthless.  The claymore will be too heavy to swing, and the dagger too small to pierce.  It is wisdom that teaches each of us how to wield our weapons, and it is only through this greatest gift that the others will come full circle, and benefit others along their path.”

            As I listened to him preach these words, chills ran down my spine.  Not because, I had just learned a new truth, but because I had already known that truth, somewhere deep within the recesses of myself.  As the members of the circle began to converse about the details of this teaching, I could hear a rustling off in the distance.  As my eyes widened, I could see that my tent was shaking.  Scooter, he must be freaking out because he wants to be outside with me. 

            I excused myself from the circle and returned to my tent to gather my companion.  As I unzipped the tent, I heard Veronika say, “Take him outside, he’s going absolutely insane in here.”  Before I could get the tent unzipped fully, Scooter burst through the slip and began running around the camp fire.  “I got him,” I said, and quietly zipped up the tent. 

            As I returned to the circle, the enlightened ones were still there, their eyes seemed to follow me as I moved though the circle.  I called Scooter over, and he sat beside my feet.  As I ran my hands through his white and black fur, I could feel his body trembling.  He must still be worked up from that run through the woods earlier.  I gently stroked the sides of his neck calmly saying, “Relax… relax…”  As my energy calmed so did his, and gentle yellow glow surrounded him as it did before by the city of gold.  His breathing calmed, and he began to lay by my feet.  The man with the go tee then spoke up once more:

“You see Gabe; we are all made of energy.  An action almost always elicits a reaction, and so on, and so forth.  By you calming your energy, so to, did Scooter calm his.  By melding our energy levels together, we can better understand those beings around us, whether that be animals or humans alike.”       

            Before I had a chance to respond, I could see the faces of the enlightened ones and the man at the center beginning to fade away.  Like dust being washed away by a strong wind, they vanished piece by piece, the blue halo faded, and Scooters aura vanished.  As quickly as it had come, it had gone.  Damn, I was just getting some good information out of him! I sat there with Scooter in the night; he lay by my feet, finally asleep. 

The crickets chirped, and I could still hear the faint sound of waves crashing against the shores of the reservoir.  I took a deep breath, thinking this roller coaster ride had to be over by now.  I just sat and stared for a few minutes, and decided to light up a cigarette, I had almost forgotten about them… I hadn’t had one all night.  This will definitely calm me down.  My heart was still racing from the events I had been through, and as I lit up my cigarette, I looked down at the fire.  It was changing; the glowing embers were turning into something more liquid.  Crap! It was lava!