Light a candle flame and close your eyes. See the flame with your inner vision and allow yourself to be drawn into the flame. Pass through the fire into the convocation of Priests and Priestesses. Step through the flame and process around the central fire until you come to the East.
Stand on the threshold of the East and when the guardians of the thresholds step back, walk over the threshold and into the temple. You find yourself passing through the courtyards of the temple, and as you get nearer to the third courtyard a wind begins to blow. The wind gets stronger and stronger until you have to lean into the wind to fight closer to the final courtyard.
The wind takes the breath from your lungs and you battle against the hurricane that stings your eyes and suffocates you. You reach the end of the third courtyard and the source of the wind. Before you is the void with a whirlwind blowing from it. The wind sucks you in and you fall through the wind, twisting and turning. The wind seems to have arms that hold you as you fall until you hit a sandy floor with a thump.
Standing up, you find yourself in a small empty cubic building. The aged walls are covered with many small rough-cut niches. The niches are empty and you know that you must fill them, but you are not sure what with. Go up to the walls and run your hands over the niches. They feel beautiful and strange.
You become aware that an angel is behind you. You feel the presence and power all around you. The angel leans against you. Power builds up within you, forcing breath from your lungs until your body screams for oxygen. Color drains from your face, and nausea assaults your throat. You cannot inhale.
The angel grabs you by the hair and shouts in your ear.
Recite! Recite what the lord thy God commands you. Recite the words that the Prophet, may peace be upon him, brought to the world and uttered before the throne of God. Recite so that thy soul shall never forget. Recite from the depths of thy heart where the words of God are written upon the souls of all beings. Recite so that all worlds and all times shall hear what we have given to those who would listen. Recite the song of paradise so that all shall behold its beauty.
Open your mouth and inhale. The oxygen hits your brain, exploding light throughout your mind that weaves its way to your lips: forcing out words that you cannot understand. The words take form and travel across the surface of the room, mingling with the angel who joins the recitation.
The word forms become shapes and settle in the niches creating a light of their own. Each word form becomes a Deity, an expression of Divinity, flowing with the power of the void. When the niches are full, the room dances with brilliant light and you finally understand why it is paradise as you bathe in the power and beauty that surrounds you.
Each word shines with the light of power. The power of the void flows through each word as each word takes a form…
The angel passes a hand over your face and tells you to look through his fingers.
You see a door that you had not noticed before. As you touch the door, it moves and breathes causing you to step back. The door transforms into a light which is so bright that it burns all images from your mind.
The angel holds out his hand and speaks to the light.
Hail Ridwan, keeper of the doors of Paradise, threshold to the Throne of God. May this mortal pass through you and still be as one being. May they leave Paradise and hold its secrets on their lips throughout eternity.
The light dims and the angel pushes you forward. You fall into the door and find yourself enveloped by the power of the Angel of Paradise. In the depths of this power, the Angel speaks to you about your immortal self, and you commune together in silence.
The power of the Angel burns through you and for a moment you see yourself in your entirety, through all lives in all worlds. Within the vision of yourself you see Paradise: the first expression of Divinity as it emerges out of the void.
Ridwan, Keeper of the doors of Paradise, opens himself and you tumble through the doors to find yourself falling through fire. Looking down you see the Earth below you and you fall towards it at great speed. As the planet gets nearer, you hear many whispers and feel the hands of people reaching out to touch you.
The Earth gets closer and closer until you fall towards a city, a street and finally a building. You pass through the roof of the building and end back in the room where you first started. You fill the whole room and look down with difficulty at the tiny body that you have been living in.
Breathing deeply, you begin to draw yourself in, a step at a time.
Slowly, you shrink yourself down until you are the same size as your body. You begin to realize just how limited your true expression is while you are in a body. When you are ready, you open your eyes and look around you. Be aware of all the Divine expressions of power in the living beings, plants and rocks around you. Gently blow the candle out, sending the flame back into the void.
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