Be aware of the candle flame before you and be aware of the flame that burns deep within you at the edge of the void. As you see the candle flame with your inner vision, you walk to the flame and pass into the fire, bathing in its peace and power.
You pass through the flame and emerge in the convocation of Priests and Priestesses: the place of coming together around the central flame of being. As you walk with the other priests and priestesses around the central flame, you lose sense of your daily life and pass into the deeper consciousness of the eternal priest or priestess within you.
A herald sounds in the north and all the assembled company turn to face the gates of the north threshold. Something draws you to the threshold and you stand with one foot on the threshold and one foot in the convocation. A cry issues out of the darkness in the north and on instinct, you step forward into the darkness and emerge in a forest late at night.
The damp air and the smell of the moss and grass enliven you. You become aware of birds sleeping in the trees and night creatures scurrying through the undergrowth. You are drawn through the forest on a strange impulse and the further into the forest you go, the more urgency creeps upon you.
You emerge in a clearing and in the faint moonlight; you come upon a colossal statue of a lion waiting and watching the forest. Behind him, you see a small building that you are drawn to. It is made of stone and as you enter, you realize it is simply a cover for an entrance to the Underworld.
Without hesitation, you climb down the rough rope ladder, which takes you deep into a cave many feet below the surface. As you emerge in the cave you become aware of a powerful presence. A small fire burns out of the ground and it casts a weak light around it. Your reach down and grasp a log and hold it up for light. The flames on the log create light and you gasp as you see a giant statue of a black woman with a lioness’s head looking directly at you.
The statue moves and you realize that she is not a statue. She gently reaches down to you and picks you up in her paw. Holding you up to her face so that she can look at you, the Goddess looks deeply into your heart. She likes what she sees and weeps one tear. She tells you to take the tear and always water the plants and flowers with her tears. She shows you how she is the mother of the forest, the mother of the birds, the protector of the children and killer of the imbalanced.
As you look into her eyes, you see her compassion and fearlessness, her strength and her patience; and you see her anger. She allows you to ask one question and you commune with her silently.
As you finish, you hear a noise from the surface world. The Goddess growls loudly and her claws appear, causing you to back away in fear. She looks back at you and says: “Go and witness the stupidity of man, go and witness the coming of eternal winter, go and witness my sorrow.”
You leave the cave and emerge from the small building. The statue of the lion has many men crawling all over it and you hear the chink of stone as the men tear away the face of the lion and replace it with the face of a man.
You feel the anger in the Goddess as the humans deface her sacred image and you feel her power withdrawing from the forest and vanishing down into the Underworld. As you stand helpless, the stars move swiftly over the skies. Day and night pass from one to the other as time rushes past you.
As the Goddess withdraws, so the winds cease to blow, the clouds fail to rain and the forest withdraws to sleep with the Goddess until the time when all the humans have gone. The land becomes barren and salty, filled with disorganized power, as the hand of the Goddess no longer steadies the flow of life.
Men come and go, pyramids are built but still the Goddess turns her face from the people. On the advice of the temples, images of the lion goddess are erected but still she waits for the death of all men.
As you stand amid the sand, something sniffs at your feet. You look down to see a lion cub. The cub is dehydrated and whimpering. Bending over, you gently pick the cub up and immediately feel his pain and sorrow: he is looking for his mother and cannot find her. The sorrow becomes too much and you begin to weep. On instinct, you cup your hands and catch you tears. When you hand is nearly full, you carefully hold the tears for the cub to drink.
The baby licks your tears and then your face. Something on the breath of the baby awakens a memory deep within you. You recognize the scent of the lion’s breath. Closing your eyes, you try to reach out through time to capture the memory.
A noise prompts you to open your eyes and before you is standing the Goddess, her lion’s eyes staring powerfully at you. Holding her hand out to you, she grasps you to her and holds you to her breast. You gave drink to my cub as he wandered the desert in search of me. You did not try to tame him nor did you covet him. For your kindness and compassion I mark you with my mark so that all shall see you are beloved of the Goddess.
She inserts her claw into your brow and cuts downward, creating a bleeding slash. She then carves two back-to-back half-moons that meet at the slash. The sigil of the Dark Goddess. The mark bleeds and the blood runs into your eyes. She then wraps herself around you and you vanish into her fur, finding yourself falling asleep in the warmth and safety of her embrace.
You drift in darkness, soothed by the night and stillness. You hear the Goddess purring and you smile.
Someone calls your name and you lift up you head to find yourself seated before a candle. You remember what has happened and you feel your brow, which is sore from the gift of the sigil that the Goddess gave you. When you are ready, you open your eyes and blow out the candle.
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