Petra [Page 9]

Page 9

  Petra was half expecting to be greeted by an angel wearing a white robe.  The man that stepped into her room looked more like a repairman than an angel.  He opened the conversation with a simple, "Hey girl!".
   Although, for the life of her, she could not place the face, she immediately sensed an unexpected bond with him and ran right up and gave him a hug.

   Now, even more so, it felt like a reunion of old friends.  Her visitor could sense what was going through her mind and began to introduce himself. 

   "My name is Dixon, Dixon Knight", he said. 

   "I don't remember...." she started, but was suddenly seeing a vision of the two of them, each dressed in a white tunic with a red cross on the front, standing on the deck of a ship that was sailing west.  As the vision ended, she completed her sentence with, "..., mon ami."

 

   "Ah, you are starting to remember, now", he assured her.  "Those were trying times, when we swore our mutual support, in attaining the goal of being here, in this place, today."

  Petra pointed towards the wall and and a couch materialized.  "Come, sit down, there is much to talk about.", she offered.  They sat down and Dixon took a quick look around the room.  Petra noticed he seemed quite interested in the pipe organ and began by telling him about the sound it had produced.  She felt sure, that he too enjoyed playing a variety of musical instruments and invited him to use it, any time he wished. 

   "Oh, you bet I will,", was his enthusiastic reply, "but, business first."

  He reached behind himself and pulled out something that looked like an electronic book.  It had a display screen and four smooth knobs on the front.  He placed the device in her hand.

  " I thought you might find this pretty handy", he said, as the device began to display a page from a book.  " You can pull it out of nowhere, anytime you need it, and it can call up any book or web page ever written.  No need to type in a search word, it instantly follows your train of thought and brings up the closest thing to it. It can even make contact with individuals, the same way your computer did."

   As she played with the controls, he continued, " While you're here, in New Jerusalem, you will meet many friends and teachers, who will help you to recall things learned in past life times, as well as principles, as yet unknown to you.  You and I are members of a group that is gathering to learn the Keys of Knowledge."

  As he said this, the display screen changed to a picture, showing a group of faces, centered around the New Jerusalem Structure.  " That's some of the group", he pointed out.  " Because you and I have been so close, in the past, I am in tune with you and have been sharing your adventures with them." 

   " Are you our teacher then", she asked timidly.

 

   " Oh, heavens no!", he chuckled.  " I'm a student, mostly. That jovial teddy bear, next to Glenda, is the dude that's doing all the teaching. "

 

   " Wow! Is he like a Saint or something?"

 

   "Well", Dixon volunteered, " He says he's just a plain old Joe, from Idaho, but most of us are of the opinion that there is a lot more to him than he lets on."

  " I wish I could spend more time here with you, but I've got some challenges that need work, back in the 9 to 5 world.  I'll be in constant contact though.  Meanwhile, remember the New Jerusalem Meditation, that you read about.  You've got some more people to meet.  Check out the four walls of your room."

 

   She reluctantly placed the guide book on the couch, to her right, and was going to thank Dixon and offer to see him to the door.

  But, when she return her gaze to his place beside her, she was surprised to find, he had vanished, leaving her alone.  Or was she?

Petra [Page 10]

Page 10

 Petra stood and turned around. The couch melted before her and there, on the wall, appeared two columns, topped with an arch.  This was surely the making of a door, but to where.  She stepped up to it and touched it.

  The wall began to disolve and in it's place she saw a beautiful woman, floating in infinite space.  At first, Petra thought this must be an angel, but as they looked into each other's eyes she felt that this was someone very close to her.

  "Greetings young one", Petra heard, but it was not the normal sort of talking. This divine creature was communicating telepathically and answered Petra's next question, without it being spoken. 

   "I know you very well, but you will not know me for millions of years to come"

 

   "A riddle", thought Petra?

 

   "I bring only answers to riddles, for I am only your own self, that has travelled here from the future."

 

   There was no doubt in Petra's mind that this creature spoke the truth.  She wondered what sort of activities she might  be engaged in, so far into the future.

   "We are now known as Isha Ra El and our service is as what you might call that of Supreme Godess of a twin solar system, which in your time is still but a cloud of dust and gasses."

 

   "Whoa, Isha!", thought Petra, "Doesn't that go against the whole One God idea?"

 

   "We are still Human.  It is our understanding and alignment with higher beings that allows us to say that we are one with God. You are a god, in your own time, to the little lives of atoms, molecules and cells that are gathered together to form your body."

 

   "The atoms in my body are alive and conscious?", Petra questioned.

 

   "Yes" Isha responded. "All of creation is made up of the individualized thought of the One Ultimate Creator God, reflecting back on It.  As such, everything is conscious and alive."

   "Well, that makes perfect sense, now that you put it that way", Petra said aloud.

 

   Isha's smile brightened.  "You will come to understand this better, in the days to come.  For now, this is enough.  You may call on me, at any time, and I will return, so long as you are willing to listen."

 

   With that, Isha faded from view and the arch disolved.  At the same time, an arch appeared on the wall behind her.  Pleased with her first encounter, she was eager to see who might be found in this new arch.  She quickly crossed the room and placed her hand on the wall, within the arch.

   The wall remained solid.  There was nothing to be seen here but her own shadow. Perhaps it will take a few moments to activate, she thought.  Something did indeed begin to happen, so subtle she could scarcely tell if it was even really happening.  At times the shadow looked more like the image of a man, looking back at her from the other side of the wall.

   Now she got the distinct impresion that it was someone else and that this person was also reaching out to touch her hand, from his side of the wall.  She was overwhelmed with the feeling that here was a meeting with her soul mate.  She wanted to step right through that wall and meet this man that was making her knees feel weak, but such was not yet to be.  The image and the arch quickly faded from view.  She was sure that they would soon meet again, but for the moment she suddenly felt very much alone, again in her room.

Petra [Page 11]

Page 11

  "People certainly have a way of popping out of here in a hurry", she muttered to herself.  She thought it might be nice if she had a pet of some kind, to stay with her.  She felt sure nobody would mind if she had just a small one. But, like an artist standing in front of a blank canvas, she knew it would have to be something unique. A dog or cat just would not do here.  Why not something from mythology or fantasy?  There were some statues of gargoyles, perched on top of the columns in her room, but she felt such as they would be entirely too tempermental and moody for her liking.  Then she remembered a funny little creature, out of the pages of an art book, and was instantly sure that it would be the perfect choice. She thought it might require some thought to bring this creature into being, but as she turned, to begin, there he was, walking across a bench, toward her, like a cat that had just heard a can opener.

  She squatted down next to the bench and extended her index finger, to see if he would allow her to touch him.  He responded by offering one of his front feet, handshake fashion, and their friendship began.  She followed this with a few gentle strokes on the top of his head.  We say he, but it's gender, if it even has one, remains in question.  In fact, his original designer has said that is is not known whether these creatures are mammals, reptiles or insects. Thinking along these lines is what suggested Petra's name for it.  "Everyone will want to know, 'What is he?', so I'll just call you Izzy", she told her new friend.  With that, Izzy wagged his tail and then made several to and fro runs to the end of the bench, before jumping off and making a dash for the stairs.

  This reminded her of scenes from Lassie movies, so she asked him, "What is it Izzy?  You want me to follow you?"  Izzy spun around several times and then continued towards the desk.

  He leaped up on to the desk and then found a perch on top of the monitor. "you want me to turn it on?", she asked.  Izzy shook his head back and forth and seemed to be pointing at the window with his tail.  Petra pointed at the window and he did a little dance of joy.

  She stepped up to the window for a closer look.  At this distance, what had looked like glass, now looked more like a multi-colored holographic projection.

  When she advanced her hand toward it, to see if it was solid, it vanished, reveiling a courtyard beyond.  The floor and walls were of the same color and material as those in her room, but there was no door or gate anywhere along the walls.

  There were several wooden benches and two potted plants, but no other decor.  "It looks like I'm supposed to meet some people out there.", she suggested to Izzy as she began to climb through the window.  Satisfied that he had done his job, Izzy just curled up and took a nap on top of the monitor.

Petra positioned herself near the benches, to wait for her visitors.  She wouldn't have to wait long. 

Petra [Page 12]

Page 12

  "Aloha Petra", announced the first visitor.  "We have all been awaiting your return."

   Petra was not at all startled by the sudden appearance of this young woman.  From the look and sound of her, her first guess was that this might be a student of  her former teacher.  Then, her heart skipped a beat as the full truth dawned on her.

   "MAI", she squeeled!  "Can it be? Oh, this is too good to be true."

   "It can be and it is me and nothing is too good to be true", Mai said as the two embraced.  "You make your old teacher very happy to see that her service has been rewarded, in seeing her student arrive in this place." 

   "Old?", Petra corrected her.  "Dear one, it looks like I am not the only one that hasn't bothered to look in a mirror lately."

 

   With that, both girls had a good laugh.  To see them now, you could not pin their respective roles down, because, for the moment, they were as two classmates, best buds forever.

  "Ah yes", Mai replied, "that body served long and well, but after passing the torch and the stones on to you I was more than ready to trade it in for a new one." 

   Mai looked deep into Petra's eyes and would have seemed quite serious, except she was so full of joy that it just seemed to radiate from her in rainbow waves and bubbles.  "You remember how to play leap-frog?", said she.

 

   This was like some secret password, between them.  Petra felt sure that though her teacher had never played that game with her, physically, they had been playing it for many life times together.

 

   "Your turn to be the tadpole" Petra smiled, thinking ahead to a day, more than half a century in the future, when she would pass the two gemstones on to a young pupil.

  "Yes old friend", was Mai's reply.  "And, as always, I am sure we will recognize each other.  But now, there is someone else, that is here now, and is hoping you will remember him.", she said as she turned and pointed to the spot where she had made her entrance a moment before. 

   "In this form, you knew him as Nohr.", Mai explained. "but you had already been his mate in a series of life times before.  The two of you evolved the art of human relations from mere mates to dedicated lovers.  In Nohr's time, the two of you were from different clans, separated by half a continent, but were brought together when the tribes began to join together, to form a the precursor of the Mukulian Civilization, on the continent of Lemuria.

  Nohr gave a friendly hand gesture and then walked over to where Mai and Petra were standing.  He did not fit the picture of our caveman ancestors, that most anthropologists paint. He stood tall and straight, had very little body hair and exuded a charming warmth and friendliness. If you put him in some contemporary clothing and gave him a hair cut, he could easily fit right into any crowd.  As he approached, they joined hands.  Petra could sense the strength of the bond that extended beyond time.  She was wondering if there would be any problems understanding his prehistoric language, but was quickly put at ease as he began to speak.

  Nohr spoke English, as well as she did and proved to be very intelelligent as well.  With a wave of his hand, he produced a three dimensional map, which floated in the air in front of them and he began to give the girls a lesson in Geography.

 

   "This is the continent of Lemuria", he began.  "It covered most of the area now known as the Pacific ocean. The Lemurian root race of mankind lived here, hudreds of thousands of years before the Adam and Eve written of in your Bible." 

   "Oh, yes", Petra added, "I've read much about it. Alice Bailey wrote about it, in her books."

  "Yes, I know Alice. She comes here, to New Jerusalem, often." Nohr informed them. "But, not when I am in this body, Alice knows me as an Englishman, named George."

 

   "My clan lived here, in the northern valley. There were twelve clans, or tribes, that lived in Lemuria, but they had little to do with each other until the time when they were led to live and work together on the great plain, in the northeast quadrant.  You were from a clan that lived in the South and both of us were among the first wave of new citizens.  Our descendants were known for their abilities in domesticating and hybridizing animal species. We were remembered, for many generations, for our favorite pet....."

 

   "Wuf," shouted Petra, surprising herself. Then, in a flash, they were joined by their old companion. Wild, by today's standards, Wuf was as happy to see them as they were to see him.  He wagged his tail and offered his paw in greeting.

  "Wow", Petra suddenly realized, "There are going to be a few people, back home, that will be pleased to learn that dogs do indeed go to heaven."

 

   The three friends had a good laugh over that one. "Yes," Nohr told her, "And there are more interesting things to tell, yet, but don't expect anyone to believe you without coming here themselves to prove it."

 

  With that, Nohr informed them that he must leave and allow others the chance to visit with Petra, but that she could contact him any time and he would return.  He gave her a hug and then, with a wink of his eye, he and Wuf vanished.

Petra [Page 13]

Page 13

   "Now, here's someone from a period that greatly influenced you.", began Mai.  "He comes from 14th century France and you, Dixon and he were all members of the Knights Templar.  May I introduce...."

   "Uncle Pierre!", Petra let out excitedly. "But without his long beard and sword", she added, not really sure how she happened to know his name or habits.

   "Oui, c'est moi", the Knight responded, as he began to move their way.
  Petra noticed that he had a peculiar way of walking, as if he were barefoot on gravel, even though the floor was soft and he was wearing sandals.

  Pierre embraced the two girls and glanced back and forth at each.  "Yes," he continued, in English. "I am very much younger, when I am here, and have no need of beard or sword. But, I see I am not the only one that has changed.  In my time, You and Dixon were my twin nephews".

   Pierre sat down on one of the benches and removed his helmet, handing it to Mai. The girls positioned themselves on the floor, at his feet, as he began to tell his tale.

 

   "October, 1307, you boys were on one of the ships in our fleet which was at the harbour of La Rochelle. I, being one of the senior officers, had gone ashore for a meeting with the King's men. Our party was arrested and dragged off in chains, but a squire escaped their notice and was able to sneak back to the fleet, to warn them.  We had suspected there might be foul play involved and had made plans in advance. When they came, the next morning, for the rest of you, they found the fleet had set sail, never to be seen again in French waters.  They would not soon forget our battle flag though."

  "The fleet split up, with some of the ships sailing North to Scotland and the rest South to Portugal, to take on provisions before seeking the promised land. The Templars had secret scrolls that told of a shining star, in the west, known as Merica, where Christ consciousness would once again flourish. The two of you endured much together, finding and settling in la Merica. You made several trips back and forth to Scotland, but your brother died in the new land.  You burried him near present day Westford, Massachusetts.  It was our custom to place a simple marker stone with no name, only the likeness of the knights sword being engraved thereon, but you chose instead to engrave a full picture of him, on a slab of rock."

   "Those of our order, that had been arrested in France, suffered greatly at the hands of our greedy captors.  King Phillip and his puppet Pope wanted to steal our wealth and keep mankind from knowing the real truths that Christ taught. They tortured each of us, until we either confessed to their charges or died.  They charred my feet, in an oven, but my fate was not as bad as that of our Grand Master. That black hearted priest, Guillaume Imbert, reserved the worst torture of all fo our beloved Jacques.  He whipped him and put a crown of thorns on his head, then he nailed him to a cross. Near death, Jacques confessed and was taken down and wrapped in a linen shroud.  He was nursed back to health by the de Charney family.  Fifty years later, in 1357, the shroud was still in the possession of the de Charney family, but the last relative, that knew the truth about it, had been killed at the Battle of Poitiers, the previous year.  Today the linen bearing the likeness of Jacques is known as "The Shroud of Turin".

   "Christ's true teachings had been repressed for over a thousand years, by those calling themselves Christians.  Our Knights did much to bring the truth back into the light and end the Dark Ages.  We are forever Knights in the service of the Temple of our Lord. Go forth and spread the light."

 

   As Pierre concluded, the light became very much brighter.  Petra had never experienced such a bright light. It was like a hundred arc lamps were pointed at her and there was no place that the light was not. Even her own body seemed to be made of this white light. In that moment, there was only the light and she shared the consciousness of everything in creation.  In the light, there were no secrets, everything could be known.

  Alas, we would tell more of what it was like, in that light, but no amount of words could ever do it justice.  You must go there for yourself and see it. 

   As the light began to fade, Petra again found herself alone with Mai on the patio, but the joy that the light had instilled in her would be with her always, from that day forth. 

Petra [Page 14]

Page 14

  Now, Mai began to explain how, due to the finite number of inhabitants on earth, Petra's Uncle Pierre could also be shown to be a distant relative of her present physical self. The next person, she was to meet, would be much closer on her family tree, only a few generations back, on her mother's side.

   "Back in the 1830's, when Mother Megan was your age, she was attracted to the teachings of Joseph Smith", Mai began. "She joined his little group of seekers. You might say she is one of the first Latter Day Saints. "

   "Ooh, I think I remember seeing a painting of her at Granny's house!", Petra chimed in.  She had the longest braid. I often like to wear mine that way too.  Gee, a Latter Day Saint, I picture them as being kind of up tight and straight laced. "

  "I heard that"  announced the materializing matriarch, Megan. "And the picture you describe is of much later Saints. The group that I was a part of was very much interested in expanding our spiritual horizons."

 

   "Oh yes," Mai volunteered, "we call that the Ring-Pass-Not.  It's like the outer limit of what an individual can accept as being possible."

 

   "Yes, that's it.", Megan continued.  "And, in our day, we stretched our rings farther than most of your hip New Age followers ever had to."

 

   "Sounds like serious work." Petra said.

   "Oh, my darling grand baby," Megan said as she took Petra's hand and looked lovingly into her eyes.  " We had our serious moments, mostly in dealings with non believers, but true seekers are always rewarded by ever increasing amounts of joy and freedom.  The path to light will make you lighthearted.  My group knew how to have a good time and I was no exception."

   "I'm sorry", Petra volunteered, "I think it's just the dress, now, that gives the impression of being old fashioned."

 

   "Oh, I don't know about that," Megan countered, "when you think about it. We humans have been on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years.  During most of that time we scarcely wore clothes at all. It's all relative, you see, what's a few hundred years out of a million.  On that scale, my outfit is every bit as modern as yours."

 

   "I see what you mean.", Petra conceded.  But, her attention was now being divided, as Mai kept making subtle hand and face gestures which suggested that they might have a little fun, testing the flexibilities of their ring-pass-nots.

  "In the Grand Eternal picture," Megan continued, " we are all perpetually becoming something greater.  On such a seamingly infinite scale, even the Masters, like Jesus and Buddha, are so close to  us that they are like our own brothers.  Even He, that we call 'God the Father', is in the process of growing.  He mastered physical life on another planet, in what could be called a previous incarnation of our Solar System.  Millions of years ago, He came here to earth and became the first Adam, the Father of all humans on this planet."

 

   "He is called The Ancient of Days", Mai added, "and his light is so great that few humans, on this planet, can look upon His face."

 

   "Yes", Megan returned.  "Our ring-pass-nots are a two sided shield.  They may limit what we can believe possible, but they also protect us from receiving more of the picture than our undeveloped selves can handle.  When a Master works among men, He will appear as one of us, outwardly, so that we may accept Him."

 

  With that, Petra and Mai became as one, nodded their heads three times in unison and closed their eyes.  When they opened them again, Megan's nineteenth century garb had become decidedly more contemporary.

   "Oh my!", Megan exclaimed.  "This doesn't even cover as much as my undergarments did.  But, I'm glad you did it.  I feel more like just one of the girls now.  Turn around, dear, and let me braid your hair."

 

   Petra spun around instantly, delighted to have the opportunity to bond with a great grandmother, that now felt like a sister to her.  While Megan braided, the girls talked about what the boys were like, in the nineteenth century, and of going dancing.  Then, Petra was amazed by what Megan next told them.  Megan explained, to them, that Joseph Smith was, in a previous life time, Merlin, the teacher of King Arthur and before that, he was the disciple Peter. Furthermore, Petra had been closely associated with the twelve disciples, the knights of the Round Table and the original Latter Day Saints and that the members of those groups were all very pleased to see her back in their number.

  "I...then...now....you mean...," Petra stammered, for she could hardly think of what to say.  The thought that she could have been a part of that history or of a history in the making, was making her feel giddy.

 

   Mai sensed the rising joyful tension and announced, "Let's dance!"  She clapped her hands and the courtyard was filled with shimmering colored lights and the pipe organ in Petra's room began to play the most delighfully invigorating music.  The three began to dance as the music and light seemed to penetrate to the center of their being.

Petra [Page 15]

Page 15

  The three girls danced for what seemed like hours, then, without warning, the colorful lights and her companions disappeared.  As the music too began to fade, Petra heard the sounds of singing.  Turning, she watched as a teen girl slowly materialized.  The lass was swaying to the music and singing a song.

   "...The people of God He has redeem'd  Satan is bound, There's no time it seems.  The Lord hath gathered all things in one, And brought down Zion from above."  She was singing "Zion", written by JJ Dewey, but stopped in the middle when she realized that Petra could now see her.  "Had I known ye were all  t' dance, I'd  have come sooner.", the girl announced with a strong Irish accent.

  "Colleen!" Petra recalled her name, without the least hesitation.

 

   "Aye, 'tis me, and that is still the voice of my mother calling me", the lass replied. 

"'Twas ye who taught me the Priestess craft.  We Celts had the True Spirituality.

 

Before the Viking, before the Roman 

Law giver, just right, owning nothing, owned by all. 

Not feared, respected. Walking safe in the night. 

Seer, silent, knowing when to speak, 

how to give the Law it's course, it's path to abiding peace. 

Trees not single or separate, knowing the break of the branch in the forest 

as the break of the breath in my body. 

Forest powerful in it's own right, not dependent. 

Forest at one with those of this land breathing one breath in understanding."

"You, mother and teacher, told us the Shadow men were coming, but also asked us to accept them. Many of our clansmen thought you betrayed them. The Incomers do not share, attempt to take over. The child fears the Shadow People of the out-breath and sees the lies in their bodies. Sheil-na-gog versus Christ as symbol of Life. They cut down our forest, but from the stumps life will grow."

 

   "Yes", Petra counters, "but perhaps I was seeing a need for more.  We lived as a herd by moonlight.  Those men and the shadows they cast were a painful awakening to the stronger light of the sun, whose light we also must learn to shine. 

  You could see the puzzle fitting together, in Colleen's mind, as she began to smile.

  "You were always telling us about a middle path, between the left hand and the right.", Colleen recalled.  "When you were with us, we could not see any value in the Christian's teachings, but here in New Jerusalem, free from the bonds of our physical world, I can see more of the big picture.

 

   Up to this point, Petra had felt herself to be a student in New Jerusalem, but the reunion with Colleen brought out the mother and teacher in her.

 

   "Aye, there are two sides to everything in this universe.", Petra elaborated.  We see and learn by looking at the contrast of black and white.  The white pages in a book can tell us nothing without the help of the black text."

  Colleen explained, "When they took your life, it nearly destroyed me.  I hid myself in the woods for many days, eating nothing, crying, praying and meditating.  Then one day, while meditating, I found myself at the gates of New Jerusalem.  I was sure I had died and followed you to heaven.  I was guided to my room by a man named Nick, who I learned was my partner here.  I returned again and again to this wonderful city, to sit with him and learn.  When I arrived today, he told me the wonderful news.  I would get to meet you again and we would all attend a ceremony of gathering.  I heard music and began to sing and dance.  Then my room began to fade and I found myself in this courtyard with you.  I give praise to our Father, for reuniting us."

 

   "Gathering!", inquired Petra.  "Is there to be a ceremony here in the courtyard?"

  "No, 'tis to be held in a special valley.", Colleen informed her.  "Your friends left to make preparations and now 'tis time for us to return to our rooms. Our mates will escort us to the Gathering."

 

  The mention of her "mate" began to make Petra feel agitated.  Much as she would like to continue talking with this lass, she began inching toward the now open window.  Colleen could clearly see the discomfort she had caused and with an impish smile on her face she gestured towards Petra's room.

  "Be gone with ye now.  I'll see you at the Gathering.", Colleen announced, half laughing.

 

   "To the gathering.", Petra replied, as she quickly climbed back through the window.