Photo: Scott Simmie
(Excerpt from)
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The Old Man and the Cabin
The Third Visitor
"Be still. Listen. You will try to dismiss what I say as your grand illusion, or perhaps your most profound Delusion. Know that transcending age and time, I am the spirit of love and truth. Let me offer you the truth that you so desperately long for." The air in the cabin seemed vibrant with a golden a light) The voice continued. "Beyond your understanding, here is the Truth you long to hear. You have been blessed beyond your wildest dreams, beyond your fondest hopes. Born into a time and a country that has known both peace and prosperity. Given health and longevity, friends and loved ones, you have been offered in your old age a destiny worthy of who you have become.
"You longed for a cabin in the woods, your sacred sacred temple. And a loving wife who awaits you at home. You had wanted recognition, fame even fortune. With a wisdom beyond your ken, we have withheld from you such success as they would have been your undoing. To keep you safe from such temptation, from vanity and hubris, you were blessed with a birthmark down the right side of your face. And in more way than you can imagine your birthmark has brought with it responses that has prepared you for this moment.
"As in all hero myths the hero is given three wishes. The third was bestowed upon you that night you dare not share with no one.
"You were anointed into a cadre, unbroken over the ages, that of the open heart. During the Dark Ages monks and contemplatives, hermits and so called witches lived and protected the flame that is known as the sacred heart. Their prayers and their blessings, often more intent than real, held within them the fulfillment of the promise of a new humanity.
"At this moment you and thousands beyond the confines of religion and belief are the carriers of what some might consider a benign contagion, a capacity to generate a force that sweeps across the cosmos, holding in place the exquisite dance of the universe. Manifesting on earth as a gravitational force; in humanity it is experienced as the energy of love itself.
"You are akin to the butterfly who awakes from the transformative sleep to discover he is no longer a caterpillar crawling over the milkweed, but a monarch inhabiting another realm. It is a gift bestowed upon those of a certain age who have journeyed though life, lived in longing, prepared their souls, and ultimately been blessed. Consider it the gift of ageing for those who have lived the truth of their lives. You longed for a noble deed. Live your final days loving all who you meet, embracing the hurt and the lonely. Be love. This is what you are about."
Except from The Old Man and The Cabin
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Publication: Spring of 2021
(c) Austin Repath
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