Maidenhood Rite of Passage
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      Irene made steady progress. Her legs felt vibrant, her feet well-supported in solid hiking boots, her shoulders loose and neck relaxed. The contrast between this physical well-being and an escalating psychic unrest was disturbing. As she walked, waves of trepidation grew stronger until they threatened her strength. She gravitated toward a wide flat boulder shaded by two lone trees. She expected the rock to be cool, but it was still warm from the low morning sun. The heat drew her into a full seated position. The dread tasted like bile.
     The owl hooted. Irene did not want to look up. She didn’t know if she was still strong enough to hear the message, but he insisted. She could feel his sharp talons on the branch as if it were the bone in her arm and she imagined the owl streaking down and gouging at her eyes. Her neck resisted like a rusted trap door hinge, but she forced her chip up and then opened her eyes. His yellow eyes blazed and he leaned forward. He lifted his wings and dove. Irene readied herself for the pain, knowing that her flesh was about to be ripped open. The bird landed on the rock beside her instead and Irene was no longer frightened. She reached out to stroke its feathered back. He turned his head and pecked her hand. The red blood surprised her and they caught each other’s eye. No one moved until they were both sure.
      On top of the granite slab, Irene began to pray. Her voice was loud and clear as she turned to each direction and spoke.
      “I look to the East, where the sun rises and brings warmth, please protect them.
       I look to the South, I ask you mother earth to cradle them in the arms of your solid protection.
       I look to the West, Please send them the serenity of calm water, and to their enemy, the rage of torrential currents.
       I look to the North, and ask that you bring safety in your gentle breeze and blow hard against evil.”
      Irene knelt down on the coarse rock, the grit digging into her knees through her pants. She placed her hands in prayer on the granite in front of her and rested her forehead on their triangular ledge. The owl watched over her from his perch on the tree branch. He had faced the four directions with Irene, his head rotating in unison with her movements. The bird hunkered down into his shoulders with satisfaction, before lifting in flight to continue his vigilance.

     A hawk flew high above the mountain. The winds lifted her in wide arcing circles. Again and again, she flew above the three generations of women who moved in unison to face the East, the South, the West, and then the North. Not one of them noticed her in the sky as they turned, separated by space, but together as one. With her keen vision, the hawk saw a grandmother, a mother and a daughter, calling on the universal power that is available to all living beings. Each had been moved into action by something beyond reason and the directive was not a request.
     Irene was summoned by the owl directly, being closest to understanding the sign.
     Rebecca was overcome with memories of Toni and the intimacy they shared during her celebration. Her body responded to her physical remembrance.
     Toni moved from a force unknown to her, as if another was moving her body and gently turning her from the hips at just the right moment.
     The forest hummed with the energy and the hawk added her shrill call. Jason felt chills running up his back. “What the hell was going on?” The wind gusted around his legs and gnats swarmed to drink from his eyes. Confusion began to unhinge his already unstable mind. With flailing arms, he stumbled and circled without direction. His mouth hung open and his feet became leaden weights. Searching forward and back, then side to side, nothing looked familiar. Jason had no idea where he was.

  Excerpt from Cole Creek
Genavieve  & Eva Pain
Visit Dr Chayim Barton's Website for information on Vision Quest Wilderness Passages