Feet firmly placed on the floor, hands gently resting on the thighs, eyes closed and away...
I sat still with my heartbeat. Listening to the beat slow in time with my breath. I became aware of a light in front of me, and in an instant I was around my familiar fire.
My beautiful, welcoming fire. I'm accustomed to how it feels, and relax into its warmth. As my eyes grow used to the flickering dance of the flame I can make out a column extending from within the space.
The column stretches up before me and I can faintly make out some carvings dancing around its trunk. One of the carvings begins to glow, it is a wren and as it shimmers in the fire I sense a presence beside me. Glancing down I see the wren, which begins to transform into another creature as the totems trunk outlines another animal, then another, then another... quicker than my eyes can keep up.
I hear the words "Many faces, one voice" carry on the air as a thudding tempo beats out around me. Figures move from the shadows, finding their way closer to the fire as the beating gets louder.
The ground begins to rumble with each beat and I am aware of trees moving in towards the fire, leaning forward to form a canopy.
As the heat rises from the fire it forms steam within the canopy and a face pulls forth into the light saying...
"you are in deficit. From the moment you came you took before you gave. Your heartbeat aligned you with the rhythm of source, and arriving in this time, with your first breath, you took from this realm. Your job is to repay this by giving and receiving in equal measure."
As I listened to the message, I felt awash with the most humble feelings. Compassion for people I know as well as friends I am yet to meet. I realised that every living being enters this realm in the same deficit.
We were all given a breath at the start of our journey in this world. A loving, nurturing, life giving breath which we are bound to repay. We receive, and by our very nature, we give back.