esson 45: Stone Maiden, Stone Two and Stone Three

igh above the tree line, I find the Stone Maiden. She almost reminds me of an evergreen herself, in her long green gown. I wonder if she's related to the Green Knight and if she got the head from him. The head looks gruesome, but she tells me that it guards the gate, so that only earnest seekers may enter. "Enter where?" I ask. "The Stone Realm," she replies, "which begins here." She indicates a stone monolith beside her, which stands about 6 ft. tall, 4 ft. long and one foot wide. She touches a node and it opens like a gate, revealing a cave. "The weather can be harsh here, and the terrain as well. Please take freely from these donated items of clothing." I spot a pair of Gore-Tex hiking boots and know that's what I will need most here. I make an exchange for my 'moon boots,' which have served me so well up here at the mountaintop, in the deep snow.

"What direction would you suggest I go?" I ask.
"Follow the trail of blood into the heart of the Stone Realm," she answers.

She accompanies me for a ways down the mountain. As we descend, the temperature rises imperceptibly, which is manifest in the slowly melting snow. The ground starts to get soggy and mushy, and it would be difficult for the Stone Maiden to go through the next valley with the way she's dressed, so she indicates that I should continue down, while she will return to the gate. I look down the valley at various paths created by the trickling waters of melting snow. Suddenly, I'm overwhelmed with anxiety and lack of confidence. So many possible trails! Which way should I go???

The Stone Maiden tells me to breathe on the standing stone if I need help (always!), so I try it. Like lemon juice ink heated over a candle, a message fades in. "With the right shoes, you can go anywhere."¹ Huh, whaddaya know. Actually, with these shoes, I could walk straight up the valley, through and across paths if I choose. Guess I'll just figure it out as I go along. I feel more confident now, take my leave from the Stone Maiden, thanking her, and head off down the valley, following my own path of least resistance, just like the water does.

I continue to descend, and grass starts to show through the snow. Rounding a bend, I see an open vista and a beautifully green hillside with an ithyphallic chalk figure of a smith, with tools and anvil. In a sound like thunder, or the rumblings of an earthquake, I hear a voice say "Greetings, traveler!"

I'm a bit surprised at and amused by being greeted in such manner by a creature with no face--no eyes to see who approaches, no mouth to speak words, no ears to hear mine. I speak aloud anyway.

"The evening is upon us. Is it not time to lay down one's tools for the day?"
"Perhaps this is true for the common man, but for some of us, our work is never done. Especially when our work IS the common man. With my skills of teaching, uplifting and inspiring, I must be available to work for and on all men . . . all the time. And what is your craft?"
"I make Light. I'm only an apprentice, but I'm studying and working hard, and hope to someday be admitted to the Light Makers Guild."
"Yes, I see the beginnings of a light maker in you! But as of yet, you don't have all the skills you need. Now you are talented at reflecting the Light of the Masters. This is why the moon is such an appropriate symbol for you."

He begins to work with the tools and anvil, and I watch, fascinated, as sparks fly. I stand behind a large stone to avoid being struck. Shortly, he finishes and bids me approach. I climb up the hill, trying to exhibit some modesty in keeping my eyes averted from his huge 'member.' There within the outline of the palm of his hand, I find a beautiful emblem of the moon, made of purest silver and polished to a mirror-like finish. As I pick it up, it catches the last rays of the evening sun before it goes down behind the mountains, and it creates a gold and glowing flare. I give him profuse thanks, and continue down the road in search of shelter for the night.

1 "With the right shoes, you can go anywhere."--Jokes and comments about the 'right shoes' are common with me and mine. I've always contemplated what shoes (or lack of) can do for a person, both physically and mentally/psychologically, and find this message much more profound than it at first appears.