The latest Guidance from David Ashworth is now with us and what an auspicious time of the year to reflect on life and take stock of the experiences we have been offered and created for ourselves.
I personally found David Ashworth’s story telling technique here immensely powerful and I will share with you that the remembering that took place while I read this, brought tears to my eyes.
Guidance of the Period – December 2013
One word sums up this next period. As the Universe unfolds and shows us it’s unfolding patterns of consciousness, the keyword for this period is EXPANSION. Also, this will be a long period, much more than six weeks, and maybe even double that.
As I am taken into the Universe at this moment, I am reminded that in a few days time, it will be twelve months since we passed through that doorway of 21st December 2012. That great date that so many were waiting for.
This is also a time for reflection as we move towards the Winter Solstice once more. The harvest is behind us and the larders are stacked for the cold weather. The mead will be warmed by the fire and taken with some honey to warm our hearts for the toil in preparing the fields. Wood is gathered for warmth on our fires and stories will be told by the fireside, during the long, dark nights, and if we are lucky, we will see the clearest skies and the stars as diamonds, burning holes in the dark firmament above.
That is how it might have been a thousand years ago and even more, but some things don’t change very much, such as our starry heaven above and something to warm us when we step out into the winter’s cold. Our need for nurturing does not change for we are delicate beings in a tough world.
We are also approaching the time when Christians and others celebrate the birth of the sacred child that the wise men travelled so far to be witness to. They knew they needed to bathe in his light and glory at the great gift that the Universe had sent forth within him. A baby in a cattle manger, no bed for the Prince of Light. Already he was teaching us by arriving in such a simple and perfect fashion, saying to us, “In the world of men nobody is as lowly as me. I lie on the straw before you, showing you the truth and wealth of life, which does not radiate from gold and jewels, but from the hearts of simple people throughout the world of mankind.”
The wise men travelled, following the guiding star, a portent in the heavens, a messenger of light, holding their hearts on course to their destination, to be kissed by the light of the one who came to teach humanity, and as he opened his eyes for the first time in this world, he witnessed the tormented and dark hearts of his brethren. Then he sought the answers to free them from their darkness, and did not leave this world, until his work was done.
Now take this crystal goblet of warm spring water. I will tell you a story.
The Teachers of Light
Although the mead will warm you and the honey feed you, there are times when the heart needs the clarity of a mountain spring. Come with me and stand before the tumbling waters, and hear the cry of the night owl as the winter wind sighs gently through the bare branches of our forest. Scoop up in your flask a cupful of the mountain stream and hold it to your heart, where you will feel the purity within its power.
Now come. Follow me into the forest where I have prepared a fire. Gather round and sit tightly together for warmth, feeling the shoulders of those around you, comforting you with their inner warmth. Draw a blanket behind you to prevent the cold breeze that the fire will draw. Gaze into your crystal goblet of spring water and see what it holds for you for this coming period.
Venus shines down upon us with such a loving light. She guides and opens our hearts with her love. She bends us, like the wind, so we fold nearer to our loved ones, so we might hear their voices clearly. So we might hear their wants and needs.
Take a sip of the water, for I have prepared it for you. Your glass is filled with dreams, but can you see them? Can you feel them with your heart? Can you smell the scent of their beauty? Can feel the feather-like softness of your goblet, full of your dreams?
It was many years ago, that I sat with the old sage in the woods on a clear night like this. It was not that cold in front of the fire, but the darkness behind us was chilly. I was but a boy in a great world. I was but nothing, as I had not yet been fashioned into something useful to humanity. I sat at his feet and felt his kindness tumble upon my shoulders. He held out his hand to me and I took from him the sweet root to chew upon for sustenance.
“Child,” he said to me, as he looked deeply into my eyes. “Thank you for coming.” I smiled up at his friendly face as I fell into the pools of his eyes. It was as if I had fallen asleep into a wonderful deep dream. I let go and drifted into his world through his consciousness and I felt a great love as I passed through his heart. I heard him speaking to the others as they gazed into the water in their goblets and I saw the waters turn into the brightest light, within those goblets, as they gazed.
I was looking out from within the old man. I sat within his heart and saw everything that he did, as if I was looking through his eyess, yet I was still sitting in front of my father and to the side of my mother in front of the warm, crackling fire. I was not frightened by this strange experience, for I knew that I was loved. I was loved by my father and mother, and I was loved by the old man, and I felt his love strongly as I sat within the light of his heart, as he spoke with the people around him.
“Take a drop of water and hold it in your mouth,” he said. “And feel what I have placed within it for you. It is a subtle vibration of plants and herbs, but not containing any matter, merely the spirit of those living beings. Allow this drop of nectar to rest your weariness from the summer toil. Allow this to renew your vigour and inner strength for the winter months.”
The people sipped at his bidding and holding the water in their mouths, I heard their soft murmurings of acknowledgement and a certain sweetness to the taste. They were people of the village, the forest and the earth. They were fully connected into the spirit of nature and felt the wealth of love in each drop of magic within the water. They felt the love that nature holds for us all.
I sipped my water, but at the same time, I continued to sit in the old man’s heart and watch every drop that trickled into the bodies of those beloved who where gathered.
There was no hurry. Their was this great sense of peace in the air. Everyone had forgotten their worldly woes and cares and had surrendered for a few hours into the light of the teacher.
He reached out with his stick and stirred the fire. The dancing sparks immediately put on a great show for our enjoyment and fascination. The embers grew brighter and the old man looked into the night sky. “What do you think is out there?” He asked us, not expecting a reply, and none gave one. “Just take the merest pinpoint of light and hold it in your gaze,” said the old man. I looked at the brightest light, which was already falling towards the horizon. It was Venus, full of love. As everyone continued to hold that spark of light in the heavens within their gaze, the old man told us to bring it down into your goblet of water. Slowly, each person’s head bowed towards the goblet and it was as if you could hear a tiny ’splash’ tinkling in the darkness, accompanied by a flash of silver fire. Soon, everyone was looking into the water.
I continued to look through the old man’s eyes, and I saw the water in each glass begin to glow. Some bright white, and others with a hint of colour.
“What do you think you have done?” Said the old man. Each person was clearly amazed at what they held in their hands. One brave woman said, “We did not do this teacher, it was you who did it.”
“Is that so?” Responded the old man with a knowing smile. “Continue to look into the glass that you hold before you and then take another gentle sip of the water and hold it in your mouth for a moment or two.” Said the old man. “See can you feel what you hold within you as you taste the sweet mountain stream.”
I was aware that I was being filled with something. It was as if I was growing or expanding in some way, but also, I was aware that I was still a small boy, but something bigger was happening within me. Suddenly, I was no longer within the old man. I was back within my own body, and he looked at me quickly in acknowledgement of what I was experiencing. My eyes were raised towards him, and I was aware of a feeling that I had never had before. I could feel his light within me and something of me was within him, as if we were merging into one being, but remaining separate. Without a single word being spoken, I knew that I was his son. I knew that he was my father, even though, I also knew my father was sitting right behind me. He was kind of ‘other’ father.
He smiled at me with his eyes and I felt a thousand words of love pass through my soul. I was expanding.
He looked at the group of souls gathered here again and I followed his gaze. Each goblet shone brighter than before and most of the people had now swallowed the water and were looking alternately at the old man and into their goblets in disbelief. The water was now shining brighter than a tallow candle, but clearer and purer was the light. It was like the light of a diamond, I thought, even though I had never seen a diamond.
The old man repeated his question to them. “What have you done?”
None could speak, and I could feel that they dared not move or speak in case it shattered the illusion of what they held in their hands. As they sat, the night moths came hovering around their hands as the magical light radiated into the night. Although they were not frightened, he said to them, “Fear not, it is not magic and it is not an illusion. I merely helped you to open a door, and in that action, you were then able to move the stars.”
There was a stillness and silence so great that the gentle crackling of the fire seemed deafening. Everyone had a question they wanted to ask. And the old man looked into their eyes and bid them, speak.
“Teacher,” said a woman dressed in green. There is a warmth in the water as it glows radiantly with this light. The old man answered her. “This is the reflection of the love in your heart. Your love is warmth and comfort for the many.”
And then a man spoke. “Teacher, I can also feel this love in the woman’s glass and I have never felt such a fine thing in all my life. I feel it brings the burning tears to my eyes.”
“Yes,” said the old man. This is your heart beginning to feel the truth of life, as it opens in the face of love.
Then another man spoke up, a youngish man, perhaps of the age of 20. “Teacher, please may I speak?”
Of course you may speak, for your words are the gold with which the Universe has blessed you. Your words are your great treasure. I bid you bring them into the world for the hungry to feed upon.”
“Thank you teacher, you have already answered my question.”
And the old man looked at me and said. “What is your truth boy?”
I felt the words coming into my mouth from I knew not where. They seemed to come from above in the sky, and also from deep within the earth, and also from the trees, which stood around us.
“Father,” I said. “You have shown them how to bring the heavens to the earth. You have shown them how to illuminate their lives with the stars. You have shown them that they are made of the same light as the stars. And you have shown them that they have power beyond their dreams. You have allowed them to drink from the starlight, so that it lightens their darkness.
The old man continued to look into my eyes, and I felt myself be taken into his heart again. I stared around at the people, as if I was the teacher. I stood up and moved in front of the old man with my back to him, facing all my kin folk. He placed his staff in my hand and I felt the heat of the fire on my face as I spoke into their eyes and hearts.
“I am eight years of age and I hold the wisdom of the Universe inside me. It gives me the strength to stand and speak with you as we gather around the fire of knowledge in the light of the teacher of the forest. I am full of the light of heaven, for I have brought down the stars with you all, here, tonight, and I sand here to remind you who you are.
You are all full of the wisdom of the ages. You are full of the wisdom of the heavens and you are full of the light of love, and so you shall have no fear, but you shall feel the love and know that it is the truth.”
They all looked at me, as if I had been teaching them forever. None were surprised at my words, but they were nodding their heads in full agreement with everything that I said.
“Drink of this essence of the Universe that teacher has placed in your hands. It is his gift to you. Within it you will find that it awakens your heart and opens your inner eyes. It will help you to feel love and you will glow with the light of it. Even as we sit beneath the stars, the Universe is moving in the heavens above us and it whispers its secrets to those who will make effort to hear.
On this night, the Universe speaks through me and it says, prepare yourselves, for there is a great expansion coming. Great opportunities await all of you and if you drink from this essence of light, then you will more easily hear the winds whispering their truths to you. They will open doors of opportunity for you, but you must be brave and quick to catch that wave of light.
The old man put his hand on my shoulder and I knew that I had spoken enough. I sat down again in my place next to my mother and father. I leaned back against the legs of my father. He put his arms around me and held me in his love as I looked back again into the eyes of the teacher.
“You have heard the boy speak.” Said the old man, looking carefully into the hearts of each person present.
“There is not one of you who has not heard the truth. But how many of you tomorrow will remember the sacredness of these moments? For tomorrow, when you rise, you will stumble back into your daily lives and you may even fall victim to them, but hark to my gentle words that are given for all those who will hear.
There is a wind blowing in the heavens and it is the wind of love, and it carries upon its golden wings the words of the greatest teacher that has ever shared the air of this world with us. These words are immortal and they are painted on the pages of eternity and they are there for anyone who seeks to find them. There is one in your midst, a boy, who seeks those words with all his heart, and this night, you have heard him read from the pages of eternity. You have heard him read from the golden words of the greatest teacher. He has brought those words for you all, as a gift.”
The old man looked at me, and then to my father and said, “What do you call him?”
My father answered, “His name is David.”
“This name means beloved,” said the old man. “His heart has seen the Light and felt the love of the greatest teacher. He has sat within my own heart this night and he has spoken the words that are written across eternity to you all. One day you may know something of his gift, if you can bare to stand in his Light, for it is the brightest Light, full of golden wisdom.”
He reached for my hand, and I did not know what to do, for I felt the love of my father behind me, and I saw the light within the heart of the old man in front of me. In that moment, my father opened his arms and surrendered me, and the old man took me to his heart and sat me on his knee facing the gathering. I looked into the eyes of my father and saw his tears, and felt in his heart that they were tears of joy, for I had found what he could not reach, but he was full of love for who I was becoming.
Beneath a moonless sky, the stardust sprinkled downwards upon our heads and we all lit up with a deep joy and compassion for each other and for all of humanity. We felt the warmth of love that the old man had spread amongst us. Words were given to me again and I spoke one more time across the fire to all the souls gathered.
“Enjoy this Essence in your crystal goblet, for it is filled with the light of he who came to set you free.
Also, it is filled with the light of Extreme Optimism. It has been given from the heavens for you this night. It will help to open you to receive all manner of opportunities in this next period as we pass through the dark winter solstice and move swiftly towards the time when the sun will once again cross the equator, as it rises into the north lands. The Universe is filled with wonders, as your glass if filled with your own dreams.
The teacher has helped you to illuminate your dreams in the goblet using the starlight from above. Do not lose sight of these dreams, but drink them in, a little each day, until your water has been completely absorbed into your heart. Then be open to see the opportunities for expansion in your lives, as the words of the greatest teacher of all time float through your heart on their golden wings, speaking to you of everlasting life and inner joy beyond measure.
At the time of the equinox we will come to the forest again. We will sit with the teacher and bathe in the light of his love. We will gather once more around the fire and hear what the Universe wishes to share with us, and we will receive the blessings of all eternity, given into these heavenly waters that we hold in our hands. I bless you all with the love in my heart.”
And there was one amongst them that felt the light in the words and her heart opened and the light poured in.
And there were others who were also touched deeply.
And there were none of them, who did not drink of the light in their goblet, for they had all witnessed something extraordinary that night. All souls went to their beds in a state of deep peace, with their dreams fully illuminated within them, carrying in their hearts the light of he who watches over each and every life.
“Until we meet again, I bid you Good Journeys.”
With My Deepest Love and Blessings for this period.
David.
Yet another gem to add to the necklace of Spiritual Guidance we are so blessed to read every so often. A story which I found most touching as it reached my heart. Thank you.