It was a cozy though unfathomable cave that I came to visit by direction of the most humble people in this world. People that by respect, I shall not reveal their names; nor I shall give the name of the valley, nor the mountain about that valley, nor the cave in that mountain, nor will I write the name of the shamanic woman, which lived in that cave, to which I have traveled so far to see. I shall only mention that this place lies in the lush jungles of Africa, the cradle of humanity
As I approached the entrance of the valley with my two guides we met a single woman that led us across the jungle towards the mountain. Closer to the cave, four other women appeared. Together, the five women stood still with an expecting gaze.
"I have traveled across the world, " I spoke slowly, giving time for my guide to translate, "to find a resolution to a great distress. I ask an audience with the Great Mother, in hope that she can help." Saying this, the five women led us on towards the cave.
Long before we came up to the entrance of the cave, I realized and to my surprise, that my two guides had opted to stay behind without my notice. I did not stop, but it was the first and only time during my journey I feared, thinking I had been betrayed and led into a trap. But the fear quickly subsided as I laid my eyes once again on the five smiling women. How could I feel threatened by them? Undressed and unarmed, joyously they welcome my visit without wary allurements. My desire to follow on was not even sexual. It was my choice to continue, no persuasion, no obligation. From that point on they led me by the hand, with a soft enlightening song.
The climb towards the cave along the side of the mountain and through the thick jungle went almost without my notice, as I was walking in an anesthetic nursing peace. I was suckling the drips of light that cascaded through the trees. I contemplated all the beautiful insects that buzzed through the still air dazzling in brilliance. The flowers gave me sensations beyond sight and smell. And I drank the contemplating stare of the wild cat that followed our accent.
I cannot restrain myself from describing the beauty of the cave, for it was made of dark marble, the glistening surface barely revealing what the color disguised. Every border curved, without jagged edges; the surface, so smooth, it appeared to have been carved by an artistic god. A majestic arch, some twenty meters from end to end, forever hidden from direct sunlight by the foliage of gigantic trees.
Within the impenetrable shadow of the cave sat the Great Mother. An ancient woman, who few, if any still living today, have seen her face as she has never left the shadows of the cave once she entered when young. A priestess of mystical power, people came to her for healing. Blind of sight yet wise in her insight of the human nature, with words she enlightened those who seek for answers to their problems.
Accompanying her were ten women, five of which welcomed me. Of various ages, these have been all mothers that have lost their children or family for whatever reason and now lived devoted to her assistance. Like ten digits, forming two hands of support: a providing hand and a greeting hand; they were an extension of the wise woman. It was they who called the old priestess, Nammai, a title meaning "grandest mother". Childless mothers which have become daughters of a mother-child. Theirs was a position of high prestige, a privilege to have taken the place of many others before, to attend the Great Mother.
Now the child has become an old woman and soon the time will come when a new child will be elected. A child, forever to be hidden from the light; to become the mother within the womb; within the dark and humid comfort of the cave. One, who will become blind for lack of light and be taught to see the world with knowledge, through the eyes of childless mothers.
I was brought within a step of the marble ground of the cave, to stand over a clean granite stone. There I was stripped of my garments and washed by the other five women (those of the providing hand). Afterwards, I was dried and offered a gift: a small braided string apparently made from gold, silver, and copper.
They stood quietly and waited. I stood there with the braid on my hand expecting a signal. It became evident that I was to step naked within the shadows of the cave. As I did, a short hum from within the cave stopped me from going too far, and I sat on the polished marble stone, crouched in the darkness.
A short moment passed before I felt the presence of five women around me. I presumed them to be the members of the providing hand since they were there to wash me. They lay before me a flask of burning weed, and from the darkness the shamanic woman began to talk in a language totally foreign to me. The voice seemed to come from a higher elevation, but very proximate. It was very hard to distinguish from which direction the voice actually came. No echo, yet it surrounded me. Strong and sharp, as if speaking right into my ears, but with an energy that filled a great hall, leaving me submerged in an embryonic sea of breath, with no other sound to distract her cacophonic voice.
Without knowing if the old woman understood what I said, I presented my situation after she had finished her brief chant and stopped as if in a question. I really did not express to her that my predicament was a grave disappointment with the world. To me the world had become a bitter place, with people full of hatred, where the humble and the poor suffer unjustifiably. All I asked was, "what sense there is in faith?"
Then the shamanic woman continued her indecipherable chant as the aromatic smoke began to stupefy me, and as she spoke, I began to hear...
© COPYRIGHT 2004 F.D.FOLCH. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.