Soul Census - War of Shadows - Book 1

Chapter 2.2 - Spirit Animals

Earth Date: 4th of September 1340 CE
Location: Spirit Realm

“You are far from alone,” Zarad heard a voice say.

Zarad jumped, startled to feel a familiar presence near him. He turned to see the figure of a human man, dressed in a brown cloth robe. His exposed skin glowed a light purple, signifying his ascension into the rank of Spirit Guides.

Vero always visited him in this visage. Apparently, it represented his last incarnate life on Earth-- a monk of some sort.

“Don’t be troubled by the broken bond,” Vero said, walking up beside him. “It is all part of The Cycle.”

Zarad changed into his own human visage, taking on a similarly robed appearance. One of Vero’s teaching methods involved using these human forms-- supposedly, the monk form enhanced teachings.

Vero waved his hand in front of him, directing the surrounding energy to create a density ring.

The ring spun, sending out ripples of refracted energy streams as it expanded before them. Upon looking at it, he melded with it and its energy spoke to him, describing itself and its purpose to him in an instant. It was not necessary for the manifestation to tell him what it was, he knew what a density ring was; but he listened anyway just to be polite.

Once the ring reached a large enough size, they both stepped through it.

The world around them flashed and they were now in a different place. Surrounding them now was a green, sunlit field that lead up to a lone hill. At the top of the hill was a small rock formation, with a path leading up to it. Beyond the grassy plain a massive rock canyon carpeted the land as far as he could see.

This place was one of Vero’s manifestations, a construction made to resemble an Earthly place or thing. Creating these constructions was Vero’s specialty, earning him the title of Master Ethereal Artisan, which Zarad reckoned was one of the traits that helped Vero rise quickly into the spirit ranks.

Zarad followed his Guide up the hill. With each step, he could feel the cold texture of the grass crumple under his feet.

As expected, it was an authentic and detailed machination-- Vero was a master after all, but Zarad could not fool himself into thinking it was real. Like all such ethereal constructions, there was a missing essence... a distinct signature of Earthly origin that could not be replicated in the Spirit Realm. This elusive trait was one of the reasons so many souls chose to reincarnate on Earth again and again--- despite the many perils and suffering inherent in human life.

“We’ve never been severed before, Vero,” he said. “Unable to read each other like this...”

“That’s not entirely true,” Vero said. “You were not born in union when you emerged from The Source.”

They reached the top of the hill, where a crescent-shaped stone bench waited for them-- a nice touch given that the Spirit Council rooms also featured crescent shaped conference tables.

“Yes, of course that is technically true,” Zarad said. “But we’ve never been parted since becoming soulmates. We can’t read each other. And worse, we can’t... well, you know...”

“Sex is not a requirement for progression,” Vero said.

They both sat on the stone bench, with the canyon below greeting them.

Zarad noticed for the first time that from this height that the canyon itself was also crescent-shaped; he never understood the council’s fascination with crescent-shaped things.

“I never heard you refer to it as ‘sex’ before,” Zarad said. “The word conjures up such raw... Earthly imagery.”

Vero smiled, gesturing to their surroundings.

“Look around you,” he said. “Figments of that life haunt us. We invariably bring it all here, sculpting from memory that which we covet from Earthly existence.”

Vero put his hand on Zarad’s shoulder.

“For all of its imperfections and sorrow, we must embrace humanity. Just as humanity embraces us at a subconscious level-- the memories of the Spirit Realm and its purity, harmony and oneness.

Spirit and body have permanently tainted each other since the beginning of the Cycle," he pointed to Zarad’s core, ” just as that purple mark paints your green core."

Zarad thought about it a moment.

“Does it ever go the other way around?” he said. “Does the darkness of the body ever taint the soul permanently?”

Vero seemed to ignore the question as he pointed below them.

“Look there...”

Down by the grasslands, just before the drop into the canyon, a lone deer trotted across, seemingly in fright. From a nearby tree, a spotted leopard launched itself at it, taking down its prey. Before his eyes, he watched the deer’s body emptied of its soul, as the leopard made a meal of it.

“That’s terrible,” Zarad said. “Why would you orchestrate that?”

“Do not be sad for the deer,” Vero said. “It was going to be killed anyway, whether it be on Earth or in this temporary construction. It volunteered for this demonstration as a way of finishing its karmic cycle.”

Vero rose from the bench and held out his hand. Before him, the ethereal form of the deer materialized, appearing as a translucent version of its former self.

As Vero touched its snout, the animal trembled, still feeling the shock of a sudden death. He petted the creature, dispensing light energy and feelings of love and reassurance. The deer then became calm and relaxed. Slowly, it walked to the edge to look down toward the place of its death.

The leopard was still feeding on its corpse. An instant later, it appeared next to the leopard, who was unaware of its presence.

“Tune into it,” Vero said. “Listen to its intent.”

Zarad stood up and focused his mind on the creature.

He had never peeked into the mind of a spirit animal before-- it was a different experience than touching the mind of a human. The deer’s thoughts were warm and calm-- no words, just imagery and simple feelings.

As he experienced the sensation of being in the mind of the deer, he saw it touch its snout against the leopard and then disappear. The connection with its mind also vanished.

“It fulfilled its life contract,” Vero said, as if that somehow explained it all.

“I don’t understand,” Zarad said. “What just happened?”

“What do you think happened?” Vero answered with a question... typical Vero.

Zarad thought it over, replaying the deer’s feelings in his own mind until it came to him.

“He forgave the leopard?” Zarad said.

Vero nodded with a grin. “Your purple mark is well earned.”

Zarad shook his head. “I know this is a lesson-- but I don’t understand its significance with me and Aloli.”

Vero raised his hand in the air, the constructed world around him faded and they were now back in the Spirit Realm.

“The Cycle,” Vero began. “It dictates that all events, good and bad, earthly and ethereal, are opportunities for karmic growth. The deer will come into life on Earth again, but will likely not repeat that same death. A new lesson will present itself for it.”

“I’m not following, Vero, just spit it out.”

Vero sighed. “You take the fun out of it sometimes, Zarad. The deer suffered for karmic growth in life, but it cannot suffer in ethereal life because it is not advanced enough. You have an opportunity for karmic growth here in the spirit world--- you and Aloli. The separation, the suffering from this break in your bond, is an opportunity to grow beyond anything you could attempt in a new life contract on Earth.”

Zarad thought it over.

“I did not think it was possible for karmic growth when disincarnate.”

Vero pointed at the purple blotch in Zarad’s core.

“How do you think you earned that? All that time you spent working with the Restoration Specialists-- it was not just for recreation.”

“That’s how I got it? Here I thought it was just a delayed reaction from my last Earth life...”

Vero laughed. “You are thinking too much like a human anchored to the confines of time. The separation for you and Aloli would be good for both of you and you might not have to go through this suffering again after you have fulfilled your karmic lesson.”

Zarad stopped. “Wait, you said might not? You mean even if we go through with this pain of being separated... we might have to do it again?”

Vero gave him a familiar look-- that stern look he sometimes gave when he was about to reveal an important truth.

“Just as the deer may choose the wrong path and be killed by the leopard; freewill and the Fugue may deviate you from fulfilling a karmic lesson, as it does when incarnated into a body.”

“Freewill?” Zarad said. “I did not ask for this purple blotch...”

“The marks,” Vero said, “are byproducts of your choices. They are inconsequential to you and you should not focus attention to them. Meditate and concentrate on the life choices ahead of you-- the marks come on their own.”

“I don’t care about the marks!” Zarad said. “I can’t do this, Vero. I can’t be without Aloli... she is a part of me.”

Vero sighed. “You will be parted... this is a path already decided for you.”

Zarad stopped walking. “What do you mean ’decided for me’?”

Vero did not respond, but lead him to a nearby transference ring. He put his hand to it and waited.

As Zarad approached, the ring melded with him and introduced itself. Again, he did not need the introduction, but it was not something he could tune out.

“Where are we going?” Zarad said, grabbing the ring.

“Aaru,” he said. “To see the Elder Council.”

Zarad almost let go of the ring. The Elder Council was the highest conscious authority within the Spirit Realm, even higher than the Spirit Council that provided guidance to Vero and other guides.

The Elder Council was as close to the Presence as any conscious being. Nobody he knew had ever gone to Aaru. He was surprised that even Vero could be allowed to go there.

“But why... am I in trouble?”

Vero laughed. “No, Zarad. Actually, you are being promoted. But be warned, you may not like the tasks that this promotion assignment entails... ”

Before Zarad could press with another question, the transference ring lit up, whisking them both away across the ethereal plain and to their destination.