There are parts of Central Australia that are made of pure love. It’s an ancient energy — sacred, protected — and I am changed every time it embraces me.
We walked along a bush track towards the gorge which, according to Aboriginal legend, is protected by a serpent. In Australia our waterholes and creek beds are often dry, but it had been raining for days and the waterhole was replenished.
We set out into the gorge, first wading in the shallow water and swimming when the water deepened. Then dripping, we stepped onto land at the other side of the gorge.
Both of us fell silent — aware that a spiritual adventure was imminent.
Soon, I intuited that we were about to walk into another dimension. My friend would go first. I would follow. Intently silent, I watched my friend walk ahead. Then she turned, waved, and called out something incomprehensible. Next she disappeared. I stared at the spot where she had been but knew she had passed through into another plane.
I figured it was important to behave as though nothing unusual had happened. You see, I believed my friend could still see me and I didn’t want to cause a disturbance or lowering of her vibration, so I breathed and watched.
Soon I was drawn energetically to a large boulder and, as I sat on it, my friend suddenly reappeared. She was oblivious, nonchalantly examining rocks and, at this point, I knew that I too had seamlessly crossed into the other dimension.
Everything brightened as if someone was touching up the scenery with a paint brush. I was in the same place but now it was becoming so much more beautiful. The detail in the rocks was magnifying: the grain and texture were being accentuated; the colors were becoming more vibrant than I had ever seen before.
I moved closer to examine the bare trunk of a gum tree. It was changing before my eyes to luminescent green, red, yellow, and even purple. These vivid colors and beautiful patterns were just appearing magically, as were the navy blue rocks with exquisite woven designs, and others coated with silver glitter.
Everything was brightening as if there were spotlights shining down from the Heavens to illuminate the landscape. We looked upwards and gazed in silent reverence at the structures above. A gifted architect had designed a wondrous natural ceiling from overhanging cliffs.
Brightly colored stylized insects — small but intricately detailed — hovered around us, and beautiful butterflies flew by, their wings outlined with gold paint.
I walked in the stream and my feet were guided to stable stepping stones. It brought back a memory of feeling graceful and light. Everything was in harmony. Everything was one. We played like children moving from one beautiful find to the next, excitedly sharing as we discovered new treasures in this timeless Garden of Eden. I felt intoxicated — fearless. There was no limitation — and on impulse I rode down a small waterfall, laughing joyfully as the gentle rapids pushed me along.
In time we left, returning the way we had come: via the waterhole where the serpent lives — only this time I swam more easily and gracefully. When I reached the other side, however, I felt myself jolted back abruptly into heaviness. I tried to stand up in the shallow water but tripped clumsily. It was a leaden energy in comparison with what I had just experienced, and I knew I was back in the “ordinary” world.
We stepped onto the bank and looked around. The wonderful Australian bush landscape, which seemed beautiful before our adventure, now appeared dull in comparison to the place we had been — the ancient place, the sacred domain.
Aware of the magnificent gift we had been given, I thanked the serpent telepathically for allowing us right of passage into the hallowed domain. My sadness for those people who may never go there was quickly overshadowed by amusement as I wondered how many other secrets the Aboriginal people hold that the white population have never asked about. Hmm!
