Adventures of Alice Wonderbar: Chapter 3
“How are your training sessions with Ricardo going?” asked Alice as she drank her morning smoothie replete with Greens plus. Clara, who was tidying up in the kitchen turned distractedly towards her godmother. The paleness of her face was caught in the California sunlight streaming through the window above the sink.
“I guess they are going fine. Pablo is so far ahead of me, I feel intimidated, luckily he’s not here in L.A. all of the time.”
“You can’t become an arch mage in one day dear.” Alice smiled thinking of her own studies as a healer. “When I was young, I either thought I knew it all or that I would never get ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ was.”
“Not just that, Alice,” Clara paused feeling a trifle ashamed in the face of the larger planetary issues involved. “Well, it’s actually Carlos. We’ve been e-mailing, some of it is about our personal relationship, a lot of it is on the progress of events in Mexico. I feel uncomfortable in light of the friendship which has been unfolding with Pablo but the truth is I’m very attracted and connected to Carlos. Our e-mails are more relaxed and comfortable than conversations with Pablo.
“Carlos just seems so powerful and sure. Pablo on the other hand seems wishy washy by comparison albeit knowledgeable within his area of expertise…And I go down to Mexico to do an onsite evaluation of the situation there next week.”
“And see Carlos,” added Alice.
“That is the dilemma, how to be with Carlos and Pablo in the same room? I’m not sleeping with Pablo but the nature of the work we have been doing is so very intimate.”
“You mean energetic fusion…a la Ricardo style. Emmm.”
The Conversation continues…
Sunlight streamed into the lime green and dusty pink kitchen redone with rattan chairs, terracotta tiled floor and brightly colored Mexican ornaments on the walls. ‘Ricardo feels very at home here’, thought Alice as she glanced around the room.
She returned her attention to Clara and found herself saying, “Carlos and Pablo aside, this might be about your discovering your own masculine side. Carlos is your take charge guy aka controlling, no doubt a bit possessive as well.
“Personally,” Alice smiled ruefully, “I used to hate being around controlling men and then I used to love it. I realized that I both resented and loved to have someone else take charge. Ultimately, I needed to take responsibility for myself and my own perceptions…that’s why Ricardo and I couldn’t be together so many years ago. Two people on a mastery path dove tailing their neurosis in all the wrong or could that be the right places. It drew us together and it threw us apart. Now he’s softer and I’m stronger, not just on the outside but on the inside. We’re partners.”
Even as Alice said this she knew it wasn’t entirely accurate. Yes, something in her was deeply nurtured by being with Ricardo and also she was taking care of him. It was part of the karmic debt. Something in Alice was, however, way beyond the state of wanting or needing a male-female relating. She was in the Tao. She was everything.
Alice smiled understanding Clara’s need to experience it all for herself. “Carlos is a not so young stud; he must be in his early fifties. Enjoy yourself but don’t take it too seriously. Pablo and you make a good team perhaps not as lovers. You need to understand your masculine side; experiencing Carlos may help you do that.”
“I’m glad you are not judging me, it helps.”
“No one can judge you unless you judge yourself.” The angels winked out of Alice’s eyes replaced by a sadness of understanding of what it was to be a woman in the grips of uncalled for guilt.
It had been four months since Alice and Ricardo had begun living with Clara and her children. The house had been suitably renovated to accommodate them all. Ricardo’s money had been spent to make the house secure and accessible for the wheelchair he used. Everyone seemed happy. Ricardo loved being with the children. A Mexican woman was hired to help in the kitchen. Clara was taking occasional graphic contracts while Alice was working as an alternative therapist out of a clinic when she wasn’t reading Tarot on Venice Beach.
‘How is your work going?” asked Clara as she sat down beside Alice, who was nibbling on a whole grain toast with avocado, topped with salsa.
“It’s going well, dear.”
“Why with Ricardo here and your mission to save the planet are you giving Tarot readings and hands-on therapy?” Clara, now clear of her own emotional fog, turned and looked directly at Alice. “I have wanted to ask you this for a while.”
“I don’t have a mission to save the planet. I’m just doing what is needed in the moment and also I have some special skills, as you do, which for lack of a better word, I make available for the greater good.
“I don’t differentiate between the pain of one sentient being and another. I just do my best. My healing work is really about shifting people’s perception of themselves even though what I appear most of the time to be doing is alleviating aches and pains.
“The healing work I facilitate has a ripple effect. It would appear to affect only one life when in fact it affects the lives of those around the person I work with and so on. Humanity is made up of individual people. Influence one person and you influence many,” Alice paused and then continued.
“There’s also another reason the ‘I’ in me is called to do healing work. You don’t become a healer, a reservoir of universal life force energy without having a tangible need to give back. Some people call it love. Sometimes it just feels like an overflow of physical and psychic energy. Doing this work keeps me balanced.”
“You mean one can’t keep taking, one needs to give back. If the peoples of the world had paid attention to this principle, we wouldn’t be having the environmental problems at the planetary level that we are experiencing today.” Clara eyes had the fierce look of the newly converted.
Alice saw the look and knew that all this passion was needed though so often misdirected.
“Of course, I heal no-one,” said Alice continuing to speak from her personal experience. “I simply facilitate, support the Tao, the harmony of the universe. I do this with various forms of bodywork, herbs, and Tarot readings, whatever. These are just excuses to touch the soul of the being and awaken each person to who they really are. I imagine I could have been a great guru with a following of thousands but I prefer to stay in the background. It gives me more space to be myself, in that way Ricardo and I are alike. Does this answer your question?”
Alice and Clara regarded one another. “Yes,” Clara inhaled deeply,” I feel like I’m beginning to get it. The psychic skills I’m learning with Ricardo seem so powerful, the job so awesome. I guess I just get caught up. What I’m beginning to understand is it is moment to moment, person to person integrating caring and awareness into all aspects of daily life.”
“Do what interest you,” Alice said, “what interests you will automatically take you to your next step. Trust life and let it live you. And enjoy your trip to Mexico.”
Clara’s Children
The children burst into the kitchen. No!… Mama, make him stop!” cried Jane as she chased after Kevin who held a small doll all over his head. Five year old Jane was a tousled haired beauty. Her curling golden brown hair came just below her ears. Her startling blue eyes glared at Kevin her older brother, a lanky eleven year old with an almost crew cut.
“Now Kevin, you’re so much older. Give the doll back to Jane,” commanded Clara.
“Ah Mom, she keeps bothering us. I’m just giving her a taste of her own medicine.” Kevin handed the doll back to Jane who hugged it tightly to her chest.
“Kevin, she’s just a little girl and you’re her big brother. It’s you who needs to look after her, just like we look after you. We do it because we care about you.” Clara was exasperated, school was out and the children weren’t going to camp until next week.
“Perhaps Janey would like to come down to Venice Beach with me today”, Alice spoke to Clara and turned her attention to Jane. “You’ll have to bring your big sun hat and lots of sunscreen.” Alice chucked Jane on the chin and put her arm around her. “Would you like that,” she asked the little girl.
“Yes, I’d love to go Auntie Alice,” Jane stuck out her tongue at Kevin. “And he can’t come, can he?”
“No, today is your day. Now go get your sun hat.”
“And what are you going to do today Kevin?” Clara asked.
“Johnny and me, we’re going to go over to his house and play.”
“Johnny and I, Kevin,” Clara said, correcting his grammar. “Is his mother home?”
“No, but his uncle Bart is.”
Alice looked up and closed her eyes tracking something psychically. The mention of the uncle had attracted to her inner attention. But nothing came from a brief search for imagery or information on the inner plane.
Venice Beach Warning!
Janey came bouncing into the kitchen clutching her doll and hat. Alice gathered her bag and car keys, took Janey’s hand. Off they went to Venice Beach.
Alice and Jane sped down the freeway headed for Santa Monica to the sound of the Second Wave, a radio station with music’s from around the world. Janey sang lending her not so small voice to the radio. They got off the freeway at Fourth Street, crisscrossed their way to Ozone Avenue and the Pacific Coast Highway, the highway was just two lanes of traffic at this point. They continued a few blocks south, parked behind a friend’s apartment on Brook Avenue, then wandered down the sun baked alley to the beachfront with Alice’s gear. She liked this part of town. She could feel the energy of life in these concrete buildings once painted pink, gray, green or white, now simply faded and worn away by sunlight and sea breeze.
Alice, looking like a displaced movie star with wraparound sun glasses and a large straw hat, spread a blanket on the sand next to the promenade. She took out her crystals and tarot cards. Janey placed the sign ‘Good Fortunes Sold Here’ at the edge of the plaid blanket. They were now in business.
Alice gave Janey the first tarot reading to celebrate their day together. The tousled haired child shuffled the cards, her little fingers barely able to hold them. Janey’s button nose crinkled as she concentrated and picked six cards. She placed them face down as she had been taught.
Alice turned the first card over, “You’ve chosen the princess of cups to represent yourself. This means you really are a princess. The card that crosses you, said Alice as she turned the next one over is the Tower…oh my…” exclaimed Alice as she turned over the rest.
“What does this mean?” Jane pointed to the devil card. “He’s ugly.”
“Yes, he is. Janey, I want you to hold my hand and close your eyes for a moment. I’m going to speak directly to my angels and see what they have to say. Would you like that?”
Jane shook her head yes, though the look on her face was confused. Alice closed her eyes and went into a light trance. What she saw, as the sea breeze whipped around her, was a cloud following Jane and a hand reaching out to pull the little girl toward the dark triangular cloud. Rather than frighten Jane, Alice said in a bright voice “the angels are saying you are indeed a princess and princesses are very special.
“They never, never want you talk to strangers and that’s very, very important unless your mother or I are with you.” The singsong quality of Alice’s voice relaxed Jane. Alice continued in a slightly sterner tone imprinting her words deep into the little girl’s consciousness. “Janey never let any stranger take you anywhere. You must always tell your mom or me if anything unusual happens or anybody you don’t know wants to talk to you,” said Alice, smiling as the idea came to her. “I’m going to give you a special companion of your own, that way Kevin can’t pick on you.” Alice straightened the little girl’s collar.
“Really, are you really going to do that?”
“Yes”, said Alice picking up of small bright crystal. “And also if you ever get in trouble, you just tell this crystal and I’ll hear you.” Alice placed the Herkimer diamond, a double terminated quartz crystal which she had personally found in the town of Herkimer, New York, into small beaded bag and hung it around Jane’s neck. “You take good care of it”.
The day past pleasantly, Alice gave some dozen or so readings as the neighborhood locals dressed in raggedy cut offs and dreads threaded with multi-colored strings walked on by waving and smiling at her.Toward 4:00 pm a group of Mexican women came by. They swarmed around Alice picking up the crystals and holding them to the light to see the rainbows inside.
Miguella, one of the women, gave a bottle of homemade lemonade to Alice, saying “Please senora; come by on Wednesday evening for our healing circle. We would be so pleased.”
“Yes, I’ll be happy to come. Also I have a job for your son, Pedro perhaps you can have him come to the house tomorrow?”
“Si signora, I will ask him to call you tonight.”
Alice handed Miguella, a slip of paper with her and Ricardo’s private telephone number. “I’d appreciate it if Pedro would drive my car over in morning.” Alice on impulse handed her car keys and cell phone having decided to take public trance transit home and for the moment let go of any tracking device. ‘A bit longer but safer and surely someone on the bus would have a cell phone should anything happen’ thought Alice.
“Hasta luego!” cried the women as they marched off like a clutch of brood hens; their brightly colored clothing gaily drifted on by the faded buildings, like flags of a different country. The new barrio of the Church of Light ex-patriots had come to Venice Beach, California.
Alice and Janey had something to eat in one of the boardwalk cafés then took a circuitous route to the bus stop. The bus just happened to arrive as they got there.
Alice held Janey on her lap as they traveled home, telling this tousled haired beauty tales of faraway cities. And though Alice told her stories, a part of her stayed acutely aware of the textures and changes of the city through which they passed. Alice felt the psychic and emotional tone of the city in a visceral way. Sometimes she belched. “Might be the tacos we ate,” She kidded herself. Her psychic senses told her the city was ready for another explosion, some outbreak of violence by either Mother Nature or man.
Some external force felt as if it was exerting pressure on the city. Alice eased back her psychic explorations hesitant to bring attention to herself on the inner planes. She felt vulnerable. Instead she sang “Shree Ram, Jay Ram, Jay Jay Rama” softly as she lulled Janey to sleep. Alice had always found this chant gave her good luck when traveling, at least in the old days when she believed in luck.
Two hours later, Alice and Jane got off their bus at Gardner and Sunset Boulevard; within minutes they reached home and instantly their door swung open. “Where have you been?” Ricardo’s voice was hoarse with emotion. He was not sure if he was angry or delighted that they had finally arrived, so deep was his concern.
“Let me get Janey to upstairs for a nap then we can talk…” Alice placed a hand radiating calm and light on Ricardo’s shoulder. Come on darling.” She finished speaking to the little girl when Clara appeared and carried the child off to bed.
“I’ll get you some tea,” said Ricardo as he rolled his wheelchair towards the kitchen. Alice followed hoping to avoid an overreaction on his part.
Enhanced Security…?
“Now what happened?” demanded Ricardo as he handed Alice her tea. In the midst of her sharing about Janey’s tarot reading, her inner plane perception and telling Ricardo what she did with her car, phone and the long bus ride home, he reached for the telephone and started dialing.
“Ricardo, please don’t be so upset!”
“Upset, I’m not upset. I’m furious that I let you convince me, we might be safe living in a middle class neighborhood…uno momento,” Ricardo said into the phone, clasping his hand over the mouth piece. “Don’t worry Alice, I won’t do anything rash. I’m just calling up some guards. They’ll sit in cars through the night outside the house.” He returned to the phone speaking rapidly in Spanish.
Later Alice came back into the house from the patio garden and ran into Clara as she came downstairs from the children’s rooms. “What’s going on?”
Hearing the question Alice felt suddenly very tired but did not want to keep Clara in suspense. “Let’s sit in the living room.” They curled up in the soft couches with Alice saying “Everything’s OK in the moment.” She then recounted the events yet again.
“At least we have had a break,” Clara smiled ruefully. “I think I’ll sleep on some cushions in Jane’s room, I’ll feel better…I guess I’d better not go to Mexico or maybe I should take the kids with me?”
‘Maybe you should sleep on that decision,” commented Alice. “We’re safe for now…which is usually true at any moment in life, just a little more relevant tonight. I can see we’re tired,” said Alice, she smiled at herself as she projected her own sense of fatigue onto Clara.
Gaining more clarity she suggested “It might not be a good idea to take the children to Mexico; there are more opportunities for violence there. It may in fact be safest for them to go to camp as planned with bodyguards masquerading as counselors. Let’s look at this more closely tomorrow. And you relax.” Alice said this knowing with clear certainty that Clara was unlikely to sleep tonight. She put her hand on Clara’s shoulder sending warmth, light and a sense of peace.
By morning the house was guarded inside and out with armed guards. The outside guards were camouflaged. The Mexican gardener with the gun and walkie talkie in his overall pockets; the men in the car unobtrusively parked under the shade of a Jacaranda tree in full bloom; the old friend visiting and sitting on the front porch reading a paper, were all part of the security force.
Inside two men circulated through the house and garden like oversized shadows. Pedro, the gentle able bodied young man had become fast friends with Janey as Alice had hoped. Haram, a martial arts expert, had become Kevin’s good buddy. Such was the power of the Church of Light to protect its leader and family in exile, even indeed as the church dissolved outwardly.
It was not what Alice trusted in, though she recognized the semblance of protection alleviated fear in both Clara and Ricardo. Alice trusted in the Tao, inner harmony. “Trust in Allah, but tether your camel,” she reminded herself as she tried to accept the practical interventions of ‘security’ which had invaded Clara’s home.
Alice knew she could not talk about the Tao to her God-daughter right now. She would probably never communicate her full knowledge to Ricardo. There were even moments she felt safe enfolded in what she deemed a false sense of protection. When she experienced this she consciously shifted into greater awareness of the Tao.
LAX Departures & Arrivals
Alice was at L.A. airport aka LAX, dropping Clara off for her trip to Acapulco and picking up Neelam up, who was coming in from Montreal.
“Neelam! Alice waved at the big bear of a man as he came into the baggage area. They hugged, Neelam lifting her off the ground. “And how are you? Was the Jazz Festival good this year?”
“No, it wasn’t,” Neelam said “too much what I would call retro acid jazz but you would have loved it and the Fantasia Film Fest is still going strong after all these years.
“How are we on time?” asked Neelam
“We’re doing fine. Let’s talk in the car. I can’t believe I’m getting as mysterious as the rest of you.” Alice smiled, there were no angels in her eyes, her shoulders drooped. “This is Haram, one of our security team.” The two men shook hands. Then Haram fell in behind them as they went to find Neelam’s luggage.
Alice drove taking the surface streets back to Hollywood, partly to show Neelam some of her old haunts and partially to have time to fill him on events. She and Neelam sat in front, Haram in back checking if any cars were following them. They took a route through Westwood up to Sunset and past U.C.L.A. They wound their way past Eucalyptus and Jacaranda trees, the University buildings, traveled on and beyond Beverly Hills.
“Tomorrow night we’ll have an inner plane link with Anscar, LeClaire in France and Pauline West, the channel for Ariana of the Pleiades. She’s up at Mount Shasta. Pablo also will connect with us from Acapulco. Clara will be with him but not actively participating. Next week the plan is to pick up LeClair as well as Pablo and Jesus at the San Francisco airport and travel in entourage up the coast to Mount Shasta. We will see what comes of these meetings. Perhaps great inspiration. Anyway I am looking forward to being with these very interesting people.
“Clara, as you know, is off to Mexico for the moment; Kevin and Jane, her children leave tomorrow for summer camp. Haram, who you’ve just met, will take them to the camp and stay on as a camp counselor, teaching martial arts.
“Pedro, who you haven’t met yet, will also be onsite with the kids at camp. I had a run in on the inner plane with dark ex-terrestrials sniffing around…seems they want to get hold of Janey. We’ve doubled security. I haven’t seen any more of them but that doesn’t mean they won’t show up and make a move.
“Pedro is intuitively sensitive and at least can alert us if need be. It’s what I am counting on, in a worst case scenario. Ricardo is counting on muscle, Haram and Pedro’s fighting power.” Hearing Neelam squirm in his seat, Alice said “Yes, they will be armed…a not fun scenario to say the least and also nothing may happen.”
“Are you certain they are after Jane?”
“I guess you haven’t been around me much in recent years. You remember those psychics who would advertise 98% accuracy at the psychic exposition; by their standards I have about 200% accuracy. It’s my forté.
“You always wanted infallible abilities,” Neelam chuckled.
“And you always told me to be careful what I wished for, I might get it…the challenge for me is the caring and sense of responsibility I feel for getting Clara and her children involved .That they’ve chosen Janey as the target tells me that they are trying to imbalance my connection to source through the caring I feel.”
“Yes, but…”
“Yes, but…I know what you are going to say Neelam. And it’s a delicate balance between feeling and attachment. Once one slips into attachment, from my experience, the game is over as far as what shall we call it, the place in myself I seem to be arriving into…transcendent mastery 101.”
Alice and Neelam laughed. Haram in the back seat strained to hear what was being said but Alice and Neelam were speaking French at this point.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” said Alice, “meaning I am not speaking from a place of ego. It is difficult or merely convention on my part to use the word ‘I’. That understood, myself as an ‘I’ disappeared a long time ago. Oh, there are remnants of me left, however, life, being alive is like being inside a wave. The crest of the experience is a sense of being dissolved, simply energy. Sometimes looking into a mirror, my reflected image seems to be transparent.”
Neelam regarded Alice and watched her dissolve into light as she spoke. There was only light, where her form had been. He rubbed his eyes and her form came back into focus but only for a moment.
Her strangely disembodied voice continued “What the ‘I’ in me is trying to say is that because of this transformation which seems to have occurred, the being who is me is among the most powerful on the planet…not of course in a political sense…in the way of the Tao, inner harmony.”
Neelam noticed that all the stop lights turned green as they approached them…as they drove his experiencing became as one in a psychedelic dream. He felt his own self expand even as his heightened perception of passing scenery became crystalline, transmuting into intensified colors; structures became both fluid and permeable. Slowly, as they drove, the world returned to ordinary. Alice sat beside him not merely a vision of light. Still the sound of her voice merged at the edges with far away vibration.
“It’s easier for me to stay present in the conventional reality, for lack of a better word, if people are interacting with me, otherwise I find myself in the formless more and more.” She glanced at Neelam. “Oh dear, I’m sorry, sometimes I forget to shield this experience. I see you are having a contact high or at least that’s what we would have called it in the old days,” Alice smiled and the compassion of her heart embraced Neelam. He moved into a state of Samadhi, into ‘the peace that passeth all understanding’.
Haram felt slightly drowsy when they arrived at their destination. He felt calm but could not remember much of the ride. They arrived a half hour after Alice, Clara and Haram had left for the airport, a round trip of which should have taken more than three hours. Alice smiled, these things happened to her, now and again.
Lovers
The arrival area of the Acapulco airport had not changed since Clara’s first visit, now nearly six months ago. There was the crush of people, body to body at customs as if to insure each person realized they were somewhere else other than a fully civilized country. The General Juan N. Alarez International Airport though one of the best in Mexico still needed an upgrade in the arrival zone. The floors were marble but there was no air conditioning, at least not today. Everyone filled out their immigration forms and was duly questioned. Items like laptops, video cameras though not cell phones were required to be registered and presented on departure.
Clara perspired; tiny droplets framed her face giving her a luminous glow under the harsh overhead lights. She spotted Carlos as she exited the baggage area. He swept her into his strong arms and whispered “Mia carro, Clara” She smiled at the term of endearment. He picked up the suitcase as if it were a toy and ushered her into an air conditioned car, lent by one of his friends.
They drove towards downtown in silence. Carlos hummed. Clara felt apprehensive. They spotted the military parked at strategic places along the highway. Their car was finally pulled over. “Checking for drug dealers and terrorists,” Carlos said quietly, seemingly undisturbed. Clara’s heart beat rapidly and her body flushed with heat for no apparent reason. She was sure her cheeks were red. Another aspect, she thought of unwarranted guilt. She had become so anti-establishment recently that the presence of police or military seemed a threat.
The automatic window opened on Carlos’ side of the car. A guard with an Uzi on his shoulder looked inside as he asked Carlos where he had come from and where he was going. Clara caught the drift of their words as the two men laughed and the guard glanced at her.
“Do not be offended,” Carlos murmured as they drove off. His voice a whisper of bass notes, “I only said you were the love of my life come to visit me for a week…” He put his hand on her thigh and she felt a hot rush between her legs. Her mind faltered. Her body did not.
Carlos lived in a small house about a mile north from Plaza Canada and the Americana Hotel where Clara had stayed last time. The house seemed ordinary to the casual observer in this neighborhood of other small houses, barely paved streets and wrought iron gates, except for the bars at the windows. Clara had only moments, to glimpse inside of the first floor as Carlos guided her upstairs into a room lined with guns racks. Two steps up at the end of gun room was another room where a small incongruous alter had been placed between two six foot high crystal power wands, the bedroom lay beyond.
Shutting the door, Carlos turned on the air conditioner which hummed boldly in the blue darkness. He then swept Clara onto the bed and loomed over her, his powerful body surrounding her. Within moments, Carlos was inside her, thrusting into the core of her being. Despite the lack of foreplay, she was wet and open with the passion of her attraction. He turned her over, placing a hand in the small of her back and pushing her down, he lifted her buttocks higher with his other hand and came in from behind.
She felt like a love slave. Her soul, as Alice would say had not caught up to her body. Clara started to go unconscious as he thrust deeper. She screamed. His hand came across her mouth. He turned her onto her back and came into her yet again. An ecstasy of energy reached into her finger tips and her sex felt heavy like forbidden fruit suddenly ripened. She felt the woman goddess in her as she took him deeper into her, merging his energy with hers.
Carlos went on and on and on. The ever ready bunny had nothing on him. Her body went heavy like slow moving water. She could no longer keep up. She tried to pull away but he pulled her back. He put her legs above his shoulders. She let go into passivity as waves of orgasms moved over and through her, she who felt beyond her limits.
Clara woke in the middle of the night. She came present to the presence beside her, a moment later Carlos came to her again, like a darkness covering her being. Man over woman, the taker and the taken.
In the morning he slide his hand along her body, touching her nipples and her sex, admiring the shape of her body, its color light against his dark skin. He placed his cock in her mouth. She sucked sometimes like a baby on a breast, sometimes like a sex slave and for a few moments like a woman arousing her man then he masturbated himself beating the head of his cock against her lips as he came into her mouth.
He tasted almost sweet. Clara looked desperately around for a box of Kleenex she would have kept by the bedside if this had been her bedroom. With no Kleenex in sight, she swallowed the salty sweetness of him and found herself even more sexually aroused by this unaccustomed act. A breakfast of Mexican coffee and mangoes followed.
The shutters of the house were closed as they ate and sipped their coffee in the living room. Clara pulled her laptop computer out after clearing the dishes and started inputting some sensitive data Carlos had on the resistance. Church of Light had folded but its mission continued in a newly restructured form. This time it would be a subtext within the Catholic Church, whose mission in South America had become more radicalized as it was no longer in bed with the status quo or the drug cartels.
The Elders
By one o’clock they were off for the day to meet with the unofficial Church of Light elders who had been gathering from all over Mexico during the past month in Acapulco. They drove past squalor, children, babies, mothers, old people abandoned to the streets.. ‘At least it is warm’ was Clara’s only comforting thought as they drove through dusty villages surmounted by well-appointed homes.
The elders had come to meet in a guarded compound. They came to discuss the future of what had been the Church of Light and the United States of Mexico. The leaders were about to run a candidate for president who was not outwardly connected to them. Rodriquez Quero, was the man, known for moderation and honesty. He seemed like the best candidate to support.
Clara came to the meeting partially to get a sense of the emotional tone of the elders and report back to Ricardo the initiatives they would be undertaking. She also came as Ricardo’s personal representative along with Pablo. Clara, though, she spoke little Spanish was able to follow most conversations. She also had a special gift for picking up motivation and had an acute sensitivity to hearing when someone did not speak the truth.
Feeling like a sex slave turned church executive, Clara found herself grateful in not being expected to speak. She smiled graciously and received congratulations and greetings meant for the newly married Ricardo and Alice.
Her heart skipped a beat seeing Pablo on the far side of the conference room. They had never become intimate physically but they had worked side by side on many occasions when Pablo was able to come to Los Angeles. Pablo had been very protective and caring of her. Clara had thought they would become lovers at first. Somehow whenever they seemed close, he or she would pull back, still Clara was aware she had feelings for him.
Pablo came to stand by her as Carlos went out to the car, coming back with two Uzi’s. “Are those really necessary?” she asked.
Pablo responded as Carlos walked towards them. “You never know. You probably passed a blockade coming into the city. Security has tightened everywhere. The government is expecting a resurrection of native power…We’ve been gathering gradually over the last month, so as to appear inconspicuous. But it is not just us, there are bandits, terrorists everywhere…I mean everyone is a ‘native’ if they are not in power. That is a lot of people feeling disenfranchised. It began with those of Indian descent, now it’s everyone.”
Suddenly there were shots. Pablo pulled her to the floor. “It may be nothing,” he whispered. Pablo made his way over to Carlos who handed him a gun, then the two of them exited by a side door. Ten minutes later they were back sounding the all clear. Something or nothing, we’re not sure. It’s either young toughs or government spies…they are gone now,” Pablo said quietly to Clara indicating to her that he had tracked the interlopers psychically. Carlos was consulting with the elders.
The semi-circular white washed room glowed with sunlight streaming from the windows set high on the walls. “Stay clear of the windows, just to be safe.” Carlos took hold of her arm just a little bit too tightly and ushered Clara to the other side of the room. The heels of her shoes clicked on the terracotta floor.
“How can you be so cool and cavalier?”
“It comes with the land, in Mexico we celebrate death. This situation has been with us a long time. You either learn to play the game or you die, emotionally or physically. Adapt.” Carlos sat her abruptly in a chair and stood behind.
The meeting began with a prayer invoking the higher powers. Some twenty people, mostly men, stood or sat in a circle. Each introduced themselves and stated their concerns. Finally a man came forward who sent shivers up Clara’s spine. Leaning toward Carlos, she asked who he was. “Ah,” said Carlos “that’s Luis D’Angelo, the one person you must be careful of in the group. In a sense, he is a rival of Ricardo’s. They are ‘brothers’ often of opposite opinions. Luis always wanted to be the master shaman. Some say he dabbles in magic.”
“Definitely something scary about him,” murmured Clara.
“Perhaps though, I think he would only like you to think that…yes.”
The man now in the center of the circle was gesticulating and speaking, voice and body language equally loud. “I am saying we must unite against el president politically and in every way. We must topple his government,” Luis ranted.
“We are agreed but we would rather do it without violence,” Jesus the old shaman intoned. “Is this not true, Clara?”
Startled to find herself in the midst of political strategy, Clara firmly clasped the arms of the old Spanish chair she was sitting in to give herself a sense of support. “Yes, this is so, Ricardo would prefer you do not engage in violence.”
D’Angelo shouted, “He is old and weak.”
Clara continued in her broken Spanish as Pablo stepping forward into the circle, implemented with further translations and longer explanations.
“On the inner planes, we in North America are negotiating a closer alliance with help on the visible and invisible planes. Many of you have been aware of this help to the Church of Light over the years. The Church of Light is now transforming into an international organization,” Clara stated as strongly and clearly as possible.
Pablo continued, “Ricardo would like, as many of you also would like, to preserve the mission all committed to so many years ago. He has always been a voice of reason to protect not only ourselves and our loved ones and so many others without violence. To be strong, yes, but to be violent, except when absolutely necessary, is to endanger all who engage in it. He would perhaps suggest organized pressure.
“Organize the people to elect a person to lead the country willing to be strong for the people. You have chosen that person, Rodriquez Quero. It is time to speak of how to inspire our people to elect Rodriuez and ensure at the polls the votes are not tampered with. This is what we have come together to speak to as well particular problems of our peoples.”
Clara spoke up, “I am new to you all and also I apologize..my Spanish is limited. I have only been studying with Ricardo for a short time. I speak to you in this moment as a mother. Last week one of my children was threatened. Having increased security with guns makes me feel safe at home but I know another solution must be found. We are not only involved with enemies that can be seen but sometimes by invisible forces. We must marshal our resources to promote change that enhances all of humanity.
“We are humanity, even those opposed to us are part of humanity. We must find a way to have silent revolution. We must transform from the establishment from the inside even as we find allies on the inner plane we must find those allies in those of power in society ”
Something in the heart felt sincerity of Clara’s statement touched those who listened. Murmurs of assent went through the group. They thanked her and then proceeded to gather around Pablo and Carlos to talk through the details.
Clara slipped away and gratefully accepted some camomile tea from one of the women who provided refreshments. They too were listening intently to the proceedings.
Yes, but…
The children had left for summer camp early this morning with Haram and Pablo. Neelam and Alice sat, in the quiet that followed, having bowls of café au lait in the patio coutyard. They discussed the current global disasters and uprising. The quality of the linking with others on the astral plane would be tested this evening by the newly formed organization of United Light International, ULight for short. The agenda included discussion of some of the world’s latest challenges
“I am keeping an eye on picking up any interventions by the ‘dark aliens’, Alice stated. “Any hot spots influenced by them Anscar and I will monitor. The rest will be assigned to the others according to their interest and influence. We intend, over time, to bring more and more light workers into this process.
“Did you know that during World War II specific spiritual groups were monitoring the Third Reich? I belonged to one of these groups many years ago, the Builders of the Adytum. Ann Davies, the key leader at the time spoke about her experiences. I recently heard that Aurobindo and the Mother who founded Auroville in India were also involved. Apparently the Mother appeared to Hitler in a vision and told him to attack Russia not England. If the Germans had attacked England at the time they would have won the war. Attacking Russia in winter was obviously doomed to failure. “
Alice paused to sip her café au lait or should she now call it café con leche. “I don’t know if the part about the Mother appearing to Hitler is true. She was French and to my eyes looked as if she might be Jewish. Perhaps she took on the appearance of a blond blue eyed Aryan when she appeared to Hitler. Do you know, Neelam?
“The fact is Aurobindo as you do know, was a freedom fighter in India; he went to trial and spent a year in prison. He was a warrior on many planes. Inner plane warfare and defense is not a new thing.” She smiled wistfully “Drinking coffee always makes me talk a lot.” Esoteric gossip was something she and Neelam indulged. He smiled back at Alice.
“Ann Davies also, I remember, told us how people would have their hair dyed many colors in the future. That as you know has been happening a lot since the beginning of the millennium but at the time in the early nineteen seventies seemed unlikely. I am getting off topic.
“Neelam, you probably also know Hitler had engaged a renegade group of Tibetans to work their magic to gain power. That’s where the swastika comes from, albeit it is counter clockwise from the way it is usually used in the East”, Alice continued on her caffeine high but Neelam finally interrupted. “I am looking forward to this evening,” he said “since it will start at midnight to accommodate European morning etc. I need to take a long nap this afternoon. I am three hours ahead of West coast time. Where is Ricardo?”
“Ricardo? He’s getting physio in his room. His arm recovered but he also injured his spine, hence the wheelchair. We thought it best not to have me as his primary or only therapist. He is doing well between physio and CranioSacral Therapy. I am pleased with his progress. He’ll join us later.
“If things stay quiet, we will make a trip up the coast to Mount Shastra next week” They were both silent, each with their own thoughts. “What could go wrong” Alice smiled. “Yes, But…” Neelam started to say.
Catch up to this chapter go to The Adventures of Alice Wonderbar and Healing Romance & Intrigue
