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When Chloe got home she took a long hot bath and changed into warm clothes. She tried to make sense of the overload of emotions that had quickly come crashing down onto her. She couldn’t help but feel upset. It was as though nothing was going right in her life. She constantly felt like everything and everyone was against her, that everything was just one great big disappointment after the other.
She sat upright on the head of her bed and set her meditation timer, ready for her meditation. She knew it was the answer to her uncontrollable emotions getting the better of her mind, and meditation helped her see the situation from a different perspective, reminding her to be patient with the journey of life. As she closed her eyes to delve deep inside herself, she wondered, why she had waited so long to do this when it had always created such a beautiful, profound experience afterwards. She felt more in tune with herself, more accepting of herself after she meditated. She had discovered a new way to come home to herself, but it had been weeks since she had meditated, and even longer since she had called upon her Spirit Guides.
She began with deep breathing as instructed by her sister. And in those few moments that she spent peacefully breathing she felt inspired. Her overload of thoughts slowly diminished and she felt herself swirling in a circle. A compass of black surrounded her, and slowly, as the spinning began to stop, colors overtook her senses, flashing in spots and squares and shapes of every kind. The colors then turned into shapes, and the shapes into people, animals and places. She finally rested in the same place she had been in before. ‘The meeting place’. She stood on top of the hill with the long road, the giant tree on the left, the soft pebbles on the ground and the tall grass. The sun had not risen, it was dawn and the atmosphere was misty. It wasn’t difficult to see right in front of her, but it was hard to see far away.
After a short time time, Sam appeared once again. this time he wore a blue silk kimono, and traditional Japanese wooden sandals on his feet. He nodded to her and the same feeling of comfort they had shared on her previous visit overtook them both. In this moment that they shared, Chloe forgot everything of her life back home. The sadness she felt for her ill sister and the fear of her own limiting beliefs all vanished when she was with him. It was strange. The energy between them just blossomed like a flower, constantly opening, the petals forever changing their shapes and colors. So beautiful! It felt so calming, yet at the same time exciting - a non-stop process of transformation.
“I don’t remember why I came here.” Chloe finally said as they stood together.
“Come.” he said, directing her to walk with him up the hill. “At the top of this hill is your Garden of Life at this present moment.”
Chloe walked side by side with Sam up the hill. It stretched out longer than she expected and the pebbles on the ground began to get thicker as she reached the top. She held no fear inside herself, rather, eagerness to see what awaited them at the top.
“This is your Garden of Life.” Sam announced as he gestured to the empty garden in front of them. It was a big, wooden-fenced rectangular garden, full of dried hay and a little compost. There are too many empty holes in the ground and too much empty space, Chloe thought, and she felt empty staring at it. There were no flowers, no grass, no plants or trees. It wasn't an inviting environment to walk through, and Chloe felt deeply saddened that she had created this world for herself.
She stood next to the closest hole and touched the edge.
“This hole represents your self-love and self-confidence.” Sam said as he watched Chloe mourn in silence.
“And the this one?” she asked, walking to the second hole, looking inside the vast empty space.
“This is your life’s purpose. You are not listening to yourself.”
“I cannot hear myself!” Chloe replied angrily, but the notion of anger did not exist in this world and it disappeared before it even tried to come out. Her words were spoken softly and neutralized, and the self-pity she once felt had disappeared too. She only wanted to better herself and create a harmonious environment that would enable her to blossom within.
“I want to plant seeds and water this garden.” Chloe said as she stared at the mess in front of her, and as she spoke of her desires, they manifested in front of her being.
In her left hand she now held a seed, and in her right hand, a bucket of water. She leapt to the first empty space, and placed the seed deeply into it, and while doing so she wished love and light to grow within it. She pushed a pile of dirt that had now appeared next to the hole and filled it up. Then, she poured the water from the bucket slowly into the hole, and watched as the dirt rose with the water, seeping quickly into the ground, wanting to refresh itself with a vibration of new energy.
Once satisfied with her planting, she moved onto the next one. And then the next one, and the next one after that, and she didn’t stop. She moved so quickly she felt as though she had multiple versions of herself working at the same time and continued until she couldn't move any further.
After she had caressed each empty vessel with love and a seed of new birth, she rested and stood back with Sam to look at what she had created.
Sam waved to the sky, and the sun rose high above them, and as it did, the plants began to blossom, and beautiful grass grew. Chloe could hear birds chirping, and butterflies began flying around them. She lifted her hand and fluttered her fingers, as though mimicking a waterfall of rain. And together with the help of Sam, she created a rain to fall and water the garden once more. In the strong bright sunlight the flowers grew tall and beautiful and colorful, and the animals and birds quickly followed their lead. She smiled to Sam.
“You have the power to change your garden for better or worse anytime you wish.” he said.
“I want to shower it with love and positivity always. Look how beautiful this feels.” Chloe closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face and the cleansing energy from the rain that now surrounded them.
She opened her eyes and was drawn to a flower. It was full of pink tulip petals, soft and delicate to touch.
“This flower represents happiness.” Chloe heard a voice speak inside.
“How do I get it?” she asked.
Sam came and stood next to her. “Continue on your path, keep doing what you are doing and never give up. Creating magic is what makes you truly happy.”
“But I don’t know my direction.” Chloe replied sadly.
“Yes you do.” Sam said, but his mouth didn’t open as he responded. Instead, Chloe felt as though the voice was coming from her heart.
“You mean my painting?”
Sam nodded.
“Never stop creating your beauty. Keep your magic alive and it will continue to feed your soul.”
The words Sam spoke resonated strongly with Chloe, and as she agreed with this simple truth, she realized she was crazy to have ever thought otherwise.
“Can we explore this garden?” Chloe asked, as the grass around them had now grown higher, and the flowers kept blossoming, and the animals kept reproducing. What would have taken years to evolve on Earth, took mere seconds in this magical place. Sam nodded, and together they wandered through the tall grass leaves and endless flowering plants that now marked the edge of the roads like a fence. And as she graced through the tall grass, the whiskers of their tips tickled her skin. The grass looked as though it extended for miles, she looked around, trying to find an end goal to be reached, but there was none. And so she stopped in her tracks and looked to Sam, who looked back at her, his big eyes revealing his loving heart. The outer edge of his body somehow disappeared into the surroundings around him, and all Chloe could see was the auric field energy of his heart, a bouncing light of white and gold in front of her.
“Shall we sit?” she asked, ignoring the fact that she couldn't see his body, it didn’t matter - she still felt his presence.
They sat down on the ground, right where they were, with the tall grass hovering over their heads. To the right of where she sat between two long stalks of green grass, there was a beautiful spider web. So intricately woven, so delicately created that she was utterly mesmerized. Small droplets of morning dew hung to the edges of the silk web, like jewels, glistening in the sun. The edges of the web stretched out with unbalanced harmony. Yet, the rawness and unevenness was perfectly synchronized to catch the spider’s prey. The pattern appeared like a maze and every piece held great importance. One thread was produced to come after and to connect back to the piece that was spun before. Neither could stand without each other, and with this web the spider, a master engineer, had manifested its own glory. Slowly, and carefully, with great patience, an idea came into fruition, from inside the spiders’ mind.
As Chloe looked to Sam, she could feel his intention through his energy, and as prompted, she looked back to the spiders’ web, with great determination to understand its message.
“Look at the time it took for the spider took to create its art.” Sam said as he pointed to the spider.
“Everything takes time, but time is obsolete. Eventually you will get there. Sometimes it will speed up and at other times feel as if it was moving at a turtles’ pace, but you mustn't give up on understanding and appreciating the simple pleasures of life. If you find what it is that makes you happy and you do this every day, then you will have created a beautiful life for yourself.”
Chloe nodded with admiration for the spider and relief for having met Sam. She could feel the burning desire inside of her to do as he suggested and take the time to build her life as she desired. To create the life she had always wanted.
Then the sound of the chimes from her alarm clock drifted through the space where she sat, and slowly, Sam and the world she imagined drifted away too.
“I will come visit soon.” she promised, smiling at Sam and thanking him for his gift.
When Chloe woke up she felt as though she had literally come back into her body. It was a strange feeling, as though she had opened her eyes for the very first time. She felt empowered, motivated and ready as she reflected upon the vision she’d had of how beautifully the spider had created its web. It made her think of her desire to be an artist.
She wondered what strong, stable steps she could take to make her dream into a reality. She knew she could make it real but that it would take time, but time she had. Everyone has time, she thought. And through her dream of being a self-employed artist she could see the steps in place that she needed to take. How she would need to be aware of her surroundings, learn the art world and understand the mindset of the customers who would buy it. It wouldn't just be a matter of luck - she needed to build networks and attract the clients. As much as she desired to retreat inside her creative hub, she knew she needed to expand and push herself out of her comfort zone to learn from those who had successfully walked the artists’ way before her. She knew she had what it took to succeed. Strength and determination like that of the spider, to never give up. No matter what obstacle stood in her way she would succeed. Even if she was the last one standing, she would succeed.
She picked up her notebook laying next to the bed and started to write a plan. It started with a one week plan, then a one month plan, then a one year plan and ended with a five year plan. She just kept writing and writing, and planning how to manifest and create her most desirable future of an ideal world that would make her the happiest to live in. She wrote down the little steps which lead to the big steps and understood that although it would take time she would be happy every step of the way because it would lead her that much closer to her dream.
“I’m not going to spend my money on traveling as I originally thought.” Chloe said to her parents the next morning over breakfast. Her mother and father looked at each other, confused, and wondering what she was going to say next. “I want to buy some new art supplies, and start painting again.” Chloe told them as she sat them down to explain her plan. “I’m thinking of trying to get a job at an art gallery. Even if it’s just an internship to start with, I’ll be happy.”
Her parents paused before replying, and Chloe wondered if in fact she had their support. But she finally felt the confidence within that even if she didn’t, it wasn’t going to stop her, for she felt the strength she needed within her own self.
“Chloe it’s so beautiful to see you have direction and goals once again. We support you 100%!” her father said as he and her mother both nodded. “You are very talented and we believe in you.”
And from just this simple support from her family, Chloe felt strength in her essence, and a little bit more confidence in her brush strokes.
“I’m going to research every art gallery in town and submit my resume.” she continued, showing her resume to her parents. “Can you please look it over and let me know if it’s okay? I stayed up all night doing it.”
Her parents looked it over, and then looked to one another and smiled, nodding their heads together in agreement. “It looks great Chloe. Make sure you go in person to these art galleries, ask to see the owner or at least the manager and hand it to whoever that is, okay?” her father said in an authoritative tone.
“Yes, yes! First impressions are the most important.” her mother added. “And add a cover letter about why you want to work for them. Tell them how it’s inline with your aspirations. This is always a great help.”
Chloe smiled with enthusiasm and she jumped up and down like an excited child, ready to take the next step. She felt more determined than ever and ready to research the list of art galleries she would apply to.
“I’m going to go to the hospital and tell Ashley about it. I’ve been meaning to give her that painting I made her as well.” Chloe said, as she remembered the turtle painting she made when Ashley first went into the hospital. She had packed it away along with her dreams, but now it was time to bring it back out into the light.
“Sure, I’ll give you a lift. I need to go to the supermarket anyway.” her mother said, standing and patting Chloe on the back, giving her a little nudge of support.
The hospital felt different each time Chloe went. Every time a little bit brighter, every time a little bit happier. Dr. Clive was sitting next to Ashley when she arrived. She stood in the doorway silently watching them converse. Ashley was staring intently at the doctor, listening, talking, and giggling. Chloe loved to see her that way. She hadn’t seen such a beautiful smile on her sister’s face in years. Was it due to her recovery, or was it something more? She wondered.
“Chloe!” Ashley shrieked with excitement. She was almost back to her regular self. The scars on her face had completely healed, and the color had seeped back into her cheeks.
“I’m not interrupting, am I?” Chloe smiled mischievously, she still loved to tease her sister after all.
“Not at all.” the doctor replied as he moved back towards the door. “I’ll let your sister tell you the good news.” he continued as he smiled wholeheartedly.
He turned to leave, but not before looking at Ashley one last time before walking through the door.
“Chloe you brought me the painting!” Ashley said excitedly in a giddy school girl kind of voice as she pointed to the painting Chloe held in her hands.
“Whoa, hold on a minute. First of all, tell me: what was that was all about?” she demanded, pointing to the doctor. “Are you and...?”
“Well, kind of, yeah.” Ashley smiled, looking away nervously. “We’ve been speaking every day, and he’s so sweet and smart.”
“And, do you like him?” Chloe put her hands on her hips as she asked, slightly demanding to know the answer. She was a little bit confused, but not surprised, because of course her sister would be able to turn any situation around from the negative to the positive.
“I just connect so well with his Eastern philosophy of life and his Indian upbringing.” Ashley gushed as her eyes opened wide, and her smile mirrored the same openness. “And he just asked me out for a proper date.” Chloe could tell she was very happy and excited.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you!”
“Thanks! But that wasn't the good news!” Ashley smiled again, laughing quietly to herself for holding it in.
“It wasn’t?” Chloe asked as she placed the painting on the corner of the table.
“He also said that I can finally go home!”
“Ashley that’s amazing!” Chloe squealed as she leapt into her sisters arms and cuddled her tightly. She could feel the bones still strong in her body, and uttered a big sigh of relief for how much everything could change in just a few weeks.
“When?”
“He said maybe by the weekend.”
“What a wonderful turn of events this has been!” Chloe said as they laughed at the irony of the situation.
“I know!” she agreed. “Now, show me your painting!”
“I don’t remember painting it of course.” Chloe said as she lifted the painting to the base of the bed.
“Oh Chloe, it’s incredible! I have shivers! It’s exactly what I saw when I had my out of body experience.” Ashley spoke with tears in her eyes as she reflected on her experience that felt so real, yet unable to be explained in words.
“What else happened when you were unconscious? Do you remember?” Chloe asked awkwardly. It’s not that they hadn’t talked about the accident, but the focus was always on how to get better, and future plans to move it along. But now that things were changing, it finally felt like the appropriate time to ask.
“I just remember the feeling of knowing. I can’t remember too many visions, just visiting you, and I saw lots of different colors. I remember the feeling I had when you, mom and dad would visit. I could feel you here, did you know that?”
“How did you know?”
“I could just feel it. The energy felt different, like I was submerged in a warm pool of water. I felt nurtured and safe, supported and surrounded by all of your love. It was beautiful.”
Ashley closed her eyes as she relived the moment and shared her thoughts. The words flowed through her effortlessly, and she painted a picture of how divinely connected they all were - how for a brief moment in time she was able to experience something so profound, so real and truthful that it put everything in her life into perspective. She now had a great appreciation for her life, with no fear of the future, no worries from the past, and she was able to focus her attention on just the present moment despite any apparent obstacles. And that present moment was sitting in her hospital room with her sister, sharing their time together by simply listening and sharing stories.