that rippled throughout its form. The figure was covered in armor that seemed to be composed of a material that was at once metal and sunlight. The material seemed to pulsate with a life of its own. The figure solidified and floated in front of the fireplace. The room seemed to dissolve slightly as the figure materialized.
The entity’s head was humanoid in form, though one could not tell whether it was male or female. The head was surrounded by a soft nimbus of light that revealed the shimmering outlines of a nose, eyes, and lips. Its eyes blazed with the fury of a thousand blue-white stars and the entire room was soon filled with their glory. A large silvery-gold medallion added dazzling energy and power to the figure’s presence. It looked exactly like the medallion that Mitchell had worn earlier.
“Mitchell Earl Gibson, your Creator summons you.”
Mitchell and Kathy briefly raised their heads and gazed upon the figure. The words spoken by the entity were loud and clear, though neither Mitchell nor Kathy could see movement around its mouth or head. The words flowed into their minds like the gentle breeze of a warm midnight wind flowing over the ocean. As the entity spoke, they both became overwhelmed with sensations of indescribable joy, warmth, and power.
Kathy’s eyes were already brimming with tears of joy and elation.
Tears began to form in Mitchell’s eyes but he fought them back and held his composure. Long years of meditation had helped him maintain his focus in the presence of this being.
“I hear the words of my master, and I will obey,” Mitchell replied without moving or rising to his feet.
“Shall I accompany him?” Kathy asked reverently as she composed herself.
“Know this, soon shall your services be required, my child.”
The figure flashed a brilliant incandescent white for a moment, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished.
Mitchell and Kathy sat transfixed in awe and wonder for a few moments. Mitchell rose to his feet and reached his hand out to Kathy. She slowly rose to her feet and reached out to hold her husband.
“I will return as soon as I can,” Mitchell said softly.
“I know you will, my love. We need to prepare.”
Kathy and Mitchell made their way to the master bedroom. They both knew that a formal summoning from the Creator must be answered quickly. Several points of preparation and decorum were, however, essential to one’s proper presentation to the Most High.
Mitchell removed all of his clothing and took a quick shower. As he exited the shower, Kathy anointed his body with jasmine, cinnamon, and myrrh oil. Mitchell walked into the master closet and removed a long white and gold robe. The robe was simple in its design. The outer arms were lined with two golden roses, which were small and had been hand sewn into the garment by Kathy herself.
The children were both in their rooms busily catching up on homework and emails, though not necessarily in that order.
Mitchell and Kathy made their way down the stairs into the meditation room. Before they reached the bottom flight of stairs, Kathy stopped in the kitchen, opened the large set of doors under the sink, and retrieved a wide-mouthed tin bucket. She filled the bucket with water and carefully placed it on the floor beside the sink. She then traced two rune signs above the water. The air above the bucket seemed to crackle with power as Kathy focused on the working. Mitchell recognized the first rune as Thurisaz, the rune of blessing. The second rune was Ingwaz, the rune of power. After she completed the rune working, Kathy plunged her right hand into the water and uttered a final Word of Power for protection. She then took the pail and carried it down the stairs.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Mitchell opened the door to the meditation room and removed his robe. He quietly sat on the meditation couch, closed his eyes, and began to pull himself down into trance. Kathy removed a clear container of blessed rainwater from the shelf near the couch. She poured two drops of the water into the bucket. The blessed rainwater mixed with the water in the bucket, which then turned a soft blue-gold in color. Kathy knew that they were ready.
Mitchell was already deep in trance. She lifted his feet and placed them into the water. She removed the large bronze medallion from its spot on the wall where Mitchell had placed it earlier that evening. She held the medallion in her hands briefly and whispered a Word of Power over it. The medallion sparkled with a shimmering blue light. She then placed it around Mitchell’s neck. Within minutes, the medallion began to shimmer and pulsate with new life. Kathy seated herself comfortably by Mitchell’s feet and held the bucket steady. She watched intently as his spiritual body rose from his physical form. She closed her eyes and followed her husband’s journey with her vision.
Chapter Seven
A New Charge
Mitchell felt the cool energy of the charged water surround his feet. Even while deep in trance, he could feel the power begin to surge into his spiritual form. With his spiritual eye, he looked lovingly at Kathy as she sat vigilantly by his side. She smiled at his form as he gazed at her. Soon, he felt a familiar crescendo of warmth begin to build within his spiritual form. The energy rose from the base of his spine, swirled around his pelvic region, and swiftly rose toward his third eye. The energy pulsated and crackled as it gathered intensity. It moved with a will of its own as it traveled through Mitchell’s form. He gathered as much of the energy as he could with his will and focused intently.
He turned his spiritual vision inward. He saw the energy form into a large comet-like shape, pick up speed, and race off toward what appeared to be a star-like presence in the distance. Mitchell focused all his will on keeping pace with the comet.
The comet rushed past planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies filled with life. Mitchell could still feel the power surging into him from the water that Kathy had prepared. Its flow and current added mightily to his own power as he focused on the journey at hand. The star-like presence in the distance grew larger with each passing moment. The intensity of the light surrounding its presence was blinding, even to Mitchell’s spiritual vision. Mitchell adjusted his concentration and trained his will upon the center of the light. Soon, the comet form seemed to slow its pace. The stars and galaxies had disappeared. There were no nebulae present in this place. Mitchell knew that they were nearing their destination. He focused his concentration upon the comet. Up to this point, it was all that he could do to keep up with the racing comet form. Now he knew that more was required.
Mitchell willed his spiritual form to take the shape of a tiny ball of light. The tiny form picked up speed and soon overtook the comet. Mitchell then merged his tiny light form with the comet energy. The comet began to pick up speed and began to move in a convoluted and erratic motion. Mitchell knew that he must not lose contact with the form. The comet bucked and roiled as it attempted to lose him. Once, it stopped suddenly, flung itself backward, and dropped sharply at a steep 90-degree angle.
The comet then began to constrict itself around Mitchell’s tiny form. Mitchell could feel powerful bands of energy struggling to squeeze and threaten his life force. He fought the constriction with all his will. The comet then stopped suddenly. The constriction eased and he sensed that he had stopped moving. Suddenly, the comet’s energy dissolved into a shower of a billion rivulets of silvery-gold light. As it dissolved, Mitchell could clearly see the outline of six angelic figures standing before him. He had arrived.
Mitchell opened his spiritual vision as widely as he could. Before him he saw six impossibly tall, winged angelic beings. Each of the angels appeared to be some 50 feet in height. Their wings were burnished gold and they wore
