Sacred WomanGuiding light on an eternal journey,Of this world, yet spirit-filled.Dancing to the Earth’s rich rhythms,Divine celebration of celestial love.Enlightened Master - teacher to all,Seeker of immortal truths.Sacred, the Woman who dwells within me.***************************************How can a woman overcome seemingly insurmountable adversity and discover her authentic self? Author Cynthia E. Kazalia delivers a compelling work infused with the wisdom of the ages. In this fictional tale, you journey with Adanya in her quest for an elusive goddess as well as the treasure which is our heroine’s divine birthright. Our seeker explores the dark arts, exotic, faraway lands, and the arms of a captivating mortal. Who is her father, her sacred mother?This timeless story empowers every reader from teen to college student to middle-aged mother and beyond. If you or someone you love faces life’s challenges - loss, pain, abuse, divorce, illness, anxiety, self-esteem - this book speaks directly to you. It outlines the twelve (12) Sacred Woman principles, spiritual truths that transform lives. You’ll explore your own inner voice as well as how to accept, forgive, and move forward into your life. Listen to the inner whisper of your soul. Embrace the Divine that dwells within. It speaks the truth. You journey connected to the power of the Universe. There is a better way. Like Adanya, you can overcome hardship and walk with greater awareness, increased vibrancy. The time is now. Rise up and meet your destiny!

SACRED WOMAN

By CYNTHIA E. KAZALIA

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2011 Cynthia E. Kazalia
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-3272-1

Chapter One

"I can't do it, Grandmother," the petulant, discouraged, voice exclaimed. "I can't please anyone! I don't even know why I bother to try. Everyone thinks that I am but an impulsive child. I don't think that I even make a difference in this world. "

The old woman, her face bearing the lines of many lifetimes, peered curiously at the girl. Something in the heartfelt words resonated within the ancient's soul. Ageless eyes, clear and brilliant in color, bore into the eleven year old that shared her bloodline. The girl, her own fruit not yet ripe, felt as if this one, this being who walked the earth long before her own birth, penetrated her very being.

Finally, the old woman spoke, her voice barely more than a raw, raspy whisper, as the sound of crinkled, fallen leaves underfoot. "Once upon a time, I knew a girl who felt as you now do." And, as her eyes stared off into another time, a different place, the normally quivering voice steadied as she began to tell a story with no beginning or end. A story of long ago - meant for all eternity.

The child entered this world on the wings of a hawk. Its feathered form cut silently through the darkness of night with the precision of a hunter's knife. Land and water, a delicate mix of shadow and light, merged beneath his powerful, relentless form. Effortlessly, he crossed mountains and deserts and plains. Stars, incandescent threads against an ebony tapestry, illuminated the celestial journey as if aware of the importance of their friend's fluid, ceaseless movement.

Neither hunger beat at his belly nor thirst threatened to ground him. The spiritual elders provided for even this, the most basic of needs. Regardless, the Winged One understood that this moment's was not the time for physical nourishment. He flew on, intent on his spiritual mission - the Beloved with whom he had been so carefully entrusted.

Atop a voluminous pile of downy feathers, a baby rested contentedly on the hawk's broad mid-section. Peaceful slumber gently caressed this holy passenger as she entertained visions laced with the wisdom of the ages. All knowledge and truth flowed deep within the rivers of her subconscious. Yet she slept - unaware of either the earth below or the heaven that was, and always would be, within her grasp.

On that ground so far below, a lone wolf ran. Running Wolf, as he appropriately came to be called, instinctively followed the path that the Beloved traveled. It mattered not that she journeyed now on the wings of a hawk. For, like the Winged One, Running Wolf served as an animal spirit, an anointed entity summoned to guide and protect this child as she walked the great Earth. Neither time nor space, things seen or unseen, could separate either animal from his charge.

Night leisurely revealed its infinite mysteries before conceding to the pristine brilliance of an untouched dawn. Cloaked in dense fog, as protective wrap swaddling a newborn, the Winged One crossed the final mountain peak just as the fiery orb rose unceremoniously over the horizon. The regal bird then exited the evaporating mist, skimmed the translucent, azure lake with his wings, and landed softly in an iridescent field.

This was the Valley of Lilies. Ringed by majestic mountains melting into crystal waters, the meadow boasted a breathtaking array of lilies. White and pink. Orange and yellow. Waxy, elegant crowns stretched upward, greeting the ever-expanding sunlight as golden trumpets heralding revered royalty.

The hawk, too, lifted a talon in greeting - if only to acknowledge Running Wolf's presence. The wolf inexplicably materialized in a natural clearing not long after the bird ceased its eternal flight. The carnivorous animal returned the simple gesture, stretching out his front paws, lowering his head to honor this kindred, winged spirit.

Then the four-legged one skillfully closed the distance between them and expertly lifted the Beloved off the Winged One's back. He moved rapidly, carrying her in his powerful, steeled jaws as a coveted gift, its contents yet unwrapped. The trio proceeded without hesitation in the direction of the Beloved's future.

A single cabin populated the thick, densely wooded area by the lakeshore. Its rough hewn walls bordered a dirt floor, offering the two occupants shelter from the chill still lingering in the dew-laden spring air. Smoke trailed lazily out of the stone chimney. Nothing stirred.

Running Wolf arrived at the weathered front door of the cabin and gently lowered then released the baby upon the flagstone doorstep. He positioned himself, with intention, next to the precious bundle, eyes darting, alert yet still, like a palace sentry. The Winged One adjusted the Beloved's coverings with his mighty beak then soared to the top of a tall pine tree. Waiting. Watching. A glint of silver flashed among the sleeping child's soft cashmere blankets as the brightness of the yet rising sun enveloped them.

Inside the shelter, Elu pulled himself up from the pallet that he shared with Mahwah and stood erect, his back straight, muscular body lean. Long hair, grey for more than ten winters, lay tamed in two intricately beaded, braids. His physical movements revealed no indication of advancing age as this man silently moved to the hearth. Elu reached for the fire stick to poke the still warm embers. Then he knelt at a crudely constructed altar, opening his expansive arms and, with true humility, giving thanks to the Great Spirit for yet another day.

Across the modest room's expanse, still enjoying the morning glow under the warmth of a bearskin covering, Mahwah, her body rejuvenated from the hours of rest, observed her husband with deep affection. He was, without question, a good, decent man who had served the Great Spirit well during their long walk together on this earth. It seemed like only yesterday that Elu and Mahwah played as children on the banks of Swollen River or stole kisses behind Red Rock. Yet they both knew, were acutely aware, that they had little more than twelve summers remaining before the time of final transition.

Mahwah rose and joined her husband in morning prayers. Their chants suggested one voice, one spirit, one soul. The room swirled faster and faster around them like a vibrant, rotating dervish as their bodies merged and transformed. They became one with the fire's smoke as it curled up the chimney and assumed the form of doves, flying across the ever-widening sky.

Then, without warning, it was finished. The chanting stopped and, finally, Elu spoke, "It is time to fulfill our sacred contracts."

"Yes," said Mahwah quietly. She remembered another time and place. Long ago. A time not of this world. Both Elu and Mahwah had entered into a holy agreement with the Beloved - an arrangement to teach and learn from one another at this specific moment. Her heart filled with unparalleled joy as she recognized the long-awaited gift manifesting in their lives.

Insistent scratching at the entryway prevented further thought. Elu opened the weighty, cumbersome door and directed his attention downward until it rested upon the wolf still guarding his charge. "Go now," the man commanded and the animal complied, at least in theory, trotting but a few feet away. The Winged One remained vigilant upon his perch in the needle-filled branches of the high-reaching pine.

With indescribable emotion, Mahwah brushed past her husband to encircle the Beloved in her open, aching arms.

"She is her father's daughter - Adanya" the old woman proclaimed.

The baby awoke, her long lashes fluttering, at the utterance of her true name. Adanya opened her eyes, small pools the color of robin's eggs, and gazed up at the couple who would be her parents. Charming wisps of ebony ringlets delicately framed the fair, smiling, heart-shaped face.

But Elu heard neither the words of his ecstatic wife nor the proclamation of his daughter's name. Rather, his focus was drawn to a long chain of fine, liquid silver around the baby's neck. At the necklace's midpoint hung a vessel, a pendant. Symbols of this universe - the moon, sun, and stars - were expertly carved into the unique, intricate design gracing its surface. Precious stones - rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires - encrusted it.

Like no other jewel, its barrel shape fascinated Elu. He estimated the pendant's size approximately four inches long and, perhaps, two inches wide. A perfectly formed ridge ran along the circumference of its mid-point. Could there be two sections to the artisan's expertly crafted piece?

Elu cradled the vessel in his expansive, calloused hands. Then, after careful thought, he attempted to separate the jewel's top from its bottom, rotating it over and over, appreciating its fine craftsmanship, and, finally, pulling gently at either end.

Blue sparks emanated from the silver pendant and Mahwah gasped in horror, her mouth agape, as her mountainous, six foot, four inch, husband was thrown across the room like a limp, seemingly lifeless, ragdoll.

Chapter Two

"Elu and Mahwah never again touched the necklace," said the old woman. Misshapen hands, twisted by the passage of time, consciously fingered the jeweled cylinder prominently displayed between supple, albeit sagging, breasts. "In fact, they warned the Beloved never to separate its pieces."

"Grandmother," exclaimed the girl. "Is this is your story?"

The woman smiled a secret smile. "Morning Dove, that is not easy to answer. This is my story even as it belongs to every woman."

Then she continued. "A fortnight after the baby's arrival three visitors rather unconventionally appeared."

At the stroke of midnight, their actual identities shrouded by heavy, velvet-hooded cloaks, the women entered the dwelling, their unheralded presence wresting neither Elu nor Mahwah from dreamless sleep. The Winged One, alert in his chosen post, failed to issue an alarm. Likewise, Running Wolf, in his usual position at the foot of the cradle, remained watchful yet motionless.

Dagmar led the trio. Costumed in shades of magenta, her sleeves and skirt hem trimmed in fine gold, she bent over the white birch bed that Elu lovingly crafted for his daughter, gently lifting the awakening babe. Adanya observed an aura of light radiating from Dagmar's countenance. Yet the helpless, trusting infant uttered no sound, felt no fear, as a deep sense of peace and contentment radiated within her being.

Diella and Samara, as Adanya grew to know them, followed Dagmar, the babe nestled in the crook of her arm, out into the beckoning night. Stars shone brightly against the celestial ceiling as the unusual procession made its way across dew-laden fields to the enormous, waiting oak tree.

The Tree of Life stood apart from the forest surrounding the Valley of Lilies, about a stone's throw from the water's edge. Its branches, gnarled over thousands of years, shot up more than a hundred feet to brush the ever-changing sky. Its roots pressed downward, deep through the earth's abundant soil to the inner core from which sprang all life. And the tree grew, as it had through all eternity, as a living testament to the force which connects all living things.

The women knelt reverently as they came to the Tree of Life. The tree, one with all that is holy and good, breathed in their presence. Then Dagmar placed the infant in the tree's protective branches. And Samara uttered the spell, speaking charmed words to bring forth fire, "Ignectium. Protecta. Illumina."

Fire danced, immediately igniting, ringing the massive circumference of the oak tree's broad trunk. The women, feminine spirits cloaked in human form, now stood under the tree's canopy of delicately scalloped leaves, encircled in flame. Diella gently embraced the child, lifting her graceful arms to hold the Beloved high over the women's respective heads. In turn, with all the pomp and circumstance befitting the occasion, she majestically passed the bundle on to both Samara and Dagmar who repeated the centuries-old ritual.

The guides, for that was indeed the mystics' true calling, blessed the Beloved - the one who had received all blessings since the beginning of time. Then Dagmar spoke, "This is the child for whom heaven and earth has waited."

"This is the child who will altar the Universe for all time and for all living things," continued Diella.

"This is Adanya. The holy, most chosen, Beloved," finished Samara. "May her path, this sacred journey, open every beating heart even as it celebrates her own soul."

The infant watched, mesmerized, her speech limited to unintelligible, untranslatable gurgles, as the women performed mysterious acts and moved to internal rhythms until just before dawn. The fire continued to blaze, to dance and leap in the moonlight, without any known origin. Finally, it was time for the emissaries to give the baby their chosen offerings.

From the voluminous folds of her taffeta skirt, Dagmar produced a leather journal. On the front cover, tooled in the dark mahogany grain, was the Tree of Life. Dagmar lovingly ran her hand over the image before proclaiming, "Write the wisdom of your soul upon the pages of this book. Call forth your inner self even as you call upon the Almighty."

Then Diella knelt next to the swaddled infant. In her hand was a masterfully crafted fiddle. The stringed instrument emitted a sound that reverberated throughout the most expansive regions of the Universe.

"This fiddle plays the eternal song," said Diella. "Celebrate its music within your heart. Sing and dance as you bring forth its timeless melodies."

"And," said Samara, as she revealed an amethyst box made of the finest crystal, its glittering lid adorned with a porcelain butterfly knob, "this is the Box of Intentions. It holds your innermost dreams and wishes. Use this gift wisely. The power of the Universe lies within."

Then it was over. Dagmar forcefully clapped her hands once and the encircling flames instantaneously vanished. Underfoot, mature grass covered fertile ground, showing no sign of either ash or ember. The trio again bowed, paying homage to the Tree of Life, before returning the Beloved to her resting place within the cabin.

Adanya neither forgot - nor consciously remembered - the events of this night for many years.

Chapter Three

The bountiful seasons brought joy to the loving, close-knit family. Elu and Mahwah watched with delight as Adanya grew from infant to toddler and beyond. They marveled at the two animal guides who traveled the forest glen, accompanying their child as she played with carefree abandon among the towering fir trees. The beasts, especially Running Wolf, proved particularly gentle. Yet the pair fiercely protected their charge from harm.

Once, as the Beloved contentedly picked wild blackberries in a particularly thorny thicket at the edge of the woods, an openly hostile black bear, with an intense dislike of visitors in his perceived territory, emerged like a whirling, unpredictable windstorm. Having spent less than seven summers on the earth, the astounded girl froze in abject terror, dropping the half-filled, woven basket she clutched in her hand. Berries tumbled like unexpected raindrops scattering upon dry ground. The bear, his belly empty, hungrily eyed the plump, succulent fruit, originally intended for one of Mahwah's mouthwatering pies, and ferociously growled, standing to full height on his hind legs. Everything moved in slow motion.

Without warning, Running Wolf howled, baring his teeth and thrusting himself between the aggressive threat and Adanya's diminutive, paralyzed body. Snarling, lunging, mirroring the bear's every move, this fearless protector, at least temporarily, prevented the ravenous, menacing animal from advancing. That is, until the enraged bear took a powerful swipe at Running Wolf with his left claw. Still, the wolf, who at first offered no visible sign of injury, refused to retreat from his defensive position. Soon, however, like crashing sea waves, crimson flooded the surface of his grey and white fur coat. Raw skin hung loose. Running Wolf briefly faltered as the bear turned his undivided attention to Adanya.

A screech pierced the afternoon sky as the Winged One swooped down upon the bear's head. The bear cried out in a mixture of uncontrolled rage and raw pain as the bird's sharp beak penetrated, again and again, the soft tissues of his left eye. The eight foot, five hundred pound animal flailed frantically, unsuccessfully, as the hawk called upon other creatures of flight to join in the attack. Hundreds of previously airborne birds answered the echoing call. Finally, the partially blinded bear, confused, humiliated, and in excruciating pain, conceded defeat, stumbling off into a protective covering of trees. Where there had once been an eye, only a bloody, empty cavern remained.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from SACRED WOMANby CYNTHIA E. KAZALIA Copyright © 2011 by Cynthia E. Kazalia. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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