Ariah
Torro sits in the center of the group. He leads us into the silence. A large, contained fire is lit in a perfect circle around the group. It is warm not hot because the fires circle is twice the size of the circle of people. This is done to train our minds to listen even when fear is imminent. Torro starts to speak to the group “Whatever I will say tonight it is not the message you will hear. You will hear my pulse. You will hear every man and woman’s pulse here tonight.
Your understanding of my words will go beyond the meaning assigned.” As Torro is speaking I start to hear sounds of drums just a slow steady one thump per beat coming from some of the brothers with drums. “Tonight, you will begin to understand what it means to be so connected to Elohiym that you can speak to all his creation without saying a word. You will understand the ant and the ant will understand you. You will understand the moth and the moth will understand you.”
Torro then places one poisonous spider at each of our feet. He continues to speak, “relax your mind and the muscles in your face and listen. Listen to the footsteps of the spider and understand his ways. Understand that he can strike you. Most of all listen to the spider’s motivation. Does he fear you or does he want to find comfort in a hiding place in your clothing. Understand the spider and send him on his way once you do.
Every man and woman will sit in silence until everyone has understood the spider and sent him on his way. When the prey as in the spider strikes the predator as in me or you it is a fear response. By understanding the spider, you will learn how not to kill without reason.” I sit there for a moment scared for my life because the spider is crawling near me. My first instinct is to kill it before it kills me. Then I just stop thinking about how to stop it and I just look at it. I stare at it, and I try to hear what it is feeling and the spider just crawls on my foot and over it and away.
After we were done, we all laid down near each other comfortably in the sand. No one spoke for the next two hours we just looked at the stars and the moon and listened to and through the earth.
Melizah
“I need to speak with you Melizah, meet me in the dining area for lunch.” Yes father, I will finish the hanging of our linens, freshen up and be right in. While finishing linen duties, I can’t help but to wonder what matter my father (Aveitu) must discuss with me. I am doing everything I can to live up to his and mommy’s expectations. Each day, I make sure to dress, behave, and carry out the duties of woman.
Although once I am married to the King, I will have maid servants to take care of my domestic duties. So, it may seem cruel but yes I do use Ariah as practice as to how I would like to be served. That is when she obeys. There is no harm in requesting her obedience. In between time, I uphold our home in meeting the finest of standards. Making sure that our landscape is precise, that our floors are without dust or markings, keeping our family name upstanding amongst the village is what I do best.
I am just as important to this family as anyone else, if not the most important. Although I may not do some of the mentioned duties myself, I make sure they are done. Now that I have refreshed my beauty for the second time today, I will go to the dining area. For hanging fabrics in the sun, I chose a beautiful yellow gown to highlight my features in the beauty of the daylight. Every duty I do myself is my way of showing the King, I am not just a pretty face. While also showing him and this village that I am a pretty face. One that you should think twice before undermining.
My attire for lunch is a richly colored purple gown. My long and kinky hair is parted down the middle flowing down to my waist. I am beautiful. Approaching my father, I am nervous but curious. Hi father, would you like me to get you tea before eating? “I would be pleased, thank you.” While preparing the tea for me and my father, I try to gauge his mood. He has a look of seriousness this afternoon, which really has me feeling queasy.
“Melizah, as your father I am starting to become concerned about you. I worry that me and your mother have not placed enough emphasis on there being more to life than what meets the eye. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud of you. You will marry well, but I don’t want you to get caught in the race of chasing perfection. Listen to me I am your father and have lived through some time and seen some things.
Today you are one of the most beautiful girls in the village, but one day there will be another. I just don’t want you to think less of yourself because you have placed all of yourself into having the perfect image. Most importantly I don’t want you to hate yourself or others because of your or their, failures or successes. Keep being the person you are but remember you are more than an image.
Hearing my father speak I can feel tears in the back of my eyes because he sees me for who I am in and out. It is like he can reach into my soul and confront the things I tried to hide from the world. He feels what I feel and with no words he just hugs me and allows me to cry.
