KEEPERS OF THE WOODLANDS.

chapter 21:THE CEREMONY

THE CHANT

(hi guys, i just want to make clear that the video above is the haka chant from the maori people of new zealand.the meaning behind the words has nothing to do with this story. However the tone and the enthusiastic method in which they chant is similar to what the people of the woodlands would chant for the ceremony hope you enjoy.;)

a female voice vocalized the first part of the chant that was written in the sacred tongue, the language of the earth and the sky.she vocalized the first line with all the power in her lungs while everyone else stayed quiet.

after her first line, we joined her.only the thirty five of us at the front.she was a healer commander and she was gifted the task to always start the ceremony when she was five.the keeper trained her and raised her to be the commander that she had now become.the ceremony was therefore very emotional for her.you could feel it in her voice. she sang lead while we backed her up.loudly.it wasnt supposed to be a sad chant.some of us were not talented singers.so it was a bit off key.but it was energetic.you had to get into it and forget yourself.

the guys, russ especially.he carried himself in an alpha male fashion so when it came to the chant he was throwing himself all in .inciting the rest of the guys to give all they had. It was funny and a bit of a turn on. i don't know what about wild men .like the type of men that tapped into their cavemen like nature turned me on. Anyway this wasn't the time to pay attention to Russ so i kicked him out of mind and focused on the chant. We were in the first round of the chant.we had to repeat it until the passage to the ancestors and the spirits opened.we would know when the fire sparked brighter than it was burning at the moment that the passage had opened.

the second time singing the chant, everybody joined in giving it all they had.it became fun.you could see everyone's faces lighting up.daimakn wasnt lost.he knew the words.that made me raise an eyebrow but i didnt major on it.i could feel the motion of my words moving to my body. i wanted to move to dance to jump up and down to sway my hips and grab the next person next to me.i closed my eyes and felt the rhythm.

the third time around.it was crazy.the dust from the ground was rising due to movement. Everyone was dancing to it.the guys were stomping their feet.the girls were swaying their hips spinning and making steps back and forth in a hurried manner .for a second i felt my body was no longer mine.like i was possessed or something. Like someone else was moving my body.we had been told that during these ceremonies ,the ancestors from the spirit world would join us. That they would take part in the ceremony by dancing through our bodys.my grandmother once told me that i should let them.that she would choose my body when she bcecame a spirit because i was so flexible and agile jumping from tree to tree using the branches instead of the vines and the walk paths .she used to say that she was just like me when she was younger. At the moment with my body moving freely almost against my will i got nostalgic about those moments when my grandmother was with me spoiling me against my mother's wishes.i felt her near me.so I stopped fighting it.

boy was i gonna wake up with a sore throat the following day.i could feel my voice breaking off from the intensity with which i was yelling.

the tenth time around.i blacked out completely. Nobody told me the chant took so much energy from you .literally my energy was being drained.i let go completely and zoned out.

amaizing how my consciousness shifted. i was watching myself dance from above the bonfire.i mean my body was down there.and its like i was watching it from this position, above the pond.i felt lightweight. It was unbelievable.was this real?was this where people went when they fainted.i had never imagined it.i could clearly see myself dancing vigorously.

come on.i hadn't eaten or slept well for that type of energy.there was a cloud of dust above the whole crowd.it was beautiful.then i realized that it wasn't just me. Everyone was up here with me. ok not like they were floating next to me and i could see them.more of like most of them had gone into higher states of awareness and granted passage to the ancestors and the spirits into their bodies.

the eleventh time around.i saw the late keepers body start to emit light.i don't wanna say glow.because at that point i thought i was loosing my mind.i had to be out of it.the people's voices got louder and harmonized in a scary way.people who were once shouting in different tonals were now harmonizing perfectly.i saw lightning strike the pond and light the fire even brighter.everybody stopped moving.all together at the same time.they stood still .the verse was nearing an end.

a strong force pulled me back down .i was falling fast.i closed my eyes scared of the impact on landing.i felt the weight of my body once more .blinking and i was back in my body.what just happened. my face was folded in confusion.i looked down at my hands just to make sure i was attached to my body.we were standing in front of the pond and not above it anymore.my heart was beating fast.the dust was getting into my lungs but i wasn't coughing it out.i was still singing.i looked over to cecile and she seemed as cofused as i was.russ too.he was looking over to me.i shrugged my shoulders to say i dont know.he was looking at me like whathuh just happened.all the while he was still chanting.

the fire burst and burned brighter and louder as if it was angry.but only for a second then it went on back to normal.i closed my eyes and leaned back avoiding getting burnt.i felt the fire touch my face but i felt no heat.as though someone was running their fingers down my cheek.i lowered my voice and sang softly.everybody else followed.we chanted softly .closing the last verse.it was evident the portal was open.the keeper had been recieved on the other end .i felt this flash of peace and calmness pass through my veins.it tingled through my finger tips.it flowed to my toes.it felt good.

as we finished the last verse, i felt a drop of water land on my head.was it? Before i could look up .the rain poured .it wasnt heavy but it wasnt light either.it was enough to get you soaking wet though.i knew what that meant.i had this feeling of connection to everything and everyone around me.i smiled slightly.everyone was smiling at the last word of the chant.we looked up and held out our hands for the rain.boy it felt too good.cecile was laughing jumping up and down out of excitment.this was the beginning of the best part.