Living roots need a companion

“There are many paths that lead to where you wish to go,” explained the jaguar.

“You are very mysterious,” said the warrior.

“Follow me. I will accompany you. I can’t take my eyes off you,”  went on the jaguar; its eyes glowed differently when the girl looked into them. They seemed more familiar and less wild.

“I can’t catch up with you," whispered Rina, almost breathless when they continued immersing deeper and deeper into the forest.

“We aren’t far off," murmured the wild cat. "I won’t leave you alone.” Finally, they reached the fence made of the interwoven roots of a bush. The Warrior tried to see through the fence, looking for the crevices in the vegetable entanglement, but it was harder than she expected. The roots seemed to be alive, because the fence rose into the air and dropped as if it was breathing.

“I can’t see anything,”  said the girl. The wild cat perched patiently on the ground and waited for Rina.

“Ok, we can move on,”  uttered the warrior, trying to get her hand out of the fence.

“What happened?" asked the jaguar.

“My hand got stuck in the entanglement of the roots,”  choked out Rina.

The wild cat approached the fence; its white fangs were ready to attack; suddenly, the jaguar moved back.

“I can’t bite them through. If I did it, I would become its prisoner as well. Be patient, I will find a solution,"  comforted the wild cat and dived into the brushwood of the up-side down forest. The girl sat down on the roots. And after a short while they rocked her to sleep.

“Stay with us, warrior,”  whispered the roots. “We are so lonely here and bored. We will feed you with our saps and in return you will entertain us with some colourful stories.

“I can’t stay with you,” said Rina in a sleep. “I am not your kind.”

The night fell and the primaeval forest plunged in darkness. The girl thought of the jaguar. “Where is he? Why doesn’t he come back? The warrior missed her companion; however, with heart full of soothing certainty.

Talking to the snake

When Rina got to the eyes of the snake, noticed that the path under her feet moved constantly and then she realized that she was stepping on something unknown and alive.
"Welcome, stranger "– hissed the reptile. "You massaged my back with your feet. I have been lying here for such a long time. My only duty is to hunt and to digest. I can’t move. I am too heavy. Maybe you will tell me something about yourself" – said the snake, looking at Rina.
"Did you see the black jaguar?" – asked the girl.
"I see them all the time, but not on this side of the world. You are very mysterious. I heard a lot of stories, sharpening my appetite, but you seem very boring and tasteless. I am seriously disappointed" – hissed the snake. "Maybe I will at least swallow your feet; they seem to be interesting, talkative."
"No, they aren’t interesting at all" – replied Rina, looking around and searching for the way to outwit the creature. "Maybe, you’re right. I don’t need your feet. I only eat things that are useful and sufficiently desirable. The more I know about something the more desirable it becomes. The Warriors aren’t interesting at all since they seem to know little of themselves" – hissed the snake. "Here you are; the wild cat you have been searching for." The jaguar sat down close to the girl and looked at the snake meaningfully.. The reptile put out its tongue.
"No, not today" – murmured the wild cat. "We have things to go about in the primaeval forest."
Rina looked at the jaguar, surprised. "We do have things to go about in the primaeval forest?" – echoed the girl.

Snake - "The Blue Passage"

Light in the primaeval forest was a space, in which the particles of events met together and got entangled to keep growing into the new forms of experience.

The girl stepped on the velvety leaves growing near the ground, caressing her feet, slipping into the sandals. The trees bid good-bye to the golden-haired warrior.

Stones, sand, sea, rocks and flowers; all possible worlds remember our presence, even when we forget.

Where was Rina heading for? ‘It doesn’t matter if places I pass by have their names – thought the warrior – The most important is that I don’t become motionless, but on the contrary I follow the movement of the earth. This movement is my life and passion.’

It seemed unusual, but the path Rina wandered through started to wriggle like a body of a snake; indeed it was a body of the snake; deeply down, under the cover of leaves; the long and twisted reptile rested digesting its prey. It liked the sound of Rina’s feet and their touch. The snake waited for the warrior to look at her eyes.

It’s important to mention that the snake had a name: “The Blue Passage” since thanks to him the world of the jaguars was reachable to an ordinary wanderer. If a traveler gained the approval of the snake; it carried him on its tongue over the ocean of events and left on the other side of the world. When Rina got to the eyes of the snake, noticed that the path under her feet kept moving and then she realized that she was stepping on something unknown and alive.

Just for you

Unexpectedly, the warrior stumbled and fell down, because the branches she rested herself on started to tremble. The whole tree was pulsating, leaping and laughing at something.

“What is going on?” Rina asked.

However, looking at the bark of the tree bending in all directions and creaking, she didn’t keep serious for long and burst out laughing too. Suddenly, the tree became silent and looked grave again.

“Why do people have so many perplexing and confusing points of view?”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” the girl replied.

“You all want to do things and perceive things only by means of the learnt methods,” the tree continued. “The tale carved in my bark has appeared just for you, while you keep worrying how to read it. Look more attentively and you will find out from, the beginning till the end. Please, don’t read it the way you had been learnt to do, read it in some new ways,” the primaeval tree advised. The warrior wanted to ask what that new way of perceiving things was, but finally gave up.

“Don’t ask me if I know how to read the tale. My role is only to reveal to you what is to be revealed.”

The primaeval creature moved slower and slower, as if the inner sap gradually congealed inside of it.

“I am so tired, my dear. Forgive me, but I have to leave you. Good Luck in your journey!”

The girl leaned her head on the carved bark; her fingers were slipping through the rough crevices of the tale reaching the nooks of the secret letters; words touched Rina’s skin and went deeper into her. Three lost precious stones of The Abyss, once stolen out from the Depth, were hidden somewhere on the border of the known worlds. One of them went to the bottom of the dark, stormy ocean. A lot of sailors kept on looking for it, but without any success. The power of the lost precious stones made the sailors easily forgetful and lost, heading for nowhere until they met their own death. Rina didn’t know what the meaning of the lost precious stones was, but she knew now the direction of her journey. The jaguar appeared out of the blue again; ready to guide the warrior into the unfurling events.

(Photography by Sarolta Ban)

The essential meanings

Rina settled down to sleep. She wasn’t afraid of anything; the whole darkness, the weird, but radiant whispers and ripples she had gotten to know very well before. The roots of the up-side down trees got entangled in the purpose of nocturnal chats; maybe they talked about the golden-haired warrior who returned to the primaeval woods. However, Rina was too tired to listen to them. Her inner silence made her fall asleep soon.

The following day, some dancing rays of light woke the girl up, shining straight into her face. Rina opened her eyes and reminded herself of the journey that she had set out on; then, she smiled, sensing the presence of The Unknown around her whole being. The girl sprinkled some water on her face, packed up the traveling sack and went about the morning meal. The place where she found a shelter in was covered with the crawling branches of a nearby tree. Rina found herself distracted by something she couldn’t define.

“What is going on?” the girl wondered.

Finally, the nearby tree forced Rina to turn round by a rampant movement of its branches, trying to make the girl see.

There were some glowing words carved out in the trunk that conveyed the message. However, it was hard to understand the primaeval language of the Abyss since it hasn’t been spoken for a long time. Moreover, the words were very vibrant and alive; ever-changeable. The warrior found that language very close to her heart and although she didn’t know the meanings of the carvings, she sensed the energy hidden in the words, their other essential meanings. Rina thought about her guide, Avin. There weren’t any stories he couldn’t decipher…

Looking for guidance

Rina lay down on the softness of the leaves and rested her head comfortably on a traveling sack. Taking her to another world, the transeeing made its magic. The black, starry sky seemed an immense ocean where the ships voyaged with sails flossy like a haze. Only the undisturbed duration did matter there, nobody measured the time since there weren’t any points of reference. The land was always lost, never visible, neither the beginning nor end, though the sailors kept sailing for somewhere, they possessed the maps of wishes, of what to discover and conquer. Rina felt ready to travel on one of those ships; however she didn’t know how to get on it.

“You should go down the stream,” The brotherly animal of the future advised. “The stream goes straight to the ocean.”

The girl looked at her companion surprised.

“How come that you know my thoughts?”

“The things you look at carry a lot of meanings,” the phantom replied.

“Everything depends on the eyes that look.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some eyes see only what they want to see, being blind to other meanings. The starry, ocean-like sky gave you a meaning, but remember, one meaning is not enough; the understanding needs the whole circulation of meanings.”

“Thank you for your guidance.”

“Good Luck, warrior!” The brotherly animal of future wished and bid good-bye to the girl.

“Are you leaving me?”

“I’ll always remain close to you.”

TRANSEEING

Rina lit the fire and its golden flames interwove with the dark layers of the twilight. Her future was a good companion; quiet and receptive. The nice currents of warmth resonated with the chilly air. ‘Think about the magical word,’ she ordered herself, as always when on the journey without the silver rhino; her loyal, brilliant friend and faraway from gold-digger. ‘It’s so easy to miss something, someone so much that you can only and continually whisper his name,’ the warrior thought. However, the magical word threw her off with its sudden clearness. ‘TRANSEE, TRANSEE, TRANSEE,” Rina kept repeating in order to find a crevice, a tiny door in the lack and move forward with her thoughts far into the adventure. The transeeing makes the warrior able to rocket to the new level of knowing.

Photography by "Outsider"

The Brotherly Animal of The Future

Rina needed to rest, so she found a shelter among the leaves of one of the upside-down trees and was about to lit the fire when the glowing contours of an unknown cretaure emerged from the darkening air.

“Is it possible that my past returned to me?” Rina mused, looking into some memories of what had drifted away. The warrior’s heart kept beating faster and stronger – the phantom resembled the brotherly animal of the past, but might it be real? The warrior waited patiently next to the creature, curious of what would happen next.

“Follow me,” the phantom suggested, gathering its four, slender transparent legs to move.

“Where do you want to take me to?” the girl asked.

“Where would you like to go?” The brotherly animal answered with a question.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rina replied, a little bit disconcerted.

“It’s you who decide about the future.”

“I am thirsty, lead me to the brook,” the warrior suggested.

“All right,” the brotherly animal nodded and soon Rina heard the murmur of the flowing water.

“Now, you know; the thing that you desired was close enough.”

The girl leaned over the crystal-clear water and drew some water with her hands; then, she immersed her lips, quenching the thirst.

“What are you?”

“While you were hunting the brotherly animal of the past I was always nearby, just behind the border of the events. However, at that time you perceived the world from the perspective of the past and you couldn’t discern me.”

The phantom quivered gently.

“I am everything what will follow next; in a constant motion, ever-changeable. Many believe that the past is something what may be truly possessed and when they are to lose it, fall into despair. I am the brotherly animal of the future; impossible to possess, but always within your reach.”

(photography by Peter Solness)

On The Unknown Journey

Rina closed the wicket of the garden trying to keep the remembrance of dear friends deeply in her heart that quivered gently at the very thought of coming events and approaching adventures. The wind of Rina’s intuition and the jaguar’s wind, as messengers, encountered each other and made together a beautiful spinning spiral. They agreed on showing the way in unity. The jaguar didn’t wait for Rina, meandering between the forest trees and bushes. It moved very fast and soon the girl was left alone in the face of the infinity of the unknown.

Rina was wandering through the meadows in bloom, inhaling deeply the floral and herbal entanglements of scents. She waded in the nearby streams, leaving the fleeting traces of her presence. Everything seemed to flow smoothly. The light was setting when the warrior crossed the border of the up-side down forests, letting the dark in. Only did the black jaguar’s eyes turn emerald-green like two lightning bugs. The wild beast was always somewhere close to the girl – lurking and watchful, but never answering to the warrior’s calls.

A bright butterfly on the jaguar's head.

Everything had happened unexpectedly and painlessly. Rina woke up with the certainty that complex nets of connections had been cut off. Gold-digger and Avin discerned it on her face when she was preparing herself for the journey.

“I feel very light.” Rina's eyes were glowing. Her heart turned into the flutter of hundreds of butterflies.

“The bright butterfly spread its wings to fly again.” Avin smiled at Rina.

“The bright butterfly?” Gold-digger repeated after him.

“Yes, it’s the one that causes this sensation of lightness. The bright butterfly lifts us up and takes to the unknown places. On the warrior’s path you keep on coming to the world many times and you die many times as well,” Avin explained.

Rina heard the familiar gust of the wind, announcing the jaguar’s arrival. Its tail moved uneasily; the glowing, mottled eyes told Rina that it was the right time for departure. The bright butterfly landed on the jaguar's head, illuminating slightly its black head.

“I am leaving now,” the girl said, embracing her friends. The silver rhino brought Rina a bouquet of the wild flowers and threw it at her feet.

“My lovely, Sig, thank you,” the warrior said, wiping the tears that trickled down her face. “I can’t take you with me.”

“Don’t worry, Rina. Who knows the course of events? Maybe I will follow you soon.” The rhino’s eyes turned blue, as always when he began longing for something unknown.

The warrior’s golden hair, light-drenched danced around her face. Her eyes reflected the freshness of spring grass while the red lips were like the song of the wild poppies. Rina wore icy blue trousers and a tunic; her hips were wrapped up by an azure shawl woven of the lotus flowers.

The winged feet, instead of rooted

Dealing of the jaguar's blow had happened unexpectedly and painlessly by night. Rina woke up with the refreshing certainty that the complex net of connections, references had been cut off. She was free to move and focus on the unknown. Gold-digger and Avin discerned it on her face when she was preparing herself for the journey.

The eyes of the silent knowledge

Suddenly, Sig began smelling the approaching currents of air with his big nose. A couple of sniffs and he knew something for sure.

“Avin and gold-digger are back from their hike,” he said brightly.

Rina’s face opened up a channel for the light of the stars to shine through it, illuminating the day and others around her. She hadn’t seen her friends for long time and missed them a lot. As the older warrior crossed the wicket of the garden he took to examining the path, leading through the garden to the veranda of the cottage. Avin moved slowly, bent down, kneeling to touch the blades of grass with patience and knowledge. His much younger companion gazed at him in such a way, as if he tried to see into his mind. When Avin got clear about something; he raised himself and approached Rina.

“It must have been the black jaguar,” he declared.

“Where do you know it from?” Rina asked; her curious gaze run through Avin boldly.

“It had left some traces on the path.” Avin’s long, black hair tied up in a pony tail undulated on the wind. His raven-like eyes glowed with their irresistible transcendence. “It’s possible to perceive the traces only with the eyes of the silent knowledge,” he added. “What did it want from you?”

Rina weighed her words.

“I know the habits of these jaguars. They approach humans only if they become their mission to fulfill.”

“What is going on, Rina?” The gold digger came up to the girl and stroked her hand.

“Have you looked into the jaguar’s mirror fur?” Avin went on.

“Yes, I've seen my reflection: strong and stable roots growing out of me feet.” Rina’s face twisted in a grimace. Avin heaved a sigh.

“Rina will leave us soon. Get prepared” the older warrior addressed all his companions. The gold-digger lowered his gaze, fighting with some painful emotions. The girl got to her feet and held his head in her hands.

“Please, I don’t want to hurt you. I must leave; you know it. I’m one of the warriors.” The gold-digger broke free from her hands and rushed to the house. Rina’s eyes welled up with tears.

“Don’t worry; he will understand… he needs time on his own to think everything through.” Avin tried to console Rina patting gently her shoulder.

“Remember, the jaguars are wild beasts; it’s not good to tame them. The wild cat will follow you, hiding in the dark.”

“Where do you know it all from?” Rina wiped out the tears that kept running down her face.

“Experience,” Avin chuckled. “The light is setting, let’s go inside.”

Gold-digger lit some candles, flaring and dancing in the dark, as if some evening guests. The warm, cozy air of the cottage was swathed in the scent of some drying herbs.

“How are you feeling?” Avin addressed Rina.

“I feel the blurred shapes of events that are to be born. Sophia the Geezer says that what happens in the outer world; beforehand grows and moves within us, waiting for the right moment to come out and manifest itself.” The warrior explained. “I am so full of expectation; between something and something,” The girl admitted.

“I know this feeling. Life is the art of change.”

Avin walked away to sleep. Rina and gold-digger stayed alone, enraptured by the left moments of shared intimacy. They had to celebrate the slivers of time while the jaguar was sharpening its fangs, ready to set out on the journey. Rina’s roots trembled at the very thought of blow that was to be given to them by the wild cat.

The Haunted Cottage

The silver rhino was moving slowly and lazily, reveling in every step, as always when he headed home from the nearest meadows, content and invigorated; sure of one thing. Rina was going to await him on the veranda or in the garden. But not this time. His inner light flickered warningly like a dying bulb. Sig didn’t like to speed up, but he felt forced to do it; by nature impatient to wait longer than it was needed.

Rina was sitting by the table, lost in a reverie. Her golden, long hair avalanched a beautiful face. There were a couple of things that might ruin the rhino’s usually elated mood, namely Rina’s thoughtfulness.

“What happened?! Why didn’t you wait for me, as always?” Sig halted at the front door.

All the windows in the cottage had been smashed open, making it unnaturally sunlit. Sig began to tremble at the thought that their home had been haunted by something unfathomable and mysterious.

“Don’t freak out, my friend; it was just the wind” Rina came up with an explanation, emerging for an instance from the bottomless world of her thoughts.

“Are you sure?” Sig’s voice broke with uncertainty. He glanced incredulously at the warrior who leapt to her feet and began to twist them in a weird way as if dancing. The rhino’s naturally narrow eyes turned wider.

“Look at my feet, please. Can you see anything unusual about them?”

The rhino creased its mouth and squinted to become more perceptive.

“Well, they are delicate and shapely.” Sig looked bemused and disoriented.

Smiling fondly, Rina came up to her friend. She gently brushed her fingers across the silver horn, making the rhino produce a grunt of pleasure.

“I have grown too strong and deep roots. It’s the high time to set out for a next journey,” Rina said hotly.

‘A-next-journey’ phrase began burning itself in Sig’s ears.

“We’ve just returned from the Abyss,” the rhino muttered, gazing at Rina. His light dimmed slightly, as always when he encountered a new challenge.

“’Just’ has lasted too long,” the warrior added.

The silver rhino lowered its gaze and heaved a deep sigh.

“Will you take me with you on this journey?” He glanced up at Rina again, hopeful.

“It’s not up to me. You know it, right? We always obey the silent voice.”

“Yes, we do,” the rhino nodded, remembering the journey to the Abyss and how their paths had split and later crossed again, bearing new, fresh meanings.

The Jaguar of Changes

Sitting on the wooden floor and listening for the unsettling, screeching moans of the cottage, Rina anticipated the upcoming events. She was all alone. Suddenly, the strong, nameless wind burst open the front door and intruded into the house. The girl got to her feet like a wild animal in ambush; her heart pounded crazily, ready to crack open the ribs. Crouching in expectation, her vision sharpened to fight off the intrusion. A black, shiny silhouette of the wild cat marched proudly towards Rina, making her blink to drive away the delusion. But, it was a beginning of a new dream. Slender, fast like bolts paws glided through the space to halt not far-away from her. ‘What was the mysterious visitor?' Rina wondered, like always fascinated by the unexpected and the unknown mirages.

“Have you got lost?” she asked; her voice shivered gently, dropping almost to a whisper. The black jaguar perched on the wooden floor, gazing at Rina with its inscrutable, emerald eyes.

“Don’t be afraid of me. I don’t mean any harm to you,” the jaguar answered coolly, not taking its hypnotizing glance off the warrior.

“What do you want from me?” Rina didn’t mean to give up. The jaguar’s tail seemed motionless as if the porcellaneous figurine.

“Get closer to me and see your reflection.” The jaguar’s words resonated in the girl’s ears getting at her curiosity.

“What sort of reflection?” A sudden thought flickered through her mind.

“My fur is like a mirror,” the jaguar said pointedly. As the wild cat was giving the explanation, its pitch black fur began to flow, like a liquid crystal.

Rina, puzzled, made a step forward towards the jaguar.

“My fangs are sharp enough,” the wild cat assured.

“What!” Rina’s voice shot up; she puckered her brows.
The girl got closer to the beast and let her eyes dive into the thick fur, shimmering with some little stars in the light of a day.
She fixed her gaze especially on her feet that seemed to have been the creepiest of the whole body. A branching bouquet of the strong, interwoven roots was growing out of them and making Rina almost unable to move. Her feet felt heavy and woody. She knew it would have meant stagnation to a warrior whose destiny was to remain flexible and flowing on a path.

“You’ll become a tree shortly,” the jaguar warned. “I must bite through your roots.”

“How did I manage to grow them?” The girl was taken aback. She was making efforts to lift one of her feet. But it resisted the movement. “Can you really bite through my roots to set my feet free?” There was a flicker of hope in her voice.

“I can bite through anything that is unimaginable” The wild cat admitted.

“Where do you actually come from? Rina reached out to touch the fluid fur. However, the jaguar was faster than her hand and bounced off the floor to keep the distance.

“I had been wandering for many days. The wind was my guide.”

“You mean the wind that had broken into my house?”

“Sorry for that. I must have commanded the wind to force a door.” The jaguar's jewels of eyes bore into the girl, making her miss something very much. “Come with me, Rina. Don’t resist the calling of the unknown more.” The jaguar’s slender tail brushed the floor delicately.

“You can’t be serious. That’s impossible. I’ve got my friends to take care of.” Rina’s face twisted into a sorrowful grimace.

“Feel it thoroughly. I'm going to visit you tomorrow.” The jaguar got to its paws and walked away silently as if the touch of the feathers.