Luke had been a customer at the bookstore for years, and the way he and I became friends was another coincidental occurrence. I'd read an article about the Labyrinth located in San Francisco a couple of years before, and felt immediate excitement, sensing this was something I had to learn more about.

The Labyrinth is a circle about 40 ft. in diameter, with a path that leads through a maze-like pattern to a central space that looks like a flower. The six petals or stations in the center represent the inner portion of oneself. I remembered that Luke had talked about the Labyrinth once when he came into the store, so I called to find out more information from him, and when I expressed interest in walking on it, he offered to take me. That was the beginning of a special friendship that involved pilgrimages to Grace Cathedral and beyond.

I recalled our first venture to the Labyrinth. It was a Monday morning when Luke came to pick me up, and as we were pulling out of my driveway, he commented that he'd wished we had asked our mutual friend Helen to join us. "Why not try now?" I said, and jumped out of the car to call her. Helen was a wonderful friend who worked spiritually with people to help ease their suffering. She was a minister and clairvoyant who had helped many. She was also a lot of fun. As the phone rang, I thought if it was right, she would be there.

"Hello?"

"Helen, it's me. What are you doing right now?"

"Well, nothing really. Why?"

"How would you like to go with Luke and me on an adventure for the day?"

She paused and then said, "I'd be delighted. When must I be ready?"

"Now!"

"Oh, my" she said. "Give me 10 minutes."

We did, and then picked her up with only cryptic details of what our adventure entailed. We drove up the Peninsula to San Francisco in perfect weather. The rain had cleared from the past two weeks' storms, and now the sky was crystal blue as only it could be in northern California. I remember thinking that I could always tell when our football team, the 49ers, was playing at home. The sky was a color here that it wasn't in other cities, and you could see the difference on TV.

When we arrived at Grace Cathedral, a parking space miraculously appeared, so that we had only a short distance to walk to the main entrance of the Cathedral. Stairs were not always easy for Helen, as she had a troublesome case of arthritis. As we walked into the vestibule of the church, we could see the Labyrinth lying in repose, beautifully placed behind the pews. It fit perfectly in the space provided. We walked through the magnificent cathedral and found places to spend alone with our thoughts and prayers, preparing for the experience of the Labyrinth.

In reading about it, I learned that the Labyrinth was an ancient tool for finding oneself. It contained a vibrational field that emerged through walking the geometric pattern. Different than a maze, there was only one way to go into the center of the Labyrinth and one way to come out. The path was clearly defined on the purple and gray carpet that lay on the floor of the Cathedral, and individuals had reported many different reactions to walking on it, from deep insight to euphoria, depression and anxiety, deferred understanding, tears, laughter, joy, sorrow and bliss. People moved at varying paces…some slow and reflective, others quick and purposeful, a few dancing and swaying. There was no right or wrong way to engage in the process.

We wanted to prepare ourselves for a sacrament. As we saw it, the Labyrinth was truly a sacred reminder from the ancients to remember who we were. After our individual prayer time, we approached the Labyrinth as we felt moved to walk it. Without shoes, the texture of the carpet was evident, and as I walked the first time, I felt the presence of calm and connection in the face of a much larger unfolding mystery we call life, and was awed by the forces we don't understand, that effect us in spite of our ignorance.

As we completed the process, we took time to sit and digest what we'd received. Leaving the Cathedral, we had lunch at a wonderful place on the ocean's edge. It seemed fitting to end the walk with a ceremonial luncheon and good conversation. Each of us had been deepened and had questions answered. Helen felt she had lost her way, because she became disoriented in the process of walking the Labyrinth, and Luke told her this happened sometimes when people release themselves to the process. We drove back on the coastal route, and the water reflected in places like a jewel twinkling in the sunlight. Thus began our monthly adventures to the Labyrinth as a threesome.

Returning to the present, Luke and I confirmed our arrangements for a trip to the Cathedral the following Monday, I decided it would be wise to go back over my notes from each of our previous walks to see if there were further clues related to the Holy Grail. I had a habit of writing down whatever was presented after walking on the Labyrinth, and in pulling out the calendar from the past year, I thumbed through each month since we started our journey. There in my November notes was inscribed, You must uphold the sacred in a profane world…not exclude humor or take yourself so seriously.

The Cathedral had stained glass windows, and in the first few panels were also embedded words that would leap out to me and make a phrase as I put the disconnected pieces together. Nations among Freedom employ Love. In the last entry from January, I received Maintain After the Rapture. I wasn't able to see how these applied to the present directive, but knew from past experience that things had a way of tying together, so no clue was ever wasted.

The phone rang. One of my subscribers was calling to see if I'd completed the newsletter. I told her I'd gotten momentarily sidetracked but would get it out before spring was over. She paused for a moment and then continued, "you know…this newsletter means a lot to people. I don't know if you really get how much the ideas contribute to their lives…and I just want you to know that. You really are a vessel of light." I thanked her and chuckled aloud. "Yes…and a reluctant one at that!"

She said a few more encouraging words and we hung up. I thought about how well meaning people were, but sometimes the pressure caught me in a rebellious space that didn't want the responsibility for making things clear and lighter for others. Yet, as I thought about it, what was the idea behind the Holy Grail? In fact, weren't those words, a vessel of light, something I'd read in conjunction to it? Coincidence? Synchronicity?…in front of our faces all the time…we just need to pay attention.

As I rummaged through my notes for some of the articles, I found a notice for a lecture later in the week, titled After The Rapture, to be held at a local bookstore. Another tie in…this time to my Labyrinth experience. I jotted down the details on my calendar and made a mental note to be there. The newsletter was shaping up, and as the afternoon was winding down, I decided to go for a walk.

Walking was a wonderful way of clearing the cobwebs. It revitalized and renewed me, and I enjoyed the seasonal variety of trees and flowers in my area. It was also a way of distilling thought. Taking the time to move my body and allow my mind to follow, instead of the other way around, gave a different perspective. There seemed to be partnership that wasn't always evident, especially since I spent so much time in front of my computer. A walk of two or three miles gave me just what I needed.

The next day, I had brunch with my friend John, who'd been in my dream a couple of nights before. Aside from being a brilliant software engineer, he was an accomplished musician, artist/photographer, gourmet cook, and had a keen interest in religion. John had done a lot of inner work, trying to reconcile his fundamentalist Christian roots with an emerging awareness of unity through Buddhism and other mystical traditions.

After a delicious meal of crab soufflé and chilled melon, I told him about my exploration of the Holy Grail, and asked what he knew about it. He went over to one of the bookshelves housing rare editions of ancient manuscripts, and thumbed through several until he found what he thought might interest me.

"Here's something you might be able to use. Looks like there is a tie not only to Hermetic tradition, but shades of the Grail in India, China and Ethiopia. In fact…it says that the Grail, as it moved through the ages, became adapted to Christianity and was the underpinning of the Knights Templar. Interestingly enough, they were organ-ized in approximately 1111 and were later hunted down…disbanded and were found amidst the Gnostics."

John handed me the book, and as I read, I thought the correspondences were really intriguing. There were tie-ins to the Ark of the Covenant and a physical Grail that may have ended in Ethiopia. The date 1111 seemed somehow timely, what with so much recent interest in 11:11. What I thought would be an intriguing little hunt seemed to have become a multi-pronged search.

I had heard of the Gnostics and the Knights Templar, but had no idea what they were. The Ark of the Covenant had also floated around in various things I read, but I knew very little about what that really meant either. 11:11 was a phenomenon that had begun to occur when digital clocks became popular, and I knew there was significance related to timing and an awakening it supposedly represented. Could it have something to do with the Grail? I didn't know.

After brunch, I went to the bookstore for the Sunday shift. This was my place of repose…one of my sacred spaces. Everyone who came into the store commented on the feeling of its being a place of renewal in the midst of chaos…a sanctuary in an ocean of activity. I agreed. Often there were serendipitous meetings or gatherings with interesting people who happened to converge at the same time. We'd had many a glorious discussion group that developed spontaneously, and in review, I acknowledged how many of my friends I'd met through the store.

I thought perhaps someone would come in who had more knowledge about the Grail. At this point, I was thoroughly engaged because it was like a detective story. I was looking forward to what the next clue might be. The day went along without much activity, and I became engrossed in some of my regular chores. The phone rang, and it was one of our customers who called periodically with interesting bits of information related to where the world was going. I told him about my quest and he said I ought to check it out on the Internet. Of course! Why didn't I think of that? I finished up the day and headed for home, eager to get on the Net.

As I typed in my password, I wondered if there was a forum I hadn't seen about the Grail. Scrolling through the various offerings in the Metaphysical section, there it was…The Grail Quest, with about 49 messages. How strange we are, I thought. We only see what we want to see, and as many times as I'd logged on to the forums, I'd never noticed that one. Starting at the top, there were interesting messages…some reiterating what I'd already found, but one in particular intrigued me. Someone referred to a book tying the Labyrinth to the Grail, only available to members of a secret society. How fascinating, especially since I was planning to go with my friends to walk it the next day.

After checking out what was available, I left my own message asking for any information that would add to what I already knew, and then moved over to the section on Labyrinths, where I left a general message asking if anyone knew about the connection between the two. There were enough authorities in the field who checked in…someone was bound to know something.

That night I had another dream. In it I saw a vision of a cup outside my window. It was resting in midair, and was the form of a Silver Chalice. At first I didn't give it much attention, but realized that I must look carefully, because it wouldn't always be there. As I viewed it in the dream, I became filled with light, to the point where I knew I could fly, and gradually I lifted off the ground and moved gracefully around the room, doing somersaults in the air and swooping down between the furniture…never hitting anything. Gently I landed on my feet and knew that I could do this at will as long as I remembered the message of the Grail.

In the dream, there was another person doing yoga, who was rolled up like a pretzel on a bed, and she was so intent in her practice that she didn't see the Chalice…for she was facing the wall. I sensed I didn't have to be involved in a complex process, for through the Grail I would gain everything I needed.

Waking, I jotted down my perception of the dream. It seemed to clearly indicate that when I looked at the Chalice and concentrated on its content, I was transformed into something no longer earthbound. It was on the other side of the window, signifying to me that it was not in the same realm as I was. Therefore, I couldn't find it in physical reality, but there was a window that would allow me to view it, if I would look. Also, I had to be aware of when it was there, for it wasn't always evident. This implied the need to pay attention to my intuition, which was the bridge between the two worlds. The scene with the person doing yoga on the bed seemed to indicate that we have to be careful not to get lulled by the various disciplines we are involved with to the point of missing opportunities that are presented through a different view.

At 10:00, Luke arrived. We picked up Helen and then headed for San Francisco. It was May, when the weather would alternate between hot and cool. Weather could be 80 degrees on the peninsula, while the city was blanketed in fog, driving the temperature down to the high 50s or low 60s…so in summer, going to San Francisco always required taking a jacket, just in case. This day was no exception. As we drove north, the fog crept over the coastal mountains, significantly cooling everything. Down-town San Francisco was immune to dense fog for the most part, and as we climbed Nob Hill, the weather was glorious with the fresh blue sky I'd come to associate with the city. Again, we found a parking space close to the entrance of the church and proceeded in our normal fashion to ready ourselves for the Labyrinth experience.

Helen and Luke walked first this time. I felt the need to walk later, as something was bubbling under the surface, and I looked up at the stained glass windows. Open to Light's Radiance, streamed down upon me and I jotted it in my Daytimer so I wouldn't forget. As my friends completed the Labyrinth, so did others who had been walking it. I moved forward and took my shoes off as requested, and placed each foot upon the path for another round of insight.

As I walked, I held the Holy Grail within my consciousness, open to whatever it might want me to know, and as I moved thoughtfully along the path, I had the insight that I needed to clear the way…to make of myself a perfected vessel and attune to the light that was presenting itself on earth now. This was not a request…it was a mandate, and I was being told to refine my ways, as it was a requirement for the continuance of life. Some were called to act as forerunners, but what was given would apply to all life and would become more evident as we moved into the new millennium.

I felt responsibility for what I'd heard and sat afterward in quiet contemplation, trying to digest the implications, and then sought out Helen and Luke who were ready to make our customary browse through the church gift shop.

"Well," Luke asked, "did you get an insight?"

"More than I wanted…how about you?" He nodded. "Mm-hum. Helen did, too."

She looked at me seriously. "They aren't fooling around anymore," she said. "We don't have time."

I knew what she meant. This was a very different feeling from our past visits, and from the response of my two friends, each of us was being pushed to make adjustments in our lives that would allow for attunement to something greater.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect this." Luke shook his head in wonder. None of us were novices in the presence of Spirit, each having our share of experiences, and tests of faith. The intensity of this time period had come upon us suddenly, however, and I don't think any of us was prepared for the urgency of the directives we were given.

"What did you get, Luke?" I asked.

"Well…I'm told that I must change my patterns of eating. As I perceived the message, I have to eat food that is consciously cultivated."

Helen chuckled. "Yes…they told me that, too. In addition, I have to stop smoking, because it's blocking my metabolism and interfering with the proper function of my liver."

Helen was of an age where cigarettes had been the "in" thing to do. It was a pastime that she thoroughly enjoyed and had tried repeatedly to give up because of pressure from her family and younger friends. Now, she seemed to have a different perspective, and was quiet as she reflected upon the full meaning of this directive for her.

Luke was equally still. He loved good food and at times tended to binge on his favorite "goodies." Now he was being directed to be aware of his eating habits, and to eat only what was raised consciously.

"Well," I said to them both, "if I'm supposed to be open to the light now available, I assume what you've been told applies to me as well." They both nodded. We were all quiet. As we drove out of the city towards the coastal route, fog covered the entire road.

"I think we'll take 280," Luke said. "We can't see anything on the coast route today."

We came back to the Peninsula, and stopped at a favorite outdoor restaurant, since the weather was warm and the food was generally well prepared and top quality.

"What do you make of it all," I asked?

Helen, who had been especially quiet, spoke.

"I see this as an absolute directive. I've known that something big was happening behind the scenes…I've had the feeling in my readings and in my meditation. I've been agitated and unable to sleep, and felt as though I was revved up at a high rate of speed. It's been uncomfortable because something is in the process of shifting. It's as though it's happening, and somebody forgot to tell us so that we'd have enough time to pack all our belongings in leisure. Now, we're given 24-hours notice. Do you know what I mean?"

We did. Both of us had also noticed that things seemed to be speeding up, and I had even commented at an earlier get together that we all knew things were going to heat up in the '90s, but nobody knew how fast it was going to happen. Now we were in the midst of it.

By 1992, we were still crossing the threshold, but by 1995, everything began to move much faster. We had been preparing for the long-awaited shift of the ages. It seemed intriguing in the past as we used to speak of it, but now it was urgent and uncomfortable, for the immanence of change was upon us.

"So, what are you both going to do," I asked?

They looked at me and answered simultaneously, "What we've been told!"

Luke added. "I'm going to do it because I know it's right, and when I got the insight, I could see the purpose for the directive. It isn't something unreasonable. I saw the whole food chain and the compromises that we are making in relation to it. There is no more communion and no dignity. The plants and animals are being treated like non-entities. They are merely numbers in some game of accounting.

"There is indifference to them as living creatures, and they are being housed in pathetic conditions. We are eating animals that have been raised on fear and antibiotics!

"Vegetables from commercial farms are raised in the same framework of chemicals and pesticides, so we are eating produce that looks bigger, but has very little vitamin content in relation to the vegetables raised without artificial fertilizer. It's no small wonder there are more cancers and immune-deficiency diseases. We are slowly destroying ourselves through our indifference to our food sources."

Luke was not one to go on about things at this length as he was a pretty practical individual. Obviously, something had touched him deeply and made an indelible impression. No one said anything for a while, and when the waiter came to ask what we'd like, we all ordered organic greens.

Helen commented about the body being a temple. "I know now why I'm being asked to stop smoking. I could see how the cigarettes are interfering with the natural repair process in my body. It is constantly stressed, having to work overtime to try to rid the toxins I keep sucking in. Golly, I never saw that before. It's as though my body is this wonderful being that's trying so hard to support me, and I'm unconsciously putting something in it that is keeping it from doing its job. Things are beginning to break down, and it doesn't have the reserves to keep up with the demand. For goodness sake, I just never realized what I was doing!"

She shook her head and looked down at her hands. "I think it's part of what's contributed to the arthritis. That and coffee. I could actually see how the things that I put into my mouth were being absorbed by my body. It wasn't a pretty picture, I'll tell you! Oh, my." Again, she lapsed into quiet and it was my turn to speak.

"You know, when I got that I need to be a clear vessel, I could see myself as a cup, and I could see the importance of the quality of my choices. Things I take for granted like water and air are important. A vision of how much we compromise ecologically came home to me as it did to both of you. It was as though the contaminants keep us from being tuned to something that is important. Part of this has to do with refinement. I am just not quite sure about all the details."

After lunch, Luke dropped us off. There were calls waiting for me on the answering machine, but I felt I needed the rest of the afternoon to myself. I was tired, and wanted to close my eyes for a few moments before I tackled anything. Reflecting on the past week, it seemed that an awful lot of information was coming in with a strong sense of urgency. I wondered why. Slowly, I let go of my thoughts and drifted into sleep.

Dreaming, I found myself confronted by two cups. One was leaden in color and the other was a brilliant silver. As I moved closer, the leaden one seemed lifeless and austere. Its contents were murky. The other, of brilliant silver, resonated a tone that was reminiscent of sounds I'd heard when certain bells were played in cathedrals…it was beautiful, melodic and inviting. Also, a radiant light shone from it that seemed to have no source. It was very bright, yet comforting, and clear liquid streamed over the sides, positively affecting everything it touched. The leaden cup was isolated, however. It was unable to benefit from the other cup's presence, because it had been weakened by its contents and couldn't be attuned.

.P
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Join us next month as as we continue with Chapter 3!

© Kathleen Jacoby, 2000-2006

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