Copyright 2010 Roberta Osborn. All rights reserved.
Dreams of the Borderland
Mystery
I have come upon a perfectly round pond in the midst of tall trees. The sunlight angles down
softly through the green leaves, edging them in light, and reflects off the still black water. This
spot is beautiful, radiant, sacred. Small green beads of plant material, seeds perhaps, float on the
surface of the pond. I lean on the grassy edge of the pond and dip the water up in my hand. It is
completely clear, fresh, and sweet, spring-fed. I notice the small pier and climb up on it. Diving
into the cool water and back up to the surface, I stretch out to swim lazily, floating really. I have
never felt so peaceful. The little beads are clean and drift in random designs on the water. They
cling to my arm
as I reach up
and float off as I
pull down. I
look at them
closely. They
are perfect
spheres of
green, about an
eighth of an
inch wide. I
look hard for
meaning in the
designs on the
water. A small
yellow bird in
the grass
notices my
struggle and
chirps, "The
beauty is the message, you know. Don't work so hard." I feel the cool updraft created by the
trees and the warm rays of sun on my face and know that this is a moment of pure grace, a
precious gift of natural beauty that will be with me forever.
As the sun begins to set and the shadows get long, I leave the water and begin an easy walk into
the woods. I spy a splash of color through the dimness. I slip through the trees to see what it is.
It is something high up in a gigantic tree. As I approach the tree seems to grow wider and wider.
At its side I am astonished at its diameter. Its roots are broad and provide a sort of staircase, so I
can climb up. I climb and climb until finally I reach a massive branch. Nestled in the crook of the
branch is a beautiful flower about 6 feet wide, brilliant turquoise blue with a pale yellow center.
The branch itself is so big that I can step past the flower to turn and look back at it. It is a star-
shaped flower, and there are five petals. They are succulent like cactus leaves. The fragrance is
spicy and sweet at once, like anise and black pepper. I stare at the flower for a long time,
marveling at the intense blue. The blue is clean and hot and I feel absorbed in it. I realize that
nothing is more mysterious about existence than the fact that anything exists at all. I feel
privileged to have the opportunity to think about that. I lay down on one of the petals, pull another
one around my shoulders and sleep like a baby.
In the morning I awake easily, finding myself looking up through the leaves to a clear blue sky. I
leave the tree and resume my walk in the forest. May-apple plants with large white flowers cover
the forest floor at ankle height. I hear the sound of falling water and find myself walking in a
clearing along a swift running creek. I stop to watch the play of water. It tumbles and falls over
smooth gray rocks, fanning strings of moss at the edges. The foam and energy fans out in
ripples that bounce off other rocks and collide in intricate patterns that glitter in the sun. The laws
of physics govern the interactions of those bubbles and ripples, and yet, within those constraints,
everything is play. All of nature plays with the laws of physics in the way that a game is defined
by its rules. I too am at play, exploring the variations of the laws that govern mind, love, and
nature.
I have expanded now. I occupy the deepest outer space. I am so vast that earth is just a speck on
an energy grid far away in my perspective. It is my intention, my task, to bring my vast energies
down into the invisible grid and make something very small and careful happen. I am in training at
manifesting the finite. Because I am not finite, this is something of a challenge for me. The
concerns of my personality are actually the fine strokes of careful patient tending to my invention.
At the same time, they are also play.
At home, I walk from room to room by secret passageways and stairs that I discover as I go.
There is a shadow house, a second house in the skin of the one I have always known. Every
room in this newly revealed house is full of fine furniture, solid, enduring, and elegant. Everything
is set up for display because it is my job to select what I will take. The staff is very kind, and
shows me books as well. I admire the quality of the furniture. I cannot believe that these things
are available to me. "Oh yes. It is up to you to stock up, but do you have room for a new idea?"
I realize that there is much I would leave behind to make room for just one of such high quality
pieces.
