The Circle......Night Time Vigil...

The night is still and quiet as the temparature drops and the glow of a large camp fire causes the shadows to dance through the imagination.

Agile and fleetfooted, the last shimmerings of the desert heat have come to a standstill and the glowing embers embedded in those flickering flames, highlight a lone figure, sitting motionless in the cool embrace of the shadows, which play along the contours of a strong face, blessed with the space of serenity and a peaceful countenance, while the almost imperceptible movement of the larynx, brings the awareness of a chant, which is continous in it's intentions, as the sparks of the flames rise into the star filled night sky, creating more shapes and messages, as the heat of the fire attracts rattlers and cobras, which form a circle around the fire, and the man, stays motionless, as the circles complete themselves.

The rattlers are closest to the fire in the inner circle, and as they strt to rattle in unison, there seems to be a change in energy.

The cobras form an outer ring and lift themselves up high in all their hooded splendour and seem to sway from side to side, to the chanting and the sounds of the rattlers.

The pitch and the intensity of the sound grows and there seems to be a light emanating from the circle which increases it's own self illuminating brightness, until there is this energy bubble surrounding all and then the doorways start to appear.

These are not doors in the traditional sense, but are openings or portals into paralell realities and as they become clearer there appears before each a figure.

Each has the wizened face of an elder and adjoined to their misty like appearance,which has a n emanating glow, is the head of an animal, which seems to be attached to their own heads and lives in harmony with it's host.

There are eleven in total and through each portal lies a new vista.

There appears a lone figure in the circle, head bowed and perfectly still as there is always a waiting period for the energies to adjust.

There are two doorways which start to vibrate and glow more profusely.
The lone figure, head bowed, eyes closed, moves in the direction of one doorway without opening it's eyes.

The choice has been made and the doorways start to disappear one by one, until the illumination recedes and all that remains are the rattlers and the cobras, who stand down and move closer to the figure sitting by the fire.

The shadows dance in the firelight and each snake seems to be absorbed into the figure, still sitting and chanting, until the last snake disappears and as the sky brightens, the embers of the roaring fire are all that remains of a night time vigil in the desert.