Gift for @WolfDreamer :
You return from your morning constitutional, weather-worn and battle-weary. You’re accustomed to trekking across a rugged landscape. But high winds, lashing rain, and icy, muddy trails made this morning’s trek especially challenging. To make matters worse, the winter sun was nowhere to be seen, the grey morning light so dim, even your spirit animal, a pure white wolf, was difficult to see, though it walked ever present by your side throughout the journey.
Well, some days bring more challenge than others, you think. You are committed to walking in nature and learning her ways. You know the challenges the weather can bring. Even so, you are thankful to have made it back home to the warm embrace of the DAREBEE Hive. Tonight is the Hive’s annual holiday party—always a wonderful time of feasting, merriment, and camaraderie. You can hardly wait!
But when you step through the Hive’s entrance you are not greeted with the expected scene of comfort and joy. Far from it. The Hive this morning is in utter chaos! Bees are buzzing about angrily, each working in a seeming frenzy, but with no coordination, no cooperation to that work. The table settings placed out by one Bee are knocked down by another climbing on that table to hang lights from the ceiling. Then the lights are torn down by another Bee who trips over their electrical cord while frantically sweeping the floor. What is going on here?
“What is going on here?” you ask your question aloud, shouting to be heard over the din.
No one responds.
You open your mouth prepared to shout your question again, louder this time. But your breath catches in your throat. You can feel the anxiety in the Hive seeping into your own body. Giving in to whatever chaotic force is at work here is not the answer. You close your eyes and
meditate to ground yourself and find some calm to deal with this situation.
After
5 minutes of focused, deep breathing you feel your connection to your inner seed of silent wisdom, forged through long hours of practice over many moons, strengthen, and you chance opening your eyes once again onto the scene of chaos before you.
The Bees are all still buzzing about frantically. But, out of the corner of your eye, you glimpse… what? A wisp of air, disappearing around a darkened corner. But more than air. A silver shimmer in a bucket of mop water. And was that a tail? A candle on the mantelpiece flickers to life, and a flaming salamander disappears into the fir boughs adorning the candle’s base. And there! Hiding under a table in the corner. Is that a little man?
Are your eyes deceiving you? None of the other Bees appear to be aware of these strange creatures. And every time you yourself turn to stare at one, it disappears! A different perspective is in order. And since the beings you can almost see appear to be embodiments of natural elements—earth, air, fire, and water—you decide to get down on the ground and connect with your own wild nature in the hope of gaining a better ability to connect with the strange visitors.
You drop to all fours and crawl like a bear, hop like a frog, scuttle like a crab, and otherwise engage in wild, primal movements. The other Bees remain so frenzied they pay no heed to what you’re doing. But your tactic is working. The more freely you move, the more deeply you connect with your wild nature, and the more solid the Elemental creatures you are chasing become. After
5 minutes of freeform primal movement you manage to round up the four Elementals, and you put your question to them:
“What is going on here? Why is the Hive in chaos?”
“Everything is in chaos!” says the little man you’d first spotted hiding under a table, a Gnome with a shaggy red beard, dressed in a brown leather tunic and breeches, and a big, floppy hat. His boots have left a trail of great clods of earth across the floor of the Hive.
“The World Serpent has stolen our most precious relics and scattered them to the four corners of the Earth!” says the wisp of air. You can now see that the wisp is in fact a Sylph, a slender woman with long, flowing white hair, dressed in a gauzy white gown. Even with your newfound wild vision, you can still almost see through her.
“With our relics missing, we cannot maintain order in our respective realms,” says the Salamander. Flames dance along its long, lizard-like body from snout to tail, yet do not consume the small creature.
“The result is what you see here,” says the fourth Elemental, an Undine with a woman’s torso and a fish’s tail.
“Well, then, you must get the relics back!” you say.
“We cannot,” says the Gnome.
“Without our relics, we are powerless,” says the Sylph.
“We are stuck here,” says the Salamander, “unable to travel through our own realms.”
“Only a warrior of great resolve can help us,” says the Undine. “Do you know where we can find such a warrior?”
You begin to shake your head. But you feel a wet nose poking into your hip. You look down at your spirit guide. The Wolf is staring up at you pointedly.
You really just wanted a party tonight, but…
You let out a long, slow sigh, and turn back to the Elementals.
“Tell me about these relics.”
“The Crystal of Clear Vision holds the fabric of the Earth together,” says the Gnome, “weaving solidity out of primordial chaos.”
“The Pipes of Pure Breath sing to the winds,” says the Sylph, “directing an orderly flow of air across land and sea.”
“The Lamp of Eternal Flame tethers this world to its sun,” says the Salamander, “providing the light and heat and energy necessary for life.”
“The Chalice of Calm Seas stills raging waters and holds together the cradle of life, the mighty ocean,” says the Undine.
“And the Orb of Unity holds everything together,” says the Gnome.
“How do I find these relics?” you ask.
“To retrieve our relics you will be required to fly on the frigid wind,” says the Sylph.
“And ford the raging river,” says the Undine.
“You’ll need to dig down into the depths of the Earth,” says the Gnome.
“And reach high to the summit of the tallest mountain,” says the Salamander.
“Can you do this?” ask the Elementals in unison.
You gulp.
The Wolf pokes your hip again. “Say yes.”
“But—”
The Wolf pokes you harder. “Say yes.”
“But I’m only a man,” you say. “I cannot fly!”
The Sylph plucks a silver-white cape from the air and tosses it to you. “This should help with that,” she says.
You look down at the Wolf again. Its dark eyes bore into your very soul.
The weather outside still rages. But you know what you must do. You fasten the cape around your neck, look back to the Elementals, and nod.
“I can do this,” you say. Then, with your Wolf by your side, you head back out into the storm.
The journey is a challenging one. But you fly (like
Superman) on the frigid wind (for
15 seconds), ford the raging river (in a
boat, for
15 seconds), dig down into the depths of the Earth (with a deep,
15 second squat hold), and reach high to the summit of the tallest mountain (in a
15 second calf raise hold, with your arms stretched overhead). Then you
do it again.
And again.
And again.
Your Quest goes well, and you are able to retrieve the Crystal of Clear Vision, the Pipes of Pure Breath, the Lamp of Eternal Flame, and the Chalice of Calm Seas, stowing each relic safely in your satchel. Only one more relic to find, and you are confident now you will succeed. But no sooner have you formed this thought than a gigantic, monstrous ring crests the horizon.
The ring floats towards you. As it draws closer you see that the ring is in fact an ouroboros, a serpent wound round in a circle such that the giant beast’s maw is devouring its own tail. Held tightly within the ouroboros’s circular embrace is a massive, mirrored sphere. This can be none other than the Orb of Unity you seek.
The Orb is huge. You have no idea how you’ll ever get it back to the Hive. Or how you’ll get it from the serpent to begin with. The beast appears intent on holding on to its prize.
“You come here seeking the Orb of Unity, human?” asks the ouroborus. It doesn’t speak the words, exactly. It cannot, with its mouth being full as it is with its own tail. Yet you hear the words clearly in your mind, a booming voice not at all obscured by the ravaging storm around you.
“I do,” you reply. Your own voice is lost on the wind. But this matters not. The ouroborus can read minds as easily as project into them.
“The Orb of Unity shall not be yours as easily as you acquired those trinkets you carry already,” the voice of the ouroborus thunders in your mind. “No. To claim this treasure you must fly farther, raft harder, dig deeper, and reach higher than ever before. Are you ready to face this quest?”
You gulp. But you feel your Wolf guide giving you strength.
“I am.”
“Have at it then,” says the ouroboros.
So you do. You fly farther (like
superman, for
60 seconds), raft harder (keeping your small boat afloat with a
60 second hollow hold), dig deeper (
holding your deepest of squats for 60 seconds), and reach higher (with
calves raised, arms overhead for 60 seconds).
Your journey brings you full circle—like the ouroboros itself—and you find yourself once more standing before the great beast. Its body is still tightly wrapped around the Orb of Unity. Will the ouroboros give up the relic? Or was your journey all for nought?
Shaking, you shout up at the creature. “I have done as you asked!”
“You have done well, human,” declares the ouroborus.
With this pronouncement, the Orb of Unity begins to shrink. As it does so, it comes loose from the ouroboros’s grasp. The Orb continues to shrink as it falls towards you. By the time you catch it in your arms, it is no larger than a child’s beach ball.
Without another word, the ouroboros floats away from you, its own fearsome size seeming to diminish also as it recedes into the distance.
With your Wolf at your side, you turn and head for home.
#
When you arrive back at the Hive you find the Elementals gathered outside, waiting for you.
You reach into your satchel and withdraw the relics, one by one.
You hand the Crystal of Clear Vision to the Gnome. The Gnome lovingly takes the rock from you and polishes it on his tunic. Within seconds the mud and ice beneath your feet dry up, and you find yourself on solid footing for the first time all day.
Then you give the Pipes of Pure Breath to the Sylph. She blows one pure, clear note through the Pipes, and the raging winds calm to a gentle breeze.
Next, you draw the Lamp of Eternal Flame from your satchel and extend it towards the Salamander. The Salamander scampers around and around the Lamp, and finally disappears inside. As soon as it does so, the Lamp flickers to life with a pure, white flame. Simultaneously, the sun crests the horizon and rises to take its rightful place in the sky.
Finally, you give the Chalice of Calm Seas to the Undine. As soon as she touches it, the Chalice fills with crystal clear water. The Undine drinks from the Chalice, and the lashing rains evaporate, leaving in their place a beautiful rainbow that arcs clear across the sky.
“Thank you, WolfDreamer,” says the Gnome. He appears to be even shorter now than when you first met him. You realize this is because the little man is sinking into the earth.
“You have restored order,” says the Sylph, shimmering before you as her very corporealness begins to fade.
“…to all the realms,” comes the voice of the Salamander from within the Lamp. The Lamp rises into the sky and begins to drift towards the sun.
“Peace reigns once more,” says the Undine. Then she pours the water out of her Chalice onto the ground. The water forms a stream, flowing softly towards the now-calm river below. The Undine picks up her Chalice, dives into the stream, and swims away.
“Wait!” you call out. “Wait! What am I supposed to do with this?” You hold up the Orb of Unity, its mirrored surface now twinkling in the light of the shining sun.
“You are now the Keeper of the Orb of Unity,” say the Gnome, the Sylph, the Salamander, and the Undine as they continue to sink/fade/float/swim away. “You will know what to do with it.” Then they are gone.
You stare at the Orb, hoping it might impart some profound wisdom to you. But the Orb remains inert in your arms.
“Hmph! I’ll know what to do with it. I’ll know what to do,” you mutter as you head back into the Hive.
#
Inside the Hive everything is still a flutter of activity, but now the Bees are all working together, cleaning and tidying, decking the halls in festive cheer, and laying out a long row of tables with a decadent feast.
“WolfDreamer!” calls out one of your friends. “Where have you been?”
“It’s almost time for our great holiday party!” says another. “And we’ve still so much work to do!”
“Roll up your sleeves, WolfDreamer,” they entreat. “Pitch in and help us!”
So you do. Jumping high, diving low, and reaching up to the very corners of the Hive’s great hall, with
5 sets of 10 jumping jacks, 10 side jacks, 10 high knees, and 2 burpees you help to hang garlands and collect a few stray baubles that have fallen to the floor, restoring them to their rightful place on the DAREBEE Tree.
Soon the hall is decked, the tables are set, and the whole of the Hive is aglow in colourful, festive lights.
“WolfDreamer!” your friends call out. “Hang that thing up already and join us. The party’s about to begin!”
You look down at the Orb of Unity which is now back in your arms, but spinning gently, its faceted surface twinkling with reflections of the Hive’s festive lights. You walk to the centre of the hall and lift the Orb up high over your head. The Orb floats up, attaches itself to the centre of the ceiling, and continues its slow spin, a disco ball adding the final festive touch to the Hive.
“Let’s party!” you declare.
And you all do.
~~~
Your workout:
Part 1: Grounding
- 5 minutes meditation
- 5 minutes freestyle primal movement
Part 2: The Quest
Five sets in total. Four sets @ 15 seconds/hold, final set at 60 seconds per hold:
- superman hold
- hollow hold
- squat hold
- calf raise hold with arms overhead
Part 3: Deck the Halls
Five sets of:
- 10 jumping jacks
- 10 side jacks
- 10 high knees
- 2 burpees
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