“Our minds have a tendency to thunder. They thunder to and fro, from the past to the future to the present, with fear, anger, guilt, ego, worry – you name it. 

“When our minds become quiet, we may experience the oneness of self and the oneness of creation. Our thundering mind separates us. But our quiet mind unites us in an angelic dance that is both magnificent and awesome.

“If our minds ever stopped thundering, we would understand the secret language of the birds.”

Spoken by Feathered Serpent Jaguar, the Lord Capt’n as written in The Morning Star Chronicles in the age of transition prior to the dawning of the sixth sun.

The Sun and his twin the Morning Star rose the next morning as they did every morn throughout our journey to push the veil of darkness back and sending the Queen of Night to her daily resting place. The adventurers gathered for breakfast in the common room and ate heartily of an awesome mix of Spanish omelets, bacon, sausage, and toast, and drank steaming cups of coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice served cheerfully by Lillian and Raul.

Jose of Mayan decent and Condor Eyes waited patiently for the meal to be concluded and walked ahead of the group into the Jungle where he worked his magic and sang to the plants of the area so they might reveal their secrets and teach us a bit of healing magic.

He gathered the adventurers and began to talk in his soft accented voice. With each word the ancient world and the present merged into oneness to unfold the hidden cures abundantly available all around.

And sing the plants did! Through Jose they told us of their ability to heal such ailments as ringworm, fungus, snakebite, dysentery, diarrhea, high fever and headaches, malaria, mosquitoes bites, leukemia, upset stomach, internal bleeding, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Maruuani was especially excited to learn about the contraceptive power of the Wild Yam. We learned of a special plant to heal Kurupani, Priestess of the She Cat who was not present at the singing of the plants due to a sore and swollen ankle. It was the leaf of the Everlasting Life plant that needs to be crushed until liquid comes out and then applied to sore and swollen joints.

It must be noted that since we were in the environs of the sacred temple, the Gods demanded that the adventurers be further tested in our courage and “heart” and so sent a host of mosquitoes and rays of blistering sun.

This chronicler found herself disturbed to find that so many cures for ailments could be found in the sacred grounds and yet they were not known out in the world beyond the jungle borders. Would unlocking these secrets be so threatening to power that it needed to be kept from knowledge? This chronicler finds it hard to believe that our world known as reality chooses to chase profits and power while trampling on sacredness and healing.

Princess Lily Shark Maiden of the South and her mother Queen Petsikuri put their heads together and compared notes knowing that this knowledge was sacred and wishing to take samples back to their Moorish Castle in the Land of Shine. Jose told them of a place to go where the already prepared cures could be purchased and the Lord Capt’n told them that they would go there in the next few days.

Feeling sated and happy at learning such sacred and hidden knowledge, we adventurers headed back to a tasty repast of chicken tamales, salad and fresh fruit along with refreshing ice-cold water and fruit punch designed to refresh us from the brutal testing we had all endured in the course of our listening to the singing plants.

Once again all adventurers had been found to be sturdy of heart and strong of spirit. But oh we all wondered would the testing never end? Most refreshing of all was the purple fruit with tiny black seeds that had been served at every meal (the kitchen staff apparently were aware of the constant testing we questors endured and so thoughtfully laid out foods to heal our spirits). Lillian called it the Pitahia and said it was the sweet fruit of a local cactus.

Free time was awarded to the adventurers after lunch and many went back to their huts to rest and enjoy the cool breeze from overhead fans. Maruuani and Ixinatsi climbed into a canoe and attempted to paddle in unison to the opposite bank of the lagoon. Unfortunately Maruuani proved to be unfit to paddle and the canoe circled more than it went straight with Ixinatsi taking up the slack and steering the canoe as best she could alone. It was so peaceful and serene on the lagoon with a soft breeze blowing just cool enough to make the mid-day sun bearable.

The Lord Capt’n called the adventurers together as the sun began its decent into evening. Our destination was the first level of the underworld and as we approached the entrance to the pathway, the Lord Capt’n put up his hands and signaled the group to stop. There at the beginning of the path leading to the Jaguar Temple waited a serpent.

This sacred serpent, keeper of the secrets of transformation and guardian of the Earth, greeted our Lord Capt’n the Feathered Serpent Jaguar and then turned and led the way down the pathway. When the serpent was confident that all were following down the correct path, he slithered into the jungle foliage and disappeared.

High overhead three mighty guardians of the heavens circled over the Jaguar Temple and watched the adventures as we approached. The Lord Capt’n whistled softly to alert the spirits of our presence and when this chronicler questioned him later, he explained that it was like knocking on someone’s door before entering a house.

This was the home of the Jaguar King and we were about to go on a journey to meet the Jaguar God. First we had to be purified by smudging one at a time with burning Copal, the sacred sap of the Copal Tree. We then climbed the steps of the temple to the first of the nine levels of the underworld and began a journey with a guardian through a cave down deep into the earth. Each adventurer’s journey was unique as fear, doubt, desire, uncertainty, and the ever thundering of our minds shaped the images we saw and hinted at what could be lurking in the darkness.

Gathering inner courage and holding fast to our swords of fearlessness, we pressed forward seeking the Jaguar God and what he might give to us or say to us to take back to the upper world. All who went saw, smelt, tasted, felt and heard, and returned safely.

As the sun set over the lagoon that evening the initiates presented themselves to the Queen and Lord Capt’n on the soft sandy beach beneath a towering tree. Citlali was there to assist her parents in the very sacred ceremony that was to ensue. Kurupani, Maruuani, Mixtin, and Ixinatsi partook of the most secret and most sacred lagoon initiation.

This chronicler is not at liberty to tell the details of such sacred work but suffice it to say that the ceremony consisted of drinking powerful potions, cutting with blessed blades, submersion in water and wrapping ourselves in Mother Earth to finally be reborn of the earth. Pakapeti, Priestess of Fertility Birthing Light stood on the bank of the lagoon as a silent witness to the powerful death and rebirth unfolding before her and so was initiated as a feathered serpent warrior as well. Afterwards we sat quietly alone with our thoughts.

Evening brought a well-earned meal of grilled pork chops or vegetable lasagna along with awesome key lime pie. Much laughter could be heard in the common room as Citlali revealed to us her secret power of bringing people out of the darkness of living a lie and into the light of living as they truly are – also known as coming out of the closet.

Tapachini, Young Warrior Speaks of Stars continued to question and found two who had some knowledge of the Elves and the stars – namely Kevari, Crocodile Warrior Protecting the Light and Mixtin, Jaguar Warrior Priest. Not only did they possess sufficient knowledge to mildly satisfy Tapachini, but they also were able to pose questions of their own that Tapachini would have to admit sent him searching for answers, much to his own dismay.

Capt’n Nocheztli presented magical cards that when chosen carefully could reveal the knowledge we need to help us in the present, to help us with the past, and to help us with the future. This chronicler felt that she had too much of the local brew to be of a clear head to choose carefully.

Evening had turned into night and the sky was overcast hiding the brilliance of the heavens. Everyone made their way along the pebbled pathways to their thatched huts to bed down for the night except for Maruuani and Ixinatsi.

This night was not an ordinary night for Ixinatsi but rather the ten-year anniversary of the day she swallowed an illusion of happiness and allowed herself to be put inside a box that crushed her spirit, stifled her growth, and separated her from herself. Her personal journey from that day to the present had not been easy but she never quit and kept fighting to be free. Now, free of the tendrils that had bound her and held her back from true freedom, Ixinatsi had prepared a ceremony of her own to bring closure to a ten year illusion and to celebrate her true freedom at last.

Maruuani stood silently by and witnessed the releasing of a death arrow into the waters of the lagoon, the burning of a false image of happiness, and was there to hold Ixinatsi as she cried, sobbed, and roared in pain letting out all that had been suppressed.

Queen Petsikuri heard Ixinatsi’s cries of pain in the night and came to enfold her in her arms, wipe her face, neck and arms with a cool wet cloth, and to whisper into her ear words of love and encouragement that Ixinatsi had longed to hear from her own mother. When all the tears were shed and the sounds of anguish had been finally uttered, the free and jubilant Ixinatsi laughed, danced, skipped and giggled, and it was a beautiful sight to behold.

Before going to bed Ixinatsi and Maruuani made their way to Kurupani’s hut to apply the crushed leaves of The Everlasting Life plant to aid the swelling of her left ankle. They carefully bandaged the ankle and as Kurupani, Priestess of the She-Cat slept, the magical juices went to work and over time the swelling went down.

Day 4