Prologue

The only sound was that of the waterfall cascading down the sheer rose quartz cliff and exploding into a million microscopic droplets of pink, lilac and turquoise which sparkled with tiny specks of silver and gold. The air was headily infused with an aromatic symphony of lavender, rose, jasmine, geranium and honeysuckle, each breath melting me deeper and deeper into the surrounding bliss. 

I sat on a large flagstone with my legs dangling into the crystal water watching it tumble from one large clear pool to another, making me think of a tower of glasses, filling up generously with an ever-flowing stream of cosmic champagne. Each pool was filled with rocks of varying colours and sizes – a visual banquet of turquoise, sapphire, emerald, ruby and diamond, all twinkling in the sunlight. The sky was that perfect blue, relieved only by a few white powder puff clouds drifting by.

The gushing water made its way to its destination without hesitation or doubt, oblivious to any obstacles in its path. It felt like a metaphor for how I wanted to live my life. I also knew that it would be hard, if not impossible, to remember what I was feeling now. Like in the case of most dreams, I knew that I would forget as soon as I opened my eyes.

Every time I was between lives, I would come here and every time it seemed more beautiful, the colours more vibrant, the scents sweeter, the vibration higher. Watching that water filled me with inspiration. I knew instinctively I had been here many times and each time my  purpose was to remember who I am, a spiritual being inhabiting a human body (just like everyone else) so that I can be my authentic self and inspire others to do the same. The idea of encouraging others to come out of their shell excited me deeply. 

It was here I felt the safest, the most connected, the most alive. Some people hold the belief that we don’t feel anything when we are here, but it is truer to say that we are clear and light here. We are not subject to the dense vibration of negative emotions. The grass felt like cool moss underfoot and the warm golden sunshine danced across my face and arms caressing them gently. It was here I had been working on my letter for what seemed like aeons.

I always had this place to myself precisely when I needed it although I knew I wasn’t the only one who knew of its presence. It amazed me that I had always been able to find the quiet and solitude I craved at times. There seemed to be so many of us, I used to wonder how it could be that this place was always free from people just when I wanted to be there alone. It was of course entirely possible that there were others there at the same time, only our subtle vibrational differences allowed each of us have the space to ourselves. It looked like my spiritual intelligence was, indeed, running the show very capably for me, taking care of every little detail, ensuring that everything was perfect.

Today, though, was special because my letter would have to be submitted. And this was only the first step in the process. Every detail would have to be immaculate, not least the quality, the choice of colour and design of the notepaper, the envelope and stamp. Everything would be taken into consideration, especially every single carefully hand-picked hand-written word and its vibration.

Almost everyone my vintage would be applying, but we wouldn’t be the only ones. Goodness knows how many souls we would be from all over the universe and walks of life. Only 10% or thereabouts would go through to the next round. These chances only came around once in a blue moon and everybody wanted to go through, particularly this time. I had still to meet a soul who wanted to merely be a spectator.

I wanted to take my time so I could try and remember all I had learnt in all those other lifetimes. Stay calm and relaxed. Let go of any attempts to impress or to compete as they never work. Be authentic. And if there was one thing about this letter, it had to absolutely show authenticity, sincerity and truth. I had to remember to let go of certain thoughts. You know the ones that say you are better than or not good enough. It’s your mind and you are in charge of what’s in it. Never mind anyone else. Do your best and trust that what happens is what is meant to happen. Don’t attach to the outcome. The mind does not like that one at all. It is interesting how like Planet Earth it can be in this place at times. 

I once heard that the reason human beings want ‟stuff” is because they want to feel the good feelings they have attached to the objects of their desire. Maybe a person who wants a fabulous red Ferrari really wants to feel successful, powerful, attractive. Maybe another wants a man at her side so she can feel wanted, loved and desired. It’s about the feeling, not the ‟stuff” although there would be a lot of hype about manifesting ‟stuff” down there.

What I would personally love this lifetime is to feel truly alive. More than that, I really wanted to experience the entire emotional spectrum. I am clear that I want excitement, joy, happiness, passion, enthusiasm, and a whole lot more together with sadness, anger, rage, jealousy, envy so I can fully appreciate the intensity of them all. I want to fully embrace these emotions and learn where they reside in my body so I can learn about myself. Most of all, I want to feel the same unconditional love I feel here in every cell of my body and I want to share it with everyone else. 

So, I sit with the sound of the waterfall crashing behind me and the sun shining through the leaves of the giant beech trees behind, creating wonderful patterns of brilliant light and shade on the ground. I close my eyes and ask for the help I need to write a successful letter. My eyes are starting to gently close. I go deeper and deeper. Time disappears. Mind becomes quiet. And then, through the misty silence, the perfect words to write come to me and I transcribe them. 

I take out a sheet of beautiful pale pink paper with a delicate rose on the top left-hand corner. I had studied calligraphy in one of the many classes I had attended. I think one of my traits through all my lives has been an insatiable desire to experience all the things I have been interested in. I am a bit of a ‟life junkie” if you like, so I penned my letter in my best writing with my lucky pen filled with beautiful silver ink. When I had finished, I put it in the matching envelope and stuck on the rose stamp whose design it had taken me weeks to perfect.

Then, I sat with it for a while, infusing it with all the best intentions I could bring to mind. When I felt the process was complete, I walked over to the Dome, where I deposited it in one of the giant golden post-boxes in place this one day for this purpose.

There was excitement in the air, but only the younger souls talked about it. The rest of us knew that talking about the event or speculating on the outcome would drain the energy, weakening it and quite possibly having a negative effect on the outcome. We would know soon enough. Things were run very efficiently here so it wouldn’t take more than a day or two in earth time to know the result.

I didn’t spend much time with the others. It was as if we truly needed time alone to be in a space of expectation. I spent a lot of time by the waterfall. I had my notepad with me and jotted down bits of poetry, and even got a storyline down for a book I would like to write some day if I remembered. The title might be ‟Time to be Me” or something like that. I wondered if I would get to write it soon. The sun shone brightly and it was so warm I got into the water and delighted in the rainbow bath. I was immersed in warm loving energy coming from the pink rose quartzes and turquoises. I was being bathed in love. I was love.

I didn’t have to wait long. It was barely two days later when Peter, who managed the postal system, arrived with a cheeky grin on his face as he held out a pristine white envelope with my name in gold letters. I held my breath as I opened it. It was surprisingly minimalist.

Presence requested tomorrow at the Dome

15 minutes to pitch application

Please Bring this invitation.

Tomorrow? O.M.G. How would I manage to be ready for tomorrow? But I knew I was ready. That’s what the letter had all been about. All I would have to do now was show up and be myself. Tell them why I wanted this so much, what my intentions were. In the words of the invitation, I would have to ‟pitch my application.” I wondered briefly who had chosen those not particularly celestial words.

I remembered to use everything I had learnt in workshops through lifetimes from Toastmasters to drama classes, I started to rehearse my ten-minute pitch until I knew it perfectly.

I remember walking into the dome, sitting in the red velvet gilt Louis XVI chair as I awaited my turn. I remember walking into the main hall and seeing seven beings. They seemed to be filling the air with peace and joy. I felt I knew them all well. The three on the left seemed to be more female. They were softer, gentler somehow and their light was a kind of pale pink. The three on the right seemed to exude an energy that was male. There was a sense of strength and calm coming from them. Their light was more golden. In the centre was an expansive celestial being of blinding white light. This one was far too bright for me. I couldn’t stay upright. I felt myself starting to fall, rather like Alice down the rabbit hole, deeper and deeper down. 

This is how I imagine the place we were before we were conceived.  I absolutely believe ‟everything happens for a reason” and I have long fantasised about this place.  I only know that it is beautiful and although I have read many wonderful stories about people who have had near death experiences, I have not.  I have used only what I possess, that is to say my words and the gift of my imagination to create as real a picture as I know how. I have a keen sense, a knowing really, that there is much more to this human experience than what we see and I believe that I would never have come to understand this and see the world as I do now had it not been for the challenges or, more truthfully, the gifts in my life.

One of the challenges for me in writing this book is bringing you with me from this imagined place into my intuited emotional reality as a baby and child. Once again, I am grateful to my soul for the help I received. I truly hope you can take a small leap and come with me.

* From the book, ‘Time To Be Me’ by Máire-Rós O’Rahilly. Book Hub Publishing (2017). Available at www.bookhubpublishing.com