Healing of Atla Tis

[a short story by Turiya Dhara]

Atla Tis hacked away at the brush with her machete. Although she walked this trail every three months – every Solstice and every Equinox – the jungle took it over completely. Carefully slicing her way up the mountain, she planted each foot firmly before taking a swing. After several hours she neared the summit, where the greenery gave way to rock. Only the hardiest plants survived the whipping wind and fierce sun.

She stood at the top and gazed at the ocean below. The ocean she came from. The beach where her boat crashed, battered by the storms. All sense of time was long gone; she now tracked only the seasons. But even that was a challenge. Here in the jungle, only minor changes heralded the seasons. More rain came at the Winter Solstice, and fell until the Spring Equinox. Summer Solstice burned brightly, eventually giving way to softer rays as the Fall Equinox approached. She taught her new found family to feel the shift and honor the movement of the Earth.

Atla Tis let the wind scream through her. She came here to look upon the great ocean, to remember her voyage and all that was lost. The first few years she climbed the mountain to see if any of her companions from the lost civilization had made their way to these shores. Expectantly waiting, knowing others of her kind were out there, somewhere.

Then came the years of wanting to return, when tears streamed down her face beneath the burning sun. In her boat, only a day after she sailed away from her homeland, she saw the explosion. She knew her continent was gone, sunk below the ocean. There was no where to return to.

The elders of her homeland recognized her connection to the earth. By the time she was three years old, they confirmed she was a Lumerian, reincarnated in the crystal city. She moved into the temple and her training began. She learned advanced mathematics, crystal technology, computer programming, and how to control her mind. The priests initiated her in the most secret spiritual practices, enhancing her innate abilities to move earth, wind, water, and fire. Surrounded by others with the same power, she never felt alone. She became the youngest of the Masters, at only 13 years old.

Her favorite place though was in the science building, where they experimented with harnessing power. They all knew power needed to move, yet they wanted to build a capacitor strong enough to hold power in reserve. This would allow them to do more complicated experiments without impacting the power needs of the citizens. But one day it all went wrong. A miscalculation resulted in an unstoppable build up. If they didn’t release the pressure, the entire planet would crack and be destroyed. And the only way to release the pressure was to blow up the crystal city.

The elders from the science department and the temple met to discuss options and a decision was made. The planet must be protected no matter the cost. All 20 fully initiated Masters from the temple would set out by boat to preserve the wisdom of their line. Only after the Masters left would the others within the city be evacuated by the largest ships they had. They knew most of the citizens would not make it out. The boats for the Masters were stocked with enough provisions to last five years. Every Master knew how to sail, and how to be alone in the high seas. Their training tested their skills. As part of the extensive tests to earn their rank, they had been set adrift by themselves in a broken boat. They had to repair the boat and find their way back home. Most were able to accomplish the task within a few days.

When the elders explained the plan, the reality didn’t set in until she saw the crystal city explode. Alone in the vast ocean, with only the directive to head east, she focused on her practices. They kept her sane as she rode the endless waves. A year, and then two, passed. She forgot the faces of her friends. She forgot her name. At 13, she didn’t have the emotional maturity to understand why they had to send her alone. She felt abandoned. She did not trust the elders’ decision to let so many die while she lived. She knew indulging in these thoughts would kill her. She filed them away, locked deep in her subconscious. She focused on her mystical practices until only the blissful emptiness of the void remained.

A storm brought her unexpectedly to the shore. Her boat slammed against the rocks, damaging the hull. She made her way to the land, where she built a fire to dry her clothes and the supplies she salvaged.

As night fell, she heard footsteps. The local people peered out from the wall of jungle. She could not trust these strangers. Their bravest warriors attacked. She used her power to move the earth, throwing them off balance. They got up and came at her again. She called up the water, and it rained down on them. Still they came, this time with war cries and spears. With fire and wind, she blasted them. Burned and beaten, they wailed in pain. She cried.

Standing on the mountain, these memories poured through her. Her vow to never harm another had been broken. Her teacher told her she should never allow someone else to hurt her because that would create pain for them. She didn’t understand until that night. She knew she didn’t need to use that much force. After so much time away from people, she lost track of her own strength. She could not trust herself.

The local people came at her again, but this time she did not fight back. She let them beat her. She let them tie her to a tree and starve her for days. Her mastery over her bodily needs kept her alive.

A child not much younger than her snuck over to talk with her. Telepathically she told him she was from Atlantis and she was there to share the mysteries of the universe. The child gave her water and nursed her wounds.

“She is Atla Tis,” said the child to village in the morning. “She is here to teach us the magic of the earth.”

They gathered around her again, but this time with curiosity. She went into a deep meditation and allowed the golden light to pour through her body. Some of the jungle people saw the light and fell to their knees. The leader told them to release her binds and bring her food.

They called her Atla Tis from that day forward. She accepted the name, having forgotten her original one. She taught them to silence their minds in meditation. She showed them the power of the earth. Much of what she knew had no place here in the jungle. There were no computers to program, no need for advanced mathematics, and crystals were rare and used only for decoration. With the few she found, she explained their properties. She provided healing for the sick and injured.

From her perch above the village, she contemplated all that she wanted to share with the people. They were not advanced enough to utilize most of what she knew, yet she needed to pass on the wisdom. She felt the weight of her past actions and knew she needed to release the guilt and shame and anger and sorrow. These feelings got in the way of her knowing how to best train the villagers who were willing to accept her gifts.

“I am sorry,” she said out loud as the wind blew back her hair. “I am sorry for all the harm I have caused, consciously and unconsciously.” She directed the apology to both the villagers and to herself.

“Please forgive me as much as you are able,” she continued. She hugged her arms around her chest.

“Thank you for existing in this world with me.” She squeezed herself tighter, allowing the feeling of gratitude to well up within her. Gratitude filled every cell of her body, allowing every part of her being to come into alignment with the highest light.

“I love you unconditionally, just as you are,” she said, tears of relief pouring from her eyes.

In the many, many years since leaving her homeland, she had never allowed herself to feel the depth of the abandonment she felt when they sent her away. She had never looked at the mistrust in other people that grew from that experience. Instead she had compartmentalized it, separated it from her being, and let it fester in the shadows. It hung around her neck like an invisible weight, preventing her from putting her trust in anyone. It left her vulnerable to disease. Even though she could heal others, she could not heal herself. Until she finally accepted and integrated these dark feelings, she remained separate from her true power.

As the sun began to sink into the ocean, she repeated again: “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.”

The wind quietened for a moment, and then swirled around her as if invisible arms wrapped her in a hug. She smiled. The cells within her body opened to all the energies she had denied because of the mistrust. She felt the support of the earth and sun. Although Atlantis was gone, it remained within her. She was Atla Tis.