Winning Maria

By the way, it was not easy to win Maria's hand. Though her love is easy
and free, she is well aware of the eerie quality of her soul.  In fact she
tells you so--"Deep down I believe any man who tries to walk through the
darkness within me will lose his smile and suffer a wound which will not
soon depart.  The truth is, in spite of my sensuality and taste for
pleasure, I have no love to give. I can not ask another for what is beyond
my power and outside my own reach." 
   You realize she is sincere in what she says. Like all women, she
has a little test for the man she would wed. It is not what you say or do
that counts. She desires instead to see a radiance blazing within your
eyes free of fear and which remains clear when you enter that void within
her where no light shines. Accomplish this and she is yours. 
  Well, we each have our own way of persuading, beguiling, winning, and
charming another to fall under our sway. When it comes to love and beauty,
there is more at stake than social grace, normality, and conformity. You
have to be a bit inventive, even creative if you are to make your way. 
 I am open to suggestions as to how each of you would respond in this kind
of situation--the fact is, perhaps at no other time does myth and magick
enter our lives as when we court and fall in love.  
   Since this story is about a magical quest of mythical depth, I propose
one solution--you go on a vision quest to win back the part of her soul
that is lost. It is not all that complex. You just go off for two or three
weeks into the mountains or little lost valleys (I myself know of more
than a few) and contemplate opening your heart and mind to the wisdom of
all ages and all domains human, natural, and divine.
   Since it is the nature of lovers to join even to their core and inner
recesses, you hold Maria within your heart and accept her darkness as your
own. Isn't this what courting is all about? You join your fate to another
when you mate. Two share in one voyage and journey and the path is equally
of soul and spirit as well as of health, wealth, and marriage.
   I won't belabor this part of the story further (that is, unless you
want more.  If so, click here. 
   Now when you return from your vision quest, you have not only the power
to persuade her but you bring back a Muse to her who has been waiting for
decades to meet you. 
    You give Maria this poem below. She does not listen to the words,
sentiments, or metaphors. Remember, her test is only to see in your eyes
that fear is no more and darkness has no hold on you. 
  You pass her test with flying colors. Way to go!

Psalm for the Sea 

The blue-green purity of an arctic sea 
Mirrorlike 
A faint mist drifting upon its surface 
The blue-white glacier 
Clinging to the mountain slopes 
Or resting within the valley 
It is winter when the herbs are bitter 
And the sun dim and distant 
There is a time 
To retreat and to sleep 
To withdraw from the outer world 
In the arms of love 
Is soothing release 
In its embrace 
The cold of the world 
Leaves no trace
Yet the ice, the frost, the snow 
Are not indifferent 
They are not without love-- 
In the winter of the soul 
Is the greatest vision 
Of the Beloved's face, 
A sojourner once said to a woman, 
"I love you so much 
If you held me within your heart 
Winter would no longer be cold 
And ice and snow 
Would be warm to the touch." 
The woman replied, 
"I am afraid the silence of snowy fields 
The icicle's chill
And the touch of frostbite 
Can offer more love than I 
But if you see the beauty within my soul 
And can celebrate it 
Even when it flows bitter and cold 
Even during the dark of winter when no light shines 
Then I will give you my love." 
From the poles to the black volcanic beach 
To the white sands of the Aegean Sea 
The oceans enfold the world in their embrace 
They absorb the heat of the sun 
Cooling the earth by day
Warming the earth by night 
In love's embrace 
Is the preservation of light on earth 
Whose heart is as deep and vast as the seas? 
Who heart nourishes all life on earth? 
Whose heart can greet the wind's passionate kiss 
With waves running wild and free 
And yet absorb the light of the stars by night
In a place mirrorlike and at peace? 
The man replied to the woman, 
"I shall be a mirror so empty and clear 
Your beauty shall finally shine 
In all its radiance 
I shall give you a cup to drink 
Filled with the wine of the sun
Which persuades winter to let go its icy grip 
So spring is free to come 
And when we are separate 
Neither the depths of the sea 
Winter's cold 
Nor even the dark ocean where the stars shine 
Shall diminish our love 
Our hearts will be forever one." 
"Who are you?" she asked, 
He replied, 
"I am the voice of love 
The one you have called 
From the depths of your heart 
And I have come to celebrate with you 
The love that shall renew the world."

Note: This  poem was written while meditating 
with Asmodel of the sphere of Jupiter.

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