And so you enter the cave…. Once inside you stop to get your bearings… you see it is not quite as dark as you thought it was…. But it’s still very dark…. As your eyes adjust to the lowered light level you can make out shapes and forms…. You see rocky formations in grotesque shapes rising from the floor and hanging from the ceiling…. And you see creatures moving among the stone…

You must take care to not let yourself be injured by these calcerous growths as they extend towards the path. You find you must walk around them at times and each time you are startled by the swift movement of the various creatures in hiding here…

And though these creatures are all around you, they have not yet crossed into the true Underworld and are only the remnants of others who have come this far but turned back before they reached their goal. You will not be like them. You will succeed. You take a deep breath to calm yourself, and then you go on….

As you continue to follow the path through the darkness you hear the sound of moving water ahead….. It is a smooth sound, not splashing but unmistakable….. clearly it is moving water, though you also hear it lapping against the shore.

It becomes louder as you approach and when you finally reach its shores you find that it is a much larger body of water than you had expected. It is in fact, a river…. deep and dark and wide as it gently flows past your feet. The river that marks the entry into the Underworld….

You look around, trying to deal with the fear you now feel throughout your being. You look to your Ally for assurance and it nods in encouragement. You are frightened still, but this nod is enough for you and you move forward…. and you look around to see how you might cross this river.

On the far side of this deep and smoothly flowing water you see a dark thing rising from the gloom…. You recognize a structure of some kind and out of its door comes a being. A being that brings the fear up into your throat…. A being dark but without substance.. the Guardian to the Underworld... The one all must face if they would choose this path…….

The Guardian beckons to you and you see alongside the dock next to the cabin a flat boat tied to its moorings…. You understand now that this is the way across the river…. Are you ready to take the risk of this crossing…. for once you cross this river there is no turning back… You hesitate but a moment and then you swallow your fears and beckon back in response…. The guardian steps onto the boat and begins to pole it over to your side of the river…

As the boat comes closer to you, you realize you have no coin with you and wonder if there will be a fee to pay. Though a part of you is fearful, another part of you, the part that faces your fear, calls out across the river, and asks – “What is the fare?”

As the being comes close to where you stand waiting for it, it speaks to you in a voice old as the eons and tells you that the fare required of you is the willingness to part with a certain bit of your soul… a part of your Self is needed…..

You are startled by this request and you take a few moments to think just what this part might be….

This is a part of yourself that has been with you for so long you have even forgotten it exists….

It is deeply integrated into your self but you realize now that it has not been working to help you for quite some time. It is so ingrained it is hard to separate it from the rest of yourself…. And as you consider you begin to understand what is being asked of you…. That you truly let it go….

Your surprise has disssipated some as the guardian elaborates and you continue to quietly ponder the question while the guardian patiently waits….

As you consider this demand you note that there are some very unpleasant feelings arising from this consideration. You see in your body just where you feel these feelings and you make note of this for future reference.

After some serious thought you realize that it Is time to let this part of yourself go and you tell the guardian you are willing….. and immediately you feel a bit of lightness in your body, as though you have actually given away something of substance….

But being in this place you know that substance is ephemeral and that which you have given will really become obvious only after you have left this place and returned to your regular world.…. without it… this does not trouble you now however….

And so it is with an easier mind and a shift in your feelings about yourself that you step onto the boat for the journey across the deep, inky black river…

As you board the boat the Guardian begins to pole it back across the river and as you look down you see the faces of the many people who have come before you and have not been willing to pay the price to make the crossing…. and they have left parts of them selves to drown in the river.

You feel a thrill of something good, that you were able to let go. And you only hope that you can continue to maintain your courage as you continue your journey…. 

You have made peace with a part of your fear and are now moving forward with a definite measure of pride in yourself for allowing this part of yourself to leave, even as you feel a deep emptiness inside of yourself where it had lived for so very long…  you recognize that this is simply the way of it…

But now the shore draws near and it is time to step off onto the land again. As you touch the dock the Guardian turns a ghastly smile towards you as you disembark from the barge…. It turns away from you and returns to its shack… you have faced the Guardian of the Underworld and have come through the experience more whole and more embodied…. Not everyone does…..

And as you turn towards the path it is only a moment before you find yourself once again on the trail, moving away from the river…. You move confidently, but warily, further on into the cave….. and you become aware that now the ground you walk on is level, smooth and easy… You are in the Underworld now….

As you walk the cave widens appreciably and you see it has grown in both width and height…. And all around you you see small fires burning and creatures of every shape and size dancing wildly or sitting casually around them. Dozens of them, more than you can count. You are amazed at their sheer number and variety…. And more than a little concerned as to what their plans for you might entail…

As you watch them you realize that these are those ones who live always in the darkness of the Underworld near the river of death. And that they are not to be trifled with. They are beings of great power who have lived in this place as long as humanity has been around if not longer. This is Their realm, and one does not come into their domain unless one is truly committed to the journey….. you hope that your commitment will suffice…

A few stop to look at you with glowing eyes, and some merely gaze at you and turn away, but most simply ignore you. Then one in particular, one with an air of authority comes forward and blocks your path. “What do you want here” it asks.

And gathering your courage, despite your fear, you say – “I have come seeking help in finding a deeper understanding of who I am….. I have come to meet the parts of myself that live in the Underworld and to ask their aid in this….. I have come willing to let go of that which no longer serves me…. I have come to make peace with my Self”...

This is a major admission for you to make. You do not easily embrace change and to let go of your old habits and ways of being is a big risk you are taking. Not for the first time you hope you have made the right decision in coming on this journey.