by Linda M.

Like most mornings, I woke up excited about the day ahead.  I remember someone saying, “You just never know what’s going to happen when you get up in the morning” and that was surely true that day.  I felt like an explorer as we left for Pamukkale, and the Sacred Pools.  I put my bathing suit on under my clothes, had a great breakfast and jumped on the bus ready for whatever the day had to offer.

Our magic carpet weaved through streets, zipped down highways and zigzagged through traffic.  After a bit we arrived and Finbarr talked about the pools and the ruins of Hierapolis.  He pointed out the structures and talked about each of them.  Then we had ample time to just walk around and experience the ruins.  I was going to go to the pools but Finbarr wandered over to Apollo’s temple, and because it was close, I followed.  I wanted to see where the energy points were.

Again, in his kindness he pointed one out. It was right in front of Apollo’s temple and the minute I positioned myself there my body was flooded with such an intensity of emotion that I felt I was in the middle of a whirlpool, lifted up and turned upside down.   Tears slid down my face as my heart was filled with such joy and also such pain.   I felt I was in the presence of a dear dear friend whom I hadn’t seen in years, who I had missed so deeply.  And yet, that didn’t make sense because I have never had a conscious connection to Apollo.  But the feelings were real, welling up from some very deep place in me.

I stood for a few minutes just experiencing the energy and the grace and then felt an overwhelming need to address this wondrous being.  Laurie and Finbarr were close by and I asked him if he would be ok with putting on the mantle of Apollo for a moment.  He was, and Laurie was willing to be a part of this as well.  The minute he stepped into the role I poured my heart out to Apollo, telling him how much I missed him and asked for forgiveness for having forgotten him, for not honoring him and for not appreciating all that he has given to this world, such beauty of art, music, poetry, and prophecy. I thanked him for the warm rays of the sun that brought sunshine to my heart and soul.  He seemed to embody the best of male energy and I talked of other things, of how I had deeply hurt some of the men who had passed through my life and how sorry I was for that.  His look of tenderness never wavered and after a while I stopped talking and just stood basking in his warmth until the energy withdrew.  I was so emotional and so grateful for the experience.  I felt like a part of my heart was no longer in shadows.  I had been touched and blessed by the archetypal male principle and felt a renewed respect that for that rich energy.   I also felt more appreciative of my own femininity, from the inside out.  I felt more whole and loveable and I hugged that feeling to my heart.

After a few minutes as the energy receded and we were back in the world of the living, the three of us walked down to the pools.  There were tiers of sandstone-type rock and as I explored them, my feet were thrilled to touch the stones, to feel the smoothness of some and the roughness of others. I found a little pool of water that my feet liked and I was quite happy to just stand there for a bit.  Apollo was shining on me and I was a happy girl. Then I spotted a few young Japanese teenagers sitting on the long, narrow aqueduct, about 24 inches deep and about the same across. It seemed to follow the tiers quite a ways down.  These little goddesses were sitting on the edge of it with their legs and feet dangling in the aqueduct as the water rushed through.  They were giggling with pleasure. Laurie and Finbarr heard them as well.  We watched them for a few seconds and then couldn’t stand it anymore.  We walked over to do the same.  The enjoyment of feeling that water rushing around our legs and feet, almost pulling us along was so exhilarating and we squealed with delight.  We must have sat for ten or fifteen minutes enjoying the fast moving water and feeling the odd stroke and sometimes pinch of the water nymphs as they danced on the water, invisible and yet not.  I felt like a million bucks after, like a little kid who had just had the best day ever.

Later Finbarr mentioned the waters were purifying us and removing old unwanted stuff that we didn’t need any more.  No wonder it felt so good.  I hope I never lose that feeling of childlike delight that I experienced that day playing in the splashing water with friends under a blue sky and the warm sun of Turkey.  It was a perfect day.

That evening, as I sat in front of my hotel window, looking out at the nearly full moon, I thought about energy points.  Maybe feeling the energies is only the first step.  Then maybe, just maybe, the soul receives it, and we respond on different levels depending on which chakra it affects and where we are at that moment.  Or maybe it responds to an ancient memory.  Or maybe it always responds, but it might work on the emotional body, the astral body or the intellectual body, depending on the vibration of the energy and our own vibration at that moment.  Maybe, even if we don’t consciously know it, it is always doing its magic.  Maybe.

As I pondered this, I got pulled back into the mystery and out of my head through a piece of Zamfir’s music that came on the music channel.  I felt serenaded with a melody so sweet it made me want to weep.  That was Apollo’s doing, I was sure. “Truly, Zamfir must be one of yours “I murmured. “Who else but you could enchant him and flow such melodies through him. “   As I thought this, a slight breeze came through the window and the curtain brushed my face.  I knew it was him.  Tears came to eyes as I whispered.  “Apollo, how could I have lived my whole life, without seeing you, feeling you, knowing you.  You have been shining on me, warming my heart and soul and I never knew it.”  My heart is so full of love for you that I wish it could flow over to everyone and they could feel what I feel, your beneficence, your love and caring and your deep, deep sweetness.  How can I put words to it?  I can’t.  And so I can only say thank you for gracing me with your presence and opening my heart.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Apollo.”  Through all of that I also felt such gratitude to the Universe and to Finbarr for bringing me to Turkey and guiding me between the worlds.   What a gift!