The Book Of Life part 1

                        Christians, Are You Saved? The Book Of Life
    ****Hello dear friend, after so many years hiding in the attic of your house, I knew you would come and find me. I am so sorry for all the pain and misery I will bring into your life, but please understand, it is for the highest of purposes that I tell you my story. Be strong, face your fears, understand that the betrayal was inevitable, and the events that lead to the deaths, were all in vain. By finding me, and reading my journal, you started a chain of events that can not be changed or altered in any way. Your faith in God will be tested in every way imaginable and in the end you will be responsible for the deaths of your family. This is not an easy book to read, and believe me, it is even harder for me to write, since I already killed my family, and have such a short while to tell you about it, before I get to go back Home! Life has come to a full circle, the painful memories are gone, every tear shall be wiped away, Amen!****

    Wow what a book I thought to myself, so strange how I managed to find it while cleaning my attic. I needed to clean out my spare bedroom since my sister was coming in from town, and I started late in the evening to clean it up for her. I was removing so many undesirable things out of the place into the attic, when I noticed this book was hidden under some old newspapers, I forgot to throw away so long ago. I just read the first paragraph of the journal when I heard the phone ring downstairs. I was expecting a call from my sister to find out what time I needed to pick her up from the airport tomorrow, and sure enough, while stumbling down the stairs to the phone, it was her. "Hey Linda! how are you? I am fine, listen, what time do I need to pick you up at the airport? Oh, so sorry to hear that! I hope he feels better, well maybe next year then, but if you don't make it here, I promise I am going to catch a plane and drag you down here myself, ha ha, Love You!"

    My sister, the life of the party, so outgoing, and fun to be around with. She can make anyone feel welcome and at ease. It is her special gift, and one I am envious of. Her husband came down with the flu and was in such bad shape she was afraid to leave him alone for the week. I felt so bad for them, it seems lately he's been plagued with sickness, and just can't catch a break. I pray for them and hope their lives get better. So much grief and pain in the world hmm, isn't that how the journal started out?

    I went back to the attic to get the book I found and looked it over. It was in good condition other than being old and dusty, but it was very odd and intriguing how there were two different titles on it. The outside cover had "The Book of Shadows" and the inner cover had Christians Are You Saved? The Book Of Life. It was a strange book, and somehow it made me remember about the story of Adam & Eve and the Forbidden fruit they ate. The book was seductive, luring, warning the reader to be strong. That every faucet of their Christian faith would be tested and I was ready for the challenge. I have a strong unbreakable faith in God so I was prepared for anything and couldn't wait to continue reading it, or so I thought, man was I ever wrong.

    ****Everything I am about to tell you must be kept confidential, it is imperative that when the time is right, you act in a caring and loving way to the girls you will meet after reading this journal. It will be the most haunting thing you will ever have to do in your life, and it will be the most painful experience you will ever have. Death would have been more merciful, than to have to look at those caring young, innocent eyes again. The girls that loved and adored you with all of their lives, but their fate was written in the book of life and things must follow as instructed! Are you ready for the journey? then lets begin!

    It all started on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 6:12pm central standard time, the full moon had just rose in our location and I began searching for the women I needed to find.  After several hours of searching for them, I suspended my search, but destiny and fate has a way of making things happen.  I finally met them out of all places, a Burger Joint! One of the girls at a nearby booth motioned for me to come over to where they were sitting.  At precisely 12:00am on the dot, or the Witching hour, as they liked to call it, I met the girls of my dreams, and the destiny of my life.  The youngest and sweetest girl of the group softly spoke to me as I approached her, and she simply said "Deja Vu?". I was astounded at first, but then something about her was so familiar, I had to reply "Deja Vu!  Yes we were here before, and I know you somehow don't I?" She giggled and playfully shoved her 2 best friends sitting next to her in the booth and invited me to sit down with them. "See I told you it was him, do I have the gift or what?" The girls nodded in agreement and giggled with her as she spoke "Well then Mr Aries let me re-introduce you to our family, I am Astraea, my best friend to my right goes by the name of Isis and my sister on the left is Aphrodite" "Well it is a pleasure to meet all of you again, but why did you call me Aries?" This time Isis spoke up "Because my friend is convinced that your Zodiac Sign is Aries is it not?" "Yes I was born on March 21st, but how did you know that?" all three of them yelled "Deja Vu" and laughed hysterically. Just incredible how all the pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together and how we were becoming an instant family. "I am so glad I came here and met you gals, who would ever imagine an old geezer like me talking to a bunch of 20 year old girls about the craziest of things on this night?" Aphrodite spoke up this time "it's not just any night it is a full moon night, and it's not anytime either it's the witching hour" they all laughed as Aphrodite had a wild look in her eye and then winked at me. "Hmm, full moon, Witching hour, next thing you gals are going to say is that you are all Witches and I am your leader." they all looked at each other and gasped, the circle was complete, they knew it from the moment I walked in that we were destined to be the guardians of Gaia, or a name you might be more familiar with, Mother Earth, but there was only one problem with their formula. I was a born again Christian that already made a Covenant with God. I made a promise to never leave him, or forget his love, and grace for me. After a moment of silence Astraea spoke and said "I knew you were the chosen one, would you like to come home and meet our Mother?" "Sure Astraea I would be honored to meet her, I have a car just outside we can take!" they all said in unison "OH NO" they laughed, "we'll take you on our broomsticks to meet her, but in order for you to come with us, you'll have to close your eyes and finish drinking your soda." and Aphrodite added "and don't forget to chant, there's no place like home!" they all laughed as I began to fulfill their wishes.****

    The wind was picking up outside and the branch brushed against the window of my attic. It startled me as I was reading the journal.  I momentarily lost my place in the book, but quickly found it and began reading on.

    ****Oh girls is it safe to open my eyes now?" I said smiling while trying not to peek at them. My smile turned into shock when I found out that I was no longer at the Burger Joint, but in the middle of the woods with no one in sight. "Hello is anyone there?" I was disoriented and woozy, like I just woke up from a nap still trying to get my bearings in the dark woods I was in. The thick clouds above was covering the full moon, and I was straining to see the few feet in front of me. I was totally lost and had no ideal how I got here, but when I looked at my watch it was already 3:00am!  Over 3 hours have lapsed since I was last conscious. I was starting to panic, but tried to keep my composure as I tried to make my way to a small clearing by the forest. Did the girls put something in my drink as I played their game? How and why did they get me here in the middle of this forest? What terrible plans did they have in store for me? So many questions, the thoughts racing in my mind, were as tangled and confusing as the forest I was in, but I finally made it to a small clearing and noticed that there was an eerie glow coming from the middle of the clearing by a lone tree. I carefully went to the source and saw that a pentagram symbol was painted on a large smooth rock with green luminescent paint which gave it's eerie glow. I saw something in the center of the pentagram and as I was about to pick up a small compact mirror that was placed there, I felt a hand touch me from behind my back, I must have jumped at least 3 feet into the air!  I quickly turned around to look, and to my relief, saw that it was Astraea. "I'm sorry Aries, I didn't mean to startle you" (juvenile girls laughter in the background) "But I had to talk to the trees first, before I introduce you to our Mother, trees can be so naughty sometimes!" "No problem Astraea, look, I have to be honest with you, this is getting to be a little too freaky for me. I mean I am the most open minded Christian you will ever meet, why I even have some good friends that are Witches, but you really take your craft a little too seriously for me ok?" "Aries, my child, you don't have to fear us, if what you say is true about having Witch friends, then surely you know the Witches Rede don't you?" "Yes Astraea, Do As Ye Will, Lest Ye Harm No one!" "Very good Aries I knew you were special that is why we brought you here." Aphrodite came towards me and said "Well Aries, good thing we didn't strip you down while you were out, and made you dance naked under the full moon.  That might have been a little too much for your first night out, with the coven, eh?" Astraea interrupted her "Oh don't mind her Aries, she is only teasing you, although Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, our coven is a very conservative group, and we don't have wild orgies that some Christian friends of yours think we have. Besides, we are too busy protecting our Mother to deal with any of that mess, by the way, would you like to meet her now?" "Ok Astraea, but I swear to God, if a werewolf or some kind of monster comes out of the bushes you'll never catch up with me, I am a world class Athlete!" I said seriously but got instant laughter from my new friends. "Mother, this is Aries, the one I told you about, and he is pleased to meet you" Right after Astraea introduced me to mom, the clouds started parting and it seemed that the moon was shinning on me more. It was a very eerie coincidence, almost as if mother needed more light to get a better look at me, "Pleased to meet you mom, you have wonderful special daughters here!" I said in my most warm friendly tone I could come up with, and as I was straining to see what she looked like Astraea kept talking to her mother "what's that mom? You want Aries to look in the mirror he found on the pentagram, ok I'll tell him" She smiled at me as I began to look in the mirror for her.  Just before I got to see my reflection though, I heard a woman wailing in the background. It was the most hurtful-saddest cry I ever heard in my life and Astraea immediately said "Oh no Mother is hurting, listen Aries we need to tend to mother.  Please do me a favor, close your eyes, when you open them back up, you will wake up in your own bed.  We will meet up with you later ok? MOM we're coming!" and before I could react, the girls vanished into the forest. My God what did I get myself into? As I was thinking about everything that happened, an Evil Hideous voice whispered into my ear from my behind my back "didn't you hear what they just said? close your eyes, When you open them back up, you will wake up in your own bed Oh and one more thing my friend,,,,,,,,,,,, DIE CHRISTIAN DIE!!!!!!****

    I dropped the book as I heard the stairs creaking below, something was coming up here and I live alone with the doors locked. I grabbed my baseball bat and carefully went to the stairs. I peeked over and found that nothing was there so I went to the second room of my house and opened the door nothing. I searched every room, nook and cranny of my place, even under the beds, but found absolutely nothing around. The air conditioner came on in my house and it was already cool in here, so I went to the thermostat to turn it off and tried to remember if I left it on during the day. So funny, here I am all alone, it is Friday Evening, only 4 days to Halloween, and I am reading a God only knows what kind of book, about Christianity, and Witchcraft. It just don't get any more weirder than that! But hey guess what? My cable is out till Monday and I don't have to clean up the room anymore so time to find out what happened to my new found friends in the book!

    ****I opened my eyes and gasped for air, it took a few seconds to adjust to my surroundings, but I knew I was safe at home, and back in my bed.  How I got here I still don't know?  Was last night a dream?  Well, I noticed that I still had the compact mirror in my hand when I woke up, so no doubt what I been through was real, but it felt strange, different from last night.  Last night the mirror had a beautiful Pentagram symbol on it's cover, shaped by diamonds.  Today there is an incredible shinning cross symbol on it, so strange!  As I was starting to get out of bed I felt a presence nearby.  I looked to my left, and there it was, a rotting stinking corpse that was laying under the covers with me all this time.  Before I got a chance to jump out of bed, the corpse came alive and said "see, just as I have promised, you are home safe in your bed, NOW DIE!"  I fell to the floor, and it caused the shades in my room to open up, letting the sunlight in.  Instantly everything went back to normal as if nothing happened, but I was in shock, not sure what to do next!  It was a Wednesday Morning, the 3rd week I came back from hiding, almost 5 years ago to the date I left.  I was alone in the house trying to figure out my plans. I had no way to contact my so called new friends, so I tried to do as much research on the names they went by.  Astraea, the sweet girl I first spoke to, according to legend, was the last Goddess to live with the Humans until they became wicked.  She was the final Deity to stay on Earth, during the great battle of the last days of the Golden Ages, and fall of mankind.  After the great final battle, She went to heaven, to become Virgo, The Goddess of Justice, to turn people away from their wickedness, and to protect Mother Earth from the fall of mankind.  Astraea's friend Isis, with a gold band on her forehead, black jacket vest, purple nail polish and a beautiful silver rope attached to her side, seemed to be the leader of the group.  According to her legend's name, I found that Isis, was the Queen of the Throne.  Birth Mother to Heaven and Earth.  Knows the Widows.  Seeks Justice for the Poor, and Shelter for the Weak.  High Goddess of Magick and Protector of Gaia.  Aphrodite, the most scantily dressed of the 3 last night was the Goddess of Love.  Her wild eye looks and flirty nature made me instantly adore every thing about her!  According to her legend, She also transformed into a fish to escape from a typhoon once, and is also associated with Dolphins.  Well, that is what I came up with, in the short amount of time I had to research on them, and by the names they went by, I could tell they were in deep trouble, but where can I find them?

    I searched for them all day but had no luck.  I even went to the Burger Joint to see if they were there. I normally don't like being out during the day because of all the attention I get, and The New World laws that were in place, but I had to risk seeing if I could find them, and soon!  I must have walked over 10 miles that day, and still no luck.  I didn't find them at the mall, they weren't at the park, I even considered looking for them in church!  Now that would have been an irony, and also a very risky move on my part, but evening was setting in, and I wearily went back to my safe house to rest, and plan my next move.  Hmm, safe house, what a cliche!  Should re-name it safe house with rotting corpse inside sheesh!  As I fumbled for my keys, I realized that my door was slightly opened.  I cautiously went inside, and was glad to see my trusty baseball bat was nearby, so I grabbed it, and went inside my humble home. I checked the bedroom last, as you could imagine why, and with all my luck, something had to be under the covers of my bed, and it was moving. What ever it was, it had grown, 3 times larger than this morning!  I quietly went to the bed, pulled the sheets off, and was ready to swing with all my might. "SURPRISE" it was my 3 new sisters, and they were giggling, and happy as ever, catching me off guard. "My God ladies, are we having fun yet?" I couldn't be angry at them, they were just too sweet and innocent to know the trouble they were in, and I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. "Aries, so nice to drop in on us like that, are we going to play ball?" Astraea was smiling at me with the question she asked, Aphrodite then winked at me when she said. "Oh, I get to be Umpire is that all right with you Aries?" I went along with their teasing me "Yes Aphrodite, you can be the umpire, um let me guess Isis, do you want to be janitor, you know they take care of a lot of brooms now don't you?" I smiled at Aphrodite, while speaking to Isis, but Isis was royalty, and quick to come back with a line of her own. "No, I think I will be the owner and fire all of you, so you can come back and bow before your Queen to get your old jobs back.  Except for you Aries.  I'll never fire you, a Queen always needs a reliable fool in her court, and good help is so hard to find these days!" Ouch, oh we had so much fun together, but we had to move on to more serious issues that still needed to be resolved.

    "Aries we are so sorry we had to leave you last night but Mother has been very ill and not her self lately.  She did say you are a handsome gentleman and glad she got to see you, but." Astraea paused, and Isis took over "She is having trouble trusting any persons she does not know, and needs you to prove yourself to her!" "I'll do whatever I can for you Isis, you are all my sisters now and I will gladly die for all of you if needed!" "less than 24 hours of knowing us, and already you would die for Our Coven, uh Aphrodite I think you better use a weaker love spell next time, ok Hun?" We all laughed over Isis teasing, but in all seriousness between you and me, this situation I was in was a direct test of Faith from God, and somehow I knew deep down inside that I had so little time to save them from their downfall and doom. "Well girls if you would like to test me, we can start by discussing how a dead rotting corpse was in my bed this morning, and how that didn't scare me away from looking for you all day!" "Oh my that" Isis said "sorry about that, we didn't think it was possible for him to travel this far and also be in the light as well, do you know what this means girls?" they all said in unison "The Magic is getting stronger!" "One more thing Isis, just before the corpse disappeared from the room, that rotting corpse almost looked like you? Now how was that possible?" Isis "Oops, sorry about that, once again you had to be there in order to fully understand, but I'll try to explain to you what happened. You see, about 14 nights ago the beast that attacked you this morning came from the Abyss, trying to return back to Mother Earth to continue his path of destruction towards the human race. He found a thin veil that connected our worlds close together to where we took you to meet Mother Earth last night, and he almost got through to our world. I was holding him back with all my might while Astraea got our Book Of Shadows, and Aphrodite bound him in a tree next to where you were standing. He has been trapped there ever since, but we can't seem to get him completely out of our world" Aphrodite joined in "hopefully that is where you can help us, and prove to Mother once and for all, that you have a worthy soul" "whatever I can do girls just let me know!" Aphrodite continued "well we were hoping you could kind of get our Book Of Shadows back from him, and return it to us so we can find a spell to permanently send him back to the abyss!" "How did he end up with the book Aphrodite?" "Well I kind of grabbed the book from Astraea and hit him over the head with it, and it worked! Until he regained conscious, and grabbed the book from me!" There was a look of disappointment from the other girls but quickly turned to laughter when Aphrodite said "Hey, it wasn't my fault!  I am a lover, not a fighter!  I tried kissing him, but rotting flesh from a beast just doesn't do a thing for me, so my second alternative was to whack him over the head with the book!  Besides he was attacking Isis, and was ripping up her stomach as she was holding him back, I couldn't take it anymore, I had to do something!" "Wow Isis is that true?" that was the first time I saw Isis blush when she spoke to me "Yes and I have the scars to prove it" she raised her black vest and blouse underneath to show healing scratches she received near her belly button. "Our friend the Original Wild Beast, was trying to enter this world by possessing me while I held him back." I was confused "but wouldn't he try to enter your soul through your nose Isis?" "Ah yes the old sneeze and God bless you method eh? Well in reality you could theoretically lose your soul that way, but the best way to possess a person is through their belly button, that is where your life first came from, that special bond between Mother and Child, feeding-nurturing, it is the easiest way to get to the soul you want to possess" I was in amazement.  "How did you girls become so wise, and mature at such a young age? I am the one that is supposed to be teaching you about life, and here I am your naive student!"  Astraea smiled and responded in a humble way  "Well we have the Book Of Shadows to thank.  We acquired all our knowledge, and power, by reading it, and guarding our Bible, for the past 5 years we had in our possession.  It explains everything about life, and has potions to help people in need. It is the most important book that taught us how to be human. It taught us how to love, and care for the people around us. We learned from the book that the purpose of Witches, is to be a wise dwellers of Mother Earth, and help her children survive in these difficult times.  We are who we are, because of you Aries!  You have taught us well.  After all, this bible belongs to you!  I know you don't remember it, but almost 5 years ago to this date, you gave me this mighty book as a present to guard, and learn from, until your glorious return.  Soon it will be time to claim what is rightfully yours my brother, and we will be waiting for you, but you have to face the beast alone, and it will be one of the darkest periods of your life!"****

    A loud crashing thunder came from the distance, the kind of lightning strike that causes the house to rumble from the foundation up to the roof.  It was loud enough to disrupt me from reading the book. I heard from earlier weather reports that our first cool front for the year was coming in and believe me we really needed the rain! We been in a terrible drought for over 2 years now and any rain was welcome here. I briefly looked outside to the North to see the dark ominous clouds approaching, and saw a woman jogger running outside by my house looking in my area, with a concerned look on her face. I am a 40 year old guy that lives alone, and although I love people, I am a very reclusive person, that observes people around me, and never reveal who I am to anyone!  I lived here for 3 years now and still don't know a thing about any of my neighbors, and they made it a point to keep it that way.  I prefer black dark clothing almost to the point of being Goth, and have been known to climb trees, and play in my yard like a kid in paradise. I love God and all his glory but haven't found a church in this neighborhood where I fitted in.  I tried, but the people, as good as they were, were more concerned about my Goth appearance, than who I was, so I placed church on hold up to now, and mainly stayed to myself.  This eccentric behavior does not go unnoticed though, and soon I was the talk of the neighborhood, and I imagine that there were all kinds of stories about me and my unorthodox life.  If they only knew how I lived, how precious life is, how no tomorrow is ever promised, how important it is to live as a kid, and never let the heart harden. Yes I am different and proud of the way I am!

    Since we haven't had any rain lately, I searched for some candles in my house, and placed them in the attic, where the book was at. Because of the lack of rain here, any storm almost guarantees a power outage, and I wanted to be ready so I could continue reading the book in case the lights went out. As you can imagine, given my background, I wasn't even concerned about this books wild statement, about a strong devout Christian, helping out 3 young Witches, recover what Christians would consider, a Demonic book. I'm 40 years old, and lived too long in this world. I have seen so many things, and experienced life to the fullest, that nothing shocks me anymore, and everything in life happens for a purpose.  If a bunch of Witches were to approach me, I wouldn't be concerned, I would welcome them with open arms.  Life is precious and I don't have time to hate anyone, only to love, and help anyone on the way, that needs it. I am not ashamed of my God, and will gladly witness all his glory to anyone wanting to listen, but I also respect other people's beliefs, or non beliefs, and realize we all must make choices in life, and live this life the best way that we can!  How does a Christian live in this world without giving up or becoming disillusioned?  By faith, patience, love, and understanding!  Always remember, you are not alone in this world, and as confusing, or deceitful this world can become, try to understand that everything will work out in the end, according to His Will, and Perfect Plan!  So bring it on demons, this Christian warrior is ready for you!  With candles nearby, I went to the book and began reading where I left off.

    ****"Wow Astraea I don't know what to say? My Bible is the one inspired by God, The Great And Mighty, Ever Loving, Slow To Anger, Quick To Forgive, That So Loved The World, That He Sent His Only Son To Be Sacrificed For Us!  That is the Bible I follow, but listen Astraea, I want you to know that I love, and trust you with all my heart! I don't doubt you for a moment, and judging from the demon that came after me, and attacked you and your sisters.  I understand that we are in great danger, and I will do everything in my power to make things right!"  Astraea smiled  "You see sisters, is there any doubt now?  Our chosen one has returned!" 

    "Ok it is settled!  Time for me to kick some demon butt, I'll attack him tonight!" the girls laughed but then turned serious.  Isis approached me and gently reminded me about some things I needed to consider before attacking "Well Aries, you need some time to relearn who you are and where you came from before your battle occurs.  Also, according to our experiences, you will have to wait for the New Moon to pass before you can attack the Beast.  He turned into a demon, a creature of darkness, and can't stand any type of light, especially a Full moon phase we are in now. He will wait for the next New Moon to occur before he will try to enter our world again, and that is when the book will be most exposed to our world, and you can more easily get it from him during the battle!"  I reached for Isis hand "Thanks Isis, sorry I got out of control"  then I winked at Aphrodite "but you have to understand, Aries was a God of War, kind of like me, and I am ready to kick some Demon butt!"  that made the girls laugh  "But you are right, I need to know more about who I am, and what I am fighting, before I can be of any use to anyone!  Also, I don't think we should stay at this house for much longer, the protection spell is fading, I already been here for 3 weeks, and my neighbors are starting to remember who I am.  Given the times we are in, I think it would be safer to stay at your place, where we can plan our strategy, is that agreed?" My sisters spoke "Agreed!"  Isis then spoke to me "ok it is settled, Aries are you ready for your first lesson?"  I spoke  "Yes Isis I'm ready"  Isis responded  "Good!  Now listen, please understand, we don't object to you being a Christian, but in order for you to help us, we are going to have to adopt you into our Coven.  We will be family and the love we have for each other will never die.  There will be no secrets amongst us, and once you join us, we will surround you for all eternity with the love, and bond a family has!  There is no hate, no greed, no anger, or secrets here.  Only love!  As the Book Of Shadows prophesied, you will be a Powerful Witch again, and will we be your family!" I was overcome with the love pouring out of her heart towards me "Yes I understand, and accept my family's offer of love!"  Isis then said  "Let it be official then"  We formed a circle as Isis grabbed all the material needed for the simple ceremony. She gave the materials to each of her sisters according to what they were, and gave me a candle to light as a representation of fire.  Isis also pulled a silver rope from her side, and expertly made it into a circle where I stepped in first, and the rest followed one by one "My sisters, our brother has finally Arrived!  Family, as we enter our inner circle, let the bond show no end, the love we have for one another!  Aries welcome home, my life is in your hands"  Astraea entered the circle next  "I knew it was you Aries, welcome home brother, my life is in your hands!"  Aphrodite came in last  "Aries my love, my life is in your hands, thanks for coming home to us!"  With that said each of us put our materials on the floor in the circle, and our ceremony was nearly complete.  Isis was a Virgo, an Earth Sign, so she carefully placed some dirt on the floor to represent her being; Astraea was a Libra, an Air Sign, and blew on the dirt very gently; Aphrodite was a Pisces, a Water Sign, she poured her water on the other two elements; It was my turn I am an Aries, which is a fire sign so I placed my lit black candle with the elements, and then the girls started chanting "Earth, Air, Fire, Water, we come together to be as One"  "Earth, Air, Fire, Water, we come together to be as One"  "Earth, Air, Fire, Water, we come together to be as One"  Suddenly, all the elements moved and formed a pentagram within our circle, with the star pointed upwards.  I felt electricity, everything was blurry, but the sisters made sure our hands stayed clasped together.  The 5 pointed pentagram star, was the symbol for the 4 elements of the Earth, and the spirit that gives us life on this Incredible World we live in.  My eyes were opened, and I became an instant member of our little family for eternity.

    My dear Christian I ask you once again, are you saved?  Are you strong?  Can you prepare to kill you Son?  As Abraham was preparing to kill his?  Can you see the incredible love Jesus has for you by paying for your sins with his life?  Do you understand that every action you commit to, has a purpose, and a plan by the Almighty God?  That as hard as you try to be good, and righteous, the great deceiver will always be there to distort what you see and lure you into Sin?  I ask you these questions only so that you can understand why I did what I had to do.  The Girls did not ask me to give up my spiritual beliefs in God, only to be part of their family, and I knew it was the right thing to do.  It was the only chance I had to save them, keep them from harm, and knew it was part of God's will that I joined them.****

    The storm outside was closing in our area, the sun already set about an hour ago and the wind was picking up outside.  This was just too good to be true, the book was getting juicy, the weather outside was getting violent, and I lit some candles to add effect to the mood of the book.  I didn't even wait for my power to go out to light the candles, I wanted to feel like I was part of the story, so I lit them and let the shadows flicker in my room as I continued to read the book.

    ****Without warning, bullets started flying through the house I was living in. There was no warning, just indiscriminate shooting, hitting my house, tearing and destroying everything the bullets came into contact with. The girls were concerned, but were always in control of their emotions, and I couldn't believe what Aphrodite said in the heat of the battle  "You know what?  I think someone is trying to get our attention, should I open the door and let them in?"  She asked while winking at me, Isis quickly responded  "I think that is our cue to get out of this house, is everyone ready?"  As we were crawling to the basement of my home, Isis instructed me to hold hands with them and then said with great excitement  "Aries, get ready for the ride of your life, and what ever you do, don't let go of our hands, your life depends on it!"  I couldn't understand why we were heading to the utility room of my basement.  There were no windows or doors to escape from, but then the Girls started chanting, and I quickly understood, we were not leaving the normal way from my house.  I held on to their hands as tight as I could, while the chanting started  "We travel as one till our journey is done, We travel as one till our journey is done, We travel as one till our journey is done"  I was getting disoriented as everything was starting to turn blue. We all rose up, and formed a circle as we headed toward a dark distorted object in front of us.  As we passed through it, I had great difficulty breathing, and almost let go of my family, but they held on to me for dear life. I couldn't tell if we were walking normally, sideways, or upside down.  Everything in this plane of existence did not follow the the Laws of Physics, and worse yet.  I noticed we were not the only ones traveling this way, there were demons using this portal, and one passed by me, and brushed against my elbow, I suffered a painful burn, but kept on walking with my family.  Suddenly without warning, we were home.

    I was speechless, and was looking over my shoulder to see if the New World Order Police were still after us. Astraea noticed the look of concern on my face and tried to reassure me with her sweet soft voice. "Aries we're safe now, we are over 40 miles from the house the international police attacked us!"  she giggled  "by now they must be scratching their heads wondering how we escaped."  I was confused but thankful  "thanks Astraea, I am kind of wondering that myself? What was that place we were in, some kind of portal?"  Astraea  "Yes Aries, it is a portal, and so much more!  That Realm is a Sacred area that is part of Mother Earth.  It is a very Spiritual area that allows you to travel great distances in just a short amount of space.  Unfortunately though, the demons have invaded the Realm, and we feel they are preparing an attack on our Earth, but we are safe for now, at home!"  Astraea was gently stroking my hair, and I was drifting off to sleep, I forgot about the pain in my badly burned elbow, and felt safe in the arms of a truly special person, that was watching over me, thanks Love!

    When I woke up I noticed my elbow was bandaged up, covered with sweet smelling oils, and ashes from a recent fire.  Astraea noticed that I woke up, and came to reassure me that everything was ok  "Oh good Aries you're awake, let's look at that burn of yours to make sure it is healing properly"  "How long have I been out Astraea?"  "Just under 3 hours now, it is almost 12:00 am, The Witching hour, soon the girls will be back for our celebration"  We both looked at the burn on my elbow, and to my amazement, it was almost healed, after such a short time.  Isis and Aphrodite arrived, just as the bandages came off from my elbow, and I couldn't help but to ask Isis just how bad her wounds were?  "Just how bad did that demon scratch you Isis?"  "Well let's just say they were pretty deep wounds, but luckily, we have incredible healing powers, thanks to Mother Earth, and The Book Of Shadows.  So in the end, everything worked out pretty well, My Deary!"  We all laughed at Isis trying to keep a straight face, when she attempted to imitate an old Witches voice.  Isis then rose up, and proudly proclaimed that the Witching hour arrived!  "It is time for fun and celebration of who we are, and where we came from, are you ready Aries?"  "Yes Isis, more than ready, but shouldn't we be planning strategy against the demon?"  "All in good time My Deary (she was getting better at that voice) all in good time, but more importantly, life is about celebration, and time for your next lesson!  Do you know what that is Aries?"  "Not exactly, but I am guessing it has something to do about having a good time and let life pass through me instead of at me?"  Isis  "Yes my brother you are learning, now time to dance with the trees, lets go have some fun!"

    We joyfully ran to the center of the forest, where the smooth rock, and pentagram was located at.  It was the same place the girls first took me to.  There was a small fire, and in the center of the fire was a cauldron.  It had the same sweet smelling oils that was on my wound.  The smell filled the air almost magickally, and we stepped into our circle as one happy family.  We held hands, and formed an inner circle around our circle, and surrounded the cauldron.  As we moved in a counter clockwise direction, the girls began dancing, and chanting  "our family is one we bid ye fun, our family is one we bid ye fun, our family is one we bid ye fun!"  We were swinging around in circles getting dizzy, and laughing all the time.  After the third chant, we let go of our hands, and momentarily flew around in a circle.  It felt like we were caught in a mini tornado, and gently floated back on the ground.  the girls then went to each of their favorite trees, and held the branches in their hands, to dance with some old friends.  I felt something gently brush against my back, and turned around to see that my favorite tree from my childhood was here, wanting to dance with me.  I couldn't believe it, I spoke to my girls, and said to them "My tree is here!  how is that possible"  the girls laughed, and said in unison "She missed you Aries, and wanted to see you again, go to her my brother!"  I turned around and gently held the branches into my hands.  "Oh I missed you friend, so nice to see you again, so much to catch up on!"  Have you ever climbed a tree, and closed your eyes, while sitting in the branches?  Suddenly the wind starts to gently blow, the tree begins to move, and gently rock you.  Soon this incredible living force begins to move in all kinds of directions, you thought was not possible!  Keep your eyes closed, and don't peek.  Before you know it you will see, that the tree you sit in, is very much alive!  It is an incredible way to get back in touch with your being, and more importantly, why you are here!  After spending some time with my friend, I began to remember who I was, and where I came from!  I realized that I could see the real World again, after being blind for so long.  This World in all it's glory was Sacred, everything in it, from the rocks on the ground, to the trees towering above us, from the shy frog that leapt into the pond, and the gentle breeze that was blowing, singing, making it's presence known, it was the most inspirational and moving experience for me  I wish everyone could experience what it is like to be truly alive in such a beautiful paradise that surrounds them!  Sadly though, people shelter themselves from nature, living in artificial climates, oblivious to the spiritual world that surrounds them, content to live in a make believe world they created, meanwhile being Spiritually dead and wondering why life is so cruel, and unfair?  Each hour I spend with the girls, my eyes were opening and my memory was slowly coming back to me.  After spending time with my tree I had to climb down and talk to the girls about the lessons I was learning from them.

    "Wow Astraea, is this how you see the world all the time?"  "Yes Aries, all the time, we are never alone!  We are Children of the Forest and Mother Earth is always watching over us do you understand who we are now?"  "Oh Astraea, being here reminded me of a past experience I had when I was in Guam!  Just as I turned 18, I saved enough money to take off and see the World by myself.  I had no fear, got on the plane and went on my Spiritual journey.  While in Guam I climbed on the side of a mountain by Cetti Bay, and looked out towards the Ocean, and saw this incredible living breathing World just for me to enjoy!  It was one of the most inspirational and touching times in my life, but there was more!  It was the first time God truly revealed himself to me, and all His Glory, and I finally understood why I was placed here on this Earth"  "Oh Aries, that is a beautiful story, we had the same experiences you had too, but we are so sorry about not seeing God.  Only Mother Earth, and we promised to take care of her, and bring the Magick back in people's lives!"  I held Astraea's hands " Oh Astraea, do you know how special you are?  You have a pure heart and innocence that I never seen in my entire lifetime!"  she smiled as I gave her a hug  "During my tree visit, I did have a vision though, and it bothered me"  the girls gathered around me "What happened Aries?"  "As I was appreciating just how strong our life forces really are, and how great it is to be Alive, I began to remember parts of the Book Of Shadows, and why I lost my memory from that horrible betrayal that occurred 5 years ago."  Astraea had a look of concern on her face and asked me  "What betrayal occurred Aries, and why did it pain you so much?"  "Oh Astraea I wish I knew, it was so painful that I still have it blocked from my memory, but I know that when I face the demon, and retrieve the book, I will remember what happened.  There is one more thing Astraea, that is very disturbing"  "What's that, my love?"  "Everything that is happening to us right now, already occurred.  We are living in the past, and none of us has Free Will anymore!  We are destined to follow a path that was already written for us in The Book of Life!"  "I don't understand my brother?"  "Oh Astraea, there is no simple way to put it, but I can give you an example, by one of Jesus last prophetic speeches, to his closest followers, during The Last Supper.  Do you remember when he said to Judas he will betray him with a kiss?  How he also told Peter that he will deny him three times, and after the 3rd denial, a cock will crow as a signal to him of his denial?"  "Yes Aries I am familiar with the passage"  "Well the same thing is happening to us right now Astraea!  We are following a path that we can not control.  I have caught a glimpse of things that are going to happen in the future, and can prove that we are helpless in our destiny!"  Isis spoke  "Well Aries, that is interesting.  I guess we should test your knowledge of the future to see if your vision is correct."  "Good ideal Isis!  Well, sorry Aphrodite, but I have to pick on you"  The girls were laughing when Aphrodite said  "You're picking on me because of my good looks aren't you!"  I almost lost it while laughing  "Well Aphrodite, you are the fairest one of them all"  I smiled and continued on  "Ok Aphrodite, do you see that tree over there?  You are going to touch it three times.  Now here is the challenge!  I gave you the future of what is going to happen.  If you have free will, then don't touch that tree 3 times ok?  Resist the urge and prove me wrong!"  Aphrodite then winked at the girls and me while asking  "Aries, do you mean this tree right over here?"  She walked to the tree I pointed to, and touched it once  "Yes Aphrodite, that is the one you are going to touch, and you touched it once!  You will touch it two more times in less than a minute"  Aphrodite looked puzzled, and went to the same tree and touched it again as she spoke to me  "Aries, are you sure this is the tree I am going to touch 3 times?"  "Yes Aphrodite I am afraid so, this is the second time you touched it, one more time and my vision is correct!"  Aphrodite let out a  "Hmmm"  The girls were laughing and pleading with Aphrodite not to do it.  She walked back up to the tree and said one more time "Aries, are you absolutely sure, this is the tree I am supposed to touch?"  She then touched it for the 3rd and final time.  Just as she touched it, a black crow made a ruckus, and flew off in the distance.  It was a perfect effect to the end of my vision and we were amazed at what happened.