Jolene signaled Lilly to step forward, “Do you, Lilly LaCouer, wish to heal the rend in your heart by consciously releasing all past attachments of love and fear to Alex Castiglio?”
“I so desire.”
Lilly heard Sabine’s voice singing in the background, “Purify and heal us, heal us and free us,”
Jolene signaled Lilly to raise her arms. With one quick slash of her ritual knife she sundered the red silk cord in two.
“The ties which bound Lilly to Alex are severed. The vows made are undone, retracted and erased from the Akashic records. We ask the Gods and Goddesses to enforce this parting and soothe the heart and mind of Lilly.”
“So mote it be,” the three women said in unison.
“Is it in your heart and mind to release all thought of Alex?”
“It is.”
“Is it in your heart and mind to turn your attention to the present and the creation of a new life, free of attachment to fear and past hurts?”
“It is.”
Jolene turned to the altar and lifted the paper Lilly had prepared for the ceremony. She handed the paper to Lilly saying, “Here in this consecrated circle before the eyes of the old ones, the ancestors, guides, guardians and angels, I bid you destroy this symbol of your togetherness.” Lilly tore the paper in half, placed the edge to the candle and placed it in the brazier. She threw the two pieces of red silk on top of the paper and watched the fire grow in the brazier. She was surprised to feel tears on her face. Any residual attachment she had to Alex was released with those final tears. Her heart thudded sadly for what might have been and what her marriage had become.
As the paper and ribbons flamed and quickly turned to ash she heard Jolene chanting and joined in, “So mote it be, so mote it be, so mote it be.” Sabine struck the gong as the three spoke in one strong voice, “And so it is!”
Over glasses of champagne Lilly laughed and joked and hugged her mentors. “I am completely free of Alex” she whooped.
Jolene smiled then cleared her throat, “Lilly, this ceremony has broken your bond to Alex. There is no doubt or regret in your heart and mind about your divorce. I cannot promise that Alex feels the same way. Attachments based on ego and entitlement tend to remain until a heart awakening occurs. The ritual was for you. We cannot do such a ritual for Alex unless he asks.
“I understand, Jolene. The ritual facilitated my unbinding. Disconnected from any thought form or regret about my marriage to Alex, I feel free. He can wallow in his darkness. There is nothing I can do about it.”
Chapter 17
A Chat Below the Pleasure Palace
Saturday evening the three adepts relaxed in the living room of Jolene’s apartment. James held Jolene’s feet in his lap rubbing them gently while Topaz slept on her stomach, Sabine sat in the rocking chair, her feet up on the ottoman, eating chocolate mint cookies and French vanilla ice cream. “Only about two weeks and the madness is over,” Sabine remarked biting into another cookie. “It has been much easier having a third person in the shop. I am so grateful for Lyla.”
Jolene nodded in agreement, “Even in her distracted state these last few week, it has been great having another pair of hands and she is good with the customers.”
Speaking around a mouth full of cookies, Sabine stated the obvious, “She and her new fellow seem to be having a good time together.”
“You don’t have to tell us about it,” Jolene remarked, “We live underneath their pleasure palace. I don’t think they realize we’re privy to the fireworks and ecstatic explosions.”
The three of them laughed. James’ face sobered as he mused aloud, “What do you suppose will happen when he leaves with the band?”
Sabine and Jolene sighed in unison. “She doesn’t seem to realize or at least she is not admitting to herself the temporary nature of his attention,” Jolene said.
Sabine put the cookies aside saying, “Lets not borrow trouble for Lyla. We don’t know what is going to happen. Perhaps he will stay in New Orleans. Perhaps he will persuade her to go with him.”
“Agh, no! “That is not going to happen,” Jolene stated emphatically. “She has recently escaped a terribly abusive relationship. It is wonderful she is enjoying herself and having great sex, but she is not ready for a long term relationship. She is exploring and discovering who she is. She needs time to attune to the crystal and anchor its violet flame within her. If she doesn’t get distracted she can be empowered quickly and mature into a woman who trusts herself and knows her worth.”
James nodded, “Convincing speech, Jolene, but there is a possibility she won’t see it that way. You have to let her evolve and grow in her own way. The Priestess crystal will help her through whatever comes. You stay out of it.”
“I intend to stay out of it. I don’t interfere.”
James laughed, “If you say so, my love.”
“What upsets me,” Jolene confessed, her voice ascending with every word, “She was doing so well in her training. Her comprehension of metaphysical concepts, symbology and ritual is impressive for one so young. I was thrilled when she told me of the visions she is having during meditation.”
James spoke soothingly. “Jolene, she will come back around, it’s Carnival time, she is in the middle of a new love affair, relax and let her enjoy her new freedom. She’s young. Her
