It was immense, the World Tree. It had a presence that overshadowed its surroundings. It called to me; ever since I was young I heard its voice singing heavens harmony, resonating out the deep dirge arising from the underworld, the Frost Giants unholy bellows and the music of the gods. My fingers wanted to play the music of the World Tree but I was stunted in my ability: my desire greater than my skill.
I stood in its shadow staring up at its immensity. The call painfully resonated inside of me. Like a puppet I jerkily moved towards the trunk. My hands splayed across the worn and ridged bark. As my hand moved across the tree I found handholds I could grip to pull myself up. Not thinking I started to climb the tree. Measure by measure I ascended the trunk. The harmonic sounds from heaven surrounding my head in a caul of wonder reminiscent of my birth caul. Time had no meaning as I made my way up the trunk.
Day turned to night and I continued to climb. Ratatoskr shot past me down the tree in his endless running up and down the trunk connecting eagle and dragon within the world of the tree. I climb and climbed and climbed and the stars spun around me in a chaotic dance of glory in a pathway to heaven. The sun rose bathing everything in a luminous glow. As the sun edged through the branches and leaves I spied a hanging figure.
I angled my climb toward this dark fruit hanging in the tree. As I climbed closer for a better look, Ratatoskr races past me back up the tree to the eagle. I move closer and almost lose my grip as the face of Odin comes into focus. One eye empty and the other closed, hanging upside down limp and almost lifeless, an unhallowed fruit of this great tree. My heartbeat slowed as I stared into the face of the unconscious god. Suddenly his one eye flashed open holding me fast. “and so comes the caulbearer to lift the veil’ the god intones, then his one eye snaps shut again.
I take a breath in wonder at the words given to me from this great and mighty god. These word firm my determination the reach the top of the World Tree. I climbed and climbed and day turned into night and back to day again. The foliage was becoming open and I could spy the great expanse of sky as I looked out, I was above the clouds and the harmony of the spheres illuminates me in wonder. Music resonates through body and soul until I became the instrument. Tears were streaming down my face at the beauty beyond the veil that I could bring back and share.
Image Father Time and The Tree of Life
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