Virtual AltarVirtual Altar
You walk through a misty portal and appear on a small Mediterranean island. You follow a flock of quail to a beautiful, pristine spring. The spring flows into a small, healthy river bordered by dense foliage. Deer abound in the forests. The quail lead you to a clearing in the forest. In the center of the clearing is a low, flat, marble podium. On the podium rests an old piece of parchment, a quail feather, a silver arrow, and a lit silver candle. As you observe the candle, you notice that it never melts. You enjoy the slight breeze in the warm air and take comfort in the knowledge that the place you are at is completely separate from all time. You pick up the piece of parchment. It reads as follows:
Welcome, traveler! You’ve come quite a long way; farther than you could ever understand. You are at my sacred shrine, a place in the astral world where you may come to consult with me at any time, since I am beyond time. Return to this place, state your problem, and the solution will be given to you. For those of you who have come with love and truth in your hearts, fear not; you are safe. My pack of wolves will protect you from any harm you may encounter on this island. For those of you, however, who have come with hatred, war, and lies, beware the wrath of my arrows and the teeth of my wolves.
Bright Blessings,
Artemis
The parchment has directed you, and you presently have the opportunity to continue in any direction you like and to explore as you desire.
When you are finished, close your eyes and slowly lead yourself back home.
At this point, you have a choice. Either you can do nothing, or you can go ahead and meditate and see what message is waiting for you. The decision is yours, and although the consequences of each action are different, there is no wrong answer and neither choice will cause you harm.
Artemis begins to fade away. "The lesson is yours to learn only if you choose to do so. No one will force you. When you are finished here, relax and float through the yellow flowers back home."
Episode 2
You've come before and you've encountered the divine lands under Artemis' direct control. Apparently you've chosen to accept Her invitation to return in hope and peace... either that, or you're a fool. Whatever you've decided, the decision is now locked in stone. Artemis has arrived. She emerges from whe forest, and looks at you, standing on Her riverbank. "Why have you come? For what do you search?" She asks. You sit with Her and put your feet into the cool, sparkling waters of the river. You tell her your problem, and She listens attentively. Finally, She smiles. "The solution is simple," She tells you. With a teasing smirk, She gets up to whisper in your ear--She's going to tell you how to solve your problem. Artemis brushes your hair aside and whispers "But the truth is that you really do know the answer. Close your eyes and count backwards from ten, and let sounds and images wander into your mind. Your soul will tell you what to do." With that, She leaps up, climbs onto the back of a deer, and rides off into the forest just as the moon rises above the horizon. You are left to contemplate Her advice, and despite Her divinity, you're still a bit skeptical. The solution's just going to appear? Huh? How could that work? You debate whether or not to do as She suggests, and walk home, departing from Her divine haven.Episode 3
Returning to Her sacred location, you wonder why it looks so different now from how it looked before. In fact, you can't even find the river characteristic of this location. Instead, you're wandering around in a meadow laced with deciduous trees and small, yellow flowers. Artemis approaches. She stops about four meters away from you and silently watches. Puzzled, you look up at Her and inquire "Where am I?" After what seems like an eternity, She responds. "Traveler, you are in the glade of the Unknown." Your expression indicates that you obviously has no clue what She's talking about, so She continues. "You are here right now because you have a lesson to learn. It may be a small lesson and it may be a big lesson, but it is most certainly an important lesson." She picks a black rose and hands it to you. (Which is incredibly odd, since there are no black rosebushes around...) You peer into the petals of the flower. Nothing happens. The stern look Artemis gives you tells you to continue anyway. After a while, (seconds? minutes? hours? years?) pictures start to display on the rose, as if it were a movie screen. She speaks. "What you see right now is a reflection of the lesson you are intended to learn. The pictures you are seeing may either be beautiful or gruesome. This is presented to you in a way you can understand. It would be meaningless to anyone else."