5th October.
On their last day in Hahei, Molly and Will made the most of enjoying the beautiful warm weather and went for a walk along the beach. Playing in the sand and collecting shells the hours passed quickly and soon enough it was evening and Molly was eager to get writing. Could she visit The Attic again today? And if so, what will she experience? Excited, her heart raced as she settled into meditation and to write to Grace.
Dear Grace,
I am so excited at the idea of continuing to visit you in The Attic whilst we are travelling. Will and I have decided to continue exploring for a bit longer. He is fascinated about the progression of my visits to you through meditation.
Sitting quietly now, focussed on her breathing, Molly imagined climbing the stairs which lead up to The Attic. Again the sensation was so real! She opened the door and found Grace sitting by the fireplace talking to someone Molly was unable to see. As she got closer, she could see that Grace was talking to a dog! He was whimpering and stood up as Molly came closer, sniffing around the floor at her feet and up her legs. Having finished his inspection he sat at Molly’s feet and looked up her expectantly.
“Well?” he says, “Have you found her yet?” Molly looked at Grace, not knowing what the dog was referring to, both surprised and very curious to know more about a talking dog! Instantly he picked up on her confusion and began to howl, flopping to the floor dramatically, one paw over either side of his head. She had never seen a dog sob before, but there he was sobbing on the floor by her feet! His sadness touched Molly’s heart and she sat down next to him, soothing him with long, slow strokes from head to tail, until his sobbing subsided. Grace encouraged him, “Tell us your story. What is your name?” The dog breathed a heavy sigh and looked up at Grace somewhat calmer. “Roger,” he replied.
“Okay Roger, what is the last thing you can remember?”
He paused for a moment before he replied “…I remember losing my grip and falling over the edge of a huge cliff, and then…nothing, blackness, like I had fallen asleep. When I woke I found myself standing outside the door here.”
“Do you remember what you were doing before the fall?” Grace asked.
Roger began his recollection slowly, “Well…I remember being on a strong scent along a dirt track. I was following the tracks of a little girl… yes now, I remember!” With this realisation his story gathered momentum. “I am a Rescue Dog, and we were searching for a 4 year old girl who had been missing in the bush. Her family had been camping down at the bottom of the cliff by mouth of the river. Her older brothers had gone exploring and had told her to stay near the tent. But she had followed them on the trail leading up to the top of the cliff edge where there was a lookout. The young boys had agreed to make their own way up through the bush, exploring and climbing the rock face. But the little girl was not yet big enough nor did she know what to do to be able to follow them. She wanted to show them that she was a big girl too.
For some time she scrambled through the scrubby bush off the track, thinking she was following her brothers but before long realised that she could not see them and was unsure which direction to go in. Confused, she stopped to think about which way to go to next. It was hot and she was thirsty and had not brought any water with her. Upset she started to panic, lost her footing and slid near the edge of the cliff. Grabbing at some bushes she tried to hold on but helplessly slid over the edge falling several meters before landing on a small rocky outcrop. As the initial shock settled she began crying. Terrified she clung close to the wall of the cliff, as far from the edge as she could. All she wanted was to find her brothers. Curled up tightly against the coolness of the stone wall, exhausted she fell asleep.
Several hours had passed and the boys had returned to their campsite, unaware that their sister was missing. The family, unable to find her, had called for assistance and a search party arrived, including my boss. We were prepped and set off into the bush with a strong scent from some of her clothing. Through the thick bush we searched for hours. Just before dark I heard whimpering and sobbing, and followed her scent to the edge of the cliff where I could just catch the sound and faint scent of her on the up draught. Excitedly I leapt over the edge towards her just as my boss was calling for me to wait. It was too late, momentum took over and I was falling. Landing hard on the rock shelf knocked the breath out of me, but I had found her, she was safe now! Landing heavily, I hit the ground hard, and I felt something ‘snap’. I had trouble breathing, I wasn’t able to move and there was a very sharp pain in my side and I couldn’t feel or move my legs. It was quite a long fall and it took some careful climbing for my boss to reach me. By the time he was able to get safely down the rocks, I was fading in and out of consciousness, the little girl had my head in her lap, and was a stroking my cheek, telling me that I was going to be ok. That we were going to be ok. Then there was darkness and I could hear their voices fading. When I woke I was here at the bottom of the stairs and the little girl and my boss were not with me. Is she ok? Where are they? Can you help me find them?”
Puzzled and not knowing what to do Molly looked at Grace. This was something very new to her, but Grace seemed quite at ease about it. How would she explain to a dog that he has passed over?
She could see Grace was thinking deeply about this. Roger looked at her pleadingly. It was pitiful and Molly just had to hug him, do something to help him feel a little more at ease. The soothing pats helped him to relax and he curled up next to her. Grace’s face lit up. Excitedly she walked across the room, opened the door and whistled loudly. There was a rumble up the stairs as a pack of dogs almost knocked Molly over, running in circles around her and Roger. The dogs stopped and snuffled into him whimpering and barking excitedly, encouraging him to get up and play. Grace helped Molly up from the floor and explained that these dogs were Roger’s family, his mother, father and some of his brothers and sisters. Playfully Roger leapt to his feet, crouching and pouncing with them, as they chased each other in circles around the room. Molly watched on fascinated as Roger’s body became illuminated, a light began to glow from inside of him. It radiated out from his body, filled the room and surrounded the others too. With one brilliant flash, they were all gone and there was just Molly and Grace left standing alone in The Attic.
Molly looked at Grace astounded. Grace laughed light-heartedly, “Don’t worry Honey, you will get used to it, I did!”
Grace’s voice began to fade as Molly’s awareness drifted back into the Physical World, and she realised she was sitting back at the table in the holiday cottage at Hahaei. The sun had set and the only the light came from above the bench in the kitchen where Will had been preparing dinner. She sighed deeply and took in her surroundings, the quietness of the holiday bach, the distant sound of the ocean breaking on the shore, the candles that Will had lit, and breathed in the delicious aromas of dinner. Adjusting her awareness to the Physical World again, it felt like she had been time travelling! Maybe she had….
Will smiled affectionately, as Molly realised where she was, and he said, “I have been waiting for you to return. Hungry?” as he bent down and hugged her from behind, kissing her affectionately on her neck. He had been sitting quietly waiting and loved to capture those precious moments when she was unaware of him watching her.
6th October.
Molly had noticed her awareness of subtle energies increasing, feeling the presence of Spirit People from time to time throughout her day. When they drove from Hahei, she and Will turned off the main road to visit Hot Water Beach. They had missed low tide, which is the best time to dig in the sand and access the stream of natural hot water running beneath the sand and create a hot water spa pool on the beach. It was here that Molly felt the presence of someone else in the car with them. She brushed it off as her imagination, or just a fleeting moment when a Spirit may pass her way. But this presence in the back seat of their car persisted. She began to receive a vision of this Spirit Person, but not when she looked directly in the back seat. It was more of a feeling, an impression. It was a Maori woman, solemn faced, stern and persistent. She felt like an older woman. There was a hidden softness to her, something that she kept close to her heart, protected by her stern appearance. Molly sensed the woman indirectly watching her, and that there was an occasional twitch of a knowing smile in the corner of the woman’s lips as Molly realised this. But in the vision of the woman Molly could see her looking away, into the distance, seemingly busy in thought elsewhere, like she was looking for someone or something. There was a playful sense of humour hiding behind her serious demeanour. This woman had an air of importance. Molly wanted to know more, so she decided to visit The Attic and see if Grace could help her understand the reason for the presence of this woman in the backseat of their car. She appeared to be waiting for something or someone, but was not willing to communicate yet.
Leaving the Coromandel Peninsula, Molly and Will stopped at Miranda for a night before driving north through Auckland. After dinner they had a soak in the mineral spa pool tucked away in the garden beneath a starlit sky. There was little light pollution here and the sky seemed full of stars than usual. After the spa Will made them a snack and a pot of tea. Relaxed and content Molly decided to write to Grace. She loved how this process of writing combined with the meditation opened her mind up to a different state of being. She started to write in her journal…
Dear Grace,
We seem to have a hitchhiker. Any ideas as to what we are to do for her? Is she just here for a lift, or for some other reason? Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply. Instantly Molly felt herself at the bottom of the stairs again. This process was becoming so familiar now, no different to when she was at home and would walk up the stairs to meet with Grace in The Attic. Each day this way of communicating became easier and easier. She felt a little light-headed this time, almost woozy, dream-like. Inside The Attic, Molly was met by Grace at the door, who pulled her aside by the arm, and whispered in her ear,“Thank god you are here, you took your time! They have been waiting for you, for what feels like days, has it been that long? They won’t talk to me and have just been sitting here waiting.” As the visitors become aware of Molly’s presence, the small group of Spirit People muttered quietly amongst themselves, then turned to look at her. There were four Maori women, older in appearance than Molly, all with a stern look on their faces. One of them beckoned Molly to come and sit with them. Molly politely nodded a greeting to all of them individually, feeling a little unsure as to what was the right thing to do. Sensing her hesitation, one of the women looked up at Molly and smile swept across her face, gentle and reassuring. She was the one who had invited Molly to sit with them. The woman began to talk, but there is no sound coming out of her mouth. The others are nodding in agreement, obviously they are able to hear her.
“Why can’t I hear her Grace? Can you?”
“There is still some resistance, some doubt and fear within you, of being here and of not being able to communicate with them. I can hear them, but I am not allowed to translate for you. You must be ready to do this. This is a part of your spiritual development.”
Molly felt her body tingle all over being in the presence of these Spirit People. She did feel afraid, overwhelmed, dizzy and light-headed. What could they possibly want from her? Molly closed her eyes for a moment, purposefully slowing her breathing and adjusting her energy. Surprisingly, it worked!
“Kia ora Mamaku. Whangarei is a gateway, a doorway to The Pathway of Spirit. We are here to help you improve your skills in translating spirit-to-physical communication. We know you to be a translator. You receive information from Spirit and transform it into a language that is understandable by people in the Physical World. We are your Maori Spiritual Guardians – known here as The Manaia of the Four Winds. Be open and make yourself available to receive information from us. We are known to you previously as The Aunties!” The four women all smiled at her, and Molly relaxed a little.
“And what of the other lady sitting in the backseat of our car?” Molly asked them.
“Oooh!” simultaneously they take in a quick, sharp breath. The woman who had spoken earlier said, “She Who Must Be Obeyed!” and then the four women lean into the middle of the circle in which they are sitting and giggle quietly with hands over their mouths like little girls, as if they must not be heard. For they all know that She is capable of hearing and seeing everything. Quickly they compose themselves, sit up straight, looking uncomfortably over their shoulders, hoping that She had not appeared in the room to catch them being mischievous or slightly disrespectful.
As The Aunties settled, their attention now focussed on more important matters, one of the women indicated for all of them to join hands. Closing their eyes and focussing inwards, the energy between them intensified. A hot wind began to generate, rising in a spiral from within the middle of the circle. The heat became intense like there was a fire burning. Sulphur fumes filled the room, the smell and heat in the air seemed as if it had come from the very middle of the earth. The extremely hot air made Molly’s eyes sting and it became difficult to breathe. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she could feel her consciousness slipping, like she was drifting off into a deep sleep. Unable to keep her eyes open, Molly curled up on the floor with her head in Grace’s lap, listening to the fading voices of The Aunties….
‘Good, now she’s asleep we can get to work. Mamaku cannot resist when she is asleep. Quickly, for now is the time, before She arrives…”
Molly woke with a start. Her body was damp with sweat, curled up on top of the bed covers in their accommodation, her journal and pen had slipped onto the floor. Will was beneath the duvet next to her, sleeping soundly. She got up to look for her phone, wondering what the time was…12.45am. She drank a large glass of water easily, got undressed, slipped into bed between the sheets, snuggled up behind Will and slipped her arms around his waist, holding him tight. Sleepily, he snuggled back into her. Touching his body and smelling his skin helped her to feel more at ease and she slowly drifted into a deep sleep.
The Attic 