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Diary of The Journal Keeper
Entry Number Fourteen
Once again, too much time has
slipped by between this entry and the one before…
But I have made good use of my time away, in that I have made
a discovery of another journal…more on this later. First
I would like to thank you for staying with me on this journey.
As we start a new year, I find myself looking back and thinking
how I have rambled on to you about my insecurities in past
entries; but it has been a lifesaver for me. Truly, I am being
most sincere when I tell you that knowing someone out there
is listening, has helped me to ground myself in these rather
chaotic and unexplainable circumstances that I have found
myself in. I have grown over the years and feel a bit like
a rider atop a gigantic wave, when before I feared being swallowed
up by it, now I feel freed by it and open as to where it will
carry me. Perhaps where I should start in this entry though,
is by refreshing your memory with a (rather lengthy) summery
of events and save those of you who are new to my journal
from having to read all my past entries.
“It all started several years ago…
It was by the light of the moon that I found a175 year old
journal in a chest in a trunk of a tree. In time, I would
discover this journal was just one of many journals that had
been written throughout history between a clan of faeries
and certain chosen Humans. Collectively these journals were
referred to as the “Scriptus de Fae” and the information
they shared would completely have changed Mankind’s
understanding of the reality of our world…that is if
they had been revealed. Mysteriously they were hidden instead
and their secrecy has been fiercely protected over time. It
was written that when the faeries deemed that the world was
ready, they would be found again. It all seemed unbelievable
to me, but through clues hidden in the Journal, I was able
to uncover 48 antique glass plate negatives of photographs
of the faeries taken by the anonymous author of the journal
of 1829 (known only as “The Journal Keeper). Though
far fetched as it seemed – this proved to me that he
was telling the truth!
I began to have my doubts though, not of the validity of
the Journal, but that perhaps the faeries had not meant for
me to find it, after all, quite some time had passed and not
a single faerie had ever appeared to me. Perhaps this was
a sign that I should put the Journal back to rest into the
chest I had found it in and return it to its home in the trunk
of that old tree. But before I gave up, I decided to try a
new approach; maybe it was I who needed to learn how to communicate
with them! For this I knew I would have to find a teacher.
So I packed up some belongings and took to the road and headed
for a large festival celebrating the mystique of “Faerie”
that I had heard about. It was here that I met two minstrel-like
drifters who took me under their “wings” and taught
me about the realm of faerie, as they knew it. Their names
were Skelly and Gawen and although I told them my name, they
immediately dubbed me “Hatch” which Gawen said
was short for “hatchling”. That summer, we traveled
by foot, slept beneath the stars and meandered our way from
show to show where they could earn their humble livings and
I could broaden my understanding about this new world. Skelly
was an entertainer, really a fantastic storyteller and told
stories of a Kingdom long ago which the audiences always loved.
Gawen (the elder of the two) was a gentle giant of a man who
whittled small wooden animals and traded them at the fairs,
but more importantly, he taught anyone who would listen about
the real world of faeries. He had my unwavering attention
as he explained so much I yearned to understand. He taught
me that communicating with faeries was something I would experience
from within first, not outside of myself. (No wonder I could
never see a faerie! First I had to learn to feel their presence).
I discovered how to open up and trust my feelings and most
importantly reawaken my senses to the reality and power of
the natural world…something I think many of us close
off as we get older. In the cool of the late autumn air, we
had to part ways and Gawen gave me an intricately carved baby
turtle (a hatchling) he had been working on all summer and
Skelly, who always wore an unusually shaped key on a leather
strap around his neck, took it off and gave it to me. I would
treasure these mementos and my time spent with them. I had
never let on what my real purpose in traveling with them was,
but in their company I found exactly what I had been looking
for and I returned home rejuvenated and looked at the journal,
the pictures and my quest with new eyes…
So you can imagine my shock when I began to closely re-examine
the images, and found in the background of several of these
pictures a face I had never noticed before. With a magnifier
I could see every detail and to my surprise I realized the
face I was looking at was none other then my traveling friend,
Gawen! These images were 175 years old! I have not solved
this riddle yet, but what did become clear to me was that
I was on track and obviously being closely watched over and
magically directed (without even realizing it) and this understanding
wiped out all my old fears. I began to finally embrace the
thought that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be
doing as the new “Journal Keeper.”
After this, another discovery followed. Several years ago,
when I found the journal of 1829 in the chest, there was also
a second journal. I had not shared this with you because it
was written in an ancient text that I could not read, but
also because tucked inside its cover was a warning not to
try and decipher its meaning till “Pangia” returned.
I didn’t understand, but followed the directions and
left it alone; sincerely trying my best to respect what was
being requested of me. Soon after returning home, I noticed
in the corner of one of the images of the faeries - a word
written ever so lightly – P.A.N.G.I.A…it definitely
said Pangia! This must be the sign I was to wait for! Hoping
I was right, I excitedly opened the ancient journal and before
my eyes, the text magically transformed from that foreign
script into legible English! At that moment I knew ANYTHING
was possible in this new and magical world I was discovering!
This journal answered so many questions as it was filled with
history between Mankind and the Faerie realm. It spoke of
an ancient oath between Man, Faerie and all living creatures
to share Mother Earth equally; if there came a time when one
of the three were to disobey this contract, the Earth mother
would have to correct the behavior of her lost children. Man
broke this contract long ago when he became greedy and tuned
out the voices of his cousins in the natural world. But being
a generous mother, Earth would try and redeem her lost children
by sending forth a superior clan of faeries who could reeducate
us in the old ways (these were the first twelve faeries described
in the journal of 1829). The second -older journal describes
another twelve faeries that would be released into the human
world later, if Man continued to move towards isolation between
himself and the rest of the inhabitants of Earth. These twelve
faeries would be very powerful Titans and connected to the
elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. They would come and
teach us through each of the four directions and their particular
element - the meaning of “oneness.” The journals
prophesized of a time when the laws of non-interference between
Man and these forces would be lifted and we would be free
to communicate. If we chose not to listen, these Titans will
become more persuasive in opening our eyes through displays
of great power focused through the natural world.
I believe this special time has come and to those of you,
who are mysteriously drawn by some unexplainable force to
this, know you are being asked to try and connect now. Many
of their messages are channeled through our creative imaginations.
All it takes is “re-tuning” our senses into their
frequency once again and utilizing the gifts given to each
of us; be it your voice, words, music or perhaps art to carry
their messages into the Human world. Let us not waste this
opportunity for Humanity to move towards redemption...”
Finally, onto my latest discovery…
Inside the old chest, in the underside of the lid, was a beautiful
inlaid metal piece that looked something like a flattened
compass with a point in the center raised slightly above the
rest and a circular opening on the top. I often looked at
it, knowing there was some purpose to it and meaning behind
its strange symbols, but had no idea what they were. It wasn’t
until I had opened the chest after returning that Autumn,
that I realized something astonishing; the key that Skelly
had given me had similar style and markings as the metal piece
in the chest, in fact – a whole in the center of the
key fit perfectly on the point that came up from the center
of the metal and formed something that resembled an arrow!
I placed the key on top of the point and was amazed that it
easily attached! I spun it around, utterly astonished again
by the realization that meeting my traveling partners that
summer was obviously much more then mere happenstance! Lost
in thought, I was caught off guard when the arrow, after spinning
three times around suddenly stopped and the entire metal piece
fell off to reveal a compartment behind it which contained
something unusual…a strange map! It was disk shaped
and looked like it should be read in a circle with an “X”
at the top which I assumed meant either where to begin or
where to end! Looking closely, I could see the symbol of a
box shape with the words “Hawthorne Cottage.”
Hawthorne Cottage! Coincidentally, Hawthorne Cottage was the
name of the place where I had been staying when I found the
chest! It was the ancestral home of my grandfather and my
great Aunt! I could not believe it! I had not been there since
I was a child with my grandfather. He loved to show me many
of the old and beautiful forests that he had played in as
a child and thus began my love of trees. He was always fascinated
with photography and gave me my first camera. (I inherited
all of his antique equipment and that is why I am knowledgeable
in old photographic processes.) I had always wanted to return
and finally did that summer when my life was completely changed
by the discovery of the chest and the journals. Now I began
to wonder...was my Grandfather some how connected to all of
this? I immediately got on the first plane…
I write this to you now, just after spending
several months at Hawthorne Cottage. I will not go into the
details, but I will share with you the end result; that my
hunch was correct and after much sleuthing – I have
in my hands a third journal! And it is a most amazing discovery…
this journal is very unlike the other two as it has been preserved
like a fairytale book, taken from the sketches and journaling
of a young girl from hundreds of years ago. She was a servant
in a castle and her name was “Ambriel.” Her name
was fascinating to me because as I recalled, “Ambriel”
was also the character in the stories that Skelly told to
the audiences at the fairs! So as you can see, it is all quite
strange and I have not yet had the time to really sit down
and think about the many implications!
In the past I would have felt great anxiety over
the plausibility of all of this, now though - anxiety and
doubt has been replaced with gratitude and trust. Despite
my impatience and inability to immediately know everything,
I have found that it has been the unfolding of this mystery
at its own pace that has taught me to let go of my own limited
manmade measurements of time and have faith in the wisdom
and timelessness of this all-knowing Universe. As each year
has gone by, I see how my perceptions of this world have gradually
changed and I look forward to sharing with you this latest
journal and my journey and the great wonder of it all.
Until we meet again…
J.K.
I will continue my journey with you when
we meet again, dear friend. J.K.
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