Later that evening after a short rest in her spacious bedroom suite, Tari admires herself in a large mirror, delighted over a new Brazilian dress given to her by Nascimento. She has also been given a special head piece to wear along with beautiful African jewelry. She finds herself wondering if Zambi will like the dress.

“It’s a perfect fit. But how did she know my size? Ah, Lady Dogon must have told her. I wonder if Zambi will like me in this dress? He’s a very interesting man. I like talking to him,” Tari said quietly to herself.

As she continues to look in the mirror, she suddenly notices a small neatly wrapped present sitting on the bed behind her. It was not there before and she’s wondering where it came from. Tari opens the present, it’s a beautiful amulet to be worn around the neck. In the center of the amulet is a very unusual stone, unlike any she has ever seen. On the back of the amulet she notices the unmistakable image of the Dogon Sige. She examines it further, then puts it on, “The Sige! And this stone is so unusual; I wonder what it means. I’ll have to remember to ask Nascimento. But how was it placed on my bed?”

Tari looks at the clock on the wall, “Well, it’s getting close to dinner time and I’m starved.”

Tari leaves her room and starts heading toward the dining area located on the first level. The villa is a fairly large two story, 30 room mini-mansion with large spacious hallways that presents a mysterious atmosphere. African art and Candomble artifacts of several different Orixas (Gods) are displayed throughout the villa. As destiny would have it, Tari discovers a large room with no door. A blue silk curtain covers the entrance and there appears to be a fire burning in the background. As she walks closer to the mysterious room a large black cat walks out and looks directly at Tari. She immediately recognizes the cat as Bast, Lady Dogon’s pet, “Bast! But what are you doing here?” Bast turns around and goes back into the room.

The musical sounds of drums, flutes and the one-string berimbau can be heard as Tari moves closer to the entrance. Tari is curious and pulls back the curtain to step in. As she enters the room, it is no longer a room; she has stepped into another dimension of time and space. A huge fire is burning in an eerie mountainous setting. A large chorus of voices are singing a dramatic song to the Orixa, Ogun, the God of war. Tari is more fascinated than frightened; a cool breeze blows over her body, her face is glowing with expectation. In front of her, she observes a reddish sky, then suddenly huge faces of Black warriors come out of the sky heading toward Tari and disappearing before descending upon her. The warriors that appear are Hannibal, Shaka Zulu, Zambi of Palmeres, Nzinga the warrior queen, Sunni Ali, Thutmose III, the Olmecs and others.

The earth rumbles; and thunder and lightning fill the air. Tari begins to slowly step backwards as the atmosphere becomes more intense, more violent. As she steps back she moves back into the hallway. She has a blank stare on her face; she is mesmerized. As Tari turns to walk toward the stairway leading to the first level, the room without a door becomes a solid wall.

As Tari enters the dining room, Nascimento and Zambi are sitting at one end of a large table while house servants are bringing in various Brazilian dishes, fruit and beverages. Tari takes a seat directly across from Zambi while Nascimento occupies the seat at the head of the table. Zambi is observing Tari with a special interest; she’s absolutely beautiful in her new dress. Tari is also watching Zambi, but attempting to conceal her interest. Nascimento is taking this all in and is aware of their interest in each other.

Nascimento looks in Tari’s direction, “I hope you like your dress, my dear. It looks very nice on you.” She turns to Zambi, “The dress is perfect for her isn’t, Zambi?”

Zambi, who has restrained himself for the past two weeks with Tari, casts a romantic stare, “She’s as beautiful as a palm tree on a hot summer day, as perfect as a sunset on the Bay of All Saints; her eyes are like the stars at night, her skin is smooth as silk..”

Nascimento laughs mildly as she interrupts Zambi’s praises, “You’re very poetic this evening Zambi, seems like springtime in May.” She glances over at Tari playfully, “It never fails; a beautiful woman always brings out the poetry in a man.”

Tari smiles as she looks at Zambi, “As we say back in the states: ‘It’s cool and I like your style’.”

“I speak from the heart; ther’s absolutely something special about you this evening,” Zambi said.

Nascimento is enjoying all of this, “Tari, did you have a pleasant rest this afternoon, dear?”

“Yes, it was very pleasant. But I must tell you about an extraordinary experience I had.”

Both Nascimento and Zambi stop eating to pay closer attention to what Tari is about to tell them. They both know that mysteriously wonderful things can happen to a person at the villa if the spirits desire it.

Tari looks at Nascimento with a serious Dogon stare, “Lady Dogon has told me that she has known you for some time, that your relationship goes back to Africa. I’m a Dogon and we are steeped in mystery, so I’m not one to hallucinate or not be aware that an experience is real. What I saw this evening was real.”

Nascimento has a concerned look on her face, “Please continue, my dear.”

“I stepped into a room without a door, which appeared to be a shrine and I could hear music. When I entered, the room became another place, a mountainous region with a red sky. A huge fire was burning and many voices were singing a powerful song of the centuries. Out of the red sky came the faces of many African warriors from various periods in history. The earth shook, the sky thundered; it was fascinating,” Tari exclaimed.

Nascimento strokes her chin, “Hmm, Ogun and the portals of time! He wanted you to see it. You’re blessed to have been invited to witness an awakening, my dear. I sense that you were not frightened by all of this. Ogun admires courage. You are truly a Dogon.”

“I felt this strong desire to be part of this great mystery; Lady Dogon has always kept that alive in me. I have always desired to go beyond the ordinary boundaries of human existence,” Tari said.

“That’s good, my dear. You will grow to understand why that is so. The amulet you’re wearing was made long ago by a great Shaman. Keep it close to you, it will help you to further understand your mission in life. You have a great and natural gift; we will work to bring forth your treasure,” said Nascimento.

In the ceremonial courtyard directly in front of the mansion, many people have started to assemble. The people are preparing for a special Candomble ceremony to take place that evening. Music which includes drums, bells, string instruments and singing is about to commence.

“We’d better finish eating now, the people are beginning to prepare for the ceremony,” said Zambi.
Nascimento rises to look out the window, “A full moon. Let the spirits of the Orixa be with us this evening. Let eternity fill our lives even for a brief moment.” Some of the servants of the villa come into the dining room, “Start making the preparations,” Nascimento orders.

KK

An hour later in the ceremonial courtyard, Tari and Zambi are sitting together waiting for the start of this special event. The sacred dancing arena is lit up by several torchlights; various African art pieces, masks and other liturgical vestments of the Orixa are on display. This will be a colorful ceremony, a memorable one. A low drum beat along with pre-ceremonial songs flow throughout the courtyard where nearly 1,000 people have assembled. Most people in attendance are keenly aware that the Supreme Candomble Nascimento will bring forth a powerful God from Africa.

The double-bladed ritual axe of Sango (or Xango) is displayed at the head of the courtyard. Sango is the Orixa that represents the forces of nature; thunder, lightning, fire and other natural phenomena. Three throne-like chairs are situated at the head of the sacred arena. Many baskets of food have been brought by people as offerings to the gods. Many people are dressed in all white outfits.

The ceremony begins as several dancers, Candombles and others precede Nascimento into the sacred dancing arena. They are wearing the sacred costumes which are a blend of many elements and designs. The devotees are carrying the symbols, singing a song and establishing the rhythms of the Orixa, Sango. Drums, bells and string instruments are played as the atmosphere grows more spiritual.

Nascimento enters the arena wearing a very expensive costume, with silver, gold and copper-colored brocades, along with other prestigious colors of the Orixa. She is accompanied by two assistant Candombles. They dance to the throne area and take their seats. The other dancers pass by the throne, paying respect to the Supreme Candomble. The circular dance continues for several minutes and then there is a pause. Two devotees place a gold crown on Nascimento’s head which has a mask made of gold strings that provides a see-through appearance. Two small gold axes are given to her to carry in the dance. A new song begins and the great priestess begins her dance of the ages. Her moves are very graceful and in a few moments she is in a trance.

Tari is fascinated with the entire event. In many ways it’s spectacular, particularly under the spotlight of a full moon. Nascimento is dancing directly in front of Tari and Zambi. As she twirls, rhythm-like motions from her arms and hands are sending spiritual messages to Tari. Tari is watching Nascimento closely in an almost hypnotic state of mind: one moment she appears as a young woman, the next as an ancient African queen, and then she is Nascimento again. Nascimento is deep into her trance and has captured Tari’s spiritual energy. Tari slowly drifts into a deep trance; the dance and the music fades away into a silent moment.

Tari is spiritually transported to another place and time. When she awakens, she finds herself in an ultra modern high-tech environment blended evenly with a naturalistic setting. She wonders: is this a futuristic city or is it another world. A pyramid building, globe-shaped structures, a floating island in the sky, and Black people dressed in clothing never seen before are observed by Tari.

As she continues to explore this new world, she witnesses Black scientists working on what appears to be a circular space vehicle, what people on earth call flying saucers. She then observes a classroom session taught by a young child. The other children are attentive and taking notes telepathically. Next she enters a dome shaped building which bears the inscription similar to the one on her amulet; the symbol of the Sige. In the center of the spacious floor is a large black meteorite with a red glow. Behind this display is an enormous wall covered with a pictorial representation of the Milky Way Galaxy. She steps in closer and sees the solar system of the earth orbiting a gigantic star which has a huge ring emanating from its center. People are there studying this universal chart. A philosophical statement is written above the chart in very large gold symbolic images; a language unknown to Tari. But somehow as she continues to stare at the language, it is translated into Bambara (the language of the people of Mali which she understands) and it reads: “The Universal Season of the Cosmic Rings of Evolution and Amenta.”

Tari wanders a short distance more and observes people training to move large objects with their minds. Then she visits a beautiful park where young couples are walking about holding hands or laying on the grass talking. A large golden sun disk is floating on a lake; it’s serene and she is beginning to feel that this is a very peaceful place. She finally stops a young couple to inquire about this wonderful paradise, “Excuse me, but what is the name of your city?”

The couple immediately take a deep interest in Tari. The young man tells her, “We call it Oba-Waset, the city of 10,000 years of peace.”

Tari is puzzled, “Oba-Waset! But where is it? I don’t know where I am?”
The young woman steps forward and touches Tari’s forehead and places an object in her right hand, “You are on Sirius-Solarium!”

As Tari’s forehead is touched by the young woman, she again falls into a trance. When she awakens moments later, she is again sitting and watching the Candomble ceremony. She appears as if she’s in a drunken state of mind; there’s heavy perspiration, her lips are wet, sweat is dripping down both sides of her face, she is breathing hard as if she’s out of breath. Her eyes are rolling around in her head as the pulsating African music and Nascimento’s ageless dance drives her to a breaking point. Tari’s head is spinning.

Suddenly, she gets up and hollers loudly in a burst of spiritual excitement and begins to run to a palm tree area away from the ceremony. Zambi, who is dancing in the spirit and ceremony of Sango, saw Tari leave and followed her to a grassy area near the guest house. Tari stops near a palm tree and leans her back against it, looking up at the magnificence of the full moon. There are many tears in her eyes; she does not know what is happening to her. She is struggling within to regain control and her entire body is trembling.

Zambi is calling her name and that helps to bring her back to reality. As he approaches the tree and can be seen in the moonlight, Tari begins to smile, and an immediate rush of amour fills her body. She feels beautiful and wants to be held by this man, the man of her dreams. Zambi is not aware of her change of heart but is immediately struck by her beauty as she stands there against the palm tree in the moonlight. For a moment he observes the longing in her eyes, the wetness of her full and succulent lips, the sweat beads on her forehead dripping down her face. He begins to rub her forehead lightly. Tari takes his right hand and kisses the palm of it, then slowly looks up into his eyes. She puts her arms around him, and Zambi, who is also sweating and extremely excited about what is happening, slowly kisses her wet luscious lips in a burst of deep inner passion: it is a kiss of the ages. Her soft body and smooth skin is driving Zambi to the point of what the Shamans refer to as ‘ascending the tree of Uraes’. He slowly takes her to the ground and they kiss again and again. He is kissing all over her; her forehead, her neck, her ears, her breasts. He licks the side of her neck as if she is a succulent piece of pineapple.

Zambi had waited patiently for this moment as he declares to Tari, “I love you!”

Tari, who has opened herself wide to Zambi’s love, said, “Hold me Zambi; hold me forever my love.”

They hold each other under the palm tree, under the full moon, under the spell and rhythms of the ceremonial music that plays throughout the night.