Cathedral Forest, Aurora, WV

Cathedral State Park

Aurora, WV
Before Columbus discovered America, ancient-growth forests covered the mountains of Appalachia and spread across the valleys forming a pristine wilderness. Giant hardwoods and densely tangled underbrush created a wild, nearly impenetrable natural world. Fresh water streams coursed through the woodlands flowing swiftly into the broad rivers that formed a network of navigable waterways stretching into the heartland of what was once known to the Atlanteans as the undivided continent. The history of the undivided continent, before the Europeans settled the American wilderness, remains largely unknown to the modern world. Although modern civilizations remain cut off from their distant past, there are those of other races living in Arina who yet remember.

Footfalls echoed on the wooded path along the passage of the Rhine Creek as it tumbled on the glistening stones and snaked its way through the lush forest. Leaves danced in the wind and the morning light sparkled on the green foliage. Moving up the narrow trail, echoes whispered in her mind.

"Are you afraid?"

"No," she said. Sitting on a fallen tree, she'd felt a liquid warmth course through her body. Walkingfeather sensed a presence as she walked over a wooden footbridge that crossed the creek in Cathedral State Park. It was October, the forest a patchwork of bright colors. Her husband wandered ahead on the trail, enjoying the great hemlocks, the sparkling sunlight, and the colors of changing leaves. She couldn't see to whom she was talking, but she could hear his voice. She sat on a fallen log and asked him who he was.

"I am an Elf," he said.

What kind of an Elf?" she asked.

"A wood elf. I look enough like you that I could walk in your world, if needed, without being noticed," he said.

An impression formed in Walkingfeather's mind of a tall thin body, a lean chiseled face, and luminous eyes.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Leaper," he said.

"Have you always lived here?"

"I was here before the white men. The original inhabitants of this continent, what you would call the red men, were remnants of the Atlanteans who survived the great flood. The second wave of natives came across the Bering Straits, and in time mixed with the Atlanteans and became what you know today as Native Americans."

"Just how old are you?"

"By human time I'd be around 1800 years old, but that's young for an elf. I was here before the white men and before the brown men. I was here when the red men, as you call, them roamed these forests."

The trees of Cathedral State Park survived the deforestation of the ancient-growth forests of the Appalachian Mountains that began in the late 19th century and continued into the early 1920s. In 1880, the forests still covered two-thirds of West Virginia, and by the 1920s the entire state had been deforested. Once the timber was cut, the lumber companies closed their mill operations and moved on. Forest fires swept through millions of acres of land. Skinned of trees, the rains flooded through the mines and dumped sulfur into the streams, yellowing and polluting the waters; floods washed topsoil from the denuded hills into the rivers clogging up the navigable waterways. The great hemlocks and hardwoods of Cathedral forest had survived the axe.
"This forest was mystically protected by the Elves," Leaper said.

Shara-Lee

Deep Creek
McHenry, Maryland
On the other side of Anawakia's impassable inner wall, one entered again the primeval forest। This time, however, the underbrush was gone and a pristine view of the forest floor lay as far as the eye could see. Two roads met there, one going left and south, and the other going west and straight into the heart of Arina. Smiling guides met newcomers after they passed through or over the wall। Small silent cars with round spinning bottoms took them south along the left road deep into the ancient forest. Their true journey to Arina had just begun.

The village of Shara-Lee was nothing like Anawakia। It lay like a slumbering beast stretched out along the far side of a great lake। Natural stone buildings, three to five stories high, were clustered together along a wide courtyard that became a road around the lake. The stone buildings as well as the courtyard and road were polished to a soft luster giving the appearance of ageless beauty. Ancient trees spread huge branches over soft natural lawns created in the spaces beside and to the back of the buildings. Wild flowers bloomed in profusion everywhere.
This was the education center of Arina, and the first destination of every person, regardless of station, when they were admitted to the inner sanctuary of Arina.

ARINA AND THE INNER TEMPLE

July 1979

Fairmont WV

In the summer of 1979, working from the spirit realm, Arin contacted me. I took notes as he described Arina and its culture.

"The Temple of Arina was built in the Province of Androvinka by the Great White Fathers 300,000 years ago by present day calculations of time. The years of dissension were creeping into the great temples of Atlantis and Lemuria, and we sought to cloister ourselves away from the vapid influences of minds filled with technical knowledge but woefully lacking in the wisdom of The One. The Temple stood on what was known as the inner circle of light -- a light so powerful as to actually form a solid opaque wall shimmering in a pearl-like hue. We, who lived within the temple walls, could pass at will through any section of the wall. All others used a gate always open that reached like a Vulcan giant high into the heavens. Carved over the door of that gate were the words, "At Toma Ra" - meaning, "Blessed are those that enter here."

"Those who entered by the gate could cross a wide court leading to doors into caves under the Temple. From the right rose the first flight of stairs, 110 feet wide, going first right then up, then left. They climbed 750 feet to the platform of the "Law of One." Two huge doors, sliding into either wall, flanked this view opening out onto the platform where all stood and first united their being with the "Law of One" before entering the main sanctum of the Temple.
The main Temple and crystal rose 800 feet and more from the bed of the river. There were 3,000 spaces or rooms throughout the Temple area. Some were huge with vaulted ceilings 60 to 200 feet high. Others were so small only a chair and table were placed within.
Mosaic floors with scenes of flowers and stars, the universe, and great deeds were lain throughout and the humblest of rooms shone bright and beautiful. Light and air were filtered into the structure by way of domed mantels, each equipped with a Venetian type shade going on a circle around the whole of the dome. Each shacket could be released to drop downward by way of a power system within the wall. The proper amount of light and air could then be filtered into each chamber. Although the climate was mild and little heat was required, a system of heat reflection was used when needed. A small laser would be directed toward the silver granite walls and the reflecting heat made very comfortable warmth.

"There were great open spaces running along the sides and far out into the living spaces of the temple. Columns, both squared and rounded, rose from 20 to 50 feet along colonades giving these porches a fine view of the area below. Great silver and gold rooms filled with blue sky and deep red pillars flanked the front and side temple spaces.

"The Temple life was an all-inclusive life style. Every kind of business affecting man's life was carried out within its walls. Children came to live here at an early age and grew to adulthood in a privileged atmosphere. All policies of life were entered into -- courts and laws, teaching and healing -- all were part of the Temple work. Every conceivable good was manufactured there for the use of its people. Only luxuries of the kinds people crave from other places were imported into Androvinka.

"The people who were drawn to live within these confines of Light were happy, spiritually educated souls, seekers after a new thought with a great desire to show forth in spirit, body and mind, thus creating a wholesome balance between the inner and outer man. Everyone living here did their part willingly to foster a near perfect atmosphere for the pleasures of living and growing. I, Arin, held the only court necessary. Only on rare occasions was it ever deemed expedient to expel a family or person from our circle.

"The dwellings were as varied as the people who lived in them. Original creative drive made each home unique. While each was manufactured from the same basic materials, all expressed the taste and interest of those who lived within. Many structures in your world today are soul reflections of those creative dwellings built so long ago on the same patch of earth. Using the resources on the land, we built tall vaulted roofed stuctures with sharp angles and domes -- and what you call today clear-seal windows. What you call decks, we called levees, and every house had at least one, and some many more.

"We were fresh air people, loving the stars as well as the earth. Star finding parties and games of the universe were common. Very little social classing occurred and most were accepted for what they contributed. Even the High Temple people walked as humbly as those who grew the food and polished the silver walks leading to the Temple. For this was a place of experiment and learning, and all who lived here were respected for their individualized contribution."

GRANTSVILLE MARYLAND AND THE EAST GATE

The East Gate

Grantsville, Maryland

Early 1980s

In a stayover at a local motel in Grantsville, Md., I had a vision of a huge gate the size of the Empire State Building in New York City. Omar, my spirit guide, described the "Gate of Anawakia" and the city that lay within.

"The Gate of Anawakia rose 900 feet into the sky and was known by the common name of Arin's Pass." (To me the Gate of Anawakia resembled a gigantic man standing, legs spread and rooted, ready to protect all that he held precious.)

"No one entered the depth of Arina without the test of Arin. Even in that day of great Kings and Priests, Arina was a law unto itself and Arin was its High Priest. The City of Anawakia was fashioned for all to enter. The journey from Arina to Atlantis was arduous even with air conveyances because of the great undercurrents of air as you passed over the water and onto what was then known as the "undivided land." Great beasts still roamed this land in that age.

"The Great Gate opened inward and then, upon closing, sealed itself as if by magic. From out of a primitive forest, you entered a city so beautiful as to take away your breath. Encircled by a high adobe brick wall 6 miles deep, it lay within the inner confines of Arina but separate. Close to the Great Gate stood a beautiful small Temple where all were greeted. The buildings were cinnamon color and symmetrically elegant in their simplicity. An almost Moroccan look pervaded the structures and streets and the lush foliage and gorgeous scented flowers imposed a balance on the heart and mind that lasted through the whole visit.

"Places to lodge and eat were found scattered throughout the area and people gathered in the park-like setting to marvel and wonder at such a place hidden away in so deep a wilderness. Most left in a few days without ever guessing they had only scratched the surface of Arina. They would return to Atlantis and exclaim to all about the wonderful place Arin had carved out in the wilderness of the "undivided land." To those rare few that perceived a deeper meaning to this land, if they could levitate over the wall or pass through it by the power of their mind, their whole conception of Arina would change in a heartbeat."

A Brief History of Arina

July 2001 - Deep Creek Lake: Windra, overlighting Deva of Arina

In the ancient days before time as we know it, darkness crept into the civilization of Atlantis. Seeking to counter its destructive effects, the last king in the dynasty of Atlas Kings, a high soul of immense spiritual force, sought the help of Arin, a mysterious sage who had lived undying in the earth for a million years. Free from political entanglements, this mysterious white wizard, an incarnation of Wisdom itself, was asked by the King of Atlantis to create a great kingdom away from the mainstream to serve the Light, rebalance the earth, and train people of all ages in a new thought. So it was that 300,000 years ago, Atlas placed into Arin's hands the blue sapphire Jewel of Ornetha to create the kingdom of Arina and its defense.

Across the ocean from Atlantis lay the undivided continent, a wild country of swift rivers, steep mountain gorges, dense primal forests, and vast unexplored territories. It was a paradise of utamed beauty where great beasts roamed freely and humanity remained distant. There deep in the wilderness, Arin claimed a 80-mile circle and created an invincible shield of protection. Within the walls of this dimensional light, using the power of the crystal and the abundant resources of Nature, Arin constructed his country.

From Arin

They came from every part of the world to live in Arina. Their first entrance was through the great gate at Anawakia. This was the east gate and known commonly as Arin's Pass. Through this portal, came the great and small people of that day seeking the magic of Arina. Few, though, made it into the center of that province, for so structured was the whole of Androvinka that only as the asking party achieved spiritual advancement could he or she enter other areas."
This was a place of learning, strict in faith, great in love, ruled by truth. We were among the first to bring the combination of Light and Love into the Earth. Built 300,000 years ago by the White Fathers, the whole of Androvinka was a place enclosed by The Great Wall, the Impassable Light.

I asked Arin how the Light deterred anyone, man or beast, from passing. Arin said that "because the outlying lands were covered with primeval forest, the Light simply turned them outwards until they finally followed the circle and arrived at either the North or South gate. Then they were transported quickly back to the East gate and the city of Anawakia.

First Contact With Omar

Spring 1955

I was married in 1955. My husband's clan had acquired over 2,000 acres of land in the Morgantown/Fairmont area during the Great Depression. One afternoon, shortly after we were married, I went with him to the Warren-Watson farm to feed cattle. We drove down a dirt road and, as we turned into the driveway of the house, I suddenly realized that this was the place of my vision and I knew immediately that I wanted to live there. My husband's family owned the farm and the house and, after four kids and 10 years of marriage, we bought the farm and moved in.

Years passed yet the house and land remained veiled in mystery. Only on occasion did I catch a glimpse of the subtle and brighter realities behind the veil of the physical world. In 1976, pushed by an inner urge to grow spiritually, I learned to meditate. Four years later my world shifted dramatically when I began to see a bearded man on the inner planes during my meditation sessions. He wasn't intrusive and I wasn't afraid. I would close my eyes and begin the meditation process, and there he'd be, meditating along with me. He wore what looked like a black-leather motorcycle outfit and my curiosity led me to ask him what he was doing in my meditation.

It was then he introduced himself as Omar, my kinsman who had come with me to earth 35,000 years ago from a planet called Veloria. Because of circumstances beyond our control, he said, we had remained in the earth and now he had returned to remind us of who we were and why we were here, and what we needed to do before we returned home.

The contact with Omar opened a new chapter in my life. It was Omar who introduced me to Arin, and it was Arin who told me the story of Arina and how it came to be created within an impassable circle of light with its center point over lighting an inner temple that was located in the higher dimensional area of the farm. Arin's descriptions of Arina helped me begin to understand the mystery of the kingdom that the Shepherd was asking me to write about.

I came to realize that the stories of Arina and Veloria had also been distilled and kept alive in the legends of Native Americans. My Cherokee grandmother and her mother had spoken of their ancestors from the stars and the sacred land that lay in the mountains of West Virginia.
Little did I know that the stories of Omar and Arin would evolve into an epic saga of a star people and their journey through time and eternity. To be told that I was a part of that journey, living with the sacred mystery of Arina in my own backyard stretched me to expand my thinking and shed the many limited concepts I held about life, religion, God, and the universe.

In 1979, when I felt the need for support, I had called my mediation teacher. He returned to the farm and his life changed as well, as we made the decision to follow the legend of Arina wherever it would lead.

Walkingfeather's First Glimpse of Arina

July 1952.

Fairmont, WV

On a hot summer day in 1952, I stood in front of the old Watson farmhouse in the shade of large maple trees. No one lived in the house and I had never been there before. A college friend and I had found the place by chance. Driving north on Old State Route 73 from Fairmont, we decided, on the spur of the moment, to turn left on a narrow country road. An odd feeling of familiarity came upon me, as we traveled the winding road that led us into a valley of wide rolling fields and wind-swept grasses nestled among tree-covered hills.

We spotted the old farmhouse and decided it would be a nice place to relax and study. My friend fell asleep under a great maple tree in the backyard and I walked to the front of the old house and looked up at the doorway. The faded yellow paint on the large door had cracked and peeled. The curved brass doorknocker was tarnished and the glass panes in the large windows to the left and right of the door were shattered. A feeling of sadness swept over me for I could see beauty where the decay had set in.

A bright sun sparkled through the trees and a breeze touched my face. Birds sang and the air smelled of fresh-cut hay. The yard and garden beds were unkempt and overgrown, yet I felt the peace of the deep country atmosphere as I gazed at the doorway of the farmhouse. The old house suddenly looked different. The pale yellow paint on the wall planks of the house became smooth and clean, and I saw curtains hanging inside the shiny open windows. The grass was cut, the yard neat and tidy; flowers filled the garden beds in the front yard and I heard people chatting inside the house.

In place of my pastel dress, I wore a silky blouse and a tweed wool skirt that dropped to the tops of black-laced boots. A single strand of pearls hung around my neck. My hair was no longer autumn red. It was brown and pulled up and piled on top of my head. Still struggling to recover from shock, I saw the house change again. Now as an older woman in a dark housedress, I stood in front of a construction site. I was slightly bent at the waist and my left hand rested on my hip for support.

Bearded workmen busied themselves framing the first floor of the house. A small group of men poured molten iron into moulds, creating the three different kinds of nails that would be used in the construction. Behind me, young apprentices sat in the shade of the of the trees whittling pegs that would hold the massive oak beams in place. I sensed that I was sick and would die before the house was completed.

Again the scene changed. The house disappeared. This time my body became muscled, lean and brown. Dressed only in a loincloth, my long black hair fell loosely down my back. I paused at the crest of a hill to view the rolling meadowland while breathing in the scent of the air and listening intently to the rushing stream. The virgin forest that covered the distant mountains felt familiar and mysterious.

Other scenes rapidly appeared and disappeared. Then a building came into view, Moroccan in appearance, elegant in its simplicity, and topped by a smooth dome. My form changed again. I was lithe and supple and stood well over six feet. The soft creme color of a loose-fitting blouse and wide-flowing skirt emphasized and enhanced the natural beauty of my coppery skin and long rust-red hair. As I looked through this woman's eye I noticed stairs to the right.

A large jardiniere filled with bright, vibrant flowers stood near the bottom step. As I glanced at the flowers, warmth spread through my entire body, slowly melting away all my tensions. I climbed the steps to a landing and noticed another broad set of steps to a terrace that spanned the entire width of the building. A large arched entranceway led to the interior of the structure. I wanted desperately to stay in that reality, but suddenly it all dissolved, and I was back facing the old ramshackle farmhouse.

Above me the great maples swayed, their green leaves a shimmering canopy. Astonished and bewildered, I stared at the house. The earth and sky rotated as I tried to grasp what had happened. The swirling impressions of landscapes and people continued to race through my mind and it was only the thought of my friend sleeping under the maple tree in the backyard that brought me back to the circumstances at hand. Though dazed and disoriented, I walked back to my sleeping friend and woke him. It never occurred to me to talk to him or anyone else about what happened. In fact, it would be years before I shared my experience with anyone.