The space captured me in its wholeness. In the blackened night sky, I saw small clusters of light emanating from many stars in design-like formations. Let there be light: and there was light, God said.

Like a soul leaving a person upon death, I saw calligraphed Hebrew letters leaving parchment pages from a Torah scroll, flying toward the night sky, one at a time in and around these emanations of light, too numerous to count. Was I in a dream, in a semi-conscious state, where my loosened defenses enabled me to see those Torah letters flying and dancing? Had I lost touch with reality? No. I knew what I saw.

I followed the letters and found myself in a place I had never been before. I was greeted by Shekhinah, the female source of divine energy.

Welcome to the upper world. A world above and beyond the world you live in.

Shekhina was a slender petite beauty with eyes of light green that sparkled on her oval-shaped face of radiance. Shekhinah could seduce others with her beauty and entice them to receive her transformative rays of reason and redemption.

Why am I here?

I have chosen you for a special task to translate and impart a hidden message only to those, like you, who are not blinded by their lack of sight and intuition, like those unable to think beyond their borders of boredom, those who fear progress and obstruct what is new and creative.  

I have chosen you because you have vision and insight that many others lack. You experience a connection to Torah. And you are a carrier of light, like all the Israelites you are a light unto the nations. With my partner Tiferet, the truth-teller, you will learn the mystery of the union of the dalet-mem. 

Tiferet greeted me warmly.

He was tall and slim with dark skin, brown eyes, and hair layered with hints of grey between layers of black.

Greetings from here in the upper world. Shekhinah and I rarely find someone who explores the world differently than many others. You have a gift for exploration. Very few know the mystery of the union of the dalet-mem. Listen well.

I was speechless and could barely imagine how Tiferet, so majestic in his manner and brilliant in his speech, chose me to share his secrets, secrets unknown to most humans. I was humbled.

Tiferet showered light on the dalet and put this large Torah letter in my right hand, the fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Then he showered light on the mem and put this large Torah letter, the thirteenth letter in the Hebrew alphabet, into my left hand.

What did you feel? He asked.

I felt the Dalet and space open around me. I felt the Mem and I heard echoes from my past. I sensed my breaths, my inhales and exhales, they were more intense.

 I think you are ready for the next step, Tiferet said.

Then he pointed to a golden tabletop affixed to four curvy translucent glass legs filled with sparkling multi-colored waters, aquas, magentas, mauves, creams, lavenders, and beige-greys.

Now lay them next to each other, the dalet on the right, the mem on the left.

I did as he instructed.

I imagined that the dalet was male and the mem was female. I imagined that they were in a sexual union. As such, they had a special sensitivity and awareness of the other. In the upper world, such unions were encouraged for the sake of both procreation and power. The letter were necessary to transmit and translate messages between the upper and lower worlds.

In this upper world of supernal knowledge, Tiferet told me that dalet was associated with the door that allowed entrances and exits. Mem was associated with life-giving water which was necessary for survival. The door dalet became a dam-like structure which held the water mem back from flooding. The door in dalet’s dam-like structure opened and allowed the water mem to flow and quench arid lands. This union enabled the Israelites to survive.

All was well until the room started to shake. Strange squeals and electrifying sounds were heard. The lights blinked. Then a strange hairy covered being with large green eyes and a graying beard appeared making itself known. It pounded on the floor with its walking stick, taking huge noisy footsteps wearing grimy, black-laced tall boots. I could tell it was an unwanted guest as Shekhinah and Tiferet grimaced, their hands shook, and their foreheads leaked sweat that dribbled down on their faces looking at this odd being.

With a red bulbous face, a fat tongue, and a large mouth it said, I’m going to get what I want from you . . . and don’t try to stop me.

Demistis, Shekhina said, we’ve already given the evil you what you wanted, our only child, our precious daughter who we created here in the sea of the upper world, and you said you would leave us alone. Wasn’t that enough to give our only child to you? 

No. I want more. I want your visitor.

 You have no right to take our visitor. We will not meet your demand. Never. Ever.

I am lonely. There are no visitors in the lower world. Give her to me and give her to me now or I will harm your child. Your visitor will take away my loneliness, she will bring me happiness. I must have her.

Stop harassing us. Stop threatening us. Our visitor is ours. Go back to the lower world and go back now.  

Then Shekhinah made some noise just enough to distract Demistis. As it moved toward the noise, she took off her elegant shawl of metallic colors of turquoise and gold.With the help of Tiferet, they strangled the evil Demistis who fell on the floor, struggled to breathe its last breath, and died. With its death, they were able to send their good spirit aides, Guntra and Coronchia, to retrieve their daughter in the lower world and bring her home. They would annihilate any bad spirits in the lower world who attempt to stop them.

It was a relief to know that Demistis was dead, that Shekhinah and Tiferet would have their daughter with them forever, and that we were all safe.

I left the upper world and returned to my familiar place, home, not knowing how much of the message to share. I returned home knewing, I had no choice but to share everything.

*

And I heard God say, Let there be light: and there was light.

 

Carol J. Wechsler Blatter has contributed writings to Chaleur Press, Story Circle Network Journal, Writing it Real anthologies, the Jewish Writing Project and poems to Story Circle Network’s Real Women Write and Covenant of the Generations by Women of Reform Judaism. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother and a recently retired psychotherapist in private practice.