I stood in a hall occupied by many women who have undergone a vigorous
training program of which in the past I had been awarded the black sash. The procurement
of this sash was not without its tribulations and in order to attain the honor
of wearing it, one was to pay the ultimate price by demonstrating one’s merit. As
I stood there staring at the dreary dark cloth which contrasted with my peach
toned inner palm, I heard the name of someone else called forward to receive
the same honor. A cold stillness slithered into my chest. Without looking up
and any further thought, both she and I drew swords. Within two strikes, my
opponent laid on the ground before me. With eyes closed, I could see the
crimson of her blood permeating the ground beneath her. I did not feel
particularly accomplished with this act, but I knew this was the one sacrifice
whereby liberation was attained for both either the survivor or the sacrificed.
Making and abiding by oaths taken long ago, we have all come to much
understanding the manner, the way, the path of moving forward. No other
alternative for surpassing this grade existed. In battle we met, in battle we
parted ways. The body on the ground opposite of me was carefully wrapped and
removed. Good bye old comrade. With chills still coursing through my body, I
prayed to the gods I did not have to repeat this ritual, which others have had
to in the past. Only the elders thought determined if this trial would be
necessary. A battle won? There was no winning, only moving, and certainly such
sacrifice was for naught.
I looked down only to see I wore a black robe, a color as rich as the
midnight of a new moon. The new day was met with a fresh assignment within the
temple’s hall. Unlike before, I was charged with handing out degree sashes to
new awardees and come to think about it, I could no longer recall my previous
job. There was a beautiful tray upon my hands, where neatly folded sashes of varying
colors from white, black, deep blue and yellow laid. Each one bore its
recipients name. While I distributed white sashes, members in the hall hailed each
other with cheer. On occasion, I disseminated a black one, which members
acknowledged with reverence. I continued along in my task wondering which sash
would be designated to me. And then, without further ado, I remembered the
chill in my chest and thought, “Would it be the black one again?” Recipients,
upon occasion received it more than once and I thought: “how would I feel about
repeating this sacrifice?” I silenced my mind, as there was no point in a
matter that was clearly out of my hands. Either I would receive the sash of
sacrifice and fight yet again, or I would simply fail. There was nothing else
to it. The possibility of receiving a different degree also existed, but I knew
there was no point in thinking further about the matter. In either case, the elders
have decided on the matter a long while ago. There was nothing else to ponder.Next to me stood another one of my companions who shared the same duties as me. On occasion we would glance at one another, wondering what laid ahead for us. The time arrived for her to call my name & present me with the new sash. She looked on her tray but could not locate my name or the sash. She and I exchanged dreaded looks leaving me with only one option on my plate left- to approach one of the high priestesses. I made a quarter turn to the right and proceeded to walk towards one of the high priestesses to ask her if there was a misplaced sash. The Priestess smiled with both her mouth and her eyes as she touched my right hand. She asked me to look through the batch once again. I nodded and walked back to where my companion stood. In unison, we searched amongst the multicolor sashes, hoping to locate the one with my name pinned onto it. Before reaching the end of the lot, I found a silver metallic one with my name pinned on. I was breath taking in beauty and design. However, this sash was made to be worn over the shoulder and across the body. Instead, it was to be worn around the waist. The front center portion contained an unrecognizable embroidered emblem. Beads were sewn around the image and hung from threads which when worn generated soft bell like sounds. The Priestess instructed me to wear it as she explained to me how she had this made especially for me. Her smile brought me such warmth and I began to briefly dance about the hall. When I ceased my dance, the ceremony came to a close and I happily went about my scope of work for that day within the temple.
