Blue Moon by Isobel Bird Read Free Book Online Page A

most powerful part of any ritual or meditation wasn’t what was real or not real but what the
    person doing the ritual wanted to achieve and what he or she got out of it.
    “Welcome,” Annie said to Freya.
    “What do you need of me?” asked the goddess.
    “I would like you to stay with me,” said Annie, still talking out loud even though she knew the meditation
    was all in her mind. Somehow really speaking the words made it all seem more real to her. “I would like
    to learn more about you, and I would like to experience your gifts.”
    “What gifts might these be?” Freya asked her.
    Annie had to think for a moment. She really hadn’t had anything specific in mind. But now that the
    goddess had asked her, she found that there was something she wanted.
    “I would like to have your gift of beauty,” she said, surprising herself. But the more she thought about it
    the more she realized that she was speaking the truth. She was tired of being the one people looked right
    through. She wanted them to notice her for a change. Kate and Cooper got noticed, so why shouldn’t
    she?
    “Yes,” she said again. “I would like to have some of your beauty and grace.”
    In her mind she heard the goddess laugh. It was a beautiful laugh, filled with light and love. It was exactly
    what she wished her own laugh sounded like, instead of the raucous giggles that usually tumbled out of
    her mouth when she thought something was funny.
    “Very well,” Freya said. “I will come to you for a time.”
    Annie smiled. She really felt like she was talking to the goddess. She could still see her in her mind, and
    her voice seemed clear, as if they were standing next to each other. She wanted to hold out her arms and
    embrace Freya like a friend.
    And that’s exactly what happened. She saw the goddess spread her arms and step forward, and the
    next thing she knew she was surrounded by the scent of flowers, vanilla, and cinnamon. She felt Freya’s
    arms encircle her, pulling her close. Then it was almost as if the goddess passed into her. Annie was filled
    with a warmth, a contentment like she’d never experienced. Her whole body seemed to overflow with
    joy and happiness.
    She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, just to prove to herself that she was awake and not
    dreaming. The entire meditation had seemed so alive that she was almost surprised to find herself still
    seated in the circle of roses and bathed in candlelight.
    Had she done the ritual correctly? She couldn’t really tell. While everything had seemed very real, she
    knew she hadn’t really stood in a garden talking to Freya. Yet she did feel different. It was like something

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    inside of her had changed in a subtle but important way. Some of the loneliness and anger she’d been
    feeling was gone, replaced by a sense of purpose. She suddenly felt as if she could do anything. It didn’t
    matter that Kate and Cooper weren’t with her. She had done the ritual all on her own, and it had gone
    well. She was proud of herself. And if Freya was around somewhere, all the better. Annie was looking
    forward to seeing what the goddess had in store for her—if, in fact, she had come at all.
    She stood up and stretched, working the stiffness from her arms and legs. She had been sitting longer
    than she’d thought. Then she spun around, enjoying the feeling of being inside the sacred circle in her own
    room, with the full moon outside and the smell of roses all around. As she spun she reached up and undid
    the rubber band holding her long braid together. She used her fingers to comb out her hair, and soon it
    hung around her shoulders.
    Stretching her hands out, she spun faster, her feet turning and her body swaying as she moved. It was
    making her a little dizzy, but she enjoyed the feeling. She was suddenly so happy that she laughed, and
    the sound was rich and pure, like water rolling over smooth