Last month when I took my first trip to Lake Tahoe with my brothers, all sorts of imagery played out in my mind in advance of our arrival. I didn’t expect to see the Arthurian Lady of the Lake, but she certainly featured in my imaginings. It’s a little late in the game for me to get my Excalibur. On the other hand, dreams are not only for the young, nor are they for the faint of heart. Who knew what Tahoe would offer? I felt the anticipation and excitement one might feel on the way to meet a guru or high priestess. How could I show my reverence? Was I setting her up to fail with my high hopes?
Saluted by Sugar Pines, Jeffrey Pines, Aspens and White Firs and ringed by the protective peaks of the Sierra Nevada, Tahoe’s startlingly blue waters have an impressive 72-mile circumference. When we got there, my younger brother turned to me and asked, “Well, is it everything you imagined?” Eyes filling behind my shades and too overwhelmed to form a sentence, I could only nod and half-whisper, “Yes.”
We drove around the lake, stopping at several spots, including the Emerald Bay, a striking pool of green water in an otherwise endless oasis of blue. There, I learned Lake Tahoe is known for her healing powers.
Down by the waterside, I looked to my older brother, “Could you get one of those pine cones over there and dip it in the water and bless me?” Without so much as a crooked smile or sarcastic remark, the former acolyte quietly walked over and picked up a large pine cone, dipped it in the water and sprinkled me with elixir from the lake.
Divine Ready 