Tuesday, May 26, 1998       New Moon at 4^o Gemini

It’s midafternoon and a steady breeze is rippling the river water into small frothy waves. I walk down toward a small pier built along the river bank and find a coracle tied alongside the stone embankment. The coracle is just big enough for one and I climbed into it knowing that it has been sent to take me on my journey. There aren’t any paddles or poles in the boat and for a moment I feel rather silly sitting there waiting for something to happen; after all a boat doesn’t move by itself I chide myself, but before I can climb back out to search for a paddle an otter pokes his head up and gazes at me expectantly. I unfasten the rope from the pier, knot the end into a large loop and toss it toward him. He catches it, places it in his teeth and begins to swim toward the bay pulling my boat behind him. I seem to loss track of time as we quickly traverse the three miles in what seems like minutes. When we reach the bay a Silke joins the otter and she takes the rope pulling me quickly out to sea. Sitting there in my little boat I began to think about my journey and I realized that once again I was unprepared. I had forgotten to bring a gift for the Lady of the Isle of the Crystal Keep. Immediately I found myself back at my cottage sitting at my dining-room table contemplating what gift I could bring with me.

The rules of the otherworld as I know it are clear on the subject of gifts; as much as possible they should be the product of ones own labor or they must be quite clearly tied to the desires of the recipient. Since I had never met the lady of the keep I knew I couldn’t bring her something she wanted which meant I needed to bring her something I had made. This turned out to be a rather depressing thought since I realized that I didn’t have anything at hand. If I were a trader in the otherworld then I might have a claim to simply do the real world equivalent of purchasing a gift. I considered for a moment if my skills and interests would allow me to become a trader; but since I show no signs of that in the RW then I doubt I could sustain it in the OW. Making food seemed to be an option; after all I can cook. But I ruled this out as not the best first gift. Bread? But my bread in the RW comes from a bread maker and I don’t consider myself a baker. Wine? I’m not a wine maker, but a bottle of my strawberry fruit liqueur would be a nice gift. Even though I don’t have any bottles made in the RW at the moment I’ve made enough over the years that it would not be a large stretch to assume I would have a bottle somewhere in the OW. (a system of cornmeal and tobacco would be so much simpler but those were valuable items when they were left by earlier shamans)

I also realized that I needed a supply of fish to offer my friends the otter and the seal for taking me on my journey but this could be obtained from a fisherman as a trade item or for coin without violating the rules. It was also a debt that could be settled later without disordering any balance. I walked back toward the river with a bottle of strawberry liqueur. A fine mist was rising of the water and somewhere between one step and the next I went from a hard packed dirt path the one of large cut stones leading toward the keep

With so long spent in preparation my visit to the Island itself was very short. The lady welcomed me to her keep and she told me that she grows crystals and that I could come back and spend more time with her.