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As he was speaking to Chris, Paulo recalled the abandoned gold mine. Up until that day--a week ago--he had chosen to remain outside of paradise.
"What guarantees entry?"
"Faith. And the Tradition," he answered.
They walked over to an ice cream wagon and bought cones. Valhalla continued to speak, and her sermon appeared to be endless. Before long, she might even try to get the spectators to participate, at which point it would probably end.
"Does everyone know that the gates are open?" Chris asked.
"Some people have noticed--and they are calling the others. But there's a problem."
Paulo pointed to a monument in the middle of the square. "Let's suppose that paradise is there. And every person on earth is here in the plaza. Each of them has their own path for arriving there.
"That's why people talk with their angels. Because only the angels know the best path. It does no good to seek advice about it from others."
"Follow your dreams, and take your risks," they heard Valhalla saying.
"What will this world be like?"
"It will be only for those who enter into paradise," Paulo answered. "The world of the 'Conspiracy.' The world of people who are able to see the transformations that are occurring, of people who have the courage to pursue their dreams and listen to angels. A world for all those who believe in that world."
A murmur arose from the crowd, and Chris knew that the play had begun. She wanted to move forward to observe, but what Paulo was saying was more important.
"For centuries, we wept on the banks of the rivers of Babylon," Paulo continued. "We hung up our harps, we were prohibited from singing, we were persecuted and massacred. But we never forgot that there was a promised land. The Tradition survived everything.
"We learned how to fight, and we were strengthened by the battle. People are once again speaking of the spiritual world that only a few years ago was seen as something that only ignorant, complacent people believed in. There is an invisible thread that unites all those on the side of the light--like those joined kerchiefs of the Valkyries. And this thread is becoming a strong, shining rope, anchored by the angels. A handrail that is perceived by those who are most sensitive, and that will support us. Because we are many, and we are spread all over the earth. All of us moved by the same faith."
She said, "It's a world that has so many names, isn't it? New Age, Sixth Golden Age, Seventh Beam, and so on."
"But it's all the same world. I'll guarantee you."
Chris looked at Valhalla, there in the plaza, speaking of angels.
"Well, why is she trying to convince others?"
"No, no, she's not trying to convince them of anything. We all came from Paradise, we have spread throughout the world, and now we're returning there. Valhalla is asking these people to pay the price of that return."
Chris remembered the afternoon in the mine. "Sometimes it's a very high price."
"It may be. But there are people who are willing to pay it. They know that what Valhalla is saying is true, because it brings back something they had forgotten. All of them still carry in their soul memories and visions of Paradise. Years may go by without their remembering--until something happens: the birth of a child, a serious loss, a feeling of imminent danger, a sunset, a book, a song...or a group of women dressed in leather, speaking of God. Anything. Suddenly, these people remember.
"That's what Valhalla is doing. Reminding them that a place exists. Some of them are listening, others aren't--those who aren't will pass by the gates without seeing that they're open."
"But she's talking about this new world."
"Those are just the words she uses. Actually, they have retrieved their harps from the willows, and are playing them again--and millions of people all over the world are singing of the joys of the Promised Land. No one is alone anymore."
They heard the sound of motorcycles. The play was over. Paulo began to walk toward the car.
"Why didn't you ever tell me about all this?" she asked.
"Because you already knew."
Yes, she had known. But only now did she remember.
The Valkyries rode from city to city on their motorcycles, with their trappings, their kerchiefs, and their strange outfits. And they spoke of God.
Paulo and Chris went with them. When they made camp on the outskirts of a city, the couple stayed in hotels. When they stopped in the middle of the desert, they slept in the car. They made a campfire, and the dangers of the desert receded--the animals did not approach. As they dropped off to sle
