The Subtle Body

The old blue Kombi is vibrating badly.

Gaius stares at his chakra bracelet made out of lava rock beads, spaced with Tibetan silver Buddhas.

Go on, says Lauren. I swear it will make you feel better. The seven big ones represent each of your chakras.

Gaius looks blank.

Don't you know what they are? asks Lauren.

She launches into an explanation. She has studied these things.

We each have seven main chakras, says Lauren. They represent energy points in our subtle body.

This term usually elicits a question.

Why doesn't he ask it?

You look troubled, says Lauren, stopping the Kombi. Would you like me to perform Reiki? I'm at Level Two.

Lauren, says Gaius. I must apologise. You have been very kind. But I cannot bring myself to wear a bracelet of lava rock beads.

I understand, says Lauren. They're bad karma for you. I've got others. What about a black onyx?

I prefer not to wear a bracelet at all, says Gaius.

You have too many hangups, says Lauren. Reiki can help you. Get in the back and lie down.

Gaius is shocked.

Don't worry, says Lauren. You keep your clothes on. I don't even touch you. Level Two Reiki practitioners work in the subtle plane.

Gaius doesn't like to say no to everything. And he is curious by nature. So he climbs into the back of the Kombi with Lauren and lies down.

She starts to perform a series of hand gestures.

Crown, brow, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral, root.

........

Look, says Arthur. Isn't that Lauren's Kombi?

Sweezus pays no attention. It's difficult riding with Farky tucked under one arm.

At first he tried with Farky facing forwards. Too much licking.

Now he has Farky facing in a southerly direction. It's worse. Too much tail.

They draw level with the Kombi.

No head emerges. Just  a faint smell of incense, that's all.

And a gentle almost imperceptible vibration, which is Gaius's psychic energy being channelled through each of the nodes in his subtle body.

At this point in time, Lauren has reached his root chakra.

Gaius is extremely relaxed.

This is karma, says Sweezus. The van being here. Got any string?

Arthur feels in his pocket:

knitting needles, dirty white Russian feathers, a package

and further down

a tangle of string.

Yes, says Arthur. It's gone a bit green though. It's from Esperance.

And it's mouldy, says Sweezus. And it stinks.

Good time to use it, says Arthur.

They tie the dog to the Kombi, and head off towards Adelaide.

Farky looks like a dog that has found paradise and lost it.

He howls.

The Reiki stops abruptly.