Hi, Lowenna. Thanks for inviting me here this afternoon. We're sat at the table in the kitchen in the Temple of the Goddess in Jennston. What a beautiful old building, isn't it? You've lived here your whole life, is that right?
Yes, my adoptive mother, Shang-Lae, the High Priestess here, she found me as a baby in the shrine. I was lying under the statue of the snow hawk in the centre of the shrine, multi-coloured shards of light streaming down from the cupola far above. Lochlan, Shang-Lae's husband, carved the statue with the snow hawk's wings outspread as if it is swooping into land. The snow hawk is one of the Goddess's creatures, believed to carry Her massages on its sacred white wings. Shang-Lae found me lying under those wings as if it were sheltering, protecting me.
So, you grew up here in the Temple. What was that like? I mean, I'm just looking around now and we're in this big kitchen with a huge cooker, dried herbs hanging from the rafters. The back door's open, letting in the mild breeze, rich with fragrances from the garden and a hint of sea salt from the harbour. It seems very peaceful at the moment but I can imagine it gets quite busy?
You're right. At times, it's very peaceful and there are specific times set aside for contemplation and for Toa-tae, that's a series of exercises that strengthens our muscles, increases flexibility and focusses our minds. There's a lot of structure and discipline, a lot of learning too. Sometimes, we're really busy. and it gets a bit more chaotic. Like last spring, there was an accident in one of the warehouses down by the docks. A stack of crates was knocked over and we had about twenty patients rushed up here. That was a busy day but most of them were alright in the end.
You mentioned that there's quite a lot of learning and you're training to be a healer. How's that going? How far through the training are you?
I've been helping out and learning, I suppose, since I was old enough to hold a tray and pass bandages. All the healers are encouraged to continue life-long learning. We readily share knowledge and spend time in other temples to learn from each other. I spent six moons in the temple in Farrowton a few years ago, for example. There's always more to learn and no matter how many people I help, it's the ones I fail that haunt me and push me to work harder, do more, learn more.
It sounds as if you're compassionate and conscientious and trying your best. Let's leave it there for this session. I've a few more questions, if that's alright, we can cover next time.
