The Mystic Gryphon
A Guided Visualization

An inexplicable force, a primal urge guides your steps as you walk along the historic streets of downtown Montgomery. You stop at a peculiar looking building, a small two story structure which seems very out of place. Two large tri-faceted display windows separated by a recessed doorway mark the entrance to the shop. A slightly faded sign with large letters reads "The Mystic Gryphon". A light scent travels through the air filling your mind with a images of a bright breezy summer day in the park, a park filled with people dressed in tie-dyes and bell bottoms. The scene is one of happiness and joy, of a time long past but not forgotten. A sign on the door says "Welcome, Please Enter" while another sign in the window to your left reads "Open" and gives the stores hours. You grasp the door knob, pull back and the door opens. As you open the door you embark on what may be the most important journey of your life.

As you enter the building, the sweet smell of incense gently wraps around your body, curling its way up your legs, sliding along your torso all the way to the tips of your ears. Temple bells, magickal tunes, mystical notes, drift through the air tickling your ear drums. Feelings of intense calm, joy and love wash over you. You see a long rectangular room divided into two sections by a large display case. In the very back of the building you see a doorway which you know must lead to some place special. In the far half of the building, you see a large counter containing many small, dark brown bottles of essential oils, incense sticks (punks) are poking their tips up above and around the bottles. Several people are mingling about in the back with the air of being regulars. Just as the door closes you are greeted by a friendly hello and a wave from everyone in the building. A young beatiful woman with long dark hair, or a young handsome man with flowing blond locks comes up, smiles, shakes your hand and asks if you need any assistance. You pause for a moment and reply that you are just browsing. Looking back up, you can just make out a large, semi-circular desk behind the display case, obviously it is the command center of the store. (Kaptain, we must engage the warp drive now if we are to outrun the shockwave! Woops, wrong store.)

Just inside the doorway, on the right, you see a sandwhich board displaying several articles about the owner of the store and of her band, Trismegistus. The articles have been collected from various newspapers and magazines over the past five years. As the owner's popularity and notoriaty have increased so have her articles. She is frequently asked to appear on local television and radio shows. Above the sandwich board is a display of hand made necklaces and pendants, many sporting ancient keltic runes. You also notice a small alcove which sits on the front of the building facing the front of the old courthouse. The area is curtained off but peeking around you see a large golden ball and a deck of tarot cards, well worn from use. The hairs on your arms raise just a fraction as you feel the energy of the area surrounding you.

As your eyes continue to move around the store you see a large set of shelves stocked with an assortment of jars containing herbs. A little more to the right and you see more shelves, neatly arranged with tall glass cannisters filled with sticks of incense, the name of each flavor handwritten on a gryphon label. Beneath the jars, on the large black shelf is a display of essential and magickal blends of oils. On other shelves, you see an assortment of hand made boxes from India. In addition, you see beeswax candles and bags of sacred cedar. Next to the incense is a bookcase filled with crsytals of various shapes and color, and many smaller items of unique origin. A rack of greeting cards, many hand made by a local practioner, stand next to the crystals waiting for a patron to take them home, spreading joy to others.

With a sudden stop, you realize that you have nearly run into a very large display case as you have attempted to process all of the sights and sounds in the shop. You gaze into the case, your eyes drawn from item to item. Crystals, pendants, rings, wands, figurines, lamps, earrings and many other items draw your attention. Deep velvety purples, bright iradescent blues, deep emerald greens, laughing lemony yellows, dark vibrant reds, all the colors of the spectrum delight your eyes as you look back and forth. It is just a guess, but you feel that you could spend hours looking at the display case and not see everything in it. So many pretty items, you can hear them all calling out to you, "Buy me, take me home, I am for you."

It takes a herculean effort but you finally draw yourself away from the central display case and continue looking around the shop. You feel like Charlie from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so many things to see, so little time to see it in. Next to the display case is a corner bookcase filled with odds and ends, and magazines. On top of the bookcase is a basket filled with hand made lavender and gourd wands. What appears to be a potato chip display holds small hand made sachets and pillows, each one crafted by a local practioner for a specific purpose: love, money, protection to only name a few. Behind the bookcase is a garment display with tee shirts, blouses, pants and hats. A multitude of fabrics and colors blend together in a cavalcade of clothing.

You are more than half way through the store at this point, you realize. A strange looking, purplish display board is filled with packs of stick incense, any flavor imaginable. Next you see a counter which holds the cash register. Your eyes dart back and forth noting small crystals, figures and other items. A small burner holds a red hot coal on which an aromatic incense is burning, smelling faintly of cinnamon, frankincense and other aromas which you can not identify but defintely enjoy. A smaller display case sits next to the counter. As with the large display case, it is filled with a multitude of items. Small spherical candles, about the size of a softball, in many colors are shrink wrapped in plastic, each bearing a gryphon label listing its purpose. Crystals, pendants, jewlery, candles, tarot cards and more fill this case. You pause for a moment and look up. Behind the display case is a fish tank, partially filled. You hear the "blip blip bloop" of the bubbles caused by the air pump. You look closely and see two newts living in the tank. As you watch, the newts notice you, look up and seem to nod at you. The newts are the watchers of the store and you know that they must like you since they did look up and even smiled. You turn slightly and are back at the front door. You look down at the floor noticing where the ceramic mosaic tile meets the rough wooden floors. Your eyes fix on two large black fu dog statues which appear to be from an oriental garden. "More watchers of the store," you think. A slight step back, a deep breath taken and you look up. In the atrium, above the door, you see the hand made wooden sign which reads "The Mystic Gryphon".

You have just completed your first circuit of The Mystic Gryphon. The person who greeted you when you first entered walks back up to you. They smile, and this time you both turn and head off to one of the many displays of The Mystic Gryphon. You feel relaxed and at peace. You know that if you have any questions, those who own the store and others who frequent it will be more than happy to help you in any way they can. It seems that you have found a cross between "Cheers", a small french coffee shop and an antique store. It is marvelous!

And so it ends.

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