Zedd pulled out a a stone, he threw it on the ground before him and Richard. He stood up and circled his fingers above the little stone until, suddenly, it grew into a bigger stone."Zedd! That's your cloudrock!"
"Actually, my boy, it's a philosopher's stone. My father gave it to me a long time ago."
The wizard moved his fingers faster and faster until it emitted a light, sparks and whirling colors. He kept stirring, mixing the light. There was no sound, only the pleasant smell of springtime rain. Finally the wizard seemed satisfied.
"Step onto the stone, my boy."
Initially insecure, Richard stepped into the light. It tingled and felt warm against his skin, as if laying in the summer sun without clothes after swamming. He bathed in the warm, safe feeling, surrendered to it. He let his hands move sideways from his body, until they were horizontal. He moved his head backwards, took deep breaths and closed his eyes. It felt miraculous, as if he was floating in water; only he was floating in light.
Rejuvination flowed through him. His spirit felt connected with everything surrounding him. He was one with the trees, the grass, the insects, the animals aorund him, the water, the air; he did not feel like a separate being, but a part of the whole. He understood the interconnectedness of everything now in a new way, saw himself as lowly and all-powerful. He saw the world through the eyes of all the creatures around him. It was a shocking, beautiful insight. He allowed himself fluttering up with a bird soaring above him, saw the world through his eyes, hunted mice, hungry, needy, saw the campfire below, the sleeping people.
Richard allowed his identity to spread out on the winds. He became everyone and nobody, felt the heat of their needs, smelled their fear, tasted their joy, understood all their desires and then let it all melt to nothing until where he stood there was an emptiness, alone in the universe, the only living being, the onl thing that even existed, then let the light flow through him, light that brought forth the others who had used the same stone, Zedd, his father, and the wizards before them, uncountable years, thousands of years, everyone. Their essence flowed through him, shared itself with him. The tears streamed down his cheeks because of the wonder of all of this.
Zedd's hands jumped forward and released its magical substance. It whirled around Richard and glistened like a liquid until he found himself in the center of the cyclone. The glistening concentrated its whirling and gathered around his chest. With a twinkling sound like that of a crystal chandelier in the wind, the dust rose away into the heavens as if it climbed up a kite and tookt he sound along with it while rising, higher and higher, until it reached the cloud. The cloud took on the magical substance and was lit from within by brewing colors. On the horizon lightning flashed, wild, expectantly.
At once the lightening stopped, the light in the cloud subsided and disappeared, and the light from the wizard's stone retreated inside until it faded out entirely. Suddenly it was quiet. Richard was back and was just standing on a rock. He looked at Zedd's smiling face with big eyes."Zedd," he whispered, "now I know why you're on that rock all the time. I've never felt something like that all my life. I had no idea."
Zedd smiled knowingly. "You're a natural, my boy... You felt at home like a duck in the water. You've got all that's needed to become a great wizard." He leaned forward, happy. "Now try to imagine doing it naked."
"Does that make a difference?" Richard asked surprised.
"Of course. Clothes hinder the experience. Zedd put his arm on Richard's shoulder. "Once I'll let you try it."
"Zedd, why did you let me do that? It wasn't necessary. You could have done it.
"How do you feel now?"
"I don't know. Different. Relaxed. Clearer in my head. I think less overcome, not so depressed."
"That's why I let you do it, my friend, cause you needed it. You had a rough night. I can't change the problems, but I could help to make you feel better. "
"Thank you, Zedd."
"Go to sleep, it's my watch now." He winked at Richard.
"If you ever change your mind and want to become a wizard, it would be my honor to welcome you into the brotherhood."
Zedd held up his hand. From the darkness the piece of cheese he threw away earlier floated back to him.
Sounds exactly like an entheogenic trip to me, like this one, what is not on the page is before the trance set in, I become naucious and stumbled to my bed, where I just had to take off all my clothes with eyes already closed, and then I started to melt.
Excerpt translated to english freely from the dutch version of Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (which is translated by Max Schuchart, who also translated the Lord of the Rings books by Tolkien into dutch).
