A young boy saw a white dove in the forest. His name was Yared. He picked
up a rock to throw at it. But the dove flew away. He followed it.
The dove was the dove of the Goddess. And the boy stood before Angel Haniel
and Goddess Asherah. And the young boy asked the angel in human disguise: "What is the girl's name?" And the Angel aswered:
"Her name is Ashima." For in her protection, he did not want to use her real divine name, which was well known here. "And
what is your name?" asked the boy. "My name is Haniel", the angel answered. "Has the baby got no clothes?" asked the boy.
Haniel told him no. And the boy asked them to come with him home to get some clothes for the baby. And Haniel came
with the boy, and he carried the baby in his arms, and the dove and the goat followed.
The boy lived on a small farm. And the dark little house had a floor
made of dirt. The family was very poor. But their hearts were worth their weight in gold. His mother's name was Ila,
and his father's name was Ezra. His father has only one leg after loosing the other from an accident. And Yared also had two
younger sisters, who were twins. And Ilia gave to Haniel porridge to eat, and to Ashima she gave clothes. And she
asked Haniel if he wanted more to eat. But although he was very hungry and could have eaten all of the porridge in the
pot, he politely rejected. For he saw that the family was poor and needed it themselves.
And the family offered Haniel and Ashima a room to sleep in, and they gave
them carpets to sleep on upon the floor, and pillows for their heads to rest on, and blankets to keep them warm. And Haniel
and Ashima was offered to stayed with the family. And Haniel glady accepted. This was a safe place the the Goddess.
Haniel was strong and a skillful carpenter, and he help the family. And
the family soon could sell woodworks at the market in Tyre. And they were very thankful for Haniel's help.
And five years went by and Ashima grew older. And she did not know that
she was a Goddess. She could not remember her earlier life. But she soon understood that she was different.
She was not like the other children. Her mind was different. She was more intelligent, and carried more knowledge inside
than the other children. She did not participate much their plays and games. She mostly kept to herself. And she loved the
silence more than anything. And everything was so intense to her mind. The wind. The trees. The birdsong. All in this world
was to her overwhelming. She could also speak to the animals, and she could not understand why others could not. Why
they could not listen. And she loved all life. And she could never take a life. She did not eat meat. Indeed, to
the Goddess all life is created equal, and all life is sacred and must never be harmed. Taking a life is the greatest of all crimes
in the eyes of the Goddess, and every taken life brings the Goddess to tears. All animals were her friends, and no animal
would ever harm her. And so, the Goddess says, love all animals as your friends, and never harm them. Indeed, the teachings
of Jehovah are much about death, but the teachings of Asherah are about life.
One day Ashima and the twins went down to the river to bathe. But other
children were already there. And the children were bulliying Ashima. They asked her if she could talk with her dove.
And she nodded. And the children said that the priest had told them that talking to animals was unnatural, and that
doves made to be eaten. And they bullied her for the white hair and her pale skin and for being different. And they told
her that she was ugly. And they told her that she was evil. And the children surrounded Ashima and the twins. But
they told the twins to go. But the twins stayed by her side, because they loved her very much. And the children
picked up branches. And with them they whipped Ashima and the twins all over their bodies. It hurt.
When Haniel found them, they were covered in their blood and their clothes turned
into pieces. But Ashima had not hurt the children. She was too good to hurt even those who made so much evil
against her. That is how pure and loving the Goddess were. And Ashima said to Haniel: "Why are they mean
to me?" And Haniel answered: "Because you are different." And Ashima said: "Everyone is different." And Haniel answered:
"But no one is different the way that you are."
And Haniel decided that it was not safe anymore for the family to have them
living there, and that they must leave them. And they said goodbye to the family and left. It was a tearful farewell.
