A Witch Doctor Divorce
By: White Feather
Tags: Humor, Relationships, Short Story, Divorce, Fiction

Sixteen years after the divorce the separation between them was still not complete. They continued to appear in each other’s thoughts and dreams. Neither a legal piece of paper nor over five thousand miles of earth and water could cut the cord that bound them. The cord had been established in a time and place beyond their perceived reality.

So they decided to see a witch doctor.

From their respective locations on the planet they both traveled to the Amazon rainforest where they were taken by guides deep into the jungle to a small hut in which lived a very old toothless man.

The witch doctor came out of his hut and instructed the couple to build a large bonfire, which they did. He then sat in a green and yellow folding lawn chair and watched the couple as they built the fire. He watched the colors of their energy flowing through their auras.

When the fire was raging the old man told the couple to strip naked and sit bare-assed on the ground on opposite sides of the bonfire. He told them to stare through the fire at each other. He then lit a cigarette and watched.

Although both of the couple’s faces were brightly illuminated by the fire it was difficult for them to see each other through the fire. But a light breeze made the flames dance back and forth and small slivers would appear ever so briefly between the flames through which part of the other person’s face would appear for a fraction of a second. Their faces appeared to each other only in fractured strobing pieces.

The witch doctor then instructed the couple to stand and walk around the fire in a counter-clockwise direction twelve times while looking to their left at each other through the fire. Since they were now standing they were looking through the top of the fire and could see each other more clearly.

The old man tossed his cigarette butt into the fire then told them to stop and turn around then walk in a clockwise direction around the fire twelve times while looking to their right at the other one on the other side of the fire.

When they were done he told them to sit back down and once again stare at each other through the fire. They were to keep staring until instead of seeing the other person they saw themselves.

The witch doctor then opened a paper sack that was in his lap and pulled out a sandwich which he immediately began eating.

The couple kept staring at each other through the fire for a long time until they both saw themselves across the fire instead of the other one. It was so powerful that they both began crying.

By this time the old man had finished his sandwich and was now smoking another cigarette. He then scooted his lawn chair a little closer to the fire and began talking to the couple.

“You two have a very deep connection. You have been together in many places and times. You have been playing a game together for eons. Since the beginning of time you have been desperately trying to separate. But it is hopeless. You are inseparable. Time and time again you come together with as much passion as you can thinking that intense passion will help you finally separate for good because you think you need a lot of passion to finally separate. But it ain’t gonna happen.”

“Through so many lives you have found each other for the purpose of hopefully finally separating. You want to individuate but through oneness you will always be connected. You have always confused individuation with separation. Separation will never happen. It’s an illusion. Once you realize this then you can individuate. For so many lives you were held captive by the illusion of separation thinking that was your life purpose. But it’s not. I’ll be right back…”

The old man went to his hut and came out holding a mirror that had a handle. He then showed the mirror to the couple. There was a mirror on both sides, not just one side, “Now this is a double-sided mirror. It’s not one of those mirrors that you can see through one side but not the other. It’s two different mirrors back to back. One of you can hold up the mirror and see themselves and the other one will see themselves in the mirror on the back.”

“I’m not giving you the mirror. It’s mine. I’m just showing you so that you know what to visualize. Instead of trying to separate from each other hold your imaginary mirror up so that each of you see yourselves. That’s really what you are to each other. You’re mirrors to show each other your selves; that you are individual parts of each other. When one of you appears to the other it’s a sign that you need to look at yourself.”

“It’s just a tool in your mind but it helps to remember that. Instead of seeing what you want to be separate from you see yourself and feel the deeper connection of oneness instead of a need to separate and be separate. You will never be separate. None of us can be. We are all connected but we can hold up these mirrors to each other to help us individuate and fully become our true selves. Instead of trying to break the connection of oneness, which cannot be broken, we can be grateful for that connection and use it to help each other in our individuation process.”

“Like when you saw yourselves in each other looking through the fire, when you see yourself in others then you can truly feel that connection of oneness and can utilize that in your evolutionary process of individuation. Plus it makes it so much easier to get along with everyone. All these attempts at separating ourselves creates so much unnecessary conflict and struggle. We can all evolve more quickly if only we get past the illusion of separation.”

The old witch doctor sat in his lawn chair and twirled the hand mirror round and round.

“So what now?” asked the woman.

“Well, now you two can get dressed and then pay me the thousand bucks each of you owe me.”

The couple stood and brushed dirt and twigs off themselves then put on their clothes. The man pulled money out of his wallet and the woman pulled her money out of her purse then they walked over to hand the cash to the witch doctor.

Getting up from his lawn chair, the witch doctor took the money and put it into a pouch that hung from around his neck. He then placed the palms of his hands together and bowed to the man and then the woman, “Namaste. I now pronounce you man and wife.”

“What?!” screamed the woman. “We didn’t come here to get married!”

“Oh dear. Sorry about that,” the old man laughed. “It doesn’t matter, though. The marriage ceremony is exactly the same as the divorce ceremony. It’s the very same ritual. Think about that. I hope each of you have a nice flight home.”

With that the old witch doctor turned and went back to his hut.

With mouths opened, the couple looked at each other. They were thinking and feeling the exact same thing. At first they were thinking about how they just got conned but those thoughts quickly faded. Being totally in sync with their thoughts and feelings they suddenly saw something in each other they had not seen before.

As they began walking back to the guides who were waiting to take them back to the airport the woman spoke, “You know, I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been working out.”

“Nah… well, yeah. Just a little. And I couldn’t help notice that you’re still just as hot as ever.”

They both smiled and their hands were soon firmly clasped.

The old toothless witch doctor, who was standing just outside the door to his hut, yelled out, “Get a room!”