This is the Story of a girl called Salar
Salar lived in a time before our time
Chapter 1
June 2026
Hello, my name is Salar. I am twelve years old, at least I think so. I know for certain that I am not a child anymore, and yet I am not an adult either. How do I know that? Well, my breasts have begun to form like little buds, but I did not bleed yet.
Here in our community, I will be accepted as an adult 14 full moons after the first bleeding. There will be a ceremony, and everybody will know that I am an adult. I look forward to that day because then I will be allowed to travel with the Marys and visit other places.
If you are interested, then let me show you where and how I live.
Since I remember, I have always lived here in this temple. It is the Temple of Isis. Mother Isis, that is how we call her, lives with us, although she sometimes goes away for a period of time.
But there is not only Mother Isis. I have many mothers. In fact, every woman who lives with us and has been accepted into a certain role as an artisan or a priestess is a mother to me. I can go wherever I like and talk to them. They show me what they do, and I learn their skills. I already learned how to spin wool and how to weave. Today I went to Chandra; she makes the most beautiful carpets. I will ask her if she will teach me her craft and I am sure she will accept me. We talked before and I showed her some of the woven fabrics I have created, she liked them a lot.
There are all kinds of artisans on our little island. Some women make pottery, others sew clothes and make beautiful embroideries, and there are some dedicated to the art of jewelry making. Others cook for all of us, and some take care of our animals. And then there are those who only like to work in the temple. They clean it every day and prepare it for our ceremonies.
We don’t know, however, who built the temple. Some say it has always been here, some say Isis made it appear. I have not made up my mind about that, and I don’t think that this is important. What is important is the fact that this temple stands on this island in the middle of the Nile.
We live in smaller huts around the temple. There are almost exclusively women on this island; however, men are allowed here, but they don’t stay long. It must be because of the vibrations that come from the temple.
We live a peaceful life. Here we have no hierarchy; it does not matter if a woman is washing clothes, for example, or is praying and meditating the whole day. Here are no higher tasks. Love is the most important vibration.
Almost every day ships arrive in our small harbour; they bring everything we need and cannot produce here, and there are women who engage in trade. They sell pottery, jewellery, and fabrics we produce here and buy whatever we need. Sometimes people come here and give presents and ask for our help or for our prayer. And we do that lovingly.
There are many children as well. Some were born here; some were brought by their parents because they are poor and cannot have more children. There are also boys, but when they reach a certain age, they leave for life somewhere else.
When I am grown up, I want to become a healer like many of us. We call those who engage in healing Marys; it is kind of a title. First, I will learn everything about herbs and plants, and then I will leave with some others from our community, the Marys. They travel for weeks and months through the world and go to places where their healing skills are needed. To learn everything about healing, I have to travel with them because on this island, there are no sick people. They say it is the energy, or better, the grace that comes from the temple and Isis, that dissolves everything that is not pure love.
Chapter 2
August 2026
It is good to talk to you again. Almost three years have passed by.
In the first year, I spent my time mostly with Chandra. I wanted to know how to make these beautiful carpets she produces. During this time, we spent a lot of time collecting herbs and fruits. She told me everything about the herbs and fruits we had gathered. Not only how to use them for dyeing the threads for the carpets but also everything about their healing qualities. Chandra is a healer too, and she spent a long time travelling as a Mary. Now she has decided to stay on the island with Isis. She is a priestess and serves also in the temple. I learned so much from her, and we have become good friends during my intensive time with her.
Then my time had come, and I was allowed to leave on my first trip with some other princesses. First, we went by boat. Many traders use the river Nile for their transport, and we could travel with them for a few days. I loved looking out and seeing the riverbanks passing by slowly, and everything was calm. We saw crocodiles and palm trees. Sometimes we passed along fields, and the peasants stood up and waved friendly.
For the first time, I entered a big harbor. There were so many people, it was crowded, loud, and smelled awful. Getting off the ship, there was a man asking our names. I told him my name, and he said: „That is impossible. Salar is a man’s name!“ I was shocked; I had never heard that before. When we finally arrived at our first stop, a large house where women live together in what they call a harem. I could talk to Mary Aziza. She is much older than I am, and I asked about my name. She told me: „You were not born on the island of the temple. You were brought there when you were only a few months old. Your mother had given you the name of a boy to protect you because your father would not accept a girl as firstborn and would have killed you. We decided not to change your name so that maybe one day you might be able to find your biological mother.“
And then she told me: „And I know this is awful, but this is how far everything has come since men started to destroy many of the temples where the great mother is worshiped. Here in this harem, many women live. They are not free as we are. But we still come here and take care of them when they get sick or are having a child. In this world, women have less and less rights. People respect us; they know us because we dress differently, and they know we are able to cure many diseases.“
