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27 November 1997: A few weeks ago I was sitting at my computer looking through the windows and down the valley where we live. My mind seemed to be calling for an extended coffee break from all the doom and disaster which Holly and I seem to address, daily... Across from me, at her computer, Holly was typing some long answer to one of the many emails we receive. I watched the birds landing on our balcony to eat the seeds we place there for them. They seemed oblivious to any danger or impending earth-shaking changes. The flutter of wings was a silent applause for life itself. Beautiful, living, floral tapestries of magenta and orange hung from vine-covered walls around the pool below the balcony. That subtle "click-clicking" sound from tree crickets droned in the background; as small, subtle breezes rose and fell - playing the wind chimes in response to some unseen conductor's wand..... I lamented to myself that so many of our every waking moments had to be spent on preparation for catastrophic changes which are soon to befall our entire planet. I longed for the day when the darkness would pass away and The Light would once again illuminate the minds and hearts of all His people.... a day when the true King of Kings will welcome us into his Kingdom. This reminded me of Tolkien's, "Lord of the Rings;" and my mind began to wander in that enchanted place where dreams and legends are made in the twinkling of an eye. I remembered how Holly and I had first met and how we had somehow discovered a romantic bond between us - a bond that felt timeless and ancient... There was a time of enchantment long ago in ancient England and Europe where the allegorical, Arthurian legends were born which would inspire the many generations to follow. As a part of this allegorical lore, the tales of Lancelot and Guinevere were told in many cultures as one of the great love stories of all time. It was this theme that seemed to unite and sustain Holly and I during the days of our courtship. I was her knight, Sir Lancelot, and she was my princess, Lady Guinevere. I remembered the times when our working friendship grew into platonic respect and then to a passionate love. I remembered the horrible darkness which prevailed after that realisation. We had realized we would probably never see each other again; as I lived half a planet away from her at the time. In retrospect, all great love stories contain sad uncertainties mixed with the sweet joys. As I was daydreaming, Holly came over to give me a fresh cup of coffee. Her hands rubbed my shoulders as she gazed out the window where my eyes had been staring off into the distance. She always knew when I was "not on planet Earth." She must have felt the pressure of our work that moment as well; because she, too, had that "far away" look as she gazed down the valley. I don't know what started the thought; but I found myself figuring a way to make a fantasy become a reality for us. We both needed some time off from the battle we waged daily against evil and ignorance... - both a form of darkness. I reflected on the thought that romantic folks everywhere related well to the tales of kings, queens, knights, dragons, faire ladies, castles and chivalry. I remembered Keith Ryall ("King" Keith), a friend of mine from many years previous that had built himself a real castle over on the other side of Australia from where we lived in Perth. It had been many years since we had talked; so I rang him with the idea that had popped into my head. I asked "King" Keith if he and "Queen" Joyce would help me to create a mediaeval fantasy for Holly and myself. They were more than willing to do so; since, they had already started doing this for other couples as a business. Their castle is the third largest in area in the world. It was all built by King Keith and his family and associates. King Keith reminded me that his castle had a moat, drawbridge, parapets, towers, a dungeon, the Round Table Room, displays of Arthurian legends, suits of armour, swords, the Crown Jewels on display in a replica room, a blacksmith, a glassblower, hanging tapestries, a jousting field, weapons collections, a mediaeval dining tavern with the traditional fireplace, live actors in costume, rose gardens, an antique cemetery, the archery range, a royal carriage, a beautiful chapel and, more recently, private rooms within the castle walls where folks could actually live at the castle for a while. As we talked, the fantasy began to form in my mind. "Sir Lancelot" (that's me) would sweep "Lady Guinevere" (that's Holly) away in a romantic elopement over to Kryal Castle some 3,000km away. I had to form a plan that would let her know we were going there but one that would not let her know everything that was planned. There had to be some romance and surprises for her. So, I began to prepare things. By selecting and editing various pieces of music which we had shared throughout our association and courtship, I was able to make a montage of music which told the story of how a modern Sir Lancelot met and won his modern Lady Guinevere. Coupled with this piece, I added the full-length, original pieces of music in the order that we had lived them. This was all burned into a CD which would become the wedding CD for Sir Lancelot and Lady Guinevere's elopement to Kryal Castle. Next, I found a sword maker (Gladius of Toledo, Spain) whose company makes real swords to fit legendary characters. So, I had King Keith obtain the Excalibur sword from Gladius for me. It was then engraved in an old English font announcing the marriage of Sir Lancelot and the Lady Guinevere at Kryal Castle on the 19th day of January in the year of our Lord 1998. (I must say here that The Excalibur IS an IMPRESSIVE piece of work! It is 48 inches long with an exquisite handle of gold and leather.) Queen Joyce had prepared a special room complete with sunken spa bath and four-poster bed for us at the castle. It was done in mauves, pinks, rose and creams. It had a little private courtyard with high walls and an iron gate. Ivy hung from the walls and gave an old-world sense to the scene. The antique furniture included an intimate dining suite which would be attended by the King's Yeoman on the night of the wedding feast. It was a place that the Bride was not allowed to see until the wedding night by tradition; so it became one of the surprises I kept secret from "Lady Giunevere" until the wedding night and that private dinner. I thought for a while about how to word the mediaeval marriage ceremony and finally decided to ask King Keith if he had an appropriate mediaeval service we could use. He sent it to me by fax; whereupon I could see the tone of the ceremony. So, I altered the ceremony to allow for a couple of things which related to our own courtship BUT.... especially to present an allegorical story of that mystical Christian teaching which deals with the Rapture of the Church (the Bride) by the Messiah's ( the Groom's) 'friends'. This matter is discussed at length in a book by Zola Levitt entitled, "An Israeli Love Story." See if you can spot the plot... The wedding was to be between Sir Lancelot and The Lady Guinevere. The Knight would ask the Lady to accept his colours as her champion in life. With but a few small changes which would have conflicted with our faith, the ceremony was an original Elizabethan one combined with the ancient Hebraic courtship and marriage rituals explained by Zola Levitt. Costumes were already available for the court and for us; so all we would have to do was leave enough time for a fitting at the Castle itself. A selection of jewellry was also available for the ceremony. Even a red carpet was made available for the Lady Guinevere to use in her walk to the chapel. Inside the chapel, but hidden away, was an amplifier, speakers and CD/tape players. Weeks passed and arrangements were made as quietly as possible until the day finally arrived; and the fantasy was set in motion. As in a dream, high on a mountainside in a castle in Ballarat Shire in that far-off land of Australia.... also known as the "Land of Oz," Sir Lancelot and his Lady Guinevere finally experienced a happy beginning to their modern mythical adventure... And so it was on that day that Sir Lancelot and the Lady Guinevere enacted a romantic and symbolic or allegorical wedding ceremony for themselves and for their many friends... even those who could not be present like yourself.... As the wedding was about to begin that day, the noble Sir Lancelot and the goodly King Keith stood patiently in the chapel at the bottom of the aisle near the chaplain whose purple robe hung over his shoulders with a peaceful and solemn calmness. Above them at the top of the chapel hung an empty doorway through which the Sun was shining brilliantly in the late afternoon. The rafters of the chapel creaked sporadically as the silence ruled the moments of anticipation. Through stained-glass windows, tranquil splashes of soft colours played upon the floor and the pews and the people assembled there. A slight breeze blew from moment to moment stirring small dust particles which shone brightly in the beam of sunlight streaming down into the altar where the Groom waited calmly for the Bride..... The good King Keith and Sir Lancelot waited for the signs of Bride. They wondered together if she would be ready at the appointed time as they stood watching for her to arrive at the appointed place. "Would she be ready for him?...." Then, the first signs appeared outside. A long, red carpet was rolled out from the Bride's chamber to the open doorway, the only doorway, of the chapel. Heads turned and waited for the Lady Guinevere's arrival at the doorway to the chapel... Before she entered the chapel doorway, as she stood there in the shade of the trees against a background of forest and castle, she resembled another shy Princess of legend... Diana. Slowly,... and peacefully,... the Lady Guinevere seemed to float along the red carpet in the warmth of the afternoon light; while the Queen's Lady-in-waiting (Jodi) guided the Lady's train as they approached the doorway to the chapel where the King's Yeoman (Peter) would stand guard over her. As the Lady Guinevere took her position of readiness at the doorway beside the Yeoman, she was handed a script written by the Groom and the good King. It told her of the days of her courtship by the Groom and of the way things would proceed from thenceforth. As the script touched her fingers, music chronicling the courtship began to play loudly - thus, drowning out all other spoken words which might distract the Bride from reading of the gift given to her by the Groom and delivered by the King's Yeoman: also a friend of the Groom. As the music played, the assemblage of strangers waited impatiently for the ceremony to begin. For as it was once written, many were invited to the rich man's wedding; but when they did not come, the rich man invited strangers to sit at his wedding table. And so it was, that as they watched the Groom, the strangers at the wedding could sense both he and the King knew the script well and would begin at the appointed time.... Outside the chapel, other people who were not invited to the wedding passed - knowing that a wedding was about to begin but uncertain of who was about to be married as the face of the Bride was veiled so that no one could see her until the Groom would lift the veil in a place they could not see. Casting only brief glances they went about their normal activities and soon were nowhere to be found near the chapel or the wedding party. Tears of joy and relief welled in the eyes of the Bride as she listened to the melodies her Groom played for her. The waiting was just about over. The sunlight made a radiant haze around her there in the doorway that was opened just for her. Finally, the music reached the point where the King was asked by the Groom to go fetch the Bride. With a stately smile, the King strode to the doorway in the streaming sunlight as the music of "Somewhere in Time" penetrated the hearts and souls of all present. The King arrived at the doorway and gave the Yeoman the command to accompany himself and the Bride to the meeting with her Groom. With the good King leading her along the way, the Bride and her guard (a friend of the Groom and the King's yeoman) traveled to meet the Groom in the place prepared for them by the King and the Groom. As the bride arrived at the edge of the wedding enclosure, the music reached a full orchestral crescendo emoting a flourish of emotion. Then, as she approached the Groom - still escorted by the King, the music became her piece in the form of a solo piano variant of the main theme. When she had taken her place beside the Groom and the King had stepped back, the music finished and there was silence in the room for a short spell. The ceremony was a new thing that no one had ever seen before; because it had both old and new elements in it. And so it began. The waiting was finally over. The ceremony including the Bride's message from the Groom is stored in the historic archives of the King's Castle in Ballarat Shire. But for now, to summarise the ceremony, let me say that the it included an exchange of covenants, a tying of the knot in satin ribbon around the right hands of the Bride and Groom, an exchange of symbolic rings, a lighting of two candles, an extinguishing of those two candles and the lighting of a new, single candle, a drinking of wine to seal the covenant, a knighting of the Groom by the Bride as her personal champion and a lifting of the Bride's veil for all to see her radiant beauty..... When these things were done, the chaplain began his reading of the 13th chapter of the Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. As his words began to fill the air, the sounds of Mantovani's orchestral rendition of "The Elizabethan Serenade" played softly in the background..... and then,.... it was finished.... it was time to present the couple to the assemblage and to sign the Ballarat Shire registry. And as this was done, the joyous sounds of "Czardas" heralded the event to all - even those outside the chapel.... to the farthest reaches of the kingdom.... and it was good.... After a brief moment when they had paused to reflect on their union, the "royal" bridal couple were then taken to the "King's Keep" which houses the King's treasures including the replicated English 'crown jewels'. It was there that David Gillson, the King's artist recorded the couple on a royal canvas. Then as if by command, everyone else departed from them and they were led to the wedding chamber by the King's Yeoman. There they were served their wedding dinner privately on silver service while the other wedding guests ate in their appointed places.... And thus it was for Lancelot and Guinevere in those days.... - the days of olde when knights were bolde and their ladies were too.....
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