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| Untitled by � Spirit Man Walking The greatest gift that the old spirit warrior can give to the young spirit warrior to be. The winds are howling tonight. When a gust of wind found its way in through the door and under the edges, you could hear the creaking of the lodge poles as the lodge cover puffed outwards. Frost was in the air and grandmother moon at her best, making the night stay within the shadows of her bright healing glow. Grandfather sat listening to the night stirrings with Grandmother to his side making a pair of little moccasin for the newborn child of the village. On the winds of this night, your spirit could be swept away as the lodge fire crackled and jumped in a dance that drew you into it The peacefulness of the night was interrupted as grandfather and grandmother heard a slight knock at the entrance to their lodge, grandfather spoke with such strength, "travelers of the night, come into my lodge and warm yourself by my fire for I have a story to share on such a night"; the flap of the lodge swung open, a small face of such a young boy looked into the lodge with a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. The young boy spoke so softly, "grandfather, it is very cold outside, can we come into your lodge and sit by your fire tonight, we can feel a story tonight, it's riding on the winds leading to your lodge this night". As grandfather looked over at grandmother, they smiled ever so softly to each other, grandfather smiled back at the young children and pointed for them to sit by the fire; one by one they came in, filling up the lodge, the young girls sat next to grandmother and the young boys sat next to grandfather as they made a circle around the fire. For sometime they sat there in silence, listening to the sounds of the night as the fire crackled, dancing with-in the eyes of each child, who dared to look with-in this fire that night. The drawing of the fire was pulling at the young spirits of these children, it was interrupted as grandfather poked at the fire and added a few new pieces of wood, Grandfather built up the fire, for this night, the story will be long and he wanted no interruptions as he brings these young one's on a journey in spirit. Grandmother took this time to make a very special tea, she handed each child one. Grandfather with his head tilted back looking to the night sky but his eyes where closed as he chanting a sacred song only known to the ears that listened that night. The young children watched and listened, with the fire light dancing off of Grandfather's face, as tear drops formed and began to flow from the corners, flowing down his cheeks, one by one, dropping with- in his cup; Grandmother reached over to Grandfather with her left hand, catching just one a-pond her finger. As she looked with-in this teardrop, she smiled as her own tear drops started to flow but falling a-pond mother earth; as she pulled herself away from the vision that she saw with-in this teardrop, Grandmother held out her left hand ever so careful not to disturb this teardrop as she spoke to the children; "each one of you, look with-in this teardrop for it speaks of the story that is to be told around this fire tonight". This story speaks from the heart of this Grandfather, of his journey, of the spirit that touched him and changed his life forever; Grandmother leaned forward, passing the teardrop in front of each child, pausing as each child gazed with-in the teardrop, when the last child looked with-in the teardrop, Grandmother brought her finger to her lips and kissed it ever so gently and placed this tear drop over her heart. Now my children drink this tea that you are holding, for it is a very special tea, it is made from the heart of a special plant, the seeds from with-in its flowers. At that moment Grandfather open his eye's, looking to the centre of the fire, reaching for a place back in time; as he reached inside the leather bag just beside him, he pulled out some cedar and sage, holding it up to the Great spirit, he asked the winds to come and bring the spirit of this story that will be told this night, cleanse this lodge and the people with-in it, for we must be of pure spirit as our hearts listened to this spirit that will speak with-in us and he put these medicines into the fire as the smoke swirled and filled the lodge with it's sweat smell. Grandfather picked up a small stick, holding it with his left hand as he began to softly pound it on mother earth, making a heartbeat sound, thump-thump, thump-thump; as each child listened and became one with the sound of the heartbeat, one by one each child stood in spirit next to Grandfather, when the last child came to stand with the rest of them, Grandmother stood behind them, watching over them ever so protective of these young spirits. Grandfather spoke, sit by this sacred fire that awaits us and I will tell this story, it is of a Spirit Warrior and the greatest gift that he gave to the young spirit warrior to be. My little friends, look into the fire and watch this story unfold as I tell it to you, I tell you tonight about a Spirit Warrior who walked this earth for his people, and he walked it confronting the imbalance of this world, the negative things that will hurt his people, pushing back the darkness that is suffocating the life out of the people. As they sat around the sacred fire, watching the fire dance and play with the nights darkness, Grandfather spoke, breaking the silence, bringing them back from the hypnotic dance of the fire, "look to the meadow where I point, watch as it unfolds, do not close your eye's or let the mind wonder, for tonight will not repeat itself". Emerging out of the tree line, out came a beautiful wolf, stopping just on the edge of the meadow, as it raised it head, looking to the night sky, allowing Grandmother moon to shine on its face, a howl echoed across the meadow, braking the silence of the night as it penetrated to mist forming in the middle of this meadow. Breaking into a slow lope, crossing the meadow, the wolf went into this fog like mist, disappearing with-in the fog, as it slowing started to emerge through the other side, this wolf slowly change from wolf to a warrior, never braking its slow lope; heading to the far side of this meadow that leads to the hill top. He placed each moccasin down on mother earth, speaking unspoken words with each step; such confidence swirled around him, things of the night would sing out to him or fall silence as he passed by, shadows of the night gave way as he moved to them. As they watched this warrior of the night, climb to the top of the mountain, they realize that he is not young but very old, as he reached the top and walks over to a ledge that reaches out to the night sky, he sits facing Grandmother moon. Putting down his bundle that he carried, he slowly took out its contents, placing them with such respect; raising his arms outstretched to the night sky, you could hear a soft chanting reaching out to the stars of this night, the chanting grew in intensity, as one star shot out of the night sky, falling to the out stretch hands of the old warrior, leaving behind beautiful colours of crystals in the night sky. This night star formed into a sacred pipe as he held it up to the night sky, his voice cried out." Grandmother moon, I lift this sacred star pipe up to you, time is against me for my spirit tells me of this, I cannot go any further, and my body has become old, the light of my spirit is fading". Grandmother moon moved down from the night sky, ever so close to the old spirit warrior, I hear the voice of your heart crying out to me my grandson; I too feel it is time to pass on this responsibility to a young warrior of this earth, for you where born from the north-star woman of the night sky and from a special warrior of this earth. Time is short; we must find another young warrior to pass on this responsibility, the gifts and what you must teach him, your spirit light is fading far to low, it must not get to weak or you will not be able to make the journey and be with the night stars. Grandmother, I am to weak, my human robe cannot go any further, in search of this young spirit warrior. The old warrior asked Grandmother moon, how would we find this young warrior that will take my place walking this earth, as he asked his question, the clouds darkened the night sky and only a small opening remained to allow grandmother moon to shine down a pond the old spirit warrior, my grandson, look to the night horizon in the east, watch for a small light shimmering into the night sky; this is the young spirit warrior that will take up this path. As the old spirit warrior looked out into the eastern horizon, the clouds darkened the rest of the night sky, the world around him, fell into a blanket of darkness, not a single night creature spoke out. Far off into the eastern horizon, a small but strong white light shimmered into the night sky as it pushed back the darkness around it. The old spirit warrior spoke out to grandmother moon; I can see the light grandmother, but it is to far for me to travel and find this young spirit warrior. As he spoke to grandmother moon, the clouds moved away, opening up the night sky to the stars and grandmother moon once again, as she looked down a pond the old spirit warrior. My grandson, I hear your plea, just look down to your left foot and you will find a brave little tree frog sitting there as we speak, just touch your star pipe a pond it and ask this little one if it will journey for you to find this young spirit warrior to be. As the old warrior looked down at the little tree frog, it stood up on all four little legs to stretch and settled back down, to stare back at the old warrior. The old warrior did as grandmother moon ask of him and gently touched the pipe stem ever so gently on top of the little tree frog's head, asking if it would travel for him and find this young warrior and bring him back to the old warrior. As he touched the pipe stem and asked his wishes, the little tree frog twinkled and shone like a night star. The little tree frog climbed on top of the pipe stem and sat on the edge of the stem in its answer to travel for the old spirit warrior, as he held the star pipe up to grandmother moon; grandmother moon looked down a pond the little tree frog and spoke to the tree frog, instructing it to what it must do; as the winds picked up, the little frog started to swirl into a mist of star light, the old warrior pointed the star pipe in the direction where he saw the little light of the young warrior, as he chanted his sacred song for the little tree frog, he looked at the light of mist swirling and dancing at the end of his pipe. As he finished his sacred song, the light with-in the mist, rose up a little bit as a single tear drop fell from the mist of this little tree frog, to fall a pond the pipe stem and slowly travel to the pipe bowl, to the heart of the sacred fire with-in the star pipe; the old spirit warrior brought the bowl of the star pipe to his heart and touched it to his heart, as he did this the light with-in the mist shot across the night sky like a shooting star as the mist trailed behind it, marking its journey for people to watch as such a little one braved the night sky. This little boy that very night was sitting outside his parents lodge looking to the night sky watching the stars retracing what his father told him about the stars, the old stories behind each one, that his people knew, this little one noticed a light traveling across the night sky, passing ever so close to grandmother moon, as it started to fall out of the night sky, down to him, as he put out his left hand in total wonder, this light rested a pond his hand. The little warrior lifted the light up to gaze with-in, as he did this, the light of the little tree frog looked with-in the eyes of this young one, they glittered like the night stars itself with a blue light that simmered like the northern lights, before he finished his thoughts, the light of the tree frog danced all around this young warrior and they shot up into the night sky, traveling by grandmother moon as she looked with-in this light to see the heart of the young warrior as they traveled to the old spirit warrior. The light arced across the night sky, to drop out of the night sky right next to the old warrior, as the light shimmered and a little light moved to rest a pond the pipe stem of the star pipe from where it came from, the light settled and they took on their natural form of boy and tree frog. |
