*SONG* “Colors of the Wind” by Judy Kuhn (from “Pocahontas”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk33dTVHreQ
In a dark age…when all seems lost
You can find all the answers that you need
If you just stand perfectly still…Quietly…
And watch…wait…and listen…
You’ll find no sense in rushing around…
Or demanding instantly.
All things take time…if you give them
A chance. No tree bears fruit overnight.
Why should reason?
That’s why patience teaches wisdom.
The Circle of Light shimmered and
Valerius stood waiting, holding the book
The Hour Glass. A simple smile on
His face. He was about to open the
Book when suddenly Camlo, the quiet
One…the seemingly meek agent of
The Watchers raced up beside him…
And Ceres was there with him, looking
Beautiful and shining as always.
“I believe I have something to share
Here,” Camlo offered as he calmly brushed
His blond hair to the right from his face
As he stood rather strongly in his blue
Uniform. “Please, may I offer this
With the book?” he said, “I have never
Shared a story before.”
Valerius looked at Ceres. She nodded with
A mysterious smile as if to say, ‘Trust me.’
So Valerius handed Camlo the book…then
Camlo kindly took it, stepped up to me
And said, “I think this will help you…
Will you please listen?”
I nodded. I couldn’t argue. This whole thing
Was intriguing…
Camlo stood strong, held the book, opened
It in front of me…and the pages began
To glow…Then the story came…
Long ago…when the land was fresh
And new and untamed…the first Americans
Came, the first explorers…And they
Settled the land by dwelling through it…
Not by abusing it or building cities…
But by scouting and following game,
For survival…And for finding further
Expanse for their people…These were
The first people here…These were the
Native Americans.
First and foremost they went east…
And then southwest…then east,
Then south again. All the while
Scattering by family groups and
Clans into different tribes. Tribes that
Became unique as they settled in
Villages or migrating bands throughout
A vast lush continent. But this took
Time…and like all families, although
They started out as one…they split,
Divided and spread…embracing different
Traditions, tastes, rituals and beliefs
That were born from what they
Learned of the land around them.
That is how they learned…from the
Earth, and the spirits that nature
Showed them…in the plants and the
Trees and the animals and the
Seasons…and the elements…earth, wind,
Fire…water…and the weather.
For the wisest, the greatest lessons
Were always learned this way…in every
Race and culture throughout time. Prejudice
Denies this truth, but it’s there. It always
Has been…and as long as human beings
Live on this Earth, it always will be.
The Native Americans simply respected
These honest ways longer than other
Cultures did…
See and sense the distinctions…
The simple honest truth
Of the land…without greed for gold
Or power or slavery…The only savage
Way, was your standard age old
Problem…unto each tribe were born
Beliefs…and everyone always thought
They were right more than any other.
To conquer these flaws will cease to
Divide them, and all of us…The
More things change the more they stay
The same…and until we learn to solve
These problems we must keep telling these
Stories over and over until we learn
From them not to let it happen anymore.
In the ancient tribes of the Native
Americans the most fantastic beliefs
Were born…great wisdom of the land…
Unlike anywhere on Earth…They hold
The key to the greatest solutions on this
Planet…and must be respected this
Way…
There are cures for the boundless things
Within the secret traditions of the
Indian nations…more than they know…
These were gifts given to them by
The stars and the Great Spirit because
They respected the land more than
Others did…
And if they fall or are lost…so are
We all…so you better pay attention.
In the lands and Indian nations of
The Great Lakes came the first…The
First solid traditions, ancient ways,
Lore and ways of learning…And it
Was here long ago that one magic
Secret was given…And will forever
Be…Look, listen…and learn…
There, where the Forests were lush and
The water was fresh, and the animals
Still plenty that the first tribes
Truly learned to listen to nature. But
They were, due to the colder seasonal
Climates of the north still migratory.
Forced to change their hunting and
Dwelling because of the snow…but they
Were bound to learn this way. In one
Family clan a tribe of gatherers…The
People moved along the Appalachian
Mountains following the animals that
Went south…in particular, the birds…It
Was always about the birds.
To watch the skies, where the raven goes
To find treasures…Or where the birds of
Prey follow the wind before storms
Move or the temperature changes…or even
The geese and ducks that simply knew
To fly south before the freeze came
Too cold…The birds always knew these
Things and led the people…Watch the
Birds…They always know where to go…
It was on one migration, as this one
Tribe was moving along the lakes through
The mountains…following the geese…that
They were passing their traditional route
That they settled by the waters of
The Great Lake to camp…Here they
Would dwell for a little while…
Movement was always gradual so
As not to overwork the people…
And to utilize full resources of whatever
Harvest was ripe in that area…
Be it the game, the fruits of berries
Or the native herbs and greenery known
There…
The tribe was lead by Chief Standing
Bear and his wisest council…The Holy
Man, Eagle Cries…and his strongest
Braves Two Wolves and a young man,
Stands in Rivers.
But his wisest council, was his mother…
Wife of the former chief and daughter
Of the greatest Medicine Man they ever
Knew…and she was named Moon and
Rain…
Now Standing Bear had a wife, Running
Deer…and two children, his oldest
And only son, a teenager Laughing Otter…
And his youngest child…a very young girl,
Barely more than a toddler…and she
Was called Two Daughters…because she
Was born from twins, but her sister
Did not survive due to a tragic accident
That occurred during a raid from
A rival tribe one night for food
And medicines they could not find. To
Honor her lost sister’s memory…she
Was then called Two Daughters to honor
The twins birth.
This made Two Daughters very special…
For not only were twins rare…but it
Was to become her nature to be lost this
Way…always suffering the loss of her
Twin…And so she always suffered for
A yearning to fill this loss even at a
Very young age. She was a bright little
Girl, sharp to see and sense and think
Right from the start…But more so she
Was deeply bound to the land to the
Earth…especially to this particular
Camp where they dwelt alongside the
Great Lake…because it was here that
Her twin sister lost her life…and was
Given back to the Earth to find rest
There. That’s why it always remained
A special spot for Chief Standing Bear…
His tribe never ever forgot this
Site to build their tent-like lodgings
Of skins and carefully woven
Branches…In fact it even became
A magical place with the
Reflections of the water of the early
Fall moon and stars…visions often
Came this way.
It was, although sad by broken memories,
A peaceful place…The many children
Played while the men hunted and the
Women cured berries and tanned animal
Hides for use, nothing was ever wasted…
Two Daughters always wandered away
From other children, she always had a
Strong pull to find her own way. The other
Children would laugh and want to
Play…but she always wanted to explore,
To touch and feel and see as much as possible…
And being the wise and protective
Grandmother that she was, Moon
And Rain always followed her. As
The former wife of a chief, and the
Daughter of a Medicine Man she
Knew many things…even more than the
People knew…she knew…
The tribes, all of them, always kept
Their own secrets. It wasn’t just as
A means of survival, but a way
To build and maintain traditions…
Moon and Rain took her special grand-
Daughter, Two Daughters deep into the wild woods
Far from camp to explore hills for any
Special nuts or berries or herbs they
Could find. Quiet by nature, Two Daughters
Would watch her grandmother carefully examine
Things as she told her stories of her youth
And of the tribes…of legends and dreams…
Mostly dreams, dreams were very powerful
Guiding messages to the people…and were
Very educational and entertaining by the light
Of nightly campfire stories…
But as they followed a narrow game trail
Near a grassy meadow…Two Daughters
Saw something which struck her very sad…
A small oak sapling, barely more than a foot
Tall, had been ripped from the ground by
Some animal, a bear most likely foraging
For roots and insects…The poor little
Sapling lay withered and dying
In loosely ravaged soil. She froze at
The sight of it…then knelt softly on her
Knees to hold the tiny lifeless looking infant tree…
She said nothing but only held it carefully
In her hands…her little heart singing a
Song of grief and sympathy that her voice
Could not express.
This caught the immediate attention of
Her grandmother Moon and Rain. Her eyes
Became glassy and warm as it touched her so.
But then…it was like a miracle…the tiny
Tree in her small granddaughter’s hands…
It appeared…to come to life somehow? Then
She watched with awe and wide eyes…as
Two Daughters dug a hole with her bare hands
In the loose soil and replanted the little tree
In the earth…packed the soil around it
Carefully…then found some good-sized stones
To place around the base of the little tree to
Secure it and prevent it from being torn
From the ground again. When she was done
Sat back, then stood and smiled at what
She had done…
Her grandmother immediately came up to her.
“Why did you do that?” she asked with a smile.
“It needed it.” Her granddaughter said
With a tiny voice. “It’s supposed to be
In the ground.”
Moon and Rain couldn’t say anything…Here, for
The very first time she witnessed something
So simple, so extraordinary. It touched
Her heart. “I’m proud” …in all the years of her
Life she had never seen anything so
Remarkable, especially with a child…
It made her cry.
Two Daughters took her grandmother’s hand.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“Because I had to.” Her grandmother could
Find no words.
It was the honest and most pure
Thing Moon and Rain had ever seen…
And from a child? “You have an amazing
Gift.” She told her granddaughter.
But Two Daughters only made a confused
Expression then laughed politely. “But I’m
Not special, I didn’t do anything that
Anyone else would have done.”
But that wasn’t true…In fact
Moon and Rain knew more than ever.
“No, you are special.” It struck her
Then what could be. “You know why?”
She took her granddaughter’s hand in
Hers then pointed to her eyes.
“Men see with their eyes…It’s the only
Way they can see…All but a very few
Of them.” Then she knelt beside her
And put her hand in her granddaughter’s
And touched her chest. “We see with out
Hearts. This is the way things are. Men
Never listen…In time you will
Understand what I mean…And until
This changes I fear bad things for
Our people.”
“I will make them see grandmother, I
Will.” Two Daughters smiled.
Little did they know they were both being
Watched…as Chief Standing Bear
And the Holy Man Eagle Cries had
Been watching silently. Moon and Rain
Saw them and was about to speak…
But the Chief held up his hand…He
Had come looking for them both and
By accident… “I was getting worried
About you…when we,” he
Gestured to the Holy Man. “found you
Both here.” He smiled with great pride
And joy at his little daughter. “From this
Day forward…she,” he nodded to his
Daughter grinning as he eyed his Holy
Man… “my little girl will be
Known as White Oak Woman…The
One with the medicine in her
Hands.”
And from that day forward that is
How White Oak Woman was known.
It was to be the beginning of
A lifetime of learning and experiencing
…As the seasons came and
Went and the tribes migrating passage
Took them year by year past the lake…
White Oak Woman always found
The little tree that she healed and
Planted…And would sit for hours
At the tree, then beneath it
As it grew bigger and taller as she did.
She saw the song of nature as she sat
With the tree and listened and watched
And learned its song…by the animals
That came and passed around them…
The deer, the bears…the squirrels and
Rabbits…the foxes, the raccoons…And
The turtles and the frogs…the bugs…
The bees and the birds. All the birds!
The song birds, the hummingbirds, the
Ravens…and all the birds of prey! Oh
How many things she saw and learned
From watching the animals from just sitting
There not moving beside the tree, then
Beneath it…And it became a part of her.
And then there were all the plants, the herbs,
The berries, grass and bushes she saw
Come and go each year as the
Tree grew and grew, like she did as she
Became a beautiful young woman.
Oh, that tree saw so many things for
Something so quiet and simple that
Stood there growing…There was just so
Much to see! How could everyone
Overlook so much from moving
Around…When they could
Learn so much more from just staying
In one place learning to watch things grow.
Maybe someday someone will see that
There is great wisdom there sitting perfectly
Still and quietly learning to watch and
Listen by a tree…with a tree…
It was spirit song that never left her
Wherever she and her people went…She
Saw so much this way, in all things everywhere
And became a teacher for others, but she
Was always learning because things were
Always growing…
Many suns and moons and seasons
Enriched her this way, and so enriched
Her people…Until the time came when
Her father decided it was her time to
Marry…and she would be promised to
His widowed lonesome greatest warrior
Two Wolves…even though she did not
Love him…The heart of love she knew
Remained with her good friend Stands
In Rivers, who shared a similar quiet
Nature spirit like she did. But still it
Wasn’t love, not the kind that would
Fill her heart as she hoped. Maybe
Love was a mystery then as it always
Was…But parents decided what was
Best this way. Because with age doesn’t always
Come wisdom…customs hold people prisoner
This way…
True love is a rare gift…often found only
In dreams. Because dreams are free
And boundless…and keep the spirit free
That’s where the heart sings its strongest…
To feel with it, see with it…the wisest
Know this, and keep faith with it and
Pursue it…
But her parents urged her to marry
Two Wolves…for security…She fought it
As long as she could, praying for the day
To find the right answer…The peace
That would let heart sing. And she
Looked for answers where she always
Did…with her friend and namesake
The White Oak…For whenever her
People returned to the lakeside of the
Tree she felt the strongest.
The birds would sing to her. Voices in the
Wind, the spirit of the woods was strong
There…And the White Oak had grown into
A towering tree over the years, in fact
Bigger and stronger than normal…For it
Had been touched with a special magic…
One sent by a gift by a great unseen
Spirit; or more precisely a secret Watcher
From a distant star that studied nature
To preserve it.
So it was that time of year where
She spent all her time with the White
Oak…either gathering berries or roots or
Herbs from around the tree…or visiting the
Animal friends she made there…or simply
Just sitting beneath the Tree itself talking
To it quietly…looking for the answer to
Her troubles.
But unbeknownst to her, or her people
Something new was in the land…or
Rather new people. For while they
Migrated, visitors had arrived from a
Distant land on the shores to the east
And were exploring inland…Vikings. Men
That were rugged and fierce by nature,
Warriors…armored with metals and cloaked
In furs…They had weapons no one had
Ever seen before…And they were pale of
Skin with bearded faces…with hair unlike
The coppery-red skin natives ever saw…
These white skinned men had golden
Yellow and ruddy hair…And they were
Taller, thicker, massive looking men…
Dead set on exploring new opportunities…
White Oak Woman sensed it…something
New in the air…anxious, nervous…The
Wind blew, and the animals were restless.
Then she saw him standing there…the tall
One…golden haired, watching her through
The trees from across the meadow…with
Echoes of his men behind him, a language
She never heard before…These weren’t
Indians at all, it frightened her.
Now the Vikings had finally discovered
The natives…The first, this small copper-
Skinned woman dressed in deer skin…
Small people were of no match to them,
These men were fearless…They sailed
The oceans and survived hard travels. If
They wanted something they took it. And so
They set their eyes upon her…
But all people, regardless of their color or
Size or disposition, be they warrior or simple
Native…have customs, beliefs…and with them
Superstitions, as strong, if not stronger than
Any religion…
White Oak Woman clung to her tree for
Protection…
Far and away, above…out of reach of all
Eyes and ears…Spirits, as they were sometimes
Known, in pale blue uniforms watched
This fragile meeting…
A normally timid Camlo turned to his
Friend nervously for assistance… “Ceres,
Could you help me for a moment?” No
Need for words or explanation…of course
She agreed…with a somewhat wicked
Smile…
The Vikings came…White Oak Tree Woman
Clung to her spirit tree…then magic
Happened…A shower of sparkling lights
Cascaded down upon the tree, the sight
Paralyzed the Vikings still…
The winds pitched and blew…Flocks of
Ravens came and filled the air and
Trees around…Birds, birds, birds came…
Eagles and hawks cried…
Wolves came and growled and howled…
Mother bears appeared with cubs…
And a White Stag, huge…stood to face
The Vikings from across the meadow.
All the animals! The Vikings had
Never seen such a sight ever! Animals
Ran, they never came out to face them,
Not once, not ever! This wasn’t just
Strange, it scared them…Magic was in
The land…And they were not too ignorant
To ignore it…All the people in those days
Saw these signs as warnings…And it
Held them still and gave them reason
To proceed with caution, so they did.
They did not run, but knelt
And bowed…for fear that Odin was
Watching…
Well, actually it was Apollo…but he
Sometimes used different names when
He intended to send a message…
And a mysterious voice filled the air to the
Men of Vikings… ”Listen and learn from
These people” …And so a gentle meeting
Was made, no fighting…Then the
Animals departed…White Oak Woman
Stood strong to greet them…
A migration of her tribe was halted…
An exchange grew between her tribe
And the Vikings…Where wisdom and
Peace was made beneath a White Oak
Tree…And two completely different
Kinds of people for a time shared the
Land…and over time, stories…
The Indians learned how to stand still
A little longer…And the Vikings learned
To pay attention more…There was
Wisdom here, not war.
There were a few problems, but nothing
Either had ever faced before with their
Own people…
What did occur was a love between
Two foreign people…One White Oak Woman
And the golden-haired Viking…And with
That came visions…that intrigued the
People, warnings of the land…Stone
Cities would fill the future…Invaders
From distant lands would come…and
Keep coming…They were visions of another
Time…The past, where a lost
Civilization fell beneath them…Of
The future…where cities would rise
And repeat the mistakes of the past.
Invaders would come and keep coming…
A new era was coming, and another
One after that. To serve peaceful
Resolution to this meaning…The Vikings
Left…and the tribe stayed to learn
As much as they could by the White
Oak Tree. Secrets must be kept…
Hidden underground…that would be
Lost and found again…
The Native American tribes would be given
Unto each, many secrets to keep…
Awaiting two invasions…one that would
Plague the land and build stone cities…
And one invasion from the land of
Ancient sands of blood that could
Destroy the planet…
Watch and Learn from these lessons.
Ask Questions…for if these
Native tribes vanish from the land…
Secrets will be lost…permanently.
Secrets of salvation…that are necessary.
If you lose one, you may loose them
All…13 tribes…13 crystal skulls…
13 astrological signs…
13 bloodlines…from across the planet…
13 moons…
Chapter 13…
Do you see a pattern here?
Listen to the song again…and look
At the painting…The Good Spirit…
The Bell Tolls…And see if you see
Something new again…and again…
And again…Things repeat themselves…
There are more answers there than you
Know. This…is an Hour Glass.
Valiant
