THE SECOND WELL TRUST presents

The Great She Bear Stories of Nature

Ancient Wisdom

SOUL'S JOURNEY TEN

Songee says, So once more to closing the eyes and to take inside the deep Breath of Life and as you breathe to come now once more on the dream spiral on the Great She Bear. And as you step upon your spiral to begin your journey to the other world you will find as you travel along, you will leave behind all the cares of your day and your world behind you. You begin your journey now going to the center of the spiral, to the place of silence. And as you reach the place of silence then you take once more the deep breath and step over into the other world.

And you step now into the other world and you are finding yourself now standing at the edge of the great forest where it comes down the edge of the waters of the great river. And in front of you on the pebbles of the beach of the great river is the Great She Bear and the Little She Bear and the Little Bear cub and Windrunner, all gathered together now in the warm sunshine. The sun is shining down on a scene that shows that the Little She Bear is now sitting up and being held in the arms of the Muma. And the Muma is washing her face, washing her all over to get all the wet out of her fur. And every so often you will hear the Little She Bear give a little cough and a little sneeze as she gets rid of all the waters out of her nose, out of her chest.

There is about them an aura of wonderment as well as an aura of practicality. For though the Great She Bear is performing all the normal tasks of every day to make her daughter clean and dry, Windrunner is sitting and looking at the Little Bear cub with an expression on his face of great wonderment and delight. Also there is an element of pride in his eyes as he gazes at the Little Bear cub.

The Little Bear cub is sitting down, plonk on his behind self and hold between his two hands the beautiful crystal that the Mother of the Earth has given to him. And upon his face is such a look that you cannot but read into it his astonishment, his wonderment and his excitement at what has happened before time.

You will recall that the Little She Bear had almost drown-ed in the river and with the assistance of the Little Bear cub along with the Crystal of the Earth she was made to come back to her body. And it was this event that has placed this great astonishment on the Little Bear cub's face.

Now walking along the edge of the great river there is a figure coming in the distance. The figure stops for a moment and looks at the scene on the edge of the great river. The creatures on the edge of the great river are so absorbed in what they are doing they do not see the approach of this person that is coming towards them, the two legs. Very silently and carefully the two legs comes closer to where the creatures are gathered. And then very softly she says to them, "Little ones, how are you doing?"

And Windrunner jumps up and jumps between the Great She Bear and little bear cubs and he growls and he puts his fur up on the back of his neck and he pushes his nose forward and shows his teeth and he says, "Who are you? What are you doing near my family?"

And two legs very gently, very quietly puts out her hand and she says, "Don't be afraid, I shall not harm you. I am one who lives in the forest such as you do and I come to see how it is that you are all gathered together here in this place."

Windrunner looks at this new visitor and senses the gentleness and kindness within and so the hair goes back down and he stops showing his teeth, and he sniffs the air around this two legs. He looks up and her and sits down on his behind self. His great plume of a tail pushing out behind him as he studies her carefully. "I know who you are," says he. "I have heard of you, my family the other wolves have spoken of you."

"Then you know my name do you not?" she says to him.

"Certainly I do," he says. "You are Silver Doe and we have heard of you. You walk the forest paths and bring healing to our people and you don't live with the two legs. Where do you live? Nobody seems to know."

"Ah," says Silver Doe. "I cannot tell you where I live for that is a great secret and belongs to the Earth Mother and Sky Father, and I am walking here to bring healing for those who need it in this life. Do you need some help here and now?"

"Oh no," says Windrunner. "We have had the most wondrous experience."

"May I join you?" says Silver Doe. "Would you tell me of your adventures?"

"Certainly," says Windrunner. "Come and join us." And with this he stands up and he goes forward and he nussles his nose into Silver Doe's hand and then she puts her hand on his head and he turns around and leads her to his new family gathered on the side of the side of the great river.

After a little while when he has finished telling Silver Doe all about their grand adventures of walking on air and finding the light within and so on and so forth, she takes a deep breath and says, "Well childrens you have done very well. What is your next piece of adventure?"

"I don't rightly know," says Windrunner. "What do you feel Great She Bear?"

By now Little She Bear cub is all warm and dry. Her fur has been cleaned of all the extra waters and the sun has warmed her coat and made it all nice and fluffy and dry now. And the Little Bear cub hasn't spoken one word the whole time! He sits and looks at his crystal, totally absorbed in it.

"Well," says Silver Doe. "What have you there Little Bear cub?" And she reaches out her hand towards the crystal and the Little Bear cub looks up and looks into her eyes. And in her eyes he sees the Universe stretching out beyond all he can know.

"Oh," he says. "You have great dark eyes like the sky at night with all the stars in. And in your eyes I see all the Universe stretched far and beyond this one."

Silver Doe looks at him and smiles, "You are quite right, child," she says. "That is just what is in the eyes. It is also in the eyes of all creatures and look and find it, you will find it there. May I look at your crystal now?"

"Oh," says the Little Bear cub, "certainly." And he hands the crystal to Silver Doe. She takes it in her hands and holds it and looks at it and lets the sun shine on it.

And then closing her eyes holds it up to the great sun light, to the great sun in the sky and closing her eyes and taking a deep Breath of Life she says,

"Father Mother of all things your blessing has been given through this Child of the Universe, charge this with your love and light for all time for this Child of the Universe to help others." And then placing it gently first on her heart and then her lips and then to her brow she cups its gently in her hands and passes it back to Little Bear cub. "There now," she says. "This will never leave you and will always be with you. And even when you need to have the power and energy of it and you cannot have it by you, all you have to do is to remember it and join with its power and its energy. And that energy will come to you."

"Oh," says the Little Bear cub it great wonderment, "that is so beautiful."

"Now," says Silver Doe. "I am going to have to leave you for a little while. And I will visit you some other time on your journey." And with this she kisses them all on their brows and says farewell to them, and taking one or two steps along the pebbles of the shore of the great river she raises her hand and disappears going back to wherever it is that she has come from.

All the creatures of the side of the great river bank take a deep breath and sigh, for they have heard of Silver Doe and how she travels the dream spirals, and lives in the forest, and goes to those who need healing, and brings them peace at their time of passing back into spirit.

"Well," said Windrunner. "Great She Bear do you feel it is time for us now to move along on our journey and to go and find some foodings."

"I most certainly do," says the Great She Bear. "Come let us go down the river a little way. I know where there is a place that we can cross to the other side."

And so they shamble on down the side of the river, the Great She Bear leading the way. The Little she Bear following along behind, the Little bear cub carrying his crystal in his mouth and Windrunner following behind, watching always behind their two sides to make certain that they are all safe.

They come now to the ford where they can cross safely the great river. There are boulders and rock and great branches of trees that have fallen into the river that make a very adequate bridge for them. And across they go very carefully stepping and the Little Bear cub has hold tight of his crystal and doing his best not to giggle and laugh as his feets keep sliding off the tops of the great rocks and he keeps getting his toes all wet.

And the Little She Bear because of her great fright is treading very carefully and saying, "Muma don't go too far, don't go too far." And soon they get to the other side.

"Well," says Windrunner, "Which way would you like to go Great She Bear?"

"I believe we will go upstream," says the Great She Bear. "I know of a place up there where we can find some wonderful foodings."

"Very well," says Windrunner, "come along childrens, Let us go up the river."

They go along a little way and the Little Bear cub is bouncing around and beginning to get very bored with this going upriver and he begins to lag behind. And as he is bouncing around on the edge of the river he comes across a very curious boulder. So he puts down his crystal and he looks at this boulder.

"That's because I'm not a boulder," says the Turtle. "Because I am a turtle, you foolish child."

And the Little Bear Cub leans his nose forward and looks very closely into the little eyes of the turtle and he says, "A Turtle. I have never heard of such a one of you. Where do you live?"

"Don't be so foolish child," says the turtle. "I am already living in my house."

The Little Bear cub is astonished and he wrinkles up his nose and he wriggles his eyebrows and then he decides he is going to scratch behind his ears while he contemplates this astounding piece of information.

"How," he says, "did you manage to squeeze inside that boulder?"

"Well really," says the Turtle, because by now he is getting quite grumpy. "I didn't squeeze inside a boulder. Don't you know anything at all?"

"Well how did you get inside. It is a boulder is it not?"

"No it is not!" says the Turtle. "This is my house. It is the outside of my inside and I need it so that I can stay warm and safe from peoples that would want to eat I up."

Well the Little Bear cub is even more confounded and he says, "How do you manage to eat?"

"Just the same as you do," says the Turtle, snapping his beak at the Little Bear Cub.

"Ohhh," says the Little Bear cub. "And how do you manage to do catch your foodings? I cannot see how you can manage to get about. Do you roll around like a great big boulder when the water gets it and rushes it away?"

"Oh I suppose I shall have to show you," says the Turtle. And with this he unfolds his legs. The front ones first and then the back ones and stands up on all four feet, with his little tail sticking out behind and his head sticking out in the front. And the Little Bear cub looks at him and he starts to laugh. And he laughs and he laughs and laughs and he holds his tummy and rolls around all over the side of the great river.

And then when he sits up his behind self with the tears pouring down the side of his nose and he says with great gulps of air and laughter, "You look so funny," he says. "You look like a boulder on legs. Oh you are so funny."

"Well," says the Turtle. "If you are going to laugh at I, I will go away." He is most upset at being laughed at. He has had his dignity affronted so he turns his back on the Little Bear cub and begins to very slowly stalk away from him with his head up in the air and his little tail sticking out behind, he plods along going back down the river.

The Little Bear cub takes a deep breath and a gulp and he says, "Oh I am so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I have never seen anybody like you before and you took me by surprise. Please don't be cross. I would very much like to get to know you better."

The Turtle stops and waves his head around in the air and then he turns to look back at the Little Bear cub. He says, "You know little one, you must never, ever make fun or laugh at somebody that looks different to youself. It is both very unkind and it is very hurtful."

The Little Bear cub looks at him and becomes very serious, "Oh," he says. "I am very sorry, I do understand now that not everything is as it looks, is it? You look like a boulder however you are not a boulder."

"No," says the Turtle. "I am a Turtle and I have great power just as you have. My power is different however I have it none the less. And I have my beauty and I have my power and strength just as you do. And just because I look a little different doesn't mean that I am any less than you."

"I understand," says the Little Bear cub. "Will you be I friend now?"

The Turtle looks at him and studies him carefully and then with a big breath and a sigh he says, "Certainly I will. You are obviously very young still and lots to learn and I am very old."

"How old are you?" says the Little Bear cub.

"Oh I have seen the passing of seventy plus five moons following the cycles of the seasons," he says. "So in the seasons of the moon cycles of the seasons will make me seventy and five years – two legs time."

"That is very old," says the Little Bear cub.

"Not so very old," says the Turtle. "Not by Turtle standards I am still in the prime of my life. I am still quite young."

"Oh," says the Little Bear cub. "That is very astounding. Would you like to come and join my family as we go on our journey?"

"Oh," says the Turtle. "I don't believe I will. Your journeyings are taking you into places where I will not be able to go, also I would not be able to keep up with you because I walk very slowly you see."

"I did notice that," says the Little Bear cub. "Is it because you carry your house on your back? It must be very cumbersome?"

"That is part of the reason," says the Turtle. "The other part is that I am so busy sorting out the Universe that I don't have time to hurry."

Now this comment really makes the Little Bear cub get very curious. "Sorting out the Universe," he says. "How do you do that?"

"Oh," says the little Turtle. "I am very sorry I cannot tell you that, it is far to bigger story for me to give you just now."

"But I want to know," he says.

"Well," says the Turtle. "You must come and visit I another time. Perhaps you would like to visit with your family and I can tell all of you."

"Wait here," says the Little Bear cub, "Don't go anywhere I am going to fetch Windrunner." And with this he gallops down the great river all the way to find his family and Windrunner. Completely forgetting to pick up his crystal.

And that is where we are going to leave this story....

So as you look now and you see the Great Turtle - whom I have called little Turtle is not so little, he is really quite large because he has grown large with his years - waiting on the edge of the great river. And lying not too far away is the beautiful crystal that was given by the Mother to the Little Bear cub. And way off in the distance is the Great She Bear and the Little She Bear and Windrunner and galloping along furiously behind calling out, "Muma, Muma, Windrunner, Muma, Windrunner," is the Little Bear cub.

Say farewell to them now until the next time, and the next part of their adventure.

Taking now deep Breath of Life, allow yourself to come back now out of the other world, back into the dream spiral of the Great She Bear, following it all the way, all the way now to your own life, to you own here and now. And stepping back into you own body and taking a deep Breath of Life, bringing with you the memory of the lesson that the Little Bear cub have learned from this part of his journey that not all things look as they seem. And not all things that are different are bad or wrong.

I leave you with this now,

SO BE IT