The Morning Star

Day 17 - Living by the book.

The "sad girl" today wasn't sad. She flashed me a smile, and there was a sparkle in her eyes not evident in the picture.

She showed me how she weaves her baskets. Her fingers were just flashing, she worked so quickly. Then she covered the basket with mud! I wasn't sure why.

She then took me to where the strips the bark off the trees in long thing strips, and I remembered the time when, during a shamanic training class, I was given a task to make a bag out of bark but couldn't figure it out because the bark was too brittle and stiff. I don't normally give up on things, but I did give up on that. When I told her that story, she laughed at me and threw the older bark away after crumbling it in her fingers. Then, she showed me how to get to the green part underneath.

I tried, but I couldn't weave a good basket. Mine was weak and flimsy. So, she laughed again at me and we went berry picking. She gave me a small round tightly woven basket for my berries, and we'd eat 2 or 3 for every one that went into the basket.

Then a big bear rose up behind the bush and I was reminded of a story of the berry picking woman who was killed by just such a bear. But the girl I was with raised up her hand and the bear stopped in it's tracks.

And she said, " It's good to play and have fun. If there's going to be a bear he will come even if you are being serious and unhappy. That wouldn't stop him. he comes when he comes, so play and have fun."

When she said that, I looked at her and I said, "Who are you?" She said, "Morning Star." I said, " The Morning Star?" Her reply, "It's the same star."

And she took my face between her hands and kissed my forehead, leaving a star, and she said. "Play and be happy." Then she took the bear and left.