Shamanic Vision: Living Life through the Eyes of the Heart Issue #1, Fall 2016 | Page 21

The Grandfather leaned close, his hand cupped his ear; “My ears have
grown faint over the years my child from the noise of thunder and rain and
of snow. Please, speak up so we can all hear the music of your voice.”
The young girl looked up. “I have never heard any of the stories of Standing
Deer. Who is he?”
Grandfather brought his hands together, rubbed and slowly parted them as if
opening up a book. As he did so, a shadow of a young boy flew across the
room. The children gasped.
“Then we shall begin at the beginning.”
<><><>
At the time of this story, it was the
eleventh Summer of Standing Deer.
He forgot the first and the second was
only a memory of brown skin and the
massage of his mother's back as she
performed her daily chores. From the
third summer, he could recall.
The people watched Standing Deer.
They point out and say things such
as; “Did you see Standing Deer help
the Grandfather this morning?” or
“Standing Deer helped Grandmother
with her firewood....”
He was also helpful to the younger ones, sharing the things he had learned
from his Grandfather, such things as plants and berries and also that which
he had learned from watching animals. And with his peers, Standing Deer
was helpful; he would tell stories and jokes and was a friend to many.
The Elders saw this and they kept him in the back of their minds.
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