old woman called thunder

7/30/2019 old woman called thunder

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s.grace


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woundthere was an old woman. she bangedrocks together to call to the spirits.sounding just like thunder the old

womans spirit voice echoed around the

canyon. the verysoundof that voice is

what the people called her.one day while sitting next to the need

fire warming her bones singing her medi-

cine song old woman thunder saw a flash

outside the cave mouth. before she could

draw another breath she heard a soundmuch bigger than her own name.

driven by famine breaking rain and

famished wind a storm came charging

down the canyon. the peaks moaned and

howled. bits and pieces of sky came

crashing to earth.


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afraid

suddenly, all was silence. Then, thesky split open. everyone heard the cack-

ling. Everyone heard the cawing, croak-

ing and beating of wings. from out of the

eye of the storm raven swooped down

and stole the peoples need fire.

the cave stood mouth agape. the peo-

ple huddled within shivering and grow-

ing colder with each passing moment.

the wind and rain finally died down.

where there had been a dancing, chatter-

ing fire there was nothing but a darkerdarkness.

unable to stand the peoples suffering

any longer old woman thunder got up off

her haunches. she straightened her

spine. she stretched her senses. she col-

lected her uestions.


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desperateold woman thunder took a deepbreath and a stones throw of steps. Shepaused on the threshold. she sniffed the

air. she stared at nothing. she consid-

ered everything. she concluded that

there was no reason in waiting.hesitation cast aside, old woman thun-

der stepped out into the unknown night

alone.

having only hands for eyes, thunder

felt around on the ground until she found

the two stones she was looking for, the

ones which were looking for her. she

hugged the stones to herself one in each

palm. the contours of the rock fit the con-

tours of thunders need perfectly. just as

a feather fits the wind.


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findingmedicine

old woman thunder buried her face in

the long neck of night. she hummed her

medicine song. she whispered her secret

concerns to the damp breeze and dewy

birch trees. thunder banged the stones to-gether. she listened... she banged again.

as she banged the stones together for

a third time, thunder opened her two

eyes. she saw sparks leaping from the

stones! sudden and straight as starling

out of the mist old woman thunders in-

ner eye flew open.

far away, yet right where she stood

thunder saw lightening hit a tree. She

saw the tree burst into flames. thunder

ran back into the cave.


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healingout of a crevice in the cave wall oldwoman thunder drew a piece f the chagathe people used to carry the seeds of the

need fire from place to place. along with

the stones she carried the chaga to the

fire pit. she squatted and put some chagaon the ground between her feet.

one stone in each palm old woman

thunder put her hands close down into

the tinder. she struck the stones against

each other just so. in their own time, the

stones gave birth to sparks. old woman

thunder kept striking until she saw a thin

serpent of smoke rising from the tinder.

she picked the embers up and cradled

them in the palms of her hands.


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celebration

old woman thunder blew her own

breath into the embers and they leapt to

life. she nursed the flames along until

they grew into a roaring fire. thunderhad made lightening!

old woman thunder taught everybody

how to make lightening. never again

would any of the people perish for want

of warmth. everybody started to dance....


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circle

grows

hear
http://flip.it/5dehEhttp://flip.it/5dehE


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Chaga

1. chaga, a certain species of fungus (inonotus obliquus) whose help is is sought in tea

making and tinder. 2. CHAGA, an artscience zine inFlipboard.

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Medicine

that which restores and maintains balance

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old woman called thunder