FULL MOON RITUAL: ???<P> Ritual Leader: ???<P>

As the snow turned to sleet, and the wind howled through the brittle branches of the trees, Nym' looked desperately for any sign of spring. It appeared winter was holding on with brutal resolve. The clearing in the woods was not going to be hospitable tonight, it would take much more than the trunk full of blankets she had brought to keep people warm.

If only she could find a sheltering grove or a rocky outcrop of stone.. something, anything, that could shelter them from the winter's wrath..

As Morgan trotted happily from the direction of the falls to Nym' she noticed the large branch in Morgan's jaw. The long oak branch appeared to be bone dry!

Taking the branch from her overgrown puppy, Nym' followed the path back the way Morgan had come. Up the side of the mountain and just a few feet away from the falls there was an opening in the rocks. The may-apple grew abundantly here in the spring and summer keeping the opening well hidden, but in the barren winter landscape it stood clear.

The only way to enter required crouching low, but once inside a long narrow tunnel sloped downward.. the deeper it went the wider the cavern became.

Nym' had brought four hags tapers with her to mark the circle quarters.. lighting one to illuminate her path down she noticed the air becoming drier.

The tunnel suddenly opened into the womb of the mountain, a cavernous cave that reached high inside the mountain. The sound of the falls outside was muffled but the dripping sound of water, at the far side of the grotto, told Nym' that the falls were not far. Dry leaves, logs and the remains of an old fire pit in the center told her that she was not the first to find this den.

Placing the first torch in the center of the old fire pit, Nym' began to search for tell tale signs of life still here or recent occupants. The flame threw shadows to dance on the walls and Nym' KNEW this spot was perfect.. the small wisps of smoke from the hags taper spiraled slowly to the opening above and drew her attention to the raging winter night sky.

This place has been used often and by many over the years.. broken bottles, the remains of fires and graffiti on the walls told tales.. but the story that made itself felt strongest was the knowledge of spirit, the spirit of these rocks, the spirit of these woods, the spirit of all that had passed in and out of this cave.

The flicker of lighting that lit up the opening over head sent her eye to something scrawled on the wall bordering the pool of water..

It was hard to tell if it had been written long ago or just yesterday, but clearly it was written by someone that felt what she did..” I am the spirit within the earth,
The feet of the earth are my feet,
The strength of the earth is my strength,
The thoughts of the earth are my thoughts,
The voice of the earth is my voice,
The feather of the earth is my feather,
All that surrounds the earth surrounds me"

Yes.. this IS the place!!!

Nym' hurried back to her truck to get her broom, the broom that would have swept the circle clearing shall sweep the leaves to the sides of the cave to protect them from the fire. The domed candles she had planned to mark the circle with will light the path to the cave for others to follow instead, and the blankets that she had thought might be needed to shelter them from the night air will cushion the cavern floor.

There was enough of an out cropping of rock at the cave entrance for Nym' to light two more hags tapers in a place protected from the weather.

The moon overheard was peaking in and out of the swirl of clouds above, and Nym' nodded silently in thanks that her husband and dearest companion had come along to help.

First to the fire.. while Nym' swept the area clear of the dry leaves Bob carried in the wood. She had brought this from home, 9 different types. Tonight's fire needed to warm more than just their bodies, it needed to warm their hearts and spirit as well. It needed to create a sacred fire, here, in the belly of the earth. Building the fire she whispered: "The Nine I sing, the Nine blessed trees Which were empowered of old: Oak, thou druid's door, open the way for us. Apple, thou knowledge-giver, break our circle of blindness.
Ash, thou world-supporter, drive away ill powers.
Birch, thou tree-mother, help in our healing.
Hawthorn, thou branch of May, give us light and hope.
Willow, thou soul-leader, grant us safe passage.
Holly, thou forest king, be our safe refuge.
Hazel, thou wise-one's branch, give us true vision.
Alder, thou river's love, let us flow outward.
In peace let us flow outward;
In power let us flow outward;
In beauty let us flow outward."

This was a special gathering, a circle of family, a circle of friends. A circle of tales and stories. A circle waiting for the next turn of the wheel.

Nym' went back to light the candles that would lead the way for others to follow.

The night sky seemed confused between a winter night and an early spring storm threatening.

The taper that was placed in the center when she first explored the cave had now been moved by her husband to the entrance of the cavern and the forth taper lit and placed beside the pool.

As Nym' returned from her last trip to the car the fires warmth was already evident inside the cave. The blankets could be spread to sit on, they weren't going to be needed for warmth.

Nym' had placed a large basket filled with crisp fall apples and sharp cheddar cheese near the entrance to prevent them from becoming too warm, and a second basket of country ham biscuits beside the fire. Two large pitchers of fresh milk with just a touch of honey had been placed by the pool. Tonight nourishment would be taken while tales were told.

Nym' took out a large wooden bowl and a canvas bag of seeds, these would be needed near the center.

As the others started to arrive she tossed a large braid of sweet grass into the fire. The smoke swirled around all making three complete circles before reaching the opening above. It seems the fire itself had decided to cast this circle...

…From the North of the cave stepped Jess in the guise of the wizened old Mother. She sat by the fire, holding out her hands to its warmth. Her grey hair, still holding on to its blond beginnings, was pulled into a knot at the back. She pulled her shawl closer around her shoulders and began to speak.

"Dis is de story of our beginning. Dis is what we remember, what we tell and pass down. Listen close so you may pass it on to those who come long after I am dead.

"Before de time of man, in an age long past, the world was divided into fire and ice. Where the warm air and cold wind met, dat was Ginnungagap. As the warm air melted the ice, the giant Ymir was formed. From Ymir came de Frost Giants. From the water also came Audhumla the Cow. Ymir fed on her milk and grew bigger and stronger! Audhumla licked the ice until a head appeared. She licked for days and days until she freed a man. Dis was Buri, de first man. Buri's son Bor married Bestla and dey had Odin, Vili, and Ve.

"De three brothers got tired of Ymir and his always yelling and beating and raging so dey killed him. His blood flowed and flowed until it flooded the land and drowned all de Frost Giants. All except Bergelmir and his wife. They floated away in a boat dey made from a tree and went to live in Jotunheim. Dere dey made a new race of Frost Giants.

"Odin, Vili, and Ve did a remarkable thing. From the carcass of Ymir dey formed Midgard, de land of men. From his flesh dey made de earth. From his teeth and bones dey made de rocks and mountains. From his hair dey made trees. Dey wrang out de last of his blood to make de lakes and rivers. Dey hollowed out his skull to make de sky. All this from one giant! Can you imagine?

"When Midgard was finished dey used sparks to bring light: de sun, de stars, and de moon. Dey sent four dwarves to hold up de sky: Nordi, Sudri, Austri, and Vestri.

"As de three brothers walked along de shore, dey found two pieces of driftwood. From de ash, dey formed a man. From de elm, dey formed a woman. Odin gave dem de breath of life. Vili filled der heads with thought and made der hearts beat with longing. Ve gave dem eyes to see de world and ears to hear de sounds around dem.

"Dis is how dey made our world and made us, too. You will here other stories tonight, from other peoples in other places. But dis is how our peoples were made. Remember and tell when I am gone…"

…Spellbound by Jesse's tale Nym' had moved to the Eastern side of the cave, the side where the pool met the wall. The water seemed to trickle in from above; the muffled sound of the falls could be heard.

Here the pitchers of milk rested waiting to be enjoyed. A hint of vanilla and cinnamon could be tasted in with the honeyed milk reminding Nym' of evenings by the fireside with her Grandmother and Great Nana.

The thoughts and trials of the direction the world is taken lately has weight heavily on Nym' heart. It brought tears to her spirit to think of the world her grandbabies may be growing up in, a world were magic seems to have run away.

As a child her Nan used to reminder her; "When it seems that magic has fled the world look to the wonder of the past to find hope for the future. Nothing is beyond change"

Has the magic taken flight from the world of man??? Looking around this cave and the love and compassion in the faces around her Nym' knew the answer was NO.. not completely!!!

It has taken refuge in the few places remaining where it can still thrive.

The land of her Grandmothers was surely one of those places. A place where a black cloak of darkness almost constantly covers the islands in the winter and the island people gathered around their fires to pass the long nights with song and story waiting for the dawning of spring.

T.S. Eliot wrote:
"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me."

And Nym' remembered how they DID sing for her, in the stories and tales her Nana told..

Nan's voice haunted Nym' from a loving place of memories with one such tale..” They say around here that drowned men are stolen by water spirits who take them to dwell in underwater castles forever. They say manatees have the souls of mermaids. They say that a woman's blood; dropped into water, summons selkie boys who beget children on human women, leaving mother bereft and child of neither earth nor sea. They say many things. Some of them are true.

They say around here that selkies come up out of the water and take the form of women. And they sit on the rocks, combing their hair. And if you find one of their discarded sealskins and take it home with you and hide it, then the selkie is bound to you until she finds her skin. She may even love you a little, but she never stops looking for her skin. And she always finds it. It may take her a hundred years, but she finds it, and returns to the sea. Always.

One day I met such a creature and heard her tale..

'Tonight I have a human body. Tonight I have human legs, human hands. Tonight I will walk on my human feet to the place I lived as a human, and I will leave a gift for my child. A gift from the sea, for my child.

Words are a human thing. I never needed to call anything by a word until I was human. When I saw my child, and they lay her on my breast, I had a word. I called her beautiful. And perfect. But the midwife said to my husband, that child will never belong to you. Look at her hands. So we looked, and he saw that they were strung, finger- to-finger, with webs so thin that the light shone through. Cut them, he said. I want my child to be perfect. So they cut them. I cried when they cut the webs.

Perfect, he said. And she grows more perfectly beautiful every day, in her human body. But I have swum along the margin of the shore and listened to him walking and talking, and seen into the child's mind, and her mind is as empty of thoughts as a seal's. She rocks in the fireplace with her hands over her face, and she cries to be let outside into the rain. She yearns for the water. He won't let her near the sea. Because he's convinced himself that I drowned. I watch him walking up and down the beach, grieving, looking out over the water--for what, he does not know. Yet he knows. Deep down, outside what he's willing to remember, he knows.

These four years since I walked back into the sea, since I found my skin and walked back into it, I have felt like a cord stretched between that house and the sea, neither of sea nor land anymore. My people don't hold on to their children, and never was a selkie born who knew the meaning of the word love. But my child is back there and I feel her all the time, until I am stretched so thin I know I will break.

I should have hated my husband. He hid my skin and wouldn't tell me where it was, because he didn't want me to go. So I was trapped inside this human body, with my animal mind and my human mind slowly coming together until I had no idea what I was anymore.

He had a word. A human word. Love. And at first my mind was an animal's mind, empty except for instinct, to eat, to sleep, to escape, but he filled it slowly with this word, this love, until the word took shape and became a soul.

We used to make love on the beach, out here in the summer. This human thing, this making love--how can you make love if it isn't there? How can you unmake it if it is?

Regret. Regret is a human thing. Never was a selkie born who could regret, but I am no longer..

One day he walked into the beach house, and I was sitting with my hands against the fireplace. Listening. I could almost hear it calling me--my skin--until he walked in here with his big, clumsy human feet. He took me in his arms and said, Why, my love? Why do you want to leave?

I couldn't answer him, not then. But later there were three stones missing from the fireplace, and I at the door with two sealskins in my arms.. I slapped him. He tried to take them from me and I slapped him. And while he stood there, hardly able to believe it, I snatched up the skins and ran. But I stopped at the gate and I said a cruel thing to him. I almost loved you, I told him. I would have stayed, if only you'd have let me leave.

Four summers ago I walked into the sea, and the child I left him is five. Five, and she has no human words, no human thoughts. They have a word.

They have given him a choice, and tomorrow he must make a decision. You can't keep that child at home, they said. She's barely human. And he walks up and down the beach; agonizing over the decision he's already made, because he doesn't want her to go. Because he knows, deep down, that she is no human thing. That she has no words because she never had them. That her mind is filled with the sound of the sea and the voices of seals, and that her soul is tearing itself to pieces like the white waves breaking on the black rocks. But I have seen that the webbing has grown back on her hands. Her perfect hands.

Tonight I will walk on my human legs up to the house where I lived as a human, and I will leave the gift that confirms his decision, what he knows he must do, what I should have done. The second skin.'"

Nan had said that she never saw the mysterious women again, but often walking the shores at night she would spot two seals sitting on a nearby rock.

Was it the warmth of the fire or the warmth of the memories that fired the spark of joy in Nym' heart? She wasn't sure.. maybe it was just the calm little pool of water that directed her mind to the East, the lands of her Grandmothers.

Nym' remembered the tea light that she carried in her pouch, lighting it and placing it by the pool, her heart thanked her Grandmothers.

Picking up one of the last of the crisp fall apples, she returned to the fire...

…Nym' walked over to the fire.. Pom had fallen asleep.” Rest Dear Sister, dream of bright days and the wonders ahead to explore with your daughter." Knowing how tired one can be keeping up with a toddler Nym' turned to the fire, outside a coyote howled.

Long ago, when man was newly come into the world, there were days when he was the happiest creature of all. Those were the days when spring brushed across the willow tails, or when his children ripened with the blueberries in the sun of summer, or when the goldenrod bloomed in the autumn haze.

But always the mists of autumn evenings grew more chill, and the sun's strokes grew shorter. Then man saw winter moving near, and he became fearful and unhappy. He was afraid for his children, and for the grandfathers and grandmothers who carried in their heads the sacred tales of the tribe. Many of these, young and old, would die in the long, ice-bitter months of winter.

Coyote, like the rest of the People, had no need for fire. So he seldom concerned himself with it, until one spring day when he was passing a human village. There the women were singing a song of mourning for the babies and the old ones who had died in the winter. Their voices moaned like the west wind through a buffalo skull, prickling the hairs on Coyote's neck.

"Feel how the sun is now warm on our backs," one of the men was saying.” Feel how it warms the earth and makes these stones hot to the touch. If only we could have had a small piece of the sun in our teepees during the winter."

Coyote, overhearing this, felt sorry for the men and women. He also felt that there was something he could do to help them. He knew of a faraway mountain-top where the three Fire Beings lived. These Beings kept fire to themselves, guarding it carefully for fear that man might somehow acquire it and become as strong as they. Coyote saw that he could do a good turn for man at the expense of these selfish Fire Beings.

So Coyote went to the mountain of the Fire Beings and crept to its top, to watch the way that the Beings guarded their fire. As he came near, the Beings leaped to their feet and gazed searchingly round their camp. Their eyes glinted like bloodstones, and their hands were clawed like the talons of the great black vulture.

"What's that? What's that I hear?" hissed one of the Beings.” A thief, skulking in the bushes!" screeched another.

The third looked more closely, and saw Coyote. But he had gone to the mountain-top on all fours, so the Being thought she saw only an ordinary coyote slinking among the trees.

"It is no one, it is nothing!" she cried, and the other two looked where she pointed and also saw only a grey coyote. They sat down again by their fire and paid Coyote no more attention. So he watched all day and night as the Fire Beings guarded their fire. He saw how they fed it pine cones and dry branches from the sycamore trees. He saw how they stamped furiously on runaway rivulets of flame that sometimes nibbled outwards on edges of dry grass. He saw also how, at night, the Beings took turns to sit by the fire. Two would sleep while one was on guard; and at certain times the Being by the fire would get up and go into their teepee, and another would come out to sit by the fire.

Coyote saw that the Beings were always jealously watchful of their fire except during one part of the day. That was in the earliest morning, when the first winds of dawn arose on the mountains. Then the Being by the fire would hurry, shivering, into the teepee calling, "Sister, sister, go out and watch the fire." But the next Being would always be slow to go out for her turn, her head spinning with sleep and the thin dreams of dawn.

Coyote, seeing all this, went down the mountain and spoke to some of his friends among the People. He told them of hairless man, fearing the cold and death of winter. And he told them of the Fire Beings, and the warmth and brightness of the flame. They all agreed that man should have fire, and they all promised to help Coyote's undertaking. Then Coyote sped again to the mountain-top. Again the Fire Beings leaped up when he came close, and one cried out, "What's that? A thief, a thief!"

But again the others looked closely, and saw only a grey coyote hunting among the bushes. So they sat down again and paid him no more attention.

Coyote waited through the day, and watched as night fell and two of the Beings went off to the teepee to sleep. He watched as they changed over at certain times all the night long, until at last the dawn winds rose.

Then the Being on guard called, "Sister, sister, get up and watch the fire." And the Being whose turn it was climbed slow and sleepy from her bed, saying, "Yes, yes, I am coming. Do not shout so." But before she could come out of the teepee, Coyote lunged from the bushes, snatched up a glowing portion of fire, and sprang away down the mountainside.

Screaming, the Fire Beings flew after him. Swift as Coyote ran, they caught up with him, and one of them reached out a clutching hand. Her fingers touched only the tip of the tail, but the touch was enough to turn the hairs white, and coyote tail-tips are white still. Coyote shouted, and flung the fire away from him. But the others of the People had gathered at the mountain's foot, in case they were needed. Squirrel saw the fire falling, and caught it, putting it on her back and fleeing away through the tree-tops. The fire scorched her back so painfully that her tail curled up and back, as squirrels' tails still do today.

The Fire Beings then pursued Squirrel, who threw the fire to Chipmunk. Chattering with fear, Chipmunk stood still as if rooted until the Beings were almost upon her. Then, as she turned to run, one Being clawed at her, tearing down the length of her back and leaving three stripes that are to be seen on chipmunks' backs even today. Chipmunk threw the fire to Frog, and the Beings turned towards him. One of the Beings grasped his tail, but Frog gave a mighty leap and tore himself free, leaving his tail behind in the Being's hand--- which is why frogs have had no tails ever since. As the Beings came after him again, Frog flung the fire on to Wood. And Wood swallowed it.

The Fire Beings gathered round, but they did not know how to get the fire out of Wood. They promised it gifts, sang to it and shouted at it. They twisted it and struck it and tore it with their knives. But Wood did not give up the fire. In the end, defeated, the Beings went back to their mountain-top and left the People alone.

But Coyote knew how to get fire out of Wood. And he went to the village of men and showed them how. He showed them the trick of rubbing two dry sticks together, and the trick of spinning a sharpened stick in a hole made in another piece of wood. So man was from then on warm and safe through the killing cold of winter…

…Sharon enters the cave and takes her place at the fire. Her graying hair is in two long braids held with beaded ties. She wears a deerskin tunic and trousers decorated with trade beads and porcupine quills. She smiles at all present and begins to tell her story:

This is a lesson about hiding and resting and growing strong. In winter darkness we dream and rest so that in summer brightness we can craft and create. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, She Who made us took the form of the wisest of crafty creatures, the Spider. As Grandmother Spider, She could spin and wait and let Time take however long it needed for Her work to come to fruition. This suited Her well and now and then during this Time, She reassumes that form. She is wearing it now.

Look to the West, for there She is.

Deep beneath the red desert sand, the earth gradually becomes solid, clay-like, a soil more easily formed into a secure shape. Here Grandmother Spider has dug a hidey-hole for Herself, cozy and dark, cool and dry. Perfectly suited for the present Waiting Time.

She has spun Herself a nice thick web of warm silk and there She snoozes, dozing away the years, the centuries, the millennia until the New Time approaches. Here She can wait, can allow the upper world to go from crisis to catastrophe and beyond, for here She's safe, secure from fools who would harm Those At the Center. Here She can slowly and carefully spin the New Time, readying it for its birth. Here, beneath the Western sky and sand, She sleeps and spins, waiting.

So it is with each of us as we sleep and spin, forming what we are and what we will be in our New Time. Now in our winter, we sense that far above us the sands are warming to spring and that soon we'll be able to burrow upwards like Grandmother and emerge, a new creature with a new web of being, into the hot sunlight of a bright new day.

So we welcome You, Grandmother, to our circle. We look Westwards to where You nest, resting in Your safe, dark bowl in the deep, strong earth, waiting, like us, to emerge into sunlight.

When it's Time.

Her story told, Sharon settles back into the circle…

…As the winter wind outside moaned through the winter sky Nym' wondered if it would ever give way to spring..

In a nomad camp in the wilds of the far North lived an old man with his three daughters. The man was very poor. His tent barely kept out the icy wind and driving snow. And when the frost was keen enough to bite their naked hands and faces, the three daughters huddled together round the fire. As they lay down to sleep at night, their father would rake through the ashes; and then they would shiver throughout the long cold night till morning.

One day, in the depths of winter, a snowstorm blew up and raged across the tundra. It whipped through the camp the first day, then the second, and on into the third. There seemed no end to the driving snow and fierce wind. No one dared show his face outside his tent and families sat fearful in their tents, hungry and cold, fearing that the camp would be blown clean away.

The old man and his daughters crouched in their tent harking to the howling of the blizzard, and the father said: "If the storm continues for much longer, we shall all die for certain. It was sent by Kotura, Lord of the Winds. He must be very angry with us. There's only one way to appease him and save the camp: we must send him a wife from our clan. You, my eldest daughter, must go to Kotura and beg him to halt the blizzard."

"But how am I to go?" asked the girl, in alarm.” I do not know the way."

"I shall give you a sled," said her father.” Turn your face into the north wind, push the sled forward and follow wherever it leads. The wind will tear open the strings that bind your coat; yet you must not stop to tie them. The snow will fill your shoes; yet you must not stop to shake it out. Continue on your way until you arrive at a steep hill; when you have climbed to the top, only then may you halt to shake the snow from your shoes and do up your coat.

"Soon, a little bird will perch on your shoulder. Do not brush him away, be kind and caress him gently. Then jump on to your sled and let it run down the other side of the hill. It will take you straight to the door of Kotura's tent. Enter and touch nothing; just sit patiently and wait until he comes. And do exactly as he tells you." Eldest daughter put on her coat, turned the sled into the north wind and sent it gliding along before her.

She followed on foot and after a while the strings on her coat came undone, the swirling snow squeezed into her shoes and she was very, very cold. However, she did not heed her father's words: she stopped and began to tie the strings of her coat, to shake the snow from her shoes. That done, she moved on into the face of the north wind.

On and on through the snow she went until at last she came to a steep hill. And when she finally reached the top, a little bird flew down and would have alighted on her shoulder had she not waved her hands to shoo him away. Alarmed, the bird fluttered up and circled above her three times before flying off.

Eldest daughter sat on her sled and rode down the hillside until she arrived at a giant tent. Straightaway she entered and glanced about her; and the first thing that met her gaze was a fat piece of roast venison. Being hungry from her journey, she made a fire, warmed herself and warmed the meat on the fire. Then she tore off pieces of fat from the meat: she tore off one piece and ate it, then tore off another and ate that too, and another until she had eaten her fill. Just as all the fat was eaten, she heard a noise behind her and a handsome young giant entered.

It was Kotura himself.

He gazed at eldest daughter and said in his booming voice: "Where are you from, girl? Why are you here?"

"My father sent me," replied the girl, "to be your wife."

Kotura frowned, fell silent, then sighed.” I've brought home some meat from hunting. Set to work and cook it for me."

Eldest daughter did as he said, and when the meat was cooked, Kotura bade her divide it in two.

"You and I will eat one part," he said.” The remainder you will take to my neighbor. But heed my words well: do not go into her tent. Wait outside until the old woman emerges. Give her the meat and wait for her to return the empty dish."

Eldest daughter took the meat and went out into the dark night. The wind was howling and the blizzard raging so wildly she could hardly see a thing before her. She struggled on a little way, then came to a halt and tossed the meat into the snow That done, she returned to Kotura with the empty dish.

The giant looked at her keenly and said: "Have you done as I said?" "Certainly," replied the girl.

"Then show me the dish, I wish to see what she gave you in return," he said.

Eldest daughter showed him the empty dish. Kotura was silent. He ate his share of the meat hurriedly and lay down to sleep. At first light he rose, brought some untanned deer hides into the tent and said: "While I hunt, I want you to clean these hides and make me a coat, shoes and mittens from them. I shall try them on when I get back and judge whether you are as clever with your hands as you are with your tongue."

With those words, Kotura went off into the tundra. And eldest daughter set to work. By and by an old woman covered in snow came into the tent.

"I have something in my eye, child," she said.” Please remove it for me." "I've no time. I'm too busy," answered eldest daughter.

The old Snow Woman said nothing, turned away and left the tent. Eldest daughter was left alone. She cleaned the hides hastily and began cutting them roughly with a knife, hurrying to get her tasks done by nightfall. Indeed, she was in such a rush that she did not even try to shape the garments properly; she was intent only on finishing her work as quickly as possible.

Late that evening, the young giant, Lord of the Winds, returned.” Are my clothes ready?" he asked at once.

"They are," eldest daughter replied. Kotura took the garments one by one, and ran his hands carefully over them: the hides were rough to the touch so badly were they cleaned, so poorly were they cut, so carelessly were they sewn together. And they were altogether too small for him.

At that he flew into a rage, picked up eldest daughter and flung her far, far into the dark night. She landed in a deep snowdrift and lay there without moving until she froze to death.

And the howling of the wind became even fiercer.

Back in the camp, the old father sat in his tent and harkened to the days blown over by the northern winds. Finally, in deep despair, he said to his two remaining daughters: "Eldest daughter did not heed my words, I fear. That is why the wind is still shrieking and roaring its anger. Kotura is in a terrible temper. You must go to him, second daughter."

The old man made a sled, instructed the girl as he had her sister, and sent her on her way. Second daughter pointed the sled into the north wind and, giving it a push, walked along behind it. The strings of her coat came undone and the snow forced its way into her shoes. Soon she was numb with cold and, heedless of her father's warning, she shook the snow from her shoes and tied the strings of her coat sooner than she was instructed.

She came to the steep hill and climbed to the top. There, seeing the little bird fluttering towards her, she waved her hands and shooed him away. Then quickly she climbed into her sled and rode down the hillside straight to Kotura's tent. She entered the tent, made a fire, ate her fill of the roast venison and lay down to sleep. When Kotura returned, he was surprised to find the girl asleep on his bed. The roar of his deep voice woke her at once and she explained that her father had sent her to be his wife. Kotura frowned, fell silent, then shouted at her gruffly: "Then why do you lie there sleeping? I am hungry, be quick and prepare some meat."

As soon as the meat was ready, Kotura ordered second daughter to take it from the pot and cut it in half.

"You and I will eat one half," he said.” And you will take the other to my neighbor. But do not enter her tent: wait outside for the dish to be returned."

Second daughter took the meat and went outside into the storm. The wind was howling so hard, the black night was so smothering that she could see and hear nothing at all. So, fearing to take another step, she tossed the meat as far as she could and returned to Kotura's tent.

"Have you given the meat to my neighbor?" he asked.

"Of course I have," replied second daughter.

"You haven't been long," he said.” Show me the dish, I want to see what she gave you in return."

Somewhat afraid, second daughter did as she was bid, and Kotura frowned as he saw the empty dish. But he said not a word and went to bed. In the morning, he brought in some untanned hides and told second daughter to make him a coat, shoes and mittens by nightfall.” Set to work," he said.” This evening I shall judge your handiwork." With those words, Kotura went off into the wind and second daughter got down to her task. She was in a great hurry, eager to complete the job by nightfall. By and by, an old woman covered in snow came into the tent.

"I've something in my eye, child," she said.” Pray help me take it out; I cannot manage by myself."

"Oh, go away and don't bother me," said the girl, crossly.” I am too busy to leave my work."

The Snow Woman went away without a word. As darkness came, Kotura returned from hunting.” Are my new clothes ready?" he asked.” Here they are," replied second daughter.

He tried on the garments and saw at once they were poorly cut and much too small. Flying into a rage, he flung second daughter even farther than her sister. And she too met a cold death in the snow. Back home the old father sat in the tent with his youngest daughter, waiting in vain for the storm to pass. But the blizzard redoubled its force, and it seemed the camp would be blown away at any minute.

"My daughters did not heed my words," the old man reflected, sadly.” They have angered Kotura even more. Go to him, my last daughter, though it breaks my heart to part with you; but you alone can save our clan from certain doom."

Youngest daughter left the camp, turned her face into the north wind and pushed the sled before her. The wind shrieked and seethed about her; the snowflakes powdered her red-rimmed eyes almost blinding her. Yet she staggered on through the blizzard mindful of her father's words. The strings of her coat came undone -- but she did not stop to tie them. The snow forced its way into her shoes -- but she did not stop to shake it out. And although her face was numb and her lungs were bursting, she did not pause for breath. Only when she had reached the hilltop did she halt to shake out the snow from her shoes and tie the strings of her coat.

Just at that moment, a little bird flew down and perched on her shoulder. Instead of chasing him away, she gently stroked his downy breast.

And when the bird flew off, she got on to her sled and glided over the snow down the hillside right to Kotura's door. Without showing her fear, the young girl went boldly into the tent and sat down patiently waiting for the giant to appear. It was not long before the door flap was lifted and in came the handsome young giant, Lord of the Winds.

When he set eyes on the young girl, a smile lit up his solemn face.” Why have you come to me?" he asked.

"My father sent me to ask you to calm the storm," she said, quietly.” For if you do not, our people will die."

Kotura frowned and said gruffly: "Make up the fire and cook some meat. I am hungry and so must you be too, for I see you have touched nothing since you arrived."

Youngest daughter prepared the meat, took it from the pot and handed it to Kotura in a dish. But he instructed her to take half to his neighbor.

Obediently, youngest daughter took the dish of meat and went outside into the snowstorm. Where was she to go? Where was the neighbor's tent to be found in this wilderness?

Then suddenly, from out of nowhere, a little bird flew before her face -- the very same bird she had caressed on the hillside. Now it flew before her, as if beckoning her on. Whichever way the bird flew, there she followed. At last she could make out a wisp of smoke spiraling upwards and mingling with the swirling snowflakes. Youngest daughter was very relieved, and she made for the smoke thinking the tent must be there. Yet as she drew near, she saw to her surprise that the smoke was coming from a mound of snow; no tent was to be seen!

She walked round and round the mound of snow and prodded it with her foot. Straightaway a door appeared before her and an old, old woman poked her head out.

"Who are you?" she screeched.” And why have you come here?"

"I have brought you some meat, Grannie," youngest daughter replied.” Kotura asked me to bring it to you."

"Kotura, you say?" said the Snow Woman, chewing on a black pipe.” Very well then, wait here."

Youngest daughter waited by the strange snow-house and at last the old woman reappeared and handed her back the wooden dish. There was something in the dish but the girl could not make it out in the dark. With a word of thanks, she took the dish and returned to Kotura.

"Why were you so long?" Kotura asked.” Did you find the Snow Woman's tent?"

"Yes, I did, but it was a long way," she replied.

"Give me the dish that I might see what she has given you," said the giant.

When he looked into the dish he saw that it contained two sharp knives and some bone needles and scrapers for dressing hides. The giant chuckled.” You have some fine gifts to keep you busy." At dawn Kotura rose and brought some deerskins into the tent. As before, he gave orders that new shoes, mittens and a coat were to be made by nightfall.

"Should you make them well," he said, "you shall be my wife."

As soon as Kotura had gone, youngest daughter set to work. The Snow Woman's gifts indeed proved very useful: there was all she needed to make the garments.

But how could she do it in a single day? That was impossible! All the same, she dressed and scraped the skins, cut and sewed so quickly that her fingers were soon raw and bleeding. As she was about her work, the door flap was raised and in came the old Snow Woman.

"Help me, my child," she said.” There's a speck in my eye. Pray help me to take it out."

At once youngest daughter set aside her work and soon had the mote out of the old woman's eye.

"That's better," said the Snow Woman.” My eye does not hurt any more. Now, child, look into my right ear and see what you can see." Youngest daughter looked into the old woman's right ear and gasped in surprise.

"What do you see?" the Snow Woman asked.

"I see a maid sitting in your ear," the girl replied.

"Then, why don't you call to her? She will help you make Kotura's clothes."

At her call, not one but four maids jumped from the Snow Woman's ear and immediately set to work. They dressed the skins, scraped them smooth, cut and sewed them into shape, and very soon the garments were all ready. Then the Snow Woman took the four maids back into her ear and left the tent.

As darkness fell, Kotura returned.” Have you completed your tasks?" he asked.

"Yes, I have," the girl said.

"Then show me the new clothes that I may try them on."

Youngest daughter handed him the clothes, and Kotura passed his great hand over them: the skins were soft and supple to the touch. He put them on: the coat and the shoes and the mittens. And they were neither small nor large. They fitted him perfectly.

Kotura smiled.” I like you, youngest daughter," he said.” And my mother and four sisters like you, too. You work well, and you have much courage. You braved a terrible storm so that your people might not die. And you did all that you were told. Stay with me and be my wife."

No sooner had the words passed his lips than the storm in the tundra was stilled. No longer did the people hide from the north wind in their cold tents. They were saved. One by one they emerged into the sunshine.

And with them came the old father, tears of joy glistening on his sunken cheeks, proud that his youngest, dearest daughter had saved the people from the storm…

…Boudica sat quietly, watching all the people work their stories, loving each one.

It came her turn, and she moved into the circle, in the cave, lit only by the fires and candles. She was wearing a quilt that was made by her husband's grandmother, a quilt, small squares, patchwork over her dress. The smell of sweetgrass hung in the air. She walked slowly around the circle, and she began her story about The Fey.

Early spring, beginning of March, she arrived at her grams house. Moving in with her gram was what she needed to do in her life at that time. It was peaceful here, warm and cozy, it would chase away the cold and her doubts.

First weekend after moving in, her gram was showing her around, and they were looking at the garden. It was sad. The bushes were over grown, the vegetable garden straggly. It needed love, attention and kindness.

She looked at her gram.” It needs work." Her gram smiled.” What do you want to do?"

"Well, gram, do you want flowers or veggies?"

Gram smiled.” What do you want?"

Her first weekend saw her cleaning out the gardens. Raking leaves was about all she could do, It was a mess. Gram looked at it and said "If you leave something for the Fey, they will help you with this project,"

She looked at her grey haired grams, wrinkled skin and deep blue eyes.” The who? Are you going into your second childhood or something? The Fey?"

Gram looked at her..” You remember the stories I told you as a child. The fairy folk, the fey, they will help you with the elements, the earth, the air, the warmth and the water. Leave gifts for them, and I know you will bring this garden alive again. I'm too old to work it, but you can get it to work, with their help."

She looked at the piles of leaves, and said "What should I leave them?"

Gram said "What do you need?"

"I need this earth to be good enough for the flowers to grow, and the veggies to take. I want some flowers and some food. Can we can some of it in the fall if there is enough?"

Grams looked at her and smiled.” You have to have something to can. Let's start one step at a time."

She thought about it, and said "I need good soil. What do I do?"

Gram though a bit and said "Earthworms and rich soil. Leave some silver and some beer."

She scratched her head.” Silver and beer?” She put her hand in her pocket. There was a coin.” I'm not sure this is silver, but do you think it will do?"

Gram looked.” Yes it will. Let's start there." Gram went into the house. She came out with a small glass filled with, of all things, beer. She placed it under a bush.

"Gram, what do I do with the coin?” Put it in the garden, but where it will catch the light." She put it near a small rock.” This OK?" Grams replied "Yes!"

Next weekend saw her with a pick up truck filled with soil nutrients, a shovel and some stones. She started turning the soil. Backbreaking work, but the earth yielded to her shovel. Took her all weekend to turn the spot she picked, but when she was done, all dirty and sweaty, she was happy. She dumped some peat moss, some fertilizer and gave it a quick turn.

She dumped more peat on some of the bare flower beds. She noticed.. some small buds coming up, maybe some crocuses or daffodils? She called her grams. Gram said "I don't remember, haven't seen those in a while. Could be?" Grams looked around.” Did you remember the Fey?"

She thought for a moment, then ran into the house. She came out, and got the stones out of the truck. She placed them in a pile, and from her pocket she took a candle. Placing it inside the stone pile, she lit it. Evening was falling, it was starting to darken and the candle light stood out from the stone pile. She then went and got a sweet cake from the truck, and placed it near the stone pile.

"A place for the Fey to find the gifts we leave them." she said.

Grams smiled.” Did you notice, dear, that the coin was gone?"

She looked to the stone where she had left the coin. It was indeed gone.” Did you move it Grams?"

"No dear."

The following weekend spring arrived. She had bought some seeds, and a pruning sheer. She cut back some bushes, left others, and shaped more. She put seeds in the garden. Tomatoes, greens, flowers. She would buy some more flowers once it got warmer. She left more beer, more sweet cakes. And always, there were gone the next morning.

Spring turned to summer. She worked in the yard, weeding and planting. She did most of the work while her Grams looked on. Grams would bring out drinks, or food, and she would walk around the yard, smiling.

Plants sprouted up and she placed offerings for the protection of the new plants. The stone pile was always lit on the weekends. A little stone house appeared in the yard under the lilac. Another place for the Fey. The daffodils bobbed their heads. The tulips were breathtaking. The lilac bloomed as it never had and filled the air with their fragrance. Arms full of flowers were all over the house, all over the garden. Roses bloomed, daylilies dappled the landscape. People went by their house and stopped and stared at the display, and always left with a smile.

The veggies came up lush that year and with abundant flowers. Flowers turned to fruit. She worked at it and the tomatoes came in early June. She and her gram laughed as they bit into ripe juicy tomatoes.

"Leave some for the Fey, they have helped us with this year's garden." said Grams. She placed a ripe red one on the ground near the stone pile with the candle.

She looked at the yard. Yes, it was hard work, and she did a lot to make it happen, but Grams had a point. Without the right soil, the right amount of rain and the right temperatures, this yard would have flopped. The elementals have been good to them, and this yard will give them much joy as well as some veggies for the summer. Nothing better than fresh salad and maybe those watermelons eventually..

The summer went on, flowers bloomed, she bought more to brighten the yard. A birdbath was added, and those hot summer afternoons on the weekends were spent watching the birds splash in the tray while sipping on a cool drink. And always, there were cool drinks left for the fey, small tokens of appreciation for the help the elements gave.

By the time fall came, the garden was still producing veggies, and her and grams were canning some tomatoes and they were putting cut up watermelon into jars. Some of the extra tomatoes were taken to her job for friends to enjoy, there were so many.

The first bite of fall showed up early. The two ladies went out and grabbed whatever they could salvage from the veggie garden. She was going into town that afternoon, grams said she would can the last of the food.

She came back, the yard was showing the first signs of frost. Some of the plants hung over, wilted. She pulled out a jar from the truck, went into the garden, sat down on the ground, and opened the jar. She pulled a wand from the jar and began to blow. Bubbles from the jar blowing on the crisp wind into the gardens. It was her thank you to the Fey.

Grams looked from the window. She smiled, knowing this would probably be one of the last years she would enjoy the yard. She took a cake from the oven, and a small tray behind it was a special addition. A sweet cake for the Fey, hot out of the oven. She would leave it as thanks that evening for the wonderful time she had spent with her granddaughter. There was nothing more she could ask for.

That evening, the two of them sat in front of the fire they built in the fireplace to take the chill out of the air. They talked about the garden, and how more than just a garden had grown that turn of the seasons…

…As Owl listened to the stories, she sensed the sacredness of this space. The cave.. the womb of the mother.. the water trickling, flowing, while the steady beat of the dripping snow, melting at the cave entrance as the heat of the fire found it's way to the outside.

She heard the soft voices of friends as they told their tales. She heard the rustle of hands reaching into the baskets, and the crisp crunch of the apples. Everything seem to be so astonishingly clear. From the back of the cave she heard.. silence.. filled with sound no one noticed.. and beneath it all she felt, more than heard, a thrumming.. a soft pulsing vibration..

She picked up her drum.. and began a soft beat.. muffled.. like a child listening to the heart beat of the mother.. sometimes not noticing, yet always aware..

And the drumming began. She listened to the stories, and picked up their tempest.. and wove it into the basic beat.. placing her hand within the Bodhran, she tuned as each voice began to speak. Feeling the beat, feeling the pace of each story teller.. feeling the back beat.. the heartbeat of the Mother.. and in the echo, hearing the pipes of Pan.. the singing rocks..

Here, in this place, awareness is born and nurtured.. what we see and hear will be with us in the days to come.. and we will remember.. And the beat goes on...

...and Deer stepped nearer to the pool.” A story of the Nature Spirits, he thought to himself," fingers playing in the flame burning there, "a story of flowing in and flowing out.."

Long before now in the great mountains a famous craftsman named Prokopyich worked in a small village. Prokopyich was famous for his the many things he carved from malachite and was, in fact, considered by some the best gem carver in the Urals. He had been ordered to teach his profession; however, not one of the boys apprenticed to him possessed the talent to learn Prokopyich's craft.

As it happened, there was an orphan named Danila living in that same village. Danila was a frail child, and too weak to work at mining or hunting with the other boys. Danila's strengths lay in his flute playing, his inquisitive observations of nature, and his head full of dreams. Danila had become friends with an old herdsman - himself an outcast among the villagers. But it came to pass that one day the old man fell asleep while Danila played and several of the village cattle were eaten by wolves. Both were beaten severely as a result - Danila to near the edge of death. Pity blossomed in the heart of a kind old woman, who brought Danila home and, being possessed of the cunning arts, healed him using many herbs and flowers. Danila lived long with her and she taught him much of her lore of plants. On one particularly beautiful afternoon, she day told him of the Stone Flower from Malachite Mountain - the most exquisite flower in the all the wide world. But she also warned him, "Whoever finds that flower can never be happy."

After Danila recovered, his benefactress took him to Prokopyich to study gem carving. The boy was surprisingly gifted. And Prokopyich being a widower without children, soon came to love his new apprentice as if he were his own son. With the passing years Danila grew both into a talented craftsman and a strong, handsome young man. And one day, he received a commission to make a vase from malachite, along with a sketch of what his customer wanted. Danila began the intricate task, but he was unsatisfied with the idea on the sketch. Every day he went to the woods looking for inspiration and observing many flowers and plants. He worked for a long time and at last completed a vase like the one in the sketch. When he showed it to the other craftsmen, they all praised it. But Danila said, "For all its outward perfection, this piece is made precisely according to a lifeless sketch. There is no living beauty in it. When I look at even the simplest flower, I am filled with joy for its beauty. Who can render such beauty in the stone?"

One of the older carvers warned him, "Don't even think that. It's asking to become a servant of the Lady of Copper Mountain. Her men live and work in the Mountain, forever lost to all who loved them. As a young man I once saw their work. It was truly unbelievable! Our carving can not begin to compare with, because Her men know the Stone Flower and therefore understand the heart of stone."

After this, Danila went to the woods more often looking for both a living model and the perfect stone for his own vase. What he really desired was to find the elusive stone flower. Prokopyich grew in worry for the lad and repeatedly urged him to marry the nice girl named Katya to whom Danila was betrothed. But Danila would not hear it.” I must first fashion my own vase. Only then can we will think about marriage." On one of these searches, he heard a whisper saying, "Find what you seek on Serpent Hill." Turning he saw the dim outline of a woman. As she vanished from sight, he thought, "Perhaps she was the Lady of Copper Mountain!" So he went to Serpent Hill and searched. And before long he came upon a huge block of the finest malachite and growing near it a flower like none he'd ever seen before. Danila was ecstatic and, after careful study of the flower took the stone home and started to carve his vase.

As hard as he worked, Danila was not happy with any results of his labor. Sadly he thought, "I fail to experience the true power and beauty of the stone." Giving up on his quest to bring a living flower into the stone, he and Katya finally announced the date of their wedding. On the day before, however, he went for a walk to Serpent Hill again, sat down and thought about the Stone Flower.” What I would not give to see that Flower!" he mused. All a sudden the Lady of Copper Mountain appeared before him. And Danila implored her, "There is no fire in the head, no blood in the heart, no life for me without finding that Flower!" And the Lady replied, "I could show it to you, but heed my warning. Afterwards you will regret it. Those who see my Flower leave home and family behind. They come to live deep in my mountain and never again consider all they have left behind. Think long about Prokopyich and Katya who love you."

"I know," shouted Danila, "but I must see it." Over and over he implored her until at last the Lady acquiesced, "All right," she said, " Come then to my garden." And when they arrived there, she took him and showed him the wonderful Stone Flower. A full year and a day Danila studied the flower before he came to know its essence.” Shall I ever be able to master this art?" he wondered to the Lady one day.” Not even I can answer that," she murmured. Then she led him deep into the mountain finally entering a cave with a great uncut piece of translucent green stone thrusting straight up out of the ground to a height twice Danila's own size. Danila stared in wonder.” This is to be your Stone Flower," she said quietly.” It's been waiting for you for a very long time. Your tools are there at its foot." She turned to leave.

"B-b-ut," he stammered.” I don't yet know the secret. Forgive me, Holy Lady, but I'd hoped you'd teach me this." She laughed, her form blurring and shifting until she stood as tall as a great pine.” You've always known the secret, Danila. Listen to the music inside the stone just as you listened to it inside the wood when you carved your flute. Don't force it to become what you want. Listen to what the stone wants." Then she vanished. Another year and a day, and another he worked the stone given him by the Lady, before finally bringing it to match the flower of her garden. And in that moment, Danila saw no longer the stone flower, but the fair countenance of his love Katya.

Meanwhile, the village was full of rumors after he disappeared, but no one knew where he had gone. Three years passed. Katya did not marry. Her parents died and she came to live with old Prokopyich to help him in his work. Contrary to custom, the old artisan taught his apprentice's beloved their craft. Soon, though, Prokopyich died, too, and Katya was left alone. She had no money, and decided to try her hand at marketing her new-learned skills.

She went to Serpent Hill hoping to find good pieces of stone. But at the hill she remembered her beloved Danila and wept. Suddenly she saw a beautiful piece of malachite. Katya took it home and tried to carve several brooches. She worked hard and well and her carving beautifully set off the natural patterns in the stone. Katya was happy when she sold her works to a merchant in the village. She thought, "My brooches are the best in his store. I was lucky finding that malachite. I wonder whether my Danila's hand was in this?"

She returned again to Serpent Hill looking for another good stone. But she thought again of Danila and burst into tears, sobbing, "Where are you, my beloved? Why did you leave me?" When Katya looked around it seemed to her she stood in an unfamiliar woods, and the mountain opened before her eyes.” Here is the magic mountain," she thought.” Perhaps I might see my Danila." When Katya looked down, she saw a man who looked just like Danila. The man raised his hands toward her. She wanted to jump down to him, but the vision disappeared. She told her relatives what she had seen but they did not believe her and decided that she must be ill.

The next day Katya ran to the hill hoping desperately to see Danila. Her sister followed her. Katya came to the same place and found herself in the magic woods. She started to call out, "Danila, where are you? Answer me!" The echo answered: "He is not here! He is not here!" It was then that the Lady of Copper Mountain appeared and demanded, "Why d o you disturb the beautiful peace of my garden? If you need the stones, take what you wish and go away."

Brave Katya replied, "I don't need your dead stones. Give me my Danila back. You have no right to take another's love." The Lady laughed.” Child, have you any idea to whom you speak?" Katya cried out, "I am not blind, Lady. I know who you are. But I fear you not! And I know that Danila remembers me and that he would return." At this the Lady laughed and said, "All right, let him speak then."

At the same moment Katya saw Danila. The Malachite Lady stood at Danila's side and reached out to touch his cheek. He pulled away.” No," he said shortly.” Not now -- forgive me, Lady, but the stone flower is finished now. I need to leave -- I need to show others what I can do. I miss the pastures, the forests. I miss --" and his voice caught in a half-sob, "I miss Katya. I have lived under the mountain far too long." As he turned, she reached out to hold him back but he tore away and rushed toward Katya, even though he could not yet see her.

Then from a distance Danila heard someone calling his name and he froze, dazed, as the name echoed through the vast forest. Slowly, the voice seemed nearer until finally he recognized it.” Katya!" he cried, springing towards the sound of her.” Katya! Katya!" still shouting, he rushed over the uneven ground. Katya ran towards him as if her feet were winged. They met for a moment in a tearful, joyous embrace. Then Danila broke free.” Come," he whispered urgently, "We must be away from here before it's too late!"

The laughter of a thousand tiny bells filled the air and the Lady of Copper Mountain towered above them.” Quick!" Danila said, "get behind me." He tried to pull her to safety, but Katya was too fast. She stepped forward, boldly confronting the goddess.” You've kept him long enough," she shouted.” Now it's my turn! -- I want him back!"

The towering figure blurred and coiled itself into a woman in rainbow robes who was now only slightly taller than Katya herself. Katya stared into her dark, fathomless eyes.” I know you've cared well for him," she said more gently, "but no one could love him as much as I do -- please, please, Lady, let him go." The Lady shifted her gaze to Danila.” And you, Danila?" she asked softly.” What is in your heart?" Danila couldn't speak. He moved forward, placing one arm protectively around Katya. Tears streamed down his face as he felt his heart bursting within him. The Malachite Lady read his heart. Yes, she thought, with this one I've succeeded at last.

Turning back to Katya, she reached into her flowing sleeves and pulled out a malachite box.” This I entrust to you, Katya. I've already planted in Danila the seed and nurtured in him the growth of the Stone Flower. And now I see that in him, of all the men who have come to my mountain, that plant may truly blossom. And this because through all Danila has held his love. But to you, I give of my own essence."

Katya opened the box and gasped. It was filled with pebbles and jewels in all the colors of the rainbow. She picked up a plain stone of polished granite and saw the Lady blur into a spirit of grey mists and fog with a laughter as rich as summer thunder. Then a piece of amber, and the mists swirled downward and turned into a small woman in golden robes embroidered with pine needles. A ruby, and the Lady grew tall, dressed in snapping flames. Lapis Luzuli, and she turned into a cosmic mother whose robes were the night sky scattered with stars. She smiled at Katya.” Back in your village, you'll no longer see me as you just have. But always remember that power remains coiled in each stone, responsive to a heart wise enough to understand." And so saying, the Lady vanished from their sight, but never from their hearts.

Danila and Katya returned to the village. Together they worked their craft - learned both from the dead Prokopyich and the living Lady of the Copper Mountain. And their work was famed far and wide, and sought after by many - some who truly appreciated the gift of the Lady and her Stone Flower and some who sought only to own things others deemed precious by others. For their remaining years together, however, Katya and Danila never forgot the lessons of the Lady's garden.

And so, Deer returned to his place in the circle and waited for Windwalker to call the ancestors…

…The air lay silent.” You could hear the Earth breathe with life if you listened close enough." thought the Elder. This is what First Woman and First Man must have heard in the beginning days of life on this plane. Those ancestors long gone now, many others as well. For The People recall many years on this homeland. The People lived on these sacred lands since before the memory of the Elder and her memory was long. Long gone were her companions of youth. Her family was large, but never did The People forget to honor those that came before.. From First Woman who came from below on the back of Mole as he dug his way up through the soft, warm earth. For her they poured water in the West each evening when the sun dipped below the horizon.

For First man, who was made from a bone fallen from the wing of Eagle they burned sage upon rising. Letting the wind carry their offerings upward. Grandmother recalled the story of how a bone fell from Eagle's wing and cradled by the Earth Mother grew. Shaping itself into First Man. This happened just after First Woman heard Mole talking of a place above that had blue skies and tall trees. Wanting to see this place for herself she asked Mole to carry her to this wonder he spoke of. After days of exploring she came upon a mound. As night fell she cradled herself in the warmth of the earth of that mound. Her breath touching it throughout the night. In the morning First Woman awoke to find First Man beside her. This is the story passed from Elder to child. They kept the memory of these first beings and gave honor to them for bringing The People to this place of beauty. The People learned to walk softly upon the Earth so as not to disturb the ashes of the ancestors. The People knew that the ancestors were all around them. So grandmother lit her sage and poured her water to hour First Man and First Woman. Her prayers carried upwards on the smoke.

As the voice stop, Windwalker realized she had come to the cave thinking about all the stories of Ancestors she had learned in her youth. Without realizing she had told her story , she awoke to find herself surrounded by friends and hearing the beat of the Drum as Owl provided it. She felt the oldness of the place around her. Maybe this is why she had step outside of consciousness to tell her story. Whatever the reason she was glad she made it back to wave to friends and share in the goodies. She lit her smudge and cleansed herself and waited for...

…Nym' lit two candles by the fire, one silver and one gold. While the milk and honey was warm and comforting it was time for something heartier.. Nym' and Bob had brought along a few horns of ale, a tale of the Norse Gods called for nothing less.

The tale of Skadi and Njord is a tale of the seasons, a celebration of change, of commitments, and of pride.

The Gods of Asguard were a lusty lot. They shared all they were with those around them, their passions, their hungers, and their favors. They shared all that they were, except for one small detail. They refused to share their immortality.

Thlassi was a Frost Giant of some renown. A shapeshifter and father to Skadi (who's story this is but a part of.) Thlassi pondered long upon the problem of his mortality and hatched the following scheme.

One day as Odin, Thor and Loki were wandering about looking for any trouble that they could get into (as was their usual want), they spied a herd of cattle, feeling a bit hungry, Odin sent Thor off to collect one for lunch. Thor returned with a large bull, full of flesh and by all appearances, quite tasty. So they built a large fire, tossed the bull upon it (after Thor killed it) and waited for it to cook. After a few hours they pulled the carcass from the blaze and hacked off a large piece only to discover it still quite raw, so they tossed it back and waited some more. They repeated this performance several times before they noticed a large eagle sitting in a nearby tree laughing at them.

Now even the Gods of Asguard thought that a laughing bird was bizarre so they stopped what they were doing and asked the bird what was so funny. The eagle told them that the herd was his and he had laid a curse upon it preventing any from eating it until he had had his fill. Odin looked up at the bird and figured that it couldn't eat all that much, so he agreed to let the bird eat first if it would allow the carcass to cook. The bird had no problem with this (even Frost Giants preferred their meat cooked) so he agreed. In minutes the beef was done and Thor hauled the carcass from the blaze. The eagle swooped down and ate all of the bull except for the hooves, horns, and other nasty bits, then flew back up to his limb in the tree and started laughing again. This pissed off the gods. Loki picked up a big stick and struck the eagle with it.

Surprise, surprise, surprise, the stick stuck to both the bird and to Loki, and the eagle took off dragging Loki over rock, briars, fires, and every other painful thing that he could find. Loki screamed in anguish, asking the foul fowl what he would have to do to be released from his torment. The eagle told him that if he would lead Anu out of Asguard at noon the following day he would let him go. Loki readily agreed (he would have agreed to almost anything at this point to stop the pain..)

Anu, wife of Braggi, was the keeper of a grove of apples that grew within the walls of Asguard.

The next day, Loki approached Anu and told her that he had found a grove of apples that were sweeter than hers while he was wandering about. Anu was annoyed and demanded that Loki lead her to them, so Loki lead her out of Asguard where a waiting eagle (Thlassi) swooped down and carried her away to his mountain fortress.

Unfortunately for the Frost Giant, Anu didn't bring any of her apples (the source of the gods immortality) with her. He was not amused, so after throwing a terrible tantrum, he changed back into an eagle and flew off to sulk.

Meanwhile back in Asguard, nobody noticed anything amiss until they started getting old, really fast.

All the gods got together to try to figure out what was going on, all the gods but Loki (it seems he had other things to do, like hiding out.) It didn't take the gods long to notice Loki wasn't around. Whenever anything went wrong the first person they looked to was Loki. So the, now doddering, gods tore Asguard apart until Loki was found. After a bit of persuasion (and pain) Loki admitted his part in things and was told to go get Anu back. Loki looked to Frey and told her that he'd need her cloak if he was to fly off to rescue the missing goddess. She wasn't happy, but she agreed to loan Loki her cloak.

So Loki flew off to Thlassi's mountain and grabbed Anu. Thlassi, still in his sulk, noticed Loki making off with his hostage, flew off in pursuit.

The gods saw Loki struggling with his load waved him toward a large bonfire they were building. He landed next to it just as Thlassi flew over the wall after him. The gods pounced upon the eagle, knocked it out and tossed it onto the blaze and had a big party (with lots of juicy apples) to celebrate their renewed youth.

At some point in the revels the gods stopped and thought that maybe killing off such an important Frost Giant, might not have been a good idea, so they plucked his eyes from the blaze and tossed them up into the heavens so that he could have immortality of a sort (just not quite the way that Thlassi wanted.)

At about this time Skadi, you remember Skadi this story is about her, arrived at Asguard demanding that the gods ransom her dad or face war with the Frost Giants. Oops, roast bird was NOT acceptable.

Now Skadi, besides being really upset, was beautiful. The gods invited Skadi to their revel. When Skadi asked where her dad was the Gods pointed up to the sky and showed her the stars that were all that remained of Thlassi. At that point he Gods asked her what they could do to stop the war from starting (Skadi wasn't stupid, she had a few (hundreds of) friends waiting for her return.)

Skadi spotted Baldur, and since he was much better looking than the homeboys in her neighborhood, told the assembled gods that if she could pick one of them to be her husband she'd tell her homeys [the Frost Giant horde waiting outside] that all was cool and they could go home.

Now, did I say that Skadi was a beauty? All the gods got together to figure out how they could get a chance to be the lucky husband. They decided that they would have a beauty contest, and then they told her that she would only have their feet to choose from. Skadi thought this was weird, but agreed. So the Gods hung a big blanket up and paraded behind it, showing only their feet.

Skadi made her choice and Njord, a middle aged god who had a bit of a paunch, surprised everybody by having the best looking feet.

Skadi looked at her new husband, and decided that drinking a LOT of mead might improve his looks, so she got toasted.

The next morning, Skadi awoke to find herself beneath the waves in her husbands hall.

Something unheard of happened. They fell deeply in love with each other.

Fidelity and faithfulness was unheard of before this among the gods and goddesses of Asguard.

Skadi decided to give up her frozen realm to dwell with her beloved. She lasted three seasons under the waves before the crashing waves and crying gulls drove her nuts.

Njord, seeing his love in such distress, brought her forth to her own realm where he vowed to stay with her. He lasted a bit longer, about nine seasons, before the blinding white and crashing avalanches drove him around the bend.

So the loving couple made a pact, for nine month of the year Njord would dwell in Skadi's hall with her. And for the remaining month she would dwell with him in his. And so the Norse were blessed with three months of pleasant weather a year when Skadi dwelt with Njord under the waves, and nine months of snow and rain while Njord dwelt with Skadi in her Mountain Hall.

And so Njord and Skadi gave birth to the seasons...

…head spinning with stories, mind whirling with fantasies, ancestral memories of tales told throughout untold eons echoing in her psyche, suz steps forward. she takes a small, pure, pristine herkimer diamond and lays it down gently.

'for the small ones forming and growing within the wombs of two women i love. great ones, i ask for them that they have stories. i ask that they are born with a love for tales. i ask that the wisdom we have heard tonight resonate and delight them always. so mote it be.'

smiling she steps back and lets the other petitioners step forward...

…Fern, pretty tranced out from the stories and the warmth after the cold trek to the cave, speaks.

"Blessed and High Ones, have any of Your people ever lived in times that were not 'interesting'? Until so very very recently all of us lived knowing that we were dependent on Y'all to protect our crops from the vagaries of weather and blights. Many in the world still do. Until so very recently all of us lived knowing that we were dependent on Y'all to protect us from disease. Many in the world still do.

"Until so very recently, those of us here in the West felt that we really did live in Avalon, the blessed lands. We felt that we could depend on humanity, having 'overcome' our dependence on the Gods and Goddesses, could depend on humanity getting wiser and wiser, on science providing all the answers and not more questions, on bright blessed futures.. and that the blessings were ours to demand, not Yours to bestow at your Will.

"That was until so very recently.

"Now, we can't avoid looking around us and saying that we - that humans - are idiots.

"Today, we are told in so many ways that our future, our blessings, rely on teamwork between us and Y'all. We have leaders.. let's just say that we have no faith in our world's leaders, to avoid any political statements! People in the what we took to be Avalon are looking about in fear, not sure of anything just now. Will our air be contaminated = and if so, by terrorists or by pollution we cause? Will our food be contaminated - and if so, by terrorists or by pesticides, herbicides, and other substances we have applied to them? Will our water be contaminated - and if so.. well, you get the picture.

"You've seen it all before. Species have come and species have gone.

"But you've blessed humans with brains. Why we don't use them to acquire not just facts and tools but wisdom is one of the Greater Mysteries, I suppose.

"So, Blessed and High Ones, on this night of the Full Moon, once again we are here, huddling in a cave around a fire. And I ask Y'all for Wisdom for all the humans, because we have proven that we need it!"

Fern walked over to the fire as she finished speaking, carrying a sachet. She sprinkles dried herb on the hot stone floor around the fire, and the unusual scent of Rue fills the cave.

She then returns to her place in the circle, awaiting...

…Owl approaches the fire, drumming softly, and circles the flames.. honoring the elements as she stresses the heartbeat of the Earth. Finally, she stops, and lays down the drum. From her robes, she pulls a handful of foil wrapped articles. She places them in the hot coals of the fire, and again, another handful.. and again.. and again.

Potatoes.. oiled and wrapped in foil.. she toes them deep into the ash and glowing coals.. A gift from the earth, a root vegetable.. baked in the ashes.. to become softened and hearty. Sometimes, life is like that.. we go thru the fire so that we soften and bend.. and learn to nurture. We see the cycles.. and I'd like to ask our Deities to make everything nice.. no war.. no terrorism.. no strife.. but it is not their doing.. they watch as once again humans rationalize destruction.

So my petition.. Dear Lord, Dear Lady,.. is please to not give up on us. There is still potential.. I hope.

Owl steps back from the fire, and picks up her drum.. once again finding the heartbeat.. then walking to the basket of apples, she places a bowl of sour cream, and lightly salted butter.. When the potatoes are done, this will go well!...

…Inspired by tonight's stories and Owl's words, Lorelei steps forward holding an old small olive tree branch.

"I offer to you, O Lord and Lady this olive branch so respectfully gathered from the tree in my home village of Italy 22 years ago. O Lady with your ever growing love and peace as demonstrated by the lunar light of this full moon night, may love and respect for all that you give us be appreciated worldwide. May a peaceful resolution be brought to this world that's in it's current state of political, social and religious turmoil for the sake of all your present and future children. So Mote It Be!"

Offering up the olive branch, Lorelei steps back to her place in the outer edges of the circle…

…Donna steps forward, recalling her journey here. “My feet were numbing and icicles pricked at my face from the scarf around it. I was hoping I am not too late. Trudging through drifts of snow and biting wind, I was reminded of the homeless people and animals who do not have a shelter to return to. I was thankful for the people who have sheltered me in my lifetime when things got tough. Dearest Goddess and Lord, I am eternally grateful for having known the touches of human kindness.”

Then, “I am finally inside your cave that Nym' knew was so right for communing with you. I wait for Lorelei to rejoin the circle after her heartfelt petition. Approaching the altar and looking around me I saw encouraging smiles and knowing eyes. Even with our fears of imminent death and destruction from war, an inexplicable aura of peace permeates this sacred space.”

Her still numb fingers fumble in her pockets for some raisins and acorns. She thinks hopefully that the creatures hibernating in the flickering shadows behind us will find them through their stuffy noses and groggy eyes when they need to feed. Then, “Oh, good, there's that candle underneath a ball of tissues.” She lights it by the fire from the many candles in front of her.

“Lord and Lady, my petition to you today is for more touches of human kindness. Everyday millions of children feel the touch of anger and neglect. Millions of animals feel cruel touches or languish in isolation in agribusinesses, tanneries, circuses, and in "scientific" laboratories. These animals' cries of loneliness and pain fall on deaf human ears because no laws exist to mitigate their suffering. Somehow, those who perpetuate acts of inhumanity need to feel your presence, as I have, to feel how 'out of place' their actions are. Just as the smallest touch of kindness can ripple upward into waves of the greatest good, so can the smallest act of violence spiral downward into war. Please continue to show yourselves to those that choose cruelty so that one day soon, they may see and feel our interconnectedness. Many individuals who are already doing whatever is possible for making changes see the whole planet as your altar and thank you for your constant inspiration.”

As she backs away from the altar to join the circle, the tears on her face begin to chill and fall to the ground; but, in her soul, Donna feels the quickening of warmth and a renewed strength of purpose. Winter becomes Spring, darkness becomes enlightenment…

…Draconis steps briefly forward.” I would like to petition the God and Goddess for prosperity for my family and I and help for my wife to quit smoking, please…”

…Robin has been sitting alone, over in a corner of the cave, her arms hugging her legs in close, listening to the wonderful stories, and enjoying the crisp apples. The sound of Owl's drum is soothing, so soothing. Her worries seem to drop away as she sways slowly with the rhythm. She is tired.

It has been a long hard week, and she is still stunned by the sudden and vicious infections which almost took her father away. The greatest gift she received on her birthday this past week was father's discharge from the ICU. Yet she knows he now sleeps quietly at home in his bed again, after a flurry of tubes, monitors and medicines.

"Thank you Goddess, for standing with me through my father's recent illness. Thank you for giving him the strength to fight off the virulence which threatened his life. Thank you for the jolt of reminding me not to take my loved ones for granted, as life is fragile, so fragile, we never realize it until it is too late. Let me see each new day with him as a gift, to be treasured."

She places a smooth round amethyst as an offering.

Blessed Be!...

…fem states quietly, “I would like to petition to almighty that he will guide me always especially when I'm in trouble. I wish also that my love life will become successful. Also help my husband in his job…”

…The sound of birds outside the cave woke Nym' up, she wasn't sure at what point she had drifted off. Was it the hospitality of the cave, the comfort of the company or just the sense of peace that had enveloped her that had eased her into sleep?

This circle will never close.. the sacredness of this space as always been here and will always be. The love and honor we give the spirits and beings that have joined us tonight is eternal.

As Nym' ventured back out the melting snow trickled beyond the entrance while the warmth of the suns glow embraced the scene.

"Would spring EVER arrive?" was her first thought as she looked at the muddy area around the opening of the cave. The warmth from within had found its way to the opening and given life to the ground there. Small spots of grass and the new shoots of the crocus struggling to life were making their presence know. As if in answer to her question three robins settled on the barren branches overhead.

YES!!!! Was the sign they gave, spring surely is just around the corner. The sound of others stirring inside let Nym' know a new day was here.

Brightest of Blessing with Love and Gratitude to ALL!!!! May all our lives be filled with the wonder of starlight ahead and the warmth of sunny days!!!