Full Circle
Kevinette H. Considine
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Copyright 2010 Kevinette H. Considine
There it remained, day after day and week after week. Although it wasn’t alone, its spirit was very lonely. Each day, when the door opened and the store was filling up with shoppers, it remained hopeful. Perhaps today would be the day. But then, as the hours passed and the lights dimmed, hope turned into sadness and it wondered if its’ maker was wrong.
The carpenter had always taken great pride in his work, but now he sensed that age was beginning to take its toll. His eyes were starting to fail him and his hands were becoming less than steady. Though time was no longer his friend, he knew he was destined for one final creation. This would be a gift from his spirit and the spirits of his ancestors that had long since taken their place in the otherworld.
As taught to him by his grandfather, he would talk to the wood as he examined each pile, for he knew the Manitou of the tree was forever present and should be respected. Each piece of wood was chosen with care. Slowly he would run his hand down each side to ensure that it was perfect and any plank with the slightest warp or defect was quickly discarded. When all the wood was chosen, he placed them on his horse and returned home.
Each day, at dawn, the man would set out to work on his creation. As he labored, he sang the tribal songs taught to him by his father and grandfather before him. With each note sung, he was blessing the Manitou of the wood and inviting his ancestors to do the same. The sacred chest was taking shape.
The inside is where he meticulously carved the history of his people, a great shamanistic tribe in the Americas. For protection on its journey, the outside was carved with 5 spiritual symbols; the thunderbird, which carried messages from the otherworld, the eagle for strength, a falcon for passion and fire and the dog, who was the guardian of ancient knowledge. On the lid he carved the raven, which magically transports energy from beyond time and space. Once completed, he put the chest together.
During the next several days, in accordance with tradition, he fasted and built a sweat lodge. On the final night before the blessing ceremony the man fell into a deep sleep and when the moon was high up in the sky, he had a dream. Upon awakening he knew there was one more thing to do before the final blessing of the chest.
As the sun rose, bringing with it a new day, he turned the chest over and carved the name of his tribe and the name given to him in the dream. Once completed, he carried the chest into the sweat lodge and performed the blessing ceremony. The chest was now ready to start its journey.
For many years the chest lived among those who did not have the spirit of the ancestors with them and it was very sad. Now, it sits in a rundown second hand store far from where it was made by the man.
Late one afternoon, an hour before closing, a young man came into the store. He and his wife were expecting their first child, a son and although they had little money, they were always in search for something special for the child’s nursery. As the young man walked around the shop, his eyes fell on a pile of old linens. It wasn’t so much the linens that interested him but what was partially visible underneath. Removing the pile he looked down at an old chest. It was dirty, scratched and in need of some repair but for some unknown reason, it beckoned to him. Inquiring about the chest, he was told that when the owner bought the store it was one of the items left. Though he had tried many times to open it he had been unsuccessful, therefore, he would be unable to verify the condition inside. Once a price was agreed on, the young man took the chest home.
Once home, the couple examined the young man’s find. As the two marveled at the beautiful carvings, they talked about the legends they had heard while growing up on the reservation, in particular, the legend of the Sacred Chest. The legend, according to the elders, told of a great Shaman, who lived long before the white man came. One night, while in a deep sleep, the Old Ones came to him and showed him a vision and in this vision he saw that a great upheaval was about to take place in the land, destroying all that was sacred. They directed him to build a Sacred Chest. This chest was to tell the story of his people and carry with it the secrets of the universe as shared by the Old Ones. Once blessed this chest would travel thru the ages until it was time for those secrets to be revealed.
As the couple started to clean up the chest, they were surprised to find that on their first try, the lid opened. The couple gasped in disbelief as they looked at the incredible carvings inside, carvings that somehow seemed familiar. But, it wasn’t until they turned over the chest that all was revealed. On the bottom, carved deep into the wood, were two names. The first was the name of a great Shamanistic tribe known only in the legends told by the tribal elders. It was believed that this tribe moved to the Otherworld to guide and protect all that was sacred. Then as if the young couple wasn’t shocked enough, the second carving started with a Shamanistic symbol that indicated an Enlightened One and beside it was a very familiar name. It was the name they had chosen for their soon to be born son.
The chest had come full circle and was indeed special, just as the maker had promised. The spirit of the chest knew that with the circle complete, a new age of enlightenment was about to begin.
The End