Oak Bark & Silver Spring
A bat, flying swiftly above a slow meandering river, noticed two of the Children sitting by a fire. Most of the time the bat did not pay much mind to any of the Children, or their doings, but on this night, he could not help but notice the aura of power emanating from the souls of the two figures down below. Having made a mental note of this odd little gathering, the bat continued his search for the insects which were still abundant around the river and its banks even this late into the fall. The bat would never know what happened to the Children by the camp fire, but he somehow knew that some momentous event -one that would affect all of the creatures of the river valley around them- would result from their meeting.
The men in their turn did not notice the bat weaving back and forth through the air above them. They were both engrossed in their conversation. Each man sat on a deer pelt, legs crossed, and on opposite sides of the small, yet lively fire.
The fire had been started by the older of the two men, not for light, but for warmth. Evenings were getting colder, and his old bones were feeling the chill of the encroaching winter more and more with every passing year. Tonight, no fire was needed to light the way, as the stars above shone brightly in the cloudless sky, shining so brightly that a person could walk freely through the fields and valleys of the Passaic river valley unhindered by darkness.
The Passaic river itself, by the shores of which the two men now sat, slowly wound its way down towards the marshes and swamps many miles away. Here, far from the ocean, the river was an imposing stream. The Passaic river and its surrounding valley had been home to both of these men and their clans for centuries. The river had blessed the Lenape people with an abundance of fish. The many fishing weirs of the local community were but a short walk up the bank.
Over his many years of life, the old man had seen the river abruptly change course on more than a few occasions. During spring the Passaic grew in strength and boldness because of the melting winter snows flowing down from the hills which surrounded the river valley the Lenape tribe called home. At these times the river became unpredictable; flooding over its banks with little warning and with much malice. It was the only time of the year in which the spirit of the river could misbehave; perhaps seeking, even if only for a brief period of time, to try and experience the energy and joy of the Children who lived around its shores. The Children, which danced, loved, lived and died all around him. But, after these short, out-of-character outbursts of energy, the river’s old spirit would calm down once more, and it would then get back to its slow and steady rhythm; once again making his way back down the valley to join other larger streams and together reach the ocean.
Many springs had the old man now sitting by the fire seen. Exactly how many none really knew, but everyone in his village and surrounded communities knew that this particular old man was one of the ancient Soul Walkers. And everyone knew that the old man was also blessed by the One with extreme health, long-life, resilience and wisdom. And that wisdom had come to the aid of the Lenape tribe on too many occasions to count. Many people, even from other distant tribes, would travel vast distances just for a chance to speak to the old man. He would not always give them his time. But on this occasion the old man had thought it best to hear out the young warrior now sitting opposite him.
Unlike his companion, the young man was tall, and he wore no skins over his broad shoulders. The young warrior was at the height of his physical powers. To look upon him was to look upon one of the Children spoken of in the ancient tales. No one would fail to see that here was one of the Ruling Children. A supreme leader at his most vigorous point in life.
The young man arose, and walked over to grab a few more pieces of firewood from around their camp site. Before feeding the fire with the wood he had collected, he took the time to whisper a short prayer of thanks to the spirit of the trees from which the firewood had come, “for your sacrifice I thank you. For your service to the One and his Children I bow to you.”
The old man noticed the small moment of respect offered by the young warrior and while looking into the fire said to him, “you have always understood that we must constantly show respect to even the smallest of nature’s spirits.” He paused “this is good. This you must continue to do.’
The young man sat down once again and after a long moment of silence responded to the old man’s comment, “I have known no other way. I must beg your indulgence, and ask you to forgive my impertinence, but I must …” The old man made a small gesture with his hand so as to interrupt the young man’s speech, “Silver Spring, you have also always been one who does not do well when mother earth requires that you sit in quiet contemplation to listen to her song. I know what you have come here to ask me. But before I give you an answer, I think it is important for you to remember something.” Silver Spring had come looking for advice from his old mentor on many occasions, and so he knew that when Oak Bark finally chose to share his knowledge with him, that it was best for him to simply be quiet and listen.
Oak Bark spoke to Silver Spring, and began answering the question he knew the young warrior had come to ask, and which had thus far been left unspoken “There is no total victory in life. There is total victory AND total loss. Life is a series of battles. Some large some small. Some you win, some you lose. Some you don’t even know you have fought, but simply understand that somehow a life-changing event had happened. In the end, no matter how many victories or defeats, you and the rest of us will die. Our souls will rise up to the One, and our bodies will rot in the earth or burn brightly in a funeral pyre. All of your life and my life and the life of all living things, will lead to the ultimate defeat: death. That is The Way. What you must do is live your life, and fight all battles with the understanding that the final loss is also a mighty victory. Because it is as the One has ordered it should be. In our deaths we reaffirm his mandate for The Balance, and thus we all participate in the largest victory of all. The continuation of The Eternal Balance.”
Oak Bark stopped looking at Silver Spring, and looked back into the flames. Silver Spring’s response was swift “I know all about The Balance and the One’s decrees. What I want to know is what will be the outcome of the upcoming battle. How can I defeat Cizin’s minion; Red Crow? You must help me. We are outnumbered and will face a vast horde of Cizin’s Tlalocan Bound-dead. Defeat will bring nothing but pain and destruction to the valley, and all of the valleys in the north lands, and all of the Tribal Nations!”
Oak Bark, stood up and slowly walked over to the river. He stood swiftly, as if he were not an ancient man but a teenager filled with youthful energy. He walked to the river’s edge, when he got there; he stopped. He breathed in the cool fall air, and took a moment to enjoy the musky aroma rising from the misty waters. He then spoke again, this time while looking into the dark waters of the Passaic, and not back at his companion. “Your name is Silver Spring. That is a good name for you. It was I who suggested the name to your parents. You are filled with the energy and power of a fast-running mountain spring. Full of vibrancy, and you stop for no one. Yet you are wise beyond your years. But you are still too impetuous, and yet continue racing towards the future, as the rushing spring does, so as to join the mighty river. In such a rush you lose sight of the wisdom of the ages. How could you do otherwise? Your nature is to rush, and push on, not to sit and ponder the One’s intent. In your rush you lose clarity of thought. You lose the freedom to anticipate, and act, because bold action in battle is as all things are in the Eternal Balance, it requires two opposite components, in this case, caution and fearlessness of action. That winning combination of factors can only be found by understanding the ultimate end of all struggles.” He looked saddened now as he looked at Silver Spring “So. Plainly. With regard to your question. The answer is very clear … why does any of it really matter?”
The young man rose, and walked away from the fire with an almost unnoticeable huff of exasperation. He had come for battle advice from the Soul Walker, a glimpse of some moment in the future, which might grant him victory over his enemies, instead what he got was more philosophy. As he already knew that there would be no arguing with Oak Bark, and that he would not be getting a straight and helpful answer to his question, he tried to calm himself by taking deep, slow breaths and by focusing on a point far into the distance. It was then that he looked above at the heavens, ostensibly so as to help him sooth his rising emotions, but also in vane hope that the answer to his query might somehow lay hidden amongst the celestial bodies there. With some surprise he noticed just how bright the stars were on this night. They were shining with such intensity that it almost felt unnatural. While beautiful, the sight also slightly disturbed him.
With a growing sense of dread, he resigned himself to go back to his war council and prepare as best he could for the coming battle. He would do the best that he could for his people. But still he was frustrated, he had just experienced another irritating session with Oak Bark. Though he was disappointed, maybe a little angry if he was being honest with himself, he knew that he would get no more from the old man.
Yet somehow, he also knew that if he reflected on what Oak Bark had said, that he would eventually come to understand the wisdom of the answer he had been given … “why does any of it matter?”
This is the Way.
