Archive 2
" Did you ever wonder how wisdom comes?.....There was
a man, a postman here on the reservation, who heard some of the
Elders talking about receiving objects that bring great power....He
did'nt know much about such things, but he thought to himself that
it would be a wonderful thing if he could receive such an object -
which can only be bestowed by the Creator......In particular , he
heard from the Elders that the highest such object a person can
receive is an Eagle feather.....if he could just receive an Eagle
feather he would have all the power and wisdom and prestige he
desired. But he knew he could'nt buy one and he could'nt ask anyone
to give him one.....it just had to come to him somehow by the
Creator's will.
Day after day he went round looking for an Eagle
feather....he figured one would come his way if he just kept his
eyes open....It got so he thought of nothing else....That Eagle
feather occupied his thoughts from sun up to sun down......Weeks
passed, then months, then years. Every day the postman did his
rounds, always looking for that Eagle feather-looking just as hard
as he could.....He paid no attention to his family or his friends,
he just kept his mind on that Eagle feather....but it never seemed
to come.
He started to grow old, but still no
feather.....Finally, he came to realize that no matter how hard he
looked he was no closer to getting the feather then he had been the
day he started.
One day he took a break by the side of the road....He
got out of his little jeep mail carrier and had a talk with the
Creator....He said " I am so tired of looking for that Eagle
feather.
Maybe I am not supposed to get one. I have spent all
my life thinking about that feather....I have hardly given a thought
to my family and friends....all I cared about was that feather and
now my life has just about passed me by....I have lost out on a lot
of good things.....Well....I am giving up the search....I am going
to stop looking for that feather and start living....maybe I have
time enough left to make it up to my family and
friends.......Forgive me for the way I have conducted my life ".
Then and only then, a great peace came into him....he
suddenly felt better inside than he had in all these years.
Just as he finished his talk with the Creator and
getting back to his jeep, he was surprised by a shadow passing over
him.....holding his hands over his eyes, he looked up into the sky
and saw, high above, a great bird flying over.....Almost instantly
it disappeared....then he saw something floating down lightly on the
breeze.....a beautiful tail feather !
It was his Eagle feather ! He realized that the
feather had come not a single moment before he had stopped searching
and made his peace with the Creator.
HE FINALLY LEARNED THAT WISDOM COMES ONLY WHEN YOU
STOP LOOKING FOR IT AND START TRULY LIVING THE LIFE THE CREATOR
INTENDED FOR YOU.
( Passage taken from : Wisdomkeepers, meetings with
Native American Spiritual Elders )
Love and light,
