THE LAW OF ONE

I remember the sound of the eagle flying above the canyon.

My companions and I were following its path of flight on horseback as we knew it was a good omen for the hunt.

The horses grunted as the four of us tracked the eagle until we arrived at an open pasture. It was getting dark so we decided to light a fire and make camp before venturing out onto the open plains to catch bison.

The sun went down on the westerly horizon to reveal the stars and a crescent moon. The noise of raccoons fighting filled the crisp, cool air but the four us were calm and resting peacefully.

In the hunting party was my greatest of friends and warriors Kuruk, Naiche and Elan. Our plan was to raid the bison herd for what we needed only. We would bring back what the village required for winter and no more!

Morning arrived and I was the first to wake. I contemplated on the hunt for a moment as I know how dangerous it can be.

Luckily I have my brothers by my side. As I thought this Elan rose to the morning light with Kuruk and Naiche waking last.

“We need to move fast!”, I said to the clan.

“The bison must have caught wind of us and are moving out already. Quickly men, let’s ride before we lose them to the valley. We won’t be able to hunt in there as the space is narrow and the terrain unforgiving”, said Kuruk.

“Good luck brothers. Remember the drill, we work together and flank as a four. Kill no more than the number we set out from the beginning. Once we meet our quota of ten bison then stop hunting immediately”, I explained to the group.

We rode around in a loop to approach the Bison from the south. I remember how dry my mouth felt what with the nervousness and apprehension.

“Head in that direction now!”, I screamed at Naiche.

He took the westerly flank and Kuruk headed east immediately to take the other side. Elan would ride to the front of a small group of stray bison that had already split from the fast moving herd.

I always preferred the bigger, stronger bison as prey but logically it made sense to take out the weak rather than risk confrontation with the larger males. The alphas provided more meat for the village but they have also cost many men their lives.

Anyone who survives a hunt in general is lucky. We know the risks but a man must provide for his family and so we ride out all the same.

Suddenly Kuruk screamed my name with a sound of urgency. A bison had fallen in front of me and I needed to act fast.

I guided my horse Black Hawk around the great beast and we carried on our stride. Kuruk rode in from the east side to check if I was okay.

“Stay on course brother. You know the universe would never take me out in that way”, I said with a smile.

At this point we had about a mile left until we hit the entry point of the valley. I knew we needed to take our shots quickly so I gave the order to close in and fire at will.

We went for the kill on around twenty bison that had separated from the herd. Each man yelled a secret war cry with each kill so we could keep count.

After about eight kills I was becoming aware of the valley. The entry point was close now and we were moments from running out of time.

I pulled back on my bow string and shot for number nine making a clean kill. “That will do!”, I screamed at the clan.

I watched Elan, Kuruk and Naiche pull back on their reigns as I did too. Bison number ten was not meant to be, although I could see that the men were disappointed with my call.

“I will not watch one of you fall in that valley for the sake of one kill. We will survive the winter on nine bison if we collect and forage enough vegetation as well.”

I could tell the men weren’t happy with my words but at the same time they did not want to fall. They knew my call was correct deep down, and despite the frowns I knew once the adrenaline wore off they would find gratitude in their hearts.

At that point the villagers with horses and carts arrived at the scheduled moment of daytime to collect the bison. It was not ten but it was more than enough to fill their faces with a smile.

I watched Elan, Kuruk and Naiche for a while and realised the disappointment was still not lifting from their faces though.

“When the villagers go, we will make camp for the evening and stay here before we return. To make sense of this you all need to learn about The Law of Divine Oneness”, I said.

I knew I would be unpopular for keeping the men from their beds and wives but I would not have them returning to the village with such energy. Misery loves company as they say and I didn’t want it spreading amongst our people.

In that moment I heard the sound of the eagle again and I looked up to thank it for our safety. Everything is connected as the men would learn this evening by the fire.

That night my brothers and I gazed into the flames with the mood still heavy.

“Let me tell you more about The Law of Divine Oneness”, I said to get the conversation going.

“An all knowing divine consciousness governs our reality, which of course the three of you are already in tune with by way of how we have been taught to live with the spirit of the land.

What you must understand is this most foundational law of the universe can never be incorrect. To live by it you must learn to accept that every thought, action and event is in some way connected to anything and everything else by way of the interconnectedness of all things.

This means that if we were meant to have killed ten bison today, then we would have killed ten bison today. By way of every thought, action and event being connected to every other, Mother Nature did not want us to kill ten bison today and that you must all learn to accept gracefully.

For all you know if we had ridden just a few leagues further then one of you could have been killed or injured. Or perhaps the bison we would have killed would not have mothered a calf that would have been the next alpha male of the entire herd.

If that killing had occurred it could have changed the course of a future event that may have influenced the survival of you, the village and the bison.

For this reason we accept what is. We accept the plan of consciousness. We accept The Law of Divine Oneness”, I concluded.

The men did not speak.

Kuruk then said “We owe you an apology. White Bear we see that by way of this law we were destined to catch nine bison and we must accept that with grace. We wouldn’t be sitting in this place learning wisdom from you if we had caught ten, so much good has come from the event already.”

“That is a great way to see it. Compassion is the key to activating this law and so although I don’t need your apology, the fact that you are willing to give it and accept that we are all one is certainly a positive step”, I said with a feeling of accomplishment.

Their acknowledgment and acceptance of this law removed the negative energy. Tomorrow we could return to the village with our spirits high.

The next day I looked to the sky to see the eagle again. My friends and I followed it on horseback as we had at the beginning of the journey.

It took us safely back through the canyon, until all of a sudden we heard a loud thud! It sounded like something had fallen in front of us so we raced around the corner to see.

In front of us were three mule deer that had fallen from the canyon whilst trying to escape a bobcat. I instantly shot at the snarling beast above to ward it from attacking.

The mule deer were dying so to put them out of their misery, we slit their throats and sent them back to Mother Nature. We would of course never waste such prime meat, pelt and antler though, and so we prepared the carcasses for the short journey back home.

I should have known that the universe would have another way of making up the ten. Three mule deer would easily make up for the missing bison.

“Can you see how it works now”, I said to everyone.

“Never underestimate…

THE LAW OF ONE!”

White Bear