Chapter 15: The Apprentice

Fall arrived in a series of storms, each more intense than the last, until just after Halloween when a cold air mass from the north mixed with a wet air mass from the west. The valley lay blanketed under its first heavy snowfall.

Time had passed rapidly for Graydon and Mike; Graydon was unusually busy for a teenager: school had started, homestead chores and homework took much of his time, and he spent nearly every weekend at the Brightman ranch. Mike had strengthened his leg and walked with only a slight limp. He had not regained his full stamina. He needed to rest frequently during his forest walks with Graydon. Jim and Vi had a long visit with Dee Johns and won her permission for Graydon to spend weekends at the ranch; a “cover story” that Graydon was working part time as Jim’s helper was accepted by Alex Sr., who didn’t especially care as long as Graydon was bringing home some money each week and paying into the household budget. Jim and Mike had agreed this was affordable and it would provide perfect cover.

Graydon brought his skis and gear to the ranch. When the snow came he skied a long diagonal path to the upper hayfields, into the timber, and through the tree canopy to Mike’s cabin. He would arrive early Saturday morning, check in for a hot breakfast with Jim and Vi, and ski up for a study weekend with Mike.

Much of the first month was spent in “focus” studies: learning to calm his mind through meditation, and singing chants in a strange tongue which Mike explained he would understand when the native language settled into his mind. How the process worked stymied Graydon, but he’d learned not to question Mike. He would accept it and do as instructed. As his studies went along, his understanding grew.

Mike took Graydon to a small domed structure behind the cabin and introduced him to the sweat lodge ceremony. The sweat lodge involves a sacred and closely-guarded ceremony of the native peoples, Mike explained. It must never be treated lightly or discussed. It is a cleansing ritual for purification of one’s body and mind and is a way to commune with one’s spirit and ... sometimes ... with other spirits closely aligned with oneself.

“Everything that we will do, all that you will learn, all that you will become, has one purpose: to become one with your spiritual nature. The body is only a vessel; the spirit, what the churches call our soul, is the essence of man. The body is a demanding thing. It demands food, water, rest, protection, comfort, procreation and pleasure. Those who habitually submit to the demands of the body lose touch with their spirit. They become prisoners of their desires. Look about you; you will see that western culture has become a culture of the flesh. Few believe in the power of the spirit. Few recognize that the spirit has power in the physical realm. Almost no one believes that their spirit can control or heal their body. As for other powers of the spirit, much has been falsely branded as witchcraft, superstition, or mythology. You will learn about your spirit, the duality of body and soul, and your connection to the universe of existence.

“I cannot introduce these things in a way you understand: the sound symbols of language. There is a great weakness in this. Words are weak. They are pale shadows of my thoughts and they cannot carry my full meaning. We must move quickly to another way. That is why we will commence with the sweat lodge ceremony. It is time. Let us begin.”

Graydon sat cross-legged, head tilted back, unmoving, his eyes closed, lips apart, his hands laying palm upward on his knees. His eyes moved under his closed lids and his lips pursed as if forming words. His body glistened with beads and rivulets of sweat in the hot moist air of the confined space. He inhaled the clouds of steam; his chest expanded and contracted slowly, deeply, in a steady rhythm of long breaths taken hungrily through his flared nostrils. Vision followed upon vision like footsteps taken along a winding trail of time, tracing the decades of a life lived before his own, entwined in continuity with his own life. His awareness, his spirit expanded as a bud unfolds and grows under a warm sun.

The riders moved swiftly across the sand and greasewood plain. They had ridden for more than an hour and as they skirted the base of the high sandstone bluffs, a canyon opening came into sight. The old native turned his horse, stared for a long moment at the white rider, then spoke in clear English:

“You may depart us now, if you choose. Take with you our gratitude for the lives of our children, my grandchildren. If you return this way, you will be recognized as a friend of our people. You will be granted safe passage and if you have need, you will receive food and shelter and healing.

“Know this: you are in great danger from your kind because of what you have done this day. I make you an offer. Come with us, and remain with my people for a time. But know that once you enter this canyon, you may not leave until we believe you would never reveal what you see and learn here. To do so would be a grave threat to us.”

The children sat silently behind their elders. The younger rider, their father, sat astride his horse and studied Michael’s face intently, reading the truth of his expressions. Michael gazed back into the eyes of the old shaman. He saw in their depths something that spoke far more than his words: he saw promise, knowledge, an offer.