I see things now

Augustine thought that he once had a vision. He tells friends, ”I see things now.” He claimed that colors can change in the blink of an eye; that small objects quickly appear and then disappear; that rocks have their own music and some animals speak to him in a language that he can understand. Friends are skeptical. “Augie has that old-folks thing!” Visions were important to his people and Augie had tried and failed for his lifetime to see beyond the everyday. A visit to Turtle Rock and the Shaman had changed everything. He could now experience a new way to see things. But it was a subtle power. Quiet. Not the bolt of lightening that he expected. Augie had doubts. “If only I could be sure of that thing I saw!”

      The Bloodvein Shaman.

Comment: The story, “I See Things,” was inspired by a canoe trip on the Bloodvein river with a stop at the famous pictograph near Artery Lake. The Shaman is carrying a medicine bag and is said to have magical powers. The bison, with rounded hooves and a giant heart, is not native to this area and we speculated about the painter and his motivation. We quietly sat in our canoes with thoughts about spirituality and our own destiny in life. We placed tobacco on the rocks and departed this special place.