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and two of which would give the children of the Earth time to escape the Creator's wrath." "How will I know these warnings, these signs?" I asked. Grandfather continued. "They will be obvious to you and those who have learned to listen to the Spirit of the Earth; but to those who live within the flesh and know only flesh, there is no know- ing or understanding. When these signs, these warnings and prophecies, are made manifest, then you will understand the urgency of what I speak. Then you will understand why people must not just work for their own spiritual rapture but to bring that rapture to the consciousness of modern man." and two of which would give the children of the Earth time to realised, as the elder spoke, that he was the spirit of a man—a escape the Creator's wrath." man no longer of flesh, but a man who had once walked a spiritu- "How will I know these warnings, these signs?" I asked. al path, possibly a shaman of this tribe. It was then that he under- Grandfather continued. "They will be obvious to you and those stood what the old one was trying to tell him. who have learned to listen to the Spirit of the Earth; but to those The elder spoke softly. "Welcome to what will be called the who live within the flesh and know only flesh, there is no know- ‘land of starvation’. The world will one day look upon all of this ing or understanding. When these signs, these warnings and with horror and will blame the famine on the weather and the prophecies, are made manifest, then you will understand the Earth. This will be the first warning to the world that man cannot urgency of what I speak. Then you will understand why people live beyond the laws of Creation, nor can he fight Nature. If the must not just work for their own spiritual rapture but to bring that world sees that it is to blame for this famine, this senseless starva- rapture to the consciousness of modern man." tion, then a great lesson will be learned. But I am afraid that the world will not blame itself, but that the blame will be placed on randfather had been wandering for several years and was _— Nature. The world will not see that it created this place of death G: into his forties when the Vision of the four signs was by forcing these people to have larger families. When the natural given to him. He had just finished his third Vision Quest laws of the land were broken, the people starved, as Nature at the Eternal Cave when the Vision made itself known. He had starves the deer in winter when their numbers are too many for the been seated at the mouth of the cave, awaiting the rising Sun, land to bear." when the spirit of the warrior appeared to him. He felt as if he The old one continued. "These people should have been left were in a state somewhere between dream and reality, sleep and alone. They once understood how to live with the Earth, and their wakefulness, until the spirit finally spoke and he knew that it was wealth was measured in happiness, love and peace. But all of that not his imagination. The spirit called Grandfather's name and was taken from them when the world saw theirs as a primitive beckoned him to follow. society. It was then that the world showed As Grandfather stood, he was sud- them how to farm and live in a less prim- Again, he tought that he was dream. | TRese things you may never see, iem wo ive ouside the las of Creation ing, but his flesh could feel the reality but you must work to stop them and, as a result, is now forcing them to OF this Plate; us wenses Knew that this and pass these warnings on to i he old man slowly bevan to walk another time and place. your grandchildren. away. back to the death and despair. He The spirit warrior spoke to turned one last time to Grandfather, and Grandfather. "These are the things They are the possible futures of said: "This will be the first sign. There will come starvation before and after this starvation, but none will capture the yet to come that will mark the destruction of man. These things you what will come if man does not may never see, but you must work to come back to the Earth and begin attention of the world with such impact stop them and pass these warnings on to obey the laws of Creation as does this one. The children of the and the Creator. Earth will know the lessons that are held in all of this pain and death, but the to your grandchildren. They are the possible futures of what will come if man does not come back to the Earth world will only see it as drought and and begin to obey the laws of famine, blaming Nature instead of itself." Creation and the Creator. There are four signs, four warnings, With that, the old one disappeared, and Grandfather found him- that only the children of the Earth will understand. Each warning self back at the mouth of the Eternal Cave. marks the beginning of a possible future, and as each warning [Author's note: This is the great African famine that inspired becomes reality, so too does the future it marks." the Bob Geldof "We are the World" Live Aid relief effort.] With that, the spirit warrior was gone and Grandfather was left Grandfather lay back on the ground, thinking about what he had alone in this strange, new world. witnessed. He knew that it had been a Vision of the possible The world he was in was like nothing he had ever known. It future and that the spirit of the warrior had brought him to it to was a dry place with little vegetation. In the distance he saw a teach him what could happen. Grandfather knew that people all village, yet it was made out of tents and cloth rather than from the over the Earth were now starving—but why was this starvation so materials of the Earth. As he drew closer to the village, the stench critical, so much more important than all the rest, even more of death overwhelmed him and he grew sick. He could hear important than the starvation that was taking place now? children crying, the moaning of elders and the sounds of sickness It was then that Grandfather recalled that the tribal elder had and despair. Piles of bodies lay in open pits awaiting burial, their _ said that the entire world would take notice, but that the world contorted faces and frail frames telling of death from starvation. would not learn the lessons of what the death and famine were The bodies appeared more like skeletons than flesh, and children, trying to teach. The children would die in vain. adults and elders all looked the same, their once dark-brown Grandfather looked out across the barren land that surrounded complexions now ash-grey. As Grandfather entered the village, the Eternal Cave to try to re-establish the reality of his 'now'. He the horror of living starvation struck him deeper. Children could said that it was still hard to discern between waking reality and barely walk, elders lay dying, and everywhere were the cries of the world of Vision, but he felt that he was back into his time and pain and fear. The stench of death and the sense of hopelessness place. overwhelmed Grandfather, threatening to drive him from the He told me that the Eternal Cave was always a place to find village. Visions of the possible and probable futures, and it was not It was then that an elder appeared to Grandfather, at first speak- uncommon for the searcher to have a Vision at the mouth of the ing in a language that he could not understand. Grandfather cave, not just inside. These things you may never see, but you must work to stop them and pass these warnings on to your grandchildren. They are the possible futures of what will come if man does not come back to the Earth and begin to obey the laws of Creation and the Creator. 60 = NEXUS DECEMBER 1999 — JANUARY 2000