Sage's Three Tasks & Our Last Day

Bear Spirit had given Sage Three Tasks. Sage must complete each challenge in order to free Luna and bring her back to Poppy Mountain.

Bear Spirit spoke: "First, you must return to Scorpion Rock and lift the rock carefully. Ask the Scorpion Mother for one of her babies. You are to take the Baby Scorpion, tending to it with great care. Feed it a mushroom growing next to the creek beneath the Crooked Oak Tree. Once the Baby Scorpion has eaten the mushroom, it will speak to you the Secret of the Moon. Remember what the Scorpion says, for you will be asked by Luna the next time you see her.

"The second day you must follow your footsteps taken with Luna -- backwards -- from Scorpion Rock, across Rocky Ridge and finish at the exact spot where you first met. There you will find a Golden Acorn, which you must keep in your satchel. Make a chain of gold from pounded gold flakes you will find in the creek. Hang the Golden Acorn on the chain and give this talisman to Luna the next time you meet.

"On the third day, as soon as you awaken, you must go and drink from the deep pool in the creek. Take three long drinks. You will then be visited by Water Snake. He will show you how to braid with sweet grass, a braid just like Luna's hair. You must dry and then burn the grass. The rising smoke will be your final key to bringing Luna back to Poppy Mountain."

Sage awoke the next morning and was exhausted from his busy sleep and his visit from the Animal Spirit Counsel. In his heart he had his Three Tasks. His mind was questioning why he had to do this to see his friend again? But his Spirit in his heart knew that it mustn't be questioned. It must be done. He set off toward Scorpion Rock....

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 The story has been told. Did Sage free his friend, Luna, from behind the stone door? Only the children on Poppy Mountain know.

Our final day was spent listening to the tale, making cookies, drawing something from the story, and visiting the swimming hole in Zayante Creek.

Thank you to YOU for reading this blog and following along with Poppy Mountain's summer adventures. I am grateful for a beautiful, creative, active summer spent with delightful children, and my own daughter and baby son. Many blessings to you all! With love...

The Counsel of Animal Spirit Guides

Sage made his dream catcher the very next day. Using vines and wet grasses he created his magic web. In the center, he placed a shiny piece of black obsidian. He called on his friend, Raven, who gave him three lustrous black feathers. And he tied those on. Before nightfall, Sage gave thanks to the Animal Spirits: Bear, Snake, Raven, Quail, Scorpion, Rabbit, and asked for their guidance to find his friend Luna again.

When he went to sleep that night, Sage hung his dream catcher right above his sleeping mat. He fell into a deep sleep and in his dreams he met the Counsel of Spirit Guides. Twelve Animal Spirits sat upon thrones of glass in a perfect circle. The Spirit of Bear spoke:

"We are here to guide you, as you requested. Please listen carefully. If you are to find your friend Luna again, you must trust in every word we say and follow our instructions to the letter. You have Three Tasks to undertake before you can call Luna back to Poppy Mountain," said Bear Spirit. "She is trapped in a timeless space and needs your help to unlock the stone door that keeps her from returning."

"Tell me what I must do. I will take on anything," said Sage.

Bear Spirit gave him the Three Tasks...

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Today after story telling, we got right to work. It was bread baking day. In the wood-fired outdoor oven. In terra cotta pots. My husband, Hans, started a huge, hot fire for us, and built it up for about two hours. Meanwhile, our sourdough fermented in the terra cotta pots I had seasoned the day before. Read how here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/443734-how-to-bake-bread-or-cake-in-terra-cotta-pots/

Baking in our wood-fired oven, I often say, is an art. Each experience is different, every outcome unpredictable. Today we had the added variable of the pots, which we had never used before. I will say, it was a success. The loaves got slightly charred on the outside, on the side closest to the wood. In hindsight, if we had rotated the pots, it would've been better. But underneath the blackened crust was some very soft and delicious bread! I loved the idea of baking in a pot, and it was a super fun thing for the children to bring home.

While the fire heated up the stone oven and the dough was rising, the children did what we call in Waldorf circles "free rendering." Free rendering means a child constructs something completely up to them, in freedom of execution, and based on their imagination of an experience, a story, a lesson, etc. In our case today, the children made a creation from our story of the Animal Spirit Guides. They could make anything they wanted. The materials they had to work with included clay, beeswax,wool, paper, pencils, glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, and other crafts. The two photos below show Bear Spirit and Bird Spirit.