"River medicine is very powerful. As long as the river water dances, the dance of life will continue," Gray Antelope explained as he handed Ross a small bottle. It held water from the Snake River.
"You put the Snake River water in the grandmother clay pot. All you need is a couple of drops. Dip your finger into the water. Everyone that you touch will experience its healing touch," he said.
Before Ross could say thank you, Antelope said, "Let's go for a ride in your car."
Ross and the medicine man got into his car. He started up the engine and slid the sun roof open. He headed north.
"You have a great car for medicine," Antelope said merrily," it has this top that opens. You can go down the highway and throw medicine corn out the roof. Everywhere it lands there will be a blessing." He laughed as Ross reached into his pocket and withdrew a small pouch. Taking dried corn from the pouch and flinging it through the sun roof, Ross wondered whose life would be changed from a chance encounter with the blessing corn.
Ross kept driving with no particular destination in mind. As they drove through a wooded area, Antelope seemed to know what was around the next turn in the road, "Ho! Deer on the road up ahead," he shouted out. And when the car sped around the bend, there stood two graceful brown-eyed does that had to bound off the road to escape. Antelope laughed, giving Ross a light tap on the arm. Ross smiled and kept driving north until they were following the river.
"Pull over here," Antelope requested and Ross pulled off the road onto the bare dirt. There was no other traffic on the road and the only sound was the rush of the river. The mountains rose high on the other side of the water and the sky turned dark above.
"Looks like a storm's coming in," Ross said, thinking of rain and flash floods. He felt a single raindrop hit his forehead.
"You will need to know how to open the river. I will teach you how to do this," Antelope said, ignoring Ross's concern about the storm. He walked through the trees and down the slope toward the river. Ross hurriedly shut the sun roof, rolled up windows and locked the car doors. Then he followed the path Antelope had taken. He saw Antelope standing in the shadows cast by the great cottonwood tree down by the water's edge and stopped to watch the medicine man.
Antelope stood in silence and looked up and down the river. He reached into his pocket and the sky rumbled above him, swirling with dark clouds. As he threw a handful of blessing corn onto the water, lightning crashed above him streaking across the sky like an angry silver snake. He was illuminated by the flash of light in that split second, a tiny human against a backdrop of wild river and mountain, captured like a snapshot in Ross's mind forever. He seemed frail and vulnerable and yet totally unafraid. For the first time, Ross feared that some harm might come to him, that he might lose his friend, Gray Antelope. He hurried down the hill and stood next to him.
"Hey, that was close. Are you okay?" Ross asked.
Antelope did not answer, but handed Ross some corn to use to bless the river. Ross hesitated for a moment as he looked up at the sky, waiting for the return of the lightning. Antelope watched smiling and Ross tossed the blessing corn into the water.
"When you open a river, you open it for all the beavers, so they can do their work. They are part of the river. When you open the river, you open it for the people, for all the children. To let the river energy flow to open their hearts." Ross nodded his head and waited for Antelope to continue.
"I can see all the people. I can see all the children. They put their hands out but their fingers are clenched down tight into their palms. They can't uncurl their fingers. They can't open their hands to touch and feel the world around them. Their eyes are closed," Antelope said, his voice full of emotion.
"They can't see the beauty around them. When they look at each other, it is with anger or hatred. Their hearts are closed. There are so many children. They need so much help. There are so many things to block their path, ancient enemies, old wounds, greed, alcohol, gambling, the lure of the golden cross. Many follow the wrong path. They close their hearts to each other and close their hands so that they can not receive the blessings that Spirit sends. So you must open the river to let the river energy go to them. The river will open their hands to receive and their hearts to love. It will open their eyes, so they can see the way."
Antelope squatted down and put his hand into the water and stood and rubbed some water onto Ross's hands.
"Take the blessing water and put it on the hands of children," he instructed. Then pulling a long red sash from his pocket, he added,"Tie several loose knots in the sash, then have the children untie the knots with their wet hands." Ross nodded in agreement.
"Then to open the river, stand by the river, hold the ends of the sash closed with your hands together out in front of you. Think of the river, feel the river, then open your arms wide. Feel the river coming through, feel it open. Say a blessing. Then hang the sash in a nearby tree," Antelope said.
Ross took the sash from him and followed his instructions, holding his arms out, fists together over the water. He stared at the rushing river and felt its raw power. He opened his arms wide and beckoned, he felt the entire river, for a moment, flow through his heart, breaking all resistance and washing it clean. Ross reached down and ran his fingers through the water, feeling its currents. He realized that it is only when a river is open that it may move freely, grow and evolve. Blockage creates stagnation, pollution, and illness.
Ross walked to a nearby tree. He took the sash and tied it to a branch that hung out over the water. Whispering a prayer, he stood and watched the river, feeling blessed.
When Ross looked at Antelope, he was smiling. It started to rain and Antelope started laughing. Ross took his arm and helped him up the hill to the car. As Ross fumbled to get the doors unlocked and opened, Antelope laughed and said, "I should have told you not to lock the doors, but I thought you knew rain was coming."
"Yeah, when you open a river, I guess you have to be ready for anything," Ross said once they were safe inside the car. The rain beat down upon the roof and drummed against the windows. The wind whipped the branches of the trees around, sending leaves flying against the windshield. Even in the rain, Ross could see the bright red sash dancing from a branch just above the river.
"You are right, my brother," Antelpe said laughing.
"Next spring," Ross said, "We'll rent a Winnebago and call it Big Horse. We'll go on a long trip. We'll go north, we'll go everywhere."
"We will go and visit everyone," Antelope agreed.
"We'll sleep on the back of Big Horse and load its saddle bags with food, toys and give-aways. We'll take paints and supplies. We'll make rabbit skin pouches and rattles," Ross continued. "We'll sing and drum in Big Horse."
"You and I will go and open the rivers. We'll work with the children," Antelope added. "We'll work in the spring, after the winter and bring seeds for planting the earth and the heart."
"That sounds good," Ross answered. "We'll just follow the rivers wherever they lead."
"And," Antelope joined in, "Blow the horn at the ravens on the road up ahead. Ho!"
