I found myself wandering a desert valley with mountain ranges abruptly and radically arising on all sides. The entire place had a reminiscent feeling of the dream of the lost ancient city in the red rocks I had a couple of years ago. There was a very special feeling to the entire place. I soon encountered some modern Native American people who were exceptionally friendly and greeted me as “The Outlander.”  They escorted me back to their settlement, which was mined like caves excavated out of the mountainside.

The inhabitants of this otherworldly valley had beautiful dogs that seemed amazingly intelligent. The dogs were small with a purple tint to their fur and spots that resembled that of cat more than a dog. I commented on their canine companions and they beamed with pride. They explained that they had been bread from coyotes over hundreds of years to be life partners to their owners. It was the chief cultural heritage that held their tribe together and inspired them to maintain the old traditions. My guides explained that the pups choose their owners in a very special ceremony that was being conducted that very day. I explained that I had been looking for a dog for some time and would be interested in having one of theirs if that was a possibility. Believing that there was probably no way, I was surprised to discover that I could try like everyone else to be a part of the choosing ceremony that was by lottery. I was welcome to draw, but being an outlander, I had to draw three tokens to their one to be able to participate.

The tokens were small slices of wood with different coyote pups draw on each of them representing the pups present. They also explained that the pups, up till this point, had not been handled by anyone. A long line formed and I took my place in the line to draw a token. When my turn arrived, I drew a token with a white pup sleeping. Having drawn a token with a pup depicted I was able to draw again. Because of my outlander status if I had drawn a blank token I would be exempt from participating any further. I got back in the line with the others who had not yet drawn a token or had drawn a blank token. The drawing would continue until all the tokens had been drawn. On my second turn, I drew a brown coyote pup with red spots looking at the sun. There was a loud murmur of excitement at my second draw as I took my place again in the line. The line was much shorter now, so I found myself again drawing for a third time. This time I drew a black pup with white spots howling at the moon. Shouts and cheers arose and a beautiful young man came up to congratulate me on being accepted into the ceremony. He was very tall and muscular. His eyes were hazel brown with short jet-black hair. He introduced himself but his name cannot be written to preserve its sacredness.

My new guide took me to a large cavernous room with a hardened earthen floor and showed me a small painted circle in which to sit. He explained that the pups would be brought into the center of the room and released. They would roam about all the chosen and select who their new life partner would be. Everyone would remain until all the pups had chosen someone. I asked him why everyone seemed so excited that I could participate. I explained to him that I would have thought that some would be upset that I was crashing their ceremony. He explained that the odds of an outlander choosing three tokens was astronomical and that there was a prophecy that an outlander would come to them to serve as their shaman to guide them back to the treasure. Before I could inquire more the ceremony began and he returned to outside the main circle to wait for the choosing. The pups were released and instantly a white pup with bluish-purple spots ran over to me and climbed into my lap and settled down to sleep. Looking around the circle, thinking that I would see angry faces at my fortune, I only saw wide mouthed smiles and extreme excitement. In fact, so much, that the attention of the chosen was not so much on the pups but on me. As I watched the remaining pups, a bright brown pup with purplish-red spots made its rounds from person to person sniffing. When he arrived at me, I got a sniff and then an excited bark and he jumped up and started licking my face. Loud murmurs of excitement arose and another pup, attracted by the bark came running over to me. This one was purple-back with white spots. She ran over, stopped in front of me and looked me straight in the eyes—for what seemed like forever. Then suddenly she raised her snout into the air and howled. Cheering erupted and my new friend ran over and sat down beside me to help with the on slot of affection the two other pups were giving me. I asked him how I was to choose which one to keep. He laughed and said they choose you and you are to keep all three. As I sat there somewhat bewildered, another beautiful man with long completely gray hair came over to join us. He looked at my friend and said, “I would have guessed it would be you that would latch on to our new outlander. Bring him and his companion pups to the cave.”  My friend and guide, seeming extremely excited said, “Right away Master.”

After being congratulated by everyone and what seemed like hero worshiped, I was led up the mountain with my new pups in a backpack sling. The trail was precarious at best and I clung to new companion for fear of falling. When we finally arrived at the cave, which in this case was a cave, I was led into a magical place. The floor was hand laid stones with a large fire pit in the center. Bookcases loaded with books encircled the cavern and stood in every place available. Tables and shelves filled every other space except for the enormous canopied bed. It was something out of the tales of Merlin. It felt like I came home as I had adopted a place exactly similar to this one in my mind as an escape to find peace and tranquility.

The Grey-haired man sat cross-legged on a small rug by the fire. My guide and I joined him on the floor. The man studied me intently for some time. He began by telling me that his people were called the Keepers of the Treasure. When I acquired as to what the treasure was, both of them just smiled. Laughing, the grey-haired man explained that the treasure had been lost in time, but their traditions had taught them that it still resided in the valley and that they were to remain to guard it. Then he explained that there was a prophecy that told of an outlander coming to them and being chosen by the sun, the moon and spirit and would be called to serve as their shaman and guide them back to the treasure. Then I remembered the wooden tokens and that the pups matched each of the figures painted on the wooden slices. When I glanced at the pups he smiled and affirmed that the Sun, the Moon and the Spirit had chosen me. I looked at him concerned and he nodded his head and explained that was why everyone was so exited; I was the outlander that was prophesied to become their shaman. The man asked what I needed to do to separate myself from my current world and join them in their valley. Having already removed myself from the grid and all other ties with the modern world, I explained that I was ready at that very moment. Realizing that by saying those words I was agreeing, I found my three pups staring up at me intently. At that moment, I realized also that I already knew their names. Sun, Moon, and Spirit.

The Master explained to me that Sun, Moon and Spirit had a symbolic meaning. The Shaman’s Soul would enable him to be balanced in Male and Female energies. They termed this type of man a two-spirited or two-spirit man. He explained that in the outside world that they would disdain this kind of man due to his sexual preferences. In their traditions, it was an honored gender and accepted by all. The coincidences just kept stacking up. He also explained that this two-spirt man could choose his male mate and it was considered an exceptional honor by any man of the tribe to be chosen. Looking at my new companion, I said, “I am sure I know who that man will be.” Tears formed in his eyes and he reached over and touched my check while saying, “And He has chosen you.” The Master smiled and said that the prophecy was unfolding as the Shaman would unite with the tribal head and together they would search out the key to the treasure. He informed me that my guide was the chief’s son and next in line as chief of their tribe. I looked at him in shock and only love filled his eyes. The Master informed me that tomorrow I would begin the Spirit Quest that would begin the process of my ascension as Shaman of their tribe. He instructed my new life partner to take me back to his residence for the night.

Being overwhelmed and exhausted by the adventures of the day, he took me back to his hand-hewn cave and settled me into a thickly filled feather pad. All three pups cuddled up close to my chest and instantly settled down. I was amazed at how calm they seemed to be. He climbed in behind me and wrapped his arms around me and I fell asleep that night feeling more safe and secure than I had remembered ever being.

The next morning after being fed, we exited his cave-house to find the Master waiting outside. He led us across the valley and up a steep trail into the mountains. We climbed all day and near dusk arrived at a large rock ledge that enabled us to look out over the entire valley. On the rock ledge were three large rock circles within one other. Within the center circle there appeared to be the remnants of a large fire. The Master sprinkled a copious amount of some kind of powder on the blackened spot and stepped out of the circle. He took his staff and reached into the circle and tapped the ground and instantly blue flames danced to life. He came over and offered us some dried mushrooms and a flask of water. We ate the bitter offering and drank to relieve our mouths of the bitter aftertaste. He escorted us into the middle ring and sat us down. I removed my exceptionally lethargic pups from off my back as they crawled out of the backpack and into our laps. The Master removed himself and settled down on another rock ledge some ways further up the mountain without offering a word of instruction or explanation. As I sat there confused, I looked down at Spirit that had chosen my lap as his bed. I said out loud, “Now what?” I about jumped out of my skin when Spirit looked up at me with sleepy eyes and said, “We wait for the Masters of the Past to come and teach us what we must do to regain the treasure.” I looked over at my loving companion to judge his response to Spirit’s talking, but he sat there completely still with his eyes closed. As I studied the beautiful man before me I saw a light begin to blossom within the outermost circle. Each of the lights took on the shape of men and soon we were surrounded by men of light dressed in the regalia of the tribal office of Shaman. Then one of the light-men closest to me spoke, “Welcome Outlander and Brother.” Then I felt my guiding companion’s hand rest on my shoulder and I turned to see him smiling widely at me. That simple touch affirmed that what I was experiencing was happening to him also. The Master Shaman spoke again and instructed us to look into the fire. As we did, the fire shimmered and became a clear picture of a mountain-enclosed valley filled with water. Along the shorelines, thick jungles of plant life grew that appeared to be tropical in nature. Above the ring of thick foliage, the rock of the surrounding mountains jutted into rolling clouds. From fissures and large cracks, steam and mist poured out forming the enormous cloud ring that enclosed the entire perimeter of the valley but remained open in the center for the sun to shine onto the lake and surrounding jungle.  It was fantastic to behold. The Master Shaman spoke again and said, “This is the treasure.”

Another Master Shaman composed of light spoke and said that in time the Children of the Treasure became complacent of their world. They lost sight of the magic of the place and mistreated the land and their brothers. The Nature Spirits became angered and caused that the water should be taken back into the mountain. Soon thereafter, the clouds evaporated and the jungles dried up and died. In time, all that was left was the desert valley. The descendants of the Children of the Treasure has once again found the sacredness of their connection to the land and are ready to receive the treasure once again. He instructed us that we must climb the mountain and find the Water Staff and release the lake from within the mountain. As we looked at the blue fire again, we saw a picture of a large rock that seemed to be cracked in half horizontally. The Master Shaman said that the staff resided within the rock. We were to retrieve the Water Staff and return it to the Circles of Life and place it in the center to release the waters within the mountain. Then the fire died and the Master Shaman surrounding us shimmered and faded away.

The Master was standing outside the last ring of stones as I found myself sitting up from lying on the ground. I instantly began to doubt what occurred but my companion through began reciting the entire experience to The Master. I had some kind of intuitive knowingness of where and what we were supposed to do. As soon as he finished reciting the account of our experience, The Master informed us that we must begin immediately on our quest to find the staff. At that moment, Moon jumped off my partner’s lap and raised her snout in the air and howled. At that moment, the full moon rose above the mountains on the far side of the valley bathing us in astoundingly bight light.

We loaded the pups back into the pack and both of us knew intuitively exactly where we needed to go. We hiked throughout the night with the moon providing sufficient light for us to navigate the rocky crags as we scrambled up the side of the mountain. Just as we reach our intended location, dawn began to break. There before us was the rock we have seen in the vision of the flames. It was a rounded stone about four feet across that sat in a small bowl-shaped depression on the top of the mountain. About two feet down from the top, a large crack made its way horizontally around the entire stone. We walked up to the rock and together wondered how we were going to move the top portion of the stone to see if the Water Staff was indeed inside. Just for fun I pushed on the top of the stone and was surprised when it easily slid. Both of us instantly laid into the stone and slid the top half nearly off its bottom half. Slightly off center was a whole about six inches across. I climbed up onto the stone and looked down the small whole. Then I reached in and pulled out a 6-foot long staff whose wood was almost black. Worked impossibly into the top of the staff rested a huge aquamarine crystal of extraordinary quality and clarity. It seemed to radiate a soft blue light. As I climbed down off the stone, my partner embraced me and we both began to cry as we were overcome by the entire experience. We settled down on the ground, leaning up against the stone to rest. We instantly fell fast asleep.

In my dream, I dreamed that we were back at the stone circles again. A soft blue glow made a small ring in the middle of the center circle. We brushed back ash and dust to find a small flat stone that cleanly fit into a fitted indention beneath it. Prying up the small stone, light immediately flooded our visions. We both startled awake and looked at each other. I asked if he had had a dream about the stone circle and the hidden hole in the center. He nodded and we both quickly packed up the pups and headed down the mountain. We made excellent time and found the Master patiently waiting. Without hesitation, we went to the stone circles and found the secret compartment and pried up the round rock. Beneath it was a deep whole about six inched wide similar to the hole where the Water Staff was hidden. I took the Water Staff and slid it into the hole. It went in about half way and stopped. I tried to remove it but it was stuck. Then it slowly began to sink into the hole. When it was completely in, a bright blue light began to glow from within the hole. Then the ground began to tremble and from several large caves in various places in the mountains that surrounded the valley, water burst out and poured into the valley below. We all three sat and watched the valley slowly fill with water. We were awe inspired and completely exhausted and overwhelmed.

For several days, the water poured out of the caves without any sign of slowing. Tradition had taught to build settlements high up the rocky mountainsides in excavated dwellings, so everyone was safe from the rising water level. The water at this point was easily hundreds of feet deep and I wondered if it would stop. But as the water rose it began to spill into lower caves. Then the ground rumbled again and huge plumes of steam broke out of fissure all around the valley edge. It was just like the vision. The water must pour into caves where it flowed down until it reached molten lava and turned to steam that rose up and fueled the cloud-bank. Several days latter, clouds had formed all around the valley to enshrine the valley. Rain had already begun to inspire green patches of growth in several locations. It would take years for the jungles to reform and the ecosystem to reestablish, but the system was operating smoothly. It was indeed a treasure.

I slowly awoke from the dream and felt real pain in finding myself in my bed. The dream was so vivid. The continuity was precise and my recollection so clear. I could feel my heart aching to be with my new love and my three pups.

Dream

September 11-12, 2010