Not so long ago there lived two brothers whose hearts
threatened to destroy their community.
For within their hearts they had dug a Great
and Terrible Canyon—a division created by hatred.
For them, war was inevitable.
Then one day the younger brother took his friends and settled on
the other side of this Great and Terrible Canyon. This separation
was a physical manifestation of the desire in their hearts—
an outward fulfillment of their inner divide.
Thus separated, the light within each of them began to fade,
and they in turn grew cold.
But there was a glimmer of hope—a small coal from a dying
fire. For between them stood their mother—a person who refused
to have a heart at war. Instead of growing cold, she opened her
hands to her children and offered them a blanket.
She understood the deeper meaning of a blanket.
When a Two-Legged child is born on Earth, the mother
wraps that child in a blanket. The soft touch and voice of a
mother immediately causes trust and security to flow into the
newborn heart. These early associations of affection and care
with the blanket invite the Two-Legged child to a new
beginning in the wilderness of the world. It is a reminder
that our lives are both a walking and a weaving.
By offering a blanket to her children, the mother of these
two brothers was not only offering them protection from the
wilderness of the world—she was also inviting them
to remember their belonging place.
One day these two brothers inadvertently accepted her
invitation and stepped toward each other. In so doing,
they left behind their old lives and stepped into the
wilderness—into the canyon of their hearts.
While struggling through the wilderness, they learned
a deeper medicine—a medicine that illuminated the truth:
that each of us is responsible for the war in our own heart.
With this understanding came another wonderful truth:
if we are each responsible for the war in our heart, then we all
have the power to choose to lay down our weapons of war.
We can choose peace for ourselves.
Once they understood this, the brothers could return home.
The younger brother stepped before his people, laid down his old
blanket, and invited them to lay down their weapons of war.
Some did, others did not.
This brought sadness to the heart of the youngest brother,
for he feared he had led his people into never-ending war.
That is when the brothers remembered their mother.
For fifteen years she stood at the edge of the canyon
with open hands and an open heart.
Like Mother Nature, her heart was always open to them—
always inviting them to remember their belonging place.
Every child yearns for a belonging place—a place where they
feel safe and loved. Dear families—make your homes a place
of belonging. For no matter how far your children may stray,
they will always return to their belonging place.
Indeed, the path to peace begins when we stop thinking
about “me” and start thinking about “WE.”
For true healing is found within WE.
The Dawnstar
Having finished the legend, the Trailwalker stood
before our two peoples. He laid the new blanket on the
ground a crow’s hop away from the old blanket.
“And so,” began the Trailwalker, “upon this old blanket I
invite each of you to leave behind the warring ways that have
held you back. When you have done this, I invite you to step
onto the new blanket—into your own new beginning.
“After that, I ask you to invite others to do the same—
every day. For the canyon of conflict is an ever-present
danger. It is a canyon in which we all find ourselves.
So, with hearts at peace, we must walk with one another
and follow the light given to us by the Creator,
for that light will help us find the way home.”
The sun was just beginning to rise, the morning light
chasing away the shadows from the canyon.
The Trailwalker lifted his arm toward the horizon
and pointed at a bright white star.
“That is the Dawnstar,” said he. “It is said that the
Dawnstar is the last star shining in the night sky before
the rising of the sun. When all else is dark, the Dawnstar
shines on, giving hope to those in darkness.
“The Dawnstar is a forerunner, paving the way for the
coming of a much greater light. To the Ancients, the
Dawnstar was a reminder that if their hearts were pointed in
the right direction, the light of the Creator would cast
all darkness from their eyes and warm their hearts.
The old inhabitants of this land would not go to war
while the Dawnstar shone in the night sky.
All humanity was to live in peace.
The Trailwalker was silhouetted against the rising sun,
yet the light in his eyes was radiant. “You have experienced
light and peace,” he continued. “But this is not the end
of your journey; it is only the beginning. I ask you—
I plead with you—do not forget what you have learned.
Let this experience be as the Dawnstar—
a forerunner of greater light.”
The sun was rising rapidly now and, as it did so,
it became harder for me to gaze upon the Trailwalker.
He seemed as bright as the sun.
“With hearts at peace,” said he,
“WE can choose to walk the path that will lead us home.
These are the gifts of a new beginning from the Creator.
“I now lift my voice to the Creator on your behalf,”
he added. “Strengthen your connection with him and
with each other. And always remember that nothing
is more important than WE.”
With that the Trailwalker and the Dawnstar vanished,
replaced by the light of a new day—a new beginning.
To learn more about how you can end conflicts
at home and abroad, please visit