Visions & Encounters

By Gerald G. Thompson

Tsuki Waya/White Wolf, a Native American man, physically encounters his spiritual visions during a vision quest. The people and situations he encounters helps him define himself, helping him grow for the passions of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456727864

Gerald G. Thompson

Gerald Thompson has written this book inspired by his Native American ancestors. He lives in Onawa, Iowa, seven miles from the Omaha Indian Reservation, with his wife and children. He spends his free time drawing, writing, and storytelling about Native Americans.

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Visions & Encounters

Gerald G. Thompson

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2011 Gerald G. Thompson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 02/24/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2787-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2785-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2786-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011901328

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Special Thanks to:

Notice

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Special Thanks to:

The medics from the Montana & Wyoming Training Centers

And my wife – Angie

Notice

The contents of this book are and can be disturbing to some people. I assume neither responsibility nor liability or consequences arising from the use of information contained herein, which many include your mental status.

In 1855, the Siletz Reservation of Oregon covered over one million acres. By 1954, when the Siletz tribe was terminated, their reservation consisted of a 36-acre tribal cemetery. Termination was disastrous for the Siletz. For the first time, allotted Indian lands were subject to property taxes; few had the means to pay. By 1960, most of the land had passed out of Indian ownership.

With no homeland, the Siletz scattered. In the late 1960’s, Siletz leaders mobilized to regain their federal relationship and to reverse the disastrous effects of termination. With the help of the Native American Rights Fund, the tribe was restored to its federal status in 1977. The establishment of the 3600-acre Siletz Reservation in 1980 has secured the land base and resources necessary for the tribes’ survival.

Many other tribes are now federally recognized through the efforts of the Native American Rights Fund:

Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin

Kickapoo Indians of Texas

Massachusetts Gay Head Wampanoag

Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona

Louisiana’s Tunica-Biloxi Tribe

Narraganett Tribe of Rhode Island

Poarch Creek Tribe of Alabama

The Native American Rights Fund is a non-profit organization devoting all of its time to restoring the legal rights of Indian people guaranteed by existing laws and treaties. For further information write to:

Native American Rights Fund

1506 Broadway

Boulder, CO 80302, USA

Throughout the readings of this book you may recognize the Indian 10 Commandments:

1. Treat the earth and all that dwell thereon with respect

2. Remain close to the Great Spirit

3. Show great respect for your fellow beings

4. Work together for the benefit of all mankind

5. Give assistance and kindness wherever needed

6. Do what you know to be right

7. Look after the well being of mind and body

8. Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good

9. Be truthful and honest at all times

10. Take full responsibility for your actions

Chapter 1

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Subconscious

It was evening and I lay in bed listening as the radio played softly beside me. Glasgow, Montana is beautiful in the winter and I was pleasantly tired from hiking the countryside. As I enjoyed the music, I thought about my mother, whom I hadn’t seen in quite some time. I could see her face plainly. The skin stretching over her high cheekbones, the wrinkling around her eyes as she smiled. She always has a story to tell, and she keeps you wondering how it is going to end.

While I lay here daydreaming, I feel uneasy as I drift in and out of sleep. I found myself gasping for breath one minute, and then suddenly breathing normally.

At first I heard the music plainly, but as I tried to sit up, everything became blank. The next thing I remember was finding myself standing on the floor looking down at my body lying in my bed. I gazed down at my face; it was as pale as death. My eyes were closed and my mouth partly opened. I felt a calm sort of curiosity taking over my thoughts.

I looked around the room: Everything appeared to be in perfect order; the shelf with the books and trinkets, the pile of laundry, the dresser, chairs, the gray carpet, even the wall paper with its borders of pottery and feather (figures I had often counted as I lay sleepless). I glanced once more at my body then turned and walked towards the dresser with the mirror above it.

The room had been dusky with the coming of night. I went through the motions of turning on the light, but there was no need, for my face and body emanated a strong whitish light that illuminated the room.

Looking into the mirror, I became aware for the first time of the astonishing transformation I had undergone. Instead of seeing a middle aged man, I beheld a physique of a young man about eighteen years old. I recognized the form and features of my boyhood. I was now more handsome. My face appeared as if it were transparent, as did my arms and hands. However, they were not entirely translucent, for in the center of my arms, hand, and fingers, there was a brighter, more illuminated substance.

My eyes quite strong in my youth were piercingly keen now. My hair, no longer streaked with gray, was now as in my youth, black. It fell over my shoulders and down my back. To my delight, it appeared that I was dressed in a garment of shining white, cut low at the neck and loose fitting at the waist. I lost track of the music while studying myself in the mirror.

Turning away from the mirror, I walked out of the bedroom and to the front door of my apartment. As I reached to turn the doorknob my hand passed through it and my body followed, gently floating through the solid wood door. I couldn’t feel any resistance or obstruction as I glided through to the hallway.

Now, standing in the hallway, directly outside my apartment door, I was struck by a splendid idea, I would go downstairs and journey outside. Enjoying the feeling of anticipation at the success of my plan, my body had a feeling of lightness. I moved with the freedom of thought.

As I stood at the top of the staircase, I saw a kitten on the landing several steps below. The kitten pounced in a small semi-circle and looked my way. Could this kitten see me or just feel my presence? I wondered.

The kitten started hissing and meowing, ears folded down and the hair on its back was standing straight up. I moved down the stairs to further investigate the reactions of the frightened kitten, although my hopes of going on were dashed. Just as I came to the platform which separates the stairway into two flights, I saw standing before me, a woman spirit in shining clothes. Her arms outstretched and her forefinger was pointing upwards.

She spoke sternly to me saying, Where are you going? Go back to your body! I knew instinctively that from this spirits’ command and authority there was no appeal. Reluctantly heeding the command of the unknown spirit, I turned and ascended the stairs and returned to my bedroom. The spirit followed me through the front door, living room, and hallway until we reached my destination.

My body lay there, as still and lifeless as when I left. I viewed it with feelings of disappointment. I knew that I would soon have to enter it again, no matter how ugly it seemed to me, or how much I ignored it. The spirit, standing behind me, again gave the command, Go back to your body. The sound waves of her voice vibrated my very soul.

I begged her for more time, pleading, trying to get her to understand how peaceful I felt in my current situation…If I had made a mistake, tell me so I know what I did wrong. Her voice echoed loudly, You must go back, go back to the mountain of your Grandfather, only there you will find the secret of your searching.

I tried to comprehend what she was telling me. I opened my mouth, preparing to question her, but when I looked up, the woman spirit had vanished. I felt like a heart broken child, lonely and afraid. I turned to view my lifeless body. This time, like the first, it seemed ugly to me. There was no time for reflection. In another instant I had again joined with my physical form. It felt as though my body was splitting in half from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.

As my spirit body lifted high above the bed, I could feel the pressure of earth’s gravity pulling me closer and closer. I turned my head and noticed a thin tube (about the size of a fishing line) coming from the forehead of my physical body and connecting to the base of my head on my spiritual body. I floated downward. My spirit felt the restraints of flesh and bone. Then I realized that my physical body couldn’t survive without my spirit, even though my spirit can carry on without my physical body. Only then did I become more comfortable with their unity.

When I became whole again, my body rose from the bed about 6 inches. I woke up in a sweaty pool. I caught my breath and came to my senses. I got out of bed and shuffled my weakened feet. I found myself leaning on walls for support as I moved toward the bathroom to shower the sweat off my body.

As I stood in the shower, water flowing over my head and down my back, I tried to understand what had happened. Was it a crazy dream or had I really left my body? I remember having vivid dreams of flying above my house while using a swimming motion with my arms to propel my weightless body through the endless sky. This, however, had been different. Never before in my dreams had I walked through a solid wood door or met someone with the power of command such as that spirit woman had. Perhaps I was overly tired. I had worked a lot of overtime this past week. I had looked down and seen myself lying in bed. Could this really have happened? Did I truly travel out of my body? I must be too tired to think clearly. It was just a dream Tsuki, just a dream, I said to myself. I soaked in the shower letting the hot water carry away the feeling of unreality with the sweat of my body.

I stepped out of the small damp shower and toweled the beads of water from my skin. My eyes were again drawn, almost against my will, to the mirror where I examined my still naked body with new eyes. I got closer and closer, studying in detail my reddish skin and every gray hair. Every thought that had ever crossed my mind seemed to form the age lines tracking about my face. Looking for details of what my face must show to the people. What do they see during conversation? Was it the sternness of my chin or the serious gaze in my eyes?

Staring at myself, piercing through this marked outer shell of time and flesh, a flash went through me like a bolt of lightning. The image I now saw in the mirror was an exact duplicate of what I had dreamed earlier. (Young well built 18-year-old male). My youthful self was now reflected ghost-like over my mature body. My mind seemed to be spinning in circles. The ghost like figure became