"I should have known you'd show up again." The shaman smiles up at you and offers you a bowl filled with twists of paper. Have a blessing."
You pick one at random, and then hold the paper up to your eyes, looking at the color and texture, comparing it to the paper you're used to.
She laughs. "You artists are all alike! The paper is just a wrapper, just something to temporarily obscure what's inside, but there you go, staring at it as if it's the interesting part. Open it, why don't you?"
You laugh back at her, and slowly untwist the paper, paying attention to how it feels and sounds, so you can describe it properly later. Lying nestled in the paper is a tiny twisty tree, carved out of wood. She looks at it, and asks, "So, is this a bit of a tree, or a whole tree?"
"Yes!"
You turn, and see a little girl, reaching for the bowl.
"Now, now, Kati, you must let people answer the questions I give them on their own."
"I want another blessing!"
Kunabei laughs. "You already had one!"
A blushing young woman picks up the girl, and bows her apology to Kunabei and to you.
"So, will you read for me?"
"Of course. I read for all who ask."
You settle down on the blanket in front of her, tucking the paper carefully away, and roll the carved tree in your fingers.
She reaches into the bag and pulls out two brass disks. "First, the natural basis, the world as it is." She points to a disk with colored lines in different lengths, looking much like a pile of toothpicks. "Random. The embodiment of natural movement. Some things just happen. When seeds fall, some grow, some rot, and some are eaten. And all of those things can be good, though they are not always convenient for us humans."
She points to the next disk. "Your tools in this situation--oh, this is interesting. This is the mime, the embodiment of abstract sound. The mime never actually speaks, yet with every movement, he communicates clearly."
"Finally the abstract aspects that relate to your question." She pulls out another disk, this one iron, and covered in trees. "Forest, the contradictory aspect of land, the natural urge to bridge the distance between earth and sky. You are always reaching for the stars, yet you must remember to remain rooted, lest you fall down. If you let go of the land, you lose the sky. But, of course, if you focus too much on the land you lose the sky just as inevitably." She nods at the tree in your hands. "It is a good blessing for your new year, that little tree."
Tiny Tree
You pick one at random, and then hold the paper up to your eyes, looking at the color and texture, comparing it to the paper you're used to.
She laughs. "You artists are all alike! The paper is just a wrapper, just something to temporarily obscure what's inside, but there you go, staring at it as if it's the interesting part. Open it, why don't you?"
You laugh back at her, and slowly untwist the paper, paying attention to how it feels and sounds, so you can describe it properly later. Lying nestled in the paper is a tiny twisty tree, carved out of wood. She looks at it, and asks, "So, is this a bit of a tree, or a whole tree?"
"Yes!"
You turn, and see a little girl, reaching for the bowl.
"Now, now, Kati, you must let people answer the questions I give them on their own."
"I want another blessing!"
Kunabei laughs. "You already had one!"
A blushing young woman picks up the girl, and bows her apology to Kunabei and to you.
"So, will you read for me?"
"Of course. I read for all who ask."
You settle down on the blanket in front of her, tucking the paper carefully away, and roll the carved tree in your fingers.
She reaches into the bag and pulls out two brass disks. "First, the natural basis, the world as it is." She points to a disk with colored lines in different lengths, looking much like a pile of toothpicks. "Random. The embodiment of natural movement. Some things just happen. When seeds fall, some grow, some rot, and some are eaten. And all of those things can be good, though they are not always convenient for us humans."
She points to the next disk. "Your tools in this situation--oh, this is interesting. This is the mime, the embodiment of abstract sound. The mime never actually speaks, yet with every movement, he communicates clearly."
"Finally the abstract aspects that relate to your question." She pulls out another disk, this one iron, and covered in trees. "Forest, the contradictory aspect of land, the natural urge to bridge the distance between earth and sky. You are always reaching for the stars, yet you must remember to remain rooted, lest you fall down. If you let go of the land, you lose the sky. But, of course, if you focus too much on the land you lose the sky just as inevitably." She nods at the tree in your hands. "It is a good blessing for your new year, that little tree."