Dr. Earl R. Smith II

A Raven Tales Edition
By Dr. Earl R. Smith II

Announcing the publication of Dream Walk – Parables for the Living

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This is a book about dreaming and thinking – authenticity and inauthenticity. The first section – Dream Walking – relates an extended conversation between Raven and Wolverine. Their talk comes about as a result of an experience that Wolverine has had with Thrush. Wolverine’s question to Raven is actually Thrush’s question to Wolverine. But, as you will no doubt find, the question is different for each of them – as it is different for Raven. The question at the end of the section, however, is only for the reader.

The second section – Dream Food – is a collection of ‘dreaming’ pieces. Each short chapter ends with a question. Although most of the questions appear rather simple, I assure you that they are not. They are the dreaming pieces of the dreaming pieces. The more time you spend with them, the richer your dreams will become.

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You will meet Raven – creator of the world – also known as Trickster. Raven dreamt this world into existence and, having done so, faced the decision that all creators do – whether to watch his creation drift off onto the stream of time or to hop in and drift along with it. He made the latter choice with all of its implications. Raven is only the creator of the original dream – not the continuing architect of what has become of that dream. All of his creations are busily dreaming themselves anew. The most he can do is provide a bit of mentoring to those inhabitants that have resulted from his initial dream – enjoy their company – and rejoice in their dreaming of themselves beyond his initial dream of them. In that way Raven is something more of a parent than a supreme being.

Wolverine is the second most powerful spirit in this world. He has nothing in common with the cartoon character that modern media has made so famous. Wolverine is engaged in the higher levels of existence and working to understand exactly what it means to be. He possesses many of the characteristics of the natural wolverine. He is aggressive, mostly impatient and highly intelligent. His relationship with Raven, though differential, is often strained by these tendencies. Of all the spirits in Raven’s world, Wolverine has dreamt himself the farthest from Raven’s initial dreaming of him.

You will also meet other spirits, such as Deer, Bear, Wolf, Porcupine, Badger and Thrush. Each has their own strengths, weaknesses, challenges and potentials. Each started with what they were given by the pure chance of creation and has dreamt themselves to be as they have become

Together these spirits live in a wood that is populated by other living beings. Here Tree, Rock and Pond are alive and dreaming – and thinking such as they are able. In Raven’s world everything is alive to being alive

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Dream Walk is now available in PDF version – Remember, Read Green – for $8.75
One Hundred Pages of Parables and full color pictures – Come to Raven’s Wood and meet the inhabitants – may they touch your spirit as they have mine

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I wrote this book for myself – out of the time I spent in the high desert around the four corners area and in the Navajo Nations. During nights spent sating in front of a cave overlooking a canyon – my small fire adding its light to the stars and moon – the stories came to me. When I returned to civilization, I retold them and of the spirits that I met. Now I have put one of these tales down and added pictures that seem to touch those spirits and pay homage to those stories. I hope you enjoy your time in Raven’s wood as much as I have.

by Dr. Earl R. Smith II

As it happened Raccoon was foraging along the eastern bank of Brook That Wanders Through the Western Woods. The air was crisp this late fall day and the trees along both banks had already dropped their leaves – some of them onto the surface of Brook – only to be dutifully carried away. He sat and thought on this for some time. Read the rest of this entry »

A Raven Tale
By Earl R. Smith II, PhD

As it happened Raven was visiting Pond on a warm summer’s afternoon. Soft Breeze was gently wandering among the green leaves and pine needles along Pond’s edges. There was the murmur of things past and to come in the sound of her passing. Afternoon Summer Sun sent his rays down and bounced them off Ponds rippling surface – causing sparkles in the soft summer air inviting Small Ones That Fly in Bunches to dance in the shade and light.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II

“Why do I sense that we are done for now?” said Wolverine. “You are about to go off and leave me aren’t you?”

“I must leave you to ponder these things. What we must talk about next will require that you have spent some time in their company. We will meet two sunsets from now at Pond’s edge.” With that Raven took flight and quickly disappeared into the soft grey-white morning mist that still enveloped the forest below. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II

“I take it that that one is Humans. How and why are they different,” asked Wolverine.

“That is a matter for early morning when things are new and clear. It is time I am moving on and you need to settle in with what I have told you. Meet me at High Rock as Sun rises and I will finish my story.” Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II

I Have a Question

Wolverine looked at Raven and Raven’s deep, dark eyes stared back. “I realized that I could not help Thrush. The question was beyond me. In fact, it had never occurred to me. I am not sure that it is really a question. But I knew that, if anybody could unravel this, it would be you. And so I put the question to you, who is the ‘I’ in I am? Read the rest of this entry »

by Dr. Earl R. Smith II

Searching for Buddha

A monk set off on a long pilgrimage to find the Buddha. He devoted many years to his search until he finally reached the land where the Buddha was said to live. While crossing the river to this country, the monk looked around as the boatman rowed. He noticed something floating towards them. As it got closer, he realized that it was the corpse of a person. When it drifted so close that he could almost touch it, he suddenly recognized the dead body – it was his own! He lost all control and wailed at the sight of himself, still and lifeless, drifting along the river’s currents. That moment was the beginning of his liberation.

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By Dr. Earl R. Smith II

“I’ve grown tired of living life as one continuous fire drill.”

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I’ve found that this kind of affirmation is often an indication of life out of balance.

Balanced, life is a journey both in service to self and to others. What we experience from our life comes both from how much we allow life to bring to us and how much we bring to other lives.

These nourishing wellsprings do not exist independently. Theirs is a symbiotic relationship. The ‘continuous fire drill’ syndrome is an indication of a life out of balance. Let’s take a walk together. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II

One of the central ideas of Buddhism centers on the first steps on the path to self knowledge. Here are some thoughts that might help you start on that journey. We’ll go together. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II

I lived in New York City for a decade and a half. We had a saying … NYC is a prison where the inmates are the guards. It was some time after leaving the City that I came to understand how powerful that insight was. Read the rest of this entry »