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.