In a small town, not far from here, a day dawned like many others. In the morning there was a small shower before the sun came out.
The children went to school and the men and women worked hard at their jobs and tasks for the day. The bread was baked, and the bread was eaten.
The next day dawned like many others. In the morning there was a small shower of rain before the sun came out.
The children went to school and the men and women worked hard at their jobs and tasks for the day. The bread was baked, and the bread was eaten.
A child came home to her mother and asked if she had lived today or yesterday and would tomorrow be yesterday or one day next week.
Her mother became troubled, she sensed that all the days were becoming as one and could not answer her daughter. She felt lost in time.
The next day dawned like many others. In the morning there was a small shower of rain before the sun came out.
The children went to school and the men and women gathered together to decide whether it was today or yesterday or one day next week. They could not agree which day it was, some said that all the days had become one. They said that the First of days and the Last of days had met in the middle and they called this the Convergence of days. No bread was baked, and no bread was eaten.
They decided to consult the wise women who lived on the edge of the forest and ask her how could they know the days of their lives?
She told them. You must watch the moon. At the beginning of the month the moon is thin and pale and sharp, then it thickens and waxes until it is full and round bright, then it begins to wan again until it is thin and new once more. This will happen every 28 days and by this you can know the days of your lives.
The people discussed this together and then asked, how, then shall we know the months of our lives?
She told them. You must watch the sun and its seasons. In the winter the sun is low in the sky at midday, the days are shorter and the air is cold, as winter passes into spring the world is warmer the plants and animals begin to flourish, as spring turns to summer the sun rises to its highest point in the sky and the world is a hot place, as summer turns to autumn the sun changes its journey and crooses lower in the sky, the plants come to fruition. As autumn moves into winter again the cold returns and the sun loses its strength. This then is the yearly cycle, by this you can know the months of your lives.
The people discussed this and then asked, how, then, shall we know the years of your lives?
She told them. You must watch yourselves as you grow, each one begins as a baby, grows to maturity and then grows older and passes away, by this you can know the years of your lives.
The people discussed this and then asked, then if we are people lost in time, how shall we find the meaning of our lives?
She told them there were some who believed that there was a great being who judged people and their lives, but of this there is no proof and some say that this idea is made to keep kings safe in their palaces and priests safe in their temples.
But, said the woman, I believe that you shall know your lives by living each day as if it were a sparkling jewel to be treasured. When you awake and your eyes rest on the world you must look carefully to see the colour and texture of the things around you. Breathe in and breathe out and smell and savour the air that is life. Eat and taste the food that the world provides for us and love and be loved the people who are sharing your journey through time. You may find that some people are bitter and in pain due to the lot that they have been given. You can give them succour and support and find that both your journey and theirs is enriched.
When they heard these words, they understood that they provided a way to live and to understand their lives. They asked the women to say these things once every week to help the people remember how to understand their lives. But they were worried that, once the woman had passed away that they would forget how to live. She said that she would write it all down for them so that it could never be forgot.
She wrote.
In a small town not far from here, a day dawned like many others. In the morning there was a small shower before the sun came out.
The children went to school and the men and women worked hard at the jobs and tasks for the day. Bread was baked and bread was eaten.
The Guardians of the Cave 