- I am a Gypsy Prince 2 -
Harry AnderS, Dutch psychotherapist and writer of many 'books with a message'

Book 2 - Our Lucky Mascot


Please, also visit my homepage:
www.harryanders.com



(This is the SECOND book of my famous sequel 'I am a Gypsy Prince')

10. Orientating points; a dowsing rod; again my elusive porcupine.

    The next day, my grounding was over; and I felt happy to be allowed to enter our woods again!
Early in the morning, I prepared myself a healthy breakfast, and wolfed it down in a hurry.
Then, I went outside, enjoying the already abundantly shining morning sun on my naked body.
Just like most other kids, I already started to get a really nice tan!

    I sat down on our own Royal wooden bench, impatiently waiting for Misha to show up.
Come on, lazy slacker, your pupil is waiting...

    A moment later, Misha's caravan door opened; and my fifteen-year-old teacher appeared in the doorway, yawning and looking sleepy.
A broad smile lit up his face when he saw me, and he trotted towards my wooden bench and sat down next to me.
    Teasingly tickling my ribs and ruffling my uncombed hair, he asked me:

    "This morning, you really are an early bird! Shall we go to our woods immediately, so that I can teach you my first field lesson?"

    I nodded enthusiastically, and stood up to follow Misha into our woods.
Walking together, and bumping into each other on purpose, we entered the winding path to our huge clearing.
Fortunately, my healed feet and legs felt only a little bit stiff, but they were not painful at all.
My powerful Ancestor had done an excellent job, by healing me during my sleep!

    From the very first moment after we entered our woods, Misha started to train all my abilities.
Time and again, he asked me to recognize all the different orientation points he had told me about.
First, he took me along another winding path, towards a small overgrown clearing I had never been to before.
    Here, Misha halted, while he asked me:

    "Can you still tell me from where the sun shines, now that we can't see it through the dense foliage?"

    Fortunately, I had an excellent memory, and I told my teacher with a proud voice:

    "When we left our camp, the sun shone at our backs, slightly to the left. We entered this path, but it finally steered us only slightly to the right.
"So, I am sure that the sun now shines exactly at our backs, and our shadows are in front of us."

    Misha beamed, and enthusiastically ruffled my hair again:

    "Excellent! Now, can you tell me from where the wind blew when we left our camp, and from where it blows now?"

    Of course, I knew both answers; and Misha told me he was very enthusiastic about his outstanding pupil.
He left the small clearing; and took me through the dense undergrowth, in the meantime asking me many more questions...
Had I spotted that small water stream, hidden under the dense overgrowth?
Did I hear the little waterfall over there, although we couldn't see it?
Had I noticed the subtle change in our surrounding vegetation?

    Again, Misha stopped, in another overgrown clearing, while he asked me:

    "Now, can you tell me in which direction our camp is?"

    This time, being someplace in the middle of nowhere, orientating turned out to be a lot more difficult!
I tried to depict the surroundings in my mind, trying to remember where we had been and what I had seen and heard...
However, we had made too many turns, and I couldn't orientate myself any more.
    After a moment of feeling disappointed, I told Misha:

    "I am relatively sure I can find our way back from the small water stream or from the little waterfall.
"But, since then, I have lost all orientation, because I cannot hear the wind or see the sun through this too thick foliage."

    Misha smiled at me and ruffled my hair, while he told me:

    "I thought so, and that is exactly why I brought you here. Now, please, try to remember all the other means of orientating I taught you..."

    Yes, of course! Why hadn't I thought of that before...
Now, I had to look for the differences between the north sides and the south sides of the trees.

    I stepped towards a huge tree, and looked up along its stem towards its many entangled branches.
Indeed, all the branches tended to grow towards the South, where they could catch the most sunlight!
With a proud voice, I told Misha what I saw, and where I thought North would be...

    Misha nodded; and I walked around until I found a couple of moist boulders.
I looked at their moss patterns, and saw that the moss clearly thickened towards the North!
Then, I saw a plant with flowers; and all the flowers were looking into the same direction.
I knew they tried to reach towards the sun, even under the dense foliage where they couldn't see it.

    I became more and more enthusiastic; and started to feel like a real explorer...
From now on, I would always know where North was, and from where the sun was shining!
Since I knew from which direction I had left our camp, I would always roughly know how to get back home!
I put my arms around my friend and teacher, and thanked him abundantly for his valuable lessons.

    Misha smiled at me with a proud face, while he went on:

    "You have been an extremely fast pupil, and I am very proud of you. I even think we are now ready to go on to your next lesson.
"This time, I want to teach you how you can use all the different energies around our woods and forests."

    I could barely restrain myself, and nearly started to jump up and down from enthusiasm!
Finally, Misha would teach me how to develop and use my unfolding shaman abilities!
This was what I had been waiting for all the time...

    However, to my surprise, Misha only told me to get a small forked twig from some shrub.
What the heck did I need some forked twig for?
I thought that Misha would teach me how to sense and use the energies around us?

    Misha smiled at my impatient face, while he showed me how I had to take the small forked twig into both hands.
Next, I had to bend my arms and wrists, so that the tip of my strained twig pointed forward in some quivering equilibrium.
That way, any tiniest movement of my muscles would be clearly visible, by moving the tip of my forked twig up or down...
Soon, I got the hang of it; and I was able to let my fork tip move up and down, by tensing my arm muscles only a tiny bit.

    Misha nodded approvingly, while he explained what he wanted me to do:

    "This forked twig is called a 'dowsing rod'; and many native inhabitants all over the world have been using such a device during many thousands of years.
"The fork amplifies every involuntary arm movement; so that you can see even the tiniest change in your muscle tension, by looking at its moving tip."

    Misha waited patiently until I had tried out the amplifying tip some more; and now he asked:

    "Please, think of something which is true, and look at what your dowsing rod does while you don't move your arms at all..."

    In fascination, I looked at the small forked twig in my hands.
Its slightly trembling tip really listened to even the tiniest movement of my arms and wrists!
I just had to strain the fork with my arm muscles, so that the tip of my 'dowsing rod' was on the verge of turning over.
Now, let's try out what my teacher had asked me to do...

    Misha had asked me to think of something that was true; and I thought about telling him we were good friends...
Much to my own surprise, the tip of my dowsing rod immediately moved up; while I was sure I hadn't done anything to make it move!
This was an extremely strange phenomenon I had never seen before!
I let my thoughts return to neutral; and the tip returned to its starting position, pointing forward.

    Would this useful phenomenon work too, if I thought about something that was untrue?
To try it out, I thought about telling Misha that I was more than ten years old...
Immediately, the tip of my dowsing rod slumped down, sadly pointing towards the ground!
This was almost eerie...

    Misha started to laugh at my surprised face, while he told me:

    "See? It always works, every time you think about something. When it's true, your Inner Power grows a little bit, and the rod moves up.
"If it is untrue, you are losing power, and the rod moves down. Therefore, 'positive thinking' is good for you, while 'negative thinking' makes you ill!
"Everybody knows this; but only a few people know how to use this phenomenon to get useful answers from your own unconscious mind.
"By using a dowsing rod, or any other similar device, asking your Inner Self for any relevant answer is a piece of cake."

    Misha waited patiently, until I had digested his information and nodded my consent.
I never thought that 'talking to your Inner Self' or 'listening to your own heart' could be this simple!
You only had to take a forked twig, strain it, think of a question, and look at what the tip of your 'dowsing rod' did.
This could be VERY useful, and it would be fun to try it out on many other thoughts!

    After Misha saw that I was ready for the next piece of information, he went on:

    "Every unconscious mind always knows where 'home' is. That is why we use our carrier pigeons to send each other important messages.
"The pigeon always knows where its nest is, even from a far distance; just like all the animals in our forest always return to their own nest or lair.
"In the same way, Bedouins always know their ways through the desert, finding their oases in the moving sand dunes without ever getting lost.
"Native Africans always find their temporary huts, even through the densest of unknown rain forests, by using their 'Inner Eye'.
"Eskimos always return to their igloos in the ever-changing North pole snow, even if their homes are snowed under and practically invisible."

    Fortunately, after my friends and I told each other about our past lives, the older kids had explained a few things about the other countries.
Now, I knew what a 'desert' was, an 'African', and an 'igloo'; although I had never left our secluded camp.
    However, I already had another very important question for my teacher:

    "Misha, how does a pigeon use a dowsing rod, to find its nest? I never saw any bird use one..."

    Misha started to chuckle at the thought, while he told me:

    "I think a pigeon doesn't need a dowsing rod, or any other appliance, because it always uses its 'inner awareness' to feel where it has to go.
"In the meantime, for us humans, until we are trained to listen to our own hearts, a dowsing rod can be a very helpful instrument."

    Silently, I thought this new information over.
At the same time, I continued to strain my dowsing rod, trying to keep its tip in its equilibrium, pointing forward.
To my delight, every time when I thought of something, the slightly trembling tip moved up or down a little bit!
It was as if my dowsing rod followed all my thoughts, and reacted on them...

    Misha had told me that my 'unconscious mind' knew where 'home' was...
Immediately, the tip of my dowsing rod moved up a little bit, as if it confirmed my thoughts.
Would my unconscious mind also know where, for example, our waterfall was?
Immediately, the tip of my dowsing rod moved up quite a lot!
Obviously, its enthusiastic answer was 'yes'...
But, how would this forked twig be able to show me the way to our waterfall?
    Let's ask Misha about it:

    "Misha, how can I find our waterfall, by using the tip of my dowsing rod? Do I have to ask it for a 'yes' or a 'no' all the time?"

    "Boy; you really want to storm towards your next lesson immediately? Well, okay, I think you are receptive enough to give it a try...
"Please, this time, let your strained dowsing rod point down. Now, turn around slowly, while you concentrate on our waterfall..."

    Feeling very curious about what would happen, I strained my forked twig, this time letting its tip point towards my feet.
I thought of walking towards our waterfall; but, to my disappointment, nothing happened.
Why didn't my dowsing rod react to my thoughts, as it had done before?

    Tentatively, I started to turn around, slowly, while looking at the still unmoving tip...
Suddenly, the tip of my dowsing rod moved up until it pointed forward, as if it wanted to tell me where I had to go!
This was VERY strange!

    For a moment, I felt surprised; and then, I nearly started to dance from enthusiasm.
My dowsing rod really showed me the way to our waterfall, acting as sort of a clever compass!
Wanting to know more about this phenomenon, I started to try out a few things...
Every time when I turned slightly to the left or to the right, the pointing tip immediately went down, as if it wanted to correct me!
Would it really bring me straight to our waterfall?

    I looked at Misha for approval; and he looked back at me with a smile on his face:

    "Please, go on! Let your dowsing rod bring us to our waterfall..."

    Proudly, I stepped forward, following the pointing tip of my strained forked twig.
Soon, I was in the middle of some dense undergrowth; just like Misha always did when he brought us towards where he wanted to be.
Only, HE always found his way without using any forked twig!
Maybe, Misha had another way of knowing his way, without using a dowsing rod, just like many animals seemed to do...

    Now and then, I had to move around a thick thorn bush, or round some huge boulder or nasty pothole.
After that, I reused my dowsing rod again, turning around while concentrating on our waterfall.
Immediately, its slightly trembling tip pointed again towards where I had to go...

    Within a few minutes, I suddenly recognized our so well-known surroundings!
To my surprise, my dowsing rod had really brought me flawlessly to our waterfall!
I started to dance around, and nearly cried from sheer happiness...
From now on, I would never again get lost in our dense forest!
I only had to use some forked twig, and concentrate on where I wanted to go...

    I felt on cloud nine; and wanted to experiment a lot more with my newly found ability.
Tentatively, I thought of my trap, set up at the end of the steep ravine, while I turned around slowly...
Soon, my forked twig jumped up again, eagerly pointing to where I was now sure my trap would be.
I looked at Misha; and he seemed to know what I wanted to do and nodded approvingly.

    Again, I followed the tip of my dowsing rod, walking straight into the dense forest.
To my utmost delight, my dowsing rod brought me flawlessly to where I wanted to be!
I arrived exactly at the end of our steep ravine and our own flat boulder!

    Again, I started to dance around from sheer enthusiasm.
Never again would any troublemaking porcupine ever trick me into getting lost!
Besides, where would the beast be now, after I evicted it from its lair?
Had it been too frightened to return?

    Misha had followed me all the time, looking very proud of his little pupil:

    "Harry, you absolutely are a REAL natural; and I think we should switch places. From now on, you are going to teach ME..."

    "Huh? Do you think so? I am just too amazed that it's working..."

    "Yes! You are VERY special; as this is the first time ever you are using a dowsing rod! This is almost unbelievable, for such a young kid..."

    I didn't really believe Misha, but again strained my forked twig.
This time, I concentrated on Misha's trap, letting my dowsing rod point the way towards it.
Of course, its moving tip led me flawlessly towards the small bush where he had set it up!
Misha grinned at my ministrations; went into the bush; and returned carrying a fat marmot.
He set up his snare along another animal trail, and we went on.

    Now, I wanted to go to my own trap, set up in a small bush a little bit further away.
I really hoped to have caught an animal, so that I finally could roast my first beast of this season.
Hesitantly, I went towards my trap...

    A moment later, I stared at my snare, open-mouthed, not believing my own eyes...
There was my porcupine, staring at me with its dead eyes!

    I HAD CAUGHT MY ELUSIVE PORCUPINE!

    This time, I totally forgot to be silent.
Shouting at the top of my lungs, I announced my victory, while dancing around Misha like crazy!
Finally, I was able to roast my porcupine over our campfire, as I had promised it in my anger!
The beast had NOT escaped my wrath!

    After I calmed down, we swung our caught animals onto our shoulders, and went home.
This time, Misha led the way, because I was way too enthusiastic to be able to properly concentrate on our camp...
Half an hour later, we were home, and started to prepare our animals.

    That evening, we shared a delicious roasted porcupine and a fat marmot with our friends.
We all licked our fingers clean and burped loudly, to thank our caught animals for offering us their healthy meat.

    I even thought I heard the spirit of my porcupine, faintly telling me 'you are welcome', but I wasn't sure...
However, being thankful certainly felt great!

 

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I wish you lots of Love in your life, and Profound Peace in your heart.

Harry AnderS, Dutch psychotherapist and writer of many 'books with a message'

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