“Whispers From the Mesa”
Written by admin on August 29th, 2008
A young man, full of questions and on a quest to find his purpose and path in life goes to the top of the mesa as many others have done before him. Only this time he does not hear anything that sounds like an answer to his pleading, upon deciding to return to the rigors of chores and duty he reluctantly descends the steep mesa to his fidgeting pony. Somewhat disappointed and feeling empty he turns his pony towards the fields he labors in, lost in thought a sudden breeze catches his attention and he hears these words within himself as audibly as someone may have spoken out in a loud whisper… “Look for It.”
Bewildered by this utterance he stops again and looks around, no one is there but his playful dog but he senses someone in fact, is there. He thinks hard about these words because it told him exactly what he came to do, to look for it; looking for the way, looking for the signs, and looking for the affirmation. That’s what he wants, the sense of confidence that he belongs, that he has purpose, and that he has inherent worth. “What am I looking for?” he asks over and over, then a rush of memories emerges foremost in his mind, he remembers something his father, who passed away a year ago, said, “When you are on the hunt and you are having trouble finding your prey, stop…sit down…and be still. Become very still, slow your breathing, slow your heartbeat, empty your thoughts and keep your eyes unfocused on any one thing but aware of everything. And when you are still long enough, the world will begin to move around you, you will see and hear things you could not otherwise, you will become aware of even the minutest of movements, then you have discovered a truth, of finding things that are there which you could not find before.”
So he dismounts and sits on a sandstone rock and waits until the insects crawl over his feet and his body twitches to move. He is determined to wait a minute more and then, the world begins to stir and move here and there. He sees something he’s not seen before, just a scratch on the underside of a large black lava rock. He explores and discovers more scratches which are actually petroglyphs carved into stone from ages past and he knows what these symbols and designs mean, someone is telling him their story. He understands also that he has been chosen to be the interpreter of these historic stories of his people, to be the faithful messenger of truths long held sacred but also long forgotten. His heart is relieved, his darkness passes, and as his spirit soars he is alive again.
Written by Fernando Padilla, Jr. © 2000 Padilla of San Felipe
Whispers form the Mesa is available as an open edition, framed to 8×10 inch for $60 or 11×14 inch for $95.
