The Story of the Blanket Between this World and the Spirit World:
Told By: ShaunaSay WhiteFeather
Cherokee Legend Keeper/Storyteller
Grandma, Grandpa use to say, "There are circles upon circles, upon circles�. And there are worlds, upon worlds, upon worlds�. And that everything the Great Mysterious has made is in the form of a circle."
Grandma, Grandpa said, "Here we are upon this world, but we have not always been upon this world.
But we come to this world from another world, and don't always stay upon this world, but; we leave from this world and go ever yet to another world. For there are worlds upon worlds upon worlds."
Now, a blanket separated the world we are on, and the world that we go to when we leave this one, from this world. This blanket has two sides and two colors, and on one side the blanket is dark blue, and on the other side, light blue. So it was said, that when we pass from this world, we went to the world beyond the blanket. Now this blanket, rested on all of the treetops that are all around us. And early in the morning, one could see the blanket turning from the dark blue side to the light blue side, and in the evening from the light blue side to the dark blue side.
Like I say, the blanket rested on the treetops all around us. And so, when we left this world we went to the world beyond the blanket�.
There was a man and there was a woman, and they were together for many years�. For 55 years they were together, for 60 years they were together, for 65 years they were together, 70 years they were together, for 75 years they were together, for 80 years they were together, 85 years they were together, for 90 years they were together, alas they were together for 97 years. And then one morning the man passed from this world, and went to the world beyond the blanket�
They had been together for so long, their children had grown, all their children's children had grown, and their children's children had grown. So the woman she found herself alone, and in her loneliness she said, "When my man was here, I had someone to share things with, I had someone to talk to, I had someone to walk with, I had someone to be with now there is no one." In her loneliness, she decided to go search for her man, so she went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, and she put it into her belt. She walked outside, and she looked up into the tall trees, then she began to climb�. (That's pretty good for a woman her age don't you think?) Up to the top of a tree she climbed, then she grabbed the blanket and pulled the blanket down, she took her knife and cut a hole in the blanket, and then she pulled herself up so that she could stick her head through the hole to look all around.
But no where did she see her man, so she climbed down and went to another tree, then another, then another, pulling the blanket down and cut holes in it, then stuck her head through those holes to look around for her man. All day long, but; each time her man was nowhere to be found�. At last she climbed down as the evening came, the blanket changed from light blue to dark blue�. Then she rested. Early the next morning, as the blanket turned from dark blue side to the light blue side, she woke up and began again. She walked up to another tall tree, climbed up to the top, pulled out her knife, pulled the blanket down and cut a hole in the blanket again, she raised herself up to stick her head up through the blanket to look around for her man. No where was her man to be found, again all day long over and over did she do this thing, till once again the blanket turned from the light blue to the dark blue of evening.
With each passing day, she watched the blanket turn from one side to another, many months passed, many seasons passed, and never no where was her man to be found. She continued until, one day she passed from this world to the world beyond the blanket. And when she got to the world beyond the blanket, she looked, and then she finally saw her man, her man saw her! And they ran and embraced one another! And she said, "I've been looking for you everywhere for you!" And he said, "I know you have." She said, "If you knew I was looking for you, why didn't't you come to me?"
He said, "I couldn't't, I couldn't't my love, this blanket is more than just a blanket, this blanket is a thick wall, and the only way to pass through the blanket is to go through a doorway."
She said, "I didn't't know that!"
"I know you did't know that!" says he.
"And I had no way to tell you!
"Ah, but I found the doorway!" says she.
"Ah yes, you found the doorway!" says he.
"And the doorway is death, the only way one could pass from that world we came, from to the world here beyond the blanket." Says he.
"Oh goodness!" says she. "I did't know that!"
"Of course you didn't't know that! And I had no way of telling you!" says he.
"Oh goodness!" says she, "That is terrible! What is going to happen to the people on the world we left, when one of their loved ones leaves that world and comes to this world beyond the blanket? That is of no use for them to then seek them out?" "I don't know." Says he. "I could not think of a way." She said, "We could think of a way together!" So all day long, they sat down and thought of a way to come back to this world, to let us know that it is of no use for us to seek those of their world who have gone beyond the world of the blanket, until they too have passed through the doorway of death.
All day long they tried to think of a way and could not. Evening came once again, and the blanket turned from light blue to dark blue, and just a little pass dawn this is what they did�.
The man ran to one end of the blanket, the woman to the other end of the blanket, and they picked up the blanket and they pulled the blanket up above the treetops, and they pulled the blanket up above the mountain tops, and they pulled the blanket up above the sun, the moon, the clouds�. And there they stand to this day, holding the blanket!
And now it is their responsibility to turn early in the morning, the blanket from dark blue to the light blue side, and in the evening to turn the blanket from the light blue to the dark blue side.
And now, the blanket is so high, that nobody can reach the blanket! And, because nobody can reach the blanket, because the blanket is so high�.
Then we know it is of no use to seek out loved ones who have gone from this world, to the world beyond the blanket until, we too have gone through this doorway of death.
And as I say, "This blanket is so high, extremely high!" So if you go out this evening, as the blanket is on the dark side, look up above the treetops, look up beyond the mountaintops, look up beyond where the sun was, beyond the moon and clouds�. Look to where the blanket is now, and you can see the holes that the woman cut into the blanket, and these holes we now call
stars�
