Only Walk on Water When It Rains is a guide for mystical cosmic consciousness and questing for unity in the wilderness. It is wisdom through stories and conversation with the great Bear Spirit. The stories and conversation reveal astonishing magic, mystery, miracles and magical song. Meister Eckhart wrote, "This spirit seeks to be broken through by God." Source God, the creative Love-Intelligence, leads us through a desert into the wilderness and solitude of the divine where God is pure unity, where God gushes up within Itself. To live in the rightful means to live within consciousness. There is a cosmic life that lies within us as a compass on our path. With heartfelt respect and dignity, I share my experience of the Native Americans. I'm thankful for the soul of the American Indian. I hold respect and honor for the invitation of the relationship the Hunka (Making of Relations) ceremony where the White Lance family chose my husband and me as their brother and sister. The Indigenous wisdom has opened my heart to a deeper feeling of a mystical communion. I'm grateful for the wisdom of all indigenous nations. I honor and bless the golden thread of wisdom which has been woven by stories and ceremonies.The healing thread of wisdom continues to reflect an interconnection that is available to all people. A powerful Native American leader, Duane Hollow Horn Bear, great grandson of the famous Chief Hollow Horn Bear, whose heart was healing from the broken arrows of racism said, "We all have red hearts," We are all related. I Only Walk on Water When it Rains By Patty L. Luckenbach Balboa Press Copyright © 2016 Patty L. Luckenbach All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5043-5556-8 Contents Foreword, xi, Preface, xv, Acknowledgments, xvii, Introduction, xix, Part One: The Path of the Feather, 1, The Path of the Feather, 3, The Soft Down of Your Belly, 7, Tall Trees, 11, What Is the Wilderness?, 13, Part Two: The Path of Heart, 23, Trust the Journey, 25, Coming Full Circle, 28, Stitching Prayer — Seeking Vision, 33, Seeking Visions, 36, Two Strikes, 38, Part Three: The Path of Inner Wisdom, 47, Deep Roots of Instinct, 49, We Are the Light, 52, Entering into the Den of Heart, 54, Dancing with the Sun, 57, Letting Go to the Greater, 61, Part Four: The Path of Transformation, 67, The Robe of My Soul — My Body, 69, The Pharmacy of Life, 72, Beyond the Dream, 74, A Thousand Suns, 78, Part Five: The Path of Cosmic Light, 81, Beams of Light, 83, Cosmic Circle of Life, 85, The Symbol of Masculine and Feminine, 88, Part Six: The Bear's Path to Empowerment, 91, Bearly, Bearly I Say unto You, 93, The Grizzly Bear's Guide to Self-Empowerment, 96, Paws or Claws, 100, The Bear Attitudes, 102, Conclusion, 103, Enter the Forest of Your Heart, 103, The Path of Feathers, 106, Bibliography, 109, About the Author, 113, CHAPTER 1 The Path of the Feather In 1994, I had the opportunity to invite High Star, a well-respected spiritual leader of the Rosebud, Lakota Indian Nation, to speak and do a blessing for our spiritual community. People dressed like wannabe Indians gathered outside to participate in the ground blessing before High Star's talk. One man dressed in a leather jacket with beads and held a wooden staff. I saw others point and say, "I bet that's him!" Five minutes before the blessing began, a lovely lady skidded a car with High Star inside into the parking lot. High Star, wearing jeans, a ribbon shirt, and Nike tennis shoes, stepped from the car. His long hair distinguished him as a joy-filled Native American leader; this man was full of charisma and presence. He taught Taoism around the world because he had discovered the ancient wisdom gave him patterns of nature. These were the same patterns in nature that his grandfathers had taught him. They were the magical messages of the ancient people. After his presentation, I asked if I could study Taoism with him. He paused and then asked me to go away for the summer and pray about this. If it was right for me to study with him, I'd receive a sign. I said I'd be glad to pray about it. I took him back to the airport and thanked him. During my drive back home, I found my rational mind on tilt while trying to figure out what the sign might be — or what he even meant by a sign. Every day I took it into my spiritual practice, praying for my highest path to be revealed to me. That summer, I defied my husband's wishes and purchased a beautiful aspen grove on some mountain property. I felt I had purchased a piece of heaven. The land became my sanctuary, and during the summer, I traveled there every week on my day off. I called this sacred place Tall Trees. There was the fragrance of aspen bark, the sweetness of wild flowers. The aspens stood as white candles erected to the heavens. I usually went late at night after teaching a class, and I drove by myself in my old, yellow Toyota pickup. I would carefully walk up the road and e