JOSE AND LEFIA STEVETIS 175The second sister said, "I would know that a fire was
coming and I would scream so the others would be
warned." The third sister said, "I would grab some sheets,
tie them together, and get myself and the others down the
rope to safety." "So who is right?" asked the old woman
gently. Each sister again argued that her way was best.
The old woman smiled. "Each of your approaches is
needed and each is incomplete without the others. To-
gether you make an effective team." The sisters then
asked, "But what of our mystery man?" The old woman
spoke again. "He was a part of yourselves looking for one
whole woman, not three quarreling parts. But he did get
you to reflect on your different styles and approaches.
You are each very talented. But you have not worked
together. He will return when you can work as one. Now
go." The old woman smiled knowingly to herself.We live in a world of indescribable diversity and infinite
creativity. Both the ordinary world and the spirit world con-
tain myriad forms and types even within the same species.
Shamans know that each being, whether the spirit of a
mountain range or the spirit of a lady bug, has specific pur-
poses and jobs to do. Each species has specialists who con-
tribute their part to maintain that dynamic tension between
the ordinary world and the nonordinary reality. Within the
world of rocks there are hard metals and soft metals, light
lava rocks and heavy granites, sharp crystals and stratified
marbles. Plants too demonstrate their diversity through not
only size and shape, but color, texture, and function. Insects,
reptiles, birds, and mammals each occupy their niches in the
natural environment, making their particular contribution to
the whole.
Shamans have discovered that this tremendous diversity
exists not only in the ordinary world, but in all realms of the
spirit world as well. The Upper, Middle, and Lower World
all reflect the vast creativity witnessed in ordinary reality.
Physically speaking, each rock may have a different shape,
size, and color, but in the spirit world each has a unique
imprint and energetic pattern. While it is true that at the
foundations of the web of power all spirit is one and the
same, at the surface levels each part has its distinct expres-
sion and character.
At all levels of reality, there are categories that classify
groups of similar types within a species or general class of
beings. For example, in a beehive there are classes of bees