Envisioning my rattle

"I have given you my name" cried Lily to the wind. It was a very bold thing for her to do because in your name is the secret of your power. She had been waiting to say it aloud and now Raven had told her to say it this once. Lily was traveling with Wolf and Raven across the field of freshly cut hay. The smell of fall and fires and damp earth hung in the air. She bent down to pick up a clump of dirt thinking to herself that it was harder than she thought to hike through the field. The big old tree she was hoping to see seemed a long way off right now, she could see it in the distance, just a gnarled mass of branches. There were dozens of smaller trees closer to her but Lily needed only to see the oldest one, the one who had given her this name. As the dirt in her hand crumbled to the earth she looked up and saw a figure standing before her. It appeared to be a man by the angular shape of his jaw, she couldn't make out his features as he was covered in shadow. He had a feathers sticking up along the back of his head. With his right hand he reached up and plucked a feather from the band. With his left hand he gestured to the land around them. As he swept his hand over his heart Lily could see all kinds of small animals appear in the field. There were racoons, mice, rabbits and even some birds. The stranger said "Lily, come here, I have heard one of your names" As he called out to her in her new name she became a mist, a cloud. She could see herself as a white shadow woman. She could move over the fields without touching the ground. "What is happening" she asked. He did not answer her he just remained standing and silent. Feeling a little scared she asked "Am I a ghost?" She wondered if this was a portent of her death. She asked in a louder voice, wanting to know even it was a warning of what was to come. "Am I a ghost?" Again, he did not move, he did not speak. Thinking now that she was in middle world she asked for the third time "Tell me sir, am I a spirit? Slow steady drumbeats drifted into her hearing and a voice said to her " You are their spirit guide as they are yours, this is your land, this is your place care for it well. Shadow man took out a rattle and began to shake it. It was a fine beautiful rattle made of nuts and feathers and copper and turquoise. He showed her a rattle dance first hopping on one foot 3 times, then the other foot 3 times. White shadow and Black shadow then danced. As the drums and rattling faded so did the dark spirit, so did Lily return to her normal body and resumed her walk to the tree. Smiling she said to herself. Mother tree I come with gifts. Thank you