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was theirs for the taking, if they knehere to look and how to harvest But they could not take it for granted, because sometimes it ithheld

Each donii they carved was a receptacle for the spirit of the Great Earth Mother, and a manifest demonstration to inform the unseen forces that controlled their lives what they needed to survive She was syic, meant to show the Mother what they wanted, and therefore extract it from Her The donii was a representation of the hope that edible plants would be profuse and easy to find and gather, that the animals would be abundant and easily hunted She was a syenerous, a land that was rich, food that was plentiful, and life that was good The donii was an idealized figure, an evocation of the conditions that they earnestly desired

“I would like to thank Ayla …”

She was startled out of her daydrea when she heard the sound of her na about

“ … for her willingness to show this neay offire to all the zelandonia, and for her patience with soer to learn,” the One Who Was First said

There were reeenuine in her appreciation Then they began to discuss the details of the rest of the cere, and other cere ceremony known as the Matrimonial Ayla wished they would talk more about that, but priain to discuss it further Then the focus of theshifted to the acolytes

Zelandoni Who Was First stood up “It is the zelandonia who keep the History of the people” She looked at the zelandonia-in-training, the acolytes, but Ayla felt that Zelandoni see her

“Part of an acolyte’s training is the ends and the Histories They explain who the Zelandonii are and where the People co also helps one to learn, and there are ather with Her Legend, the Mother’s Song”

She paused and her eyes see up from the recesses of her own o It was the ends, because it was the one that told of the beginnings To ends easy to remember, they were told in rhyme and meter, and to make the stories that were required to be memorized even easier to recall, melody was often added by those who had the talent to co Sos were ancient and so fah to recall the story

Zelandoni Who Was First, however, had created a , and , a cappella, in a pure, strong, beautiful voice

“Out of the darkness, the chaos of time,

The ind gave birth to the Mother sublime

She woke to Herself knowing life had great worth,

The dark erieved the Great Mother Earth”

“The Mother was lonely She was the only”