Spiritual Justice for Planet Earth
Religious Fables, Folklore, Legends, and Stories
From All Creatures Articles Archive

Submitted by: Yuri Klitsenko

Man has taken the surface of Planet Earth away from the wise community of animals and plants and now he is lonely; he has no one to play tag or hide-and-seek with. In his empty room, surrounded by the darkness of nonbeing, there are no playmates and no games. Who can he play with? He is surrounded by an empty no.

The souls of animals banished from their bodies have invaded him, and the plains of his being are now subject to their law. They built animal cities in his heart. But a miracle happened: the beautiful gift of the right to live has been given back to animals and plants. And once more we are happy: a lion lies curled in my lap, asleep, and I sit here smoking my supper of air.

There plants, birds, and turtles all had the right to grow, live, and die. The rule was that all animals were to be kept from extinction. The best doctors had discovered that the eyes of live animals possessed special currents that had a curative effect on mentally disturbed people. Doctors wrote prescriptions for psychological treatment that consisted simply of looking into the eyes of live animals, either the gentle submissiveness of a toad's eye, the gemlike gaze of a snake, or the courageous stare of a lion, and they ascribed to them the same ability that a tuner possesses for adjusting out-of-tune strings. The eye cure became as widespread as mineral baths are today. Each winged creator advanced confidently toward a commune that included not only humans, but all living things on Planet Earth. And he heard at his door the knock of a tiny monkey's fist.

Yuri Klitsenko is a Russian living in Moscow.  He works for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Go on to: Spiritual Remembrance of the Northern Cheyenne People
Return to: Religious Fables, Folklore, Legends, and Stories