Snow White and Rose Red

Once upon a time long ago there was a woman who was very much loved by her husband. She became pregnant with twins. Her husband was so overjoyed by the idea of having a family with his dearly beloved he planted two rose bushes side by side in the garden. One bush was a white rose and the other was a red rose. But before his wife could deliver her babies her husband died suddenly and she was left alone to raise her daughters. The widow named her daughters Rose Red and Snow White. Even though the girls got along very well together, their temperament was very different. Rose Red had a fiery passion that she applied to everything she did. If she was painting, writing poetry, or running wildly in a field of flowers, it was done with the passion for life. While Snow-White had a quieter nature. She was as serene as the full moon rising on a pure mountain lake. She could quietly watch nature for hours never moving but inwardly she held an inner peace. Her pure demeanor attracted animals to her and they were unafraid when she walked through the forest. Snow-White's pure nature had a profound effect on everyone that met her. The two sisters loved each other very much and were seldom were seen apart, even though they seemed like exact opposites. As the girls grew, the roses bushes in the garden also grew together as one. The mother and her daughters in the evening liked to tell stories around the kitchen fire. They enjoyed sharing the events of the day. Rose Red liked to enact the different characters she saw at the market that day retelling the events with such excitement. She could make the dullest of people come alive into amazing stories. While-Snow-white would sing hymns inspired by the wind that blew through the trees or the subtle sound of trickling water that fell from the bucket being drawn from the village well. Snow-White deeply listened to the elements of nature. And Rose Red inspired and sparked daily events into creative stories, poetry and song. Both girls were gifted in their own unique way. One night while the family was sitting around the fire, they heard a knock at the door. The mother answered the door and when the door opened what they saw was a big brown bear half frozen from the winter chill. The mother invited the bear in to sit by the fire. At first the sisters were afraid of the bear; he seemed so wild and crude in his nature. But as he warmed himself by the fire the bear revealed his gentle side. The girls began to play with him combing his fur and picking out the twigs and stickers he had gathered from roaming in the woods. The bear and the family became best of friends over the winter months. And every night the bear would knock on the door of the family and share the warmth of the fire and the storytelling. Both girls had a growing love for their friend the bear. But as spring came the bear told the girls he would have to go because he needed to find his treasure that the mountain dwarf had stolen from him. During the winter the dwarf would dwell deep in the Earth, but with the coming of spring, when the sap rose in the trees, the dwarf would be up to his old tricks. But before the Bear left he presented a gift to the girls, which was a magic mirror. The Bear said, "This mirror will teach you the deeper meaning of life. Whenever you have questions just take out the mirror and it will show you the truth of any situation." When the bear made his leave, a piece of his fur was caught on a nail. The sister thought they saw a golden light that shone underneath the bear's fur coat. Could this bear be something more than his outer appearance the sisters thought? The trees began to blossom and fields of flowers started to bloom and every day the sisters missed their friend the bear. One day as they were gathering morel mushrooms by the river they saw a dwarf whose beard was caught on a twig . He was screaming ever so loud! The sisters tried to set the dwarf free but to no avail. Then Snow-White took a little pair of golden scissors and cut the dwarf's beard free. But rather than the dwarf being grateful, he grumbled at the sister's solution. The sisters were perplexed about what had just happened. So Rose Red took out mirror from her apron pocket. The girls held the mirror and asked why is this dwarf so mean? The mirror became alive and began to speak. "The river is like the river of life and the little dwarf found himself stuck on a dead old twig in the water. When you cut him free out of your kindness, rather than being grateful, the dwarf's attachment to his beard was much more important. We all become attached to how we think things should be rather than allowing our life to flow like the river." The girls looked at each other and took in the lessons of the magic mirror. It was another day and the girls were walking in the woods when they saw the little dwarf again, but this time his beard was stuck in the roots of a tree. He was pulling hard to get himself free but the more he pulled the more his beard became entangled. Once again Snow-White took out her golden scissors from her pocket and cut the dwarf free. The ungrateful dwarf howled every so loud at the girls for setting him free and cutting his beard. The dwarfs behavior again perplexed the girls and Rose Red took out the magic mirror. They asked what were the lessons here from the strange behavior of the dwarf? The mirror began to speak " The tree roots are the archetype of the family roots that go deep into the lineage we all carry. The dwarf would rather blame others for his dilemma of being stuck rather than being grateful when the choice of freedom is given to him." The girls looked at each other in amazement at the wisdom of the mirror. And they returned the mirror to Rose Red's pocket. The girls were again on a walk in the woods when they looked up in the sky and saw a great eagle carrying the dwarf who was grasping a sack of gold. As the eagle flew by the girls, the sisters grabbed the dwarf by his coat and pulled him from the eagle's talons. In the scuffle the dwarf dropped his sack. The dwarf got up from the earth and began to jump up and down yelling at the sisters for ruining his coat and making him drop his sack. He left in a huff leaving the sisters wondering what the mirror would say about such behavior. The girls brought out the mirror asking what was the meaning of the dwarfs behavior? The mirror began to speak, " The dwarf is the reflection of what happens when our greed and attachments are greater than having a higher view. We all need to have wealth to live our lives. This is important. But wealth should be used to uplift your life, your family, your community and your environment, not just for the sake of one's selfish purposes. This is the higher view." Rose Red and Snow-White thought deeply about the words the mirror had said. This time when the sisters were walking in the woods they came to a clearing and saw the dwarf dancing around a pile of treasure. He became so angry when he saw the girls he started to scream at them telling them to go away. Then all of a sudden, the bear came into the clearing and with one gulp swallowed the dwarf. His belly began to make all kinds of gurgling sounds and as the bear's stomach digested the dwarf, something magical began to happen. The bear's fur coat fell away and standing before him was the most handsome Prince with an aura of golden light. Rose Red and Snow-White stood there in amazement. The Prince began to speak, " The mean little dwarf had me under his enchantment. This enchantment is what every human being has to undergo here on Earth. The enchantment of getting lost in emotional negativity, or staying stuck in our family patterns, or becoming consumed by greed. When we understand and digest life's lessons, then we integrate our soul lessons with our human nature." When the Prince said the last sentence, something strange began to happen! Rose Red and Snow-White became a whirl of scarlet and pure white light. The Light blended together as One. When the swirling stopped there was only one person standing before the Prince. The two sisters became one beautiful Princess. The wise Prince began to speak, " You my Princess have integrated all the human lessons into your soul also. You have joined both your Human Passionate Nature with the Essence of your Pure Spirit. You no longer need to live out the separation of being Human and being Divine. This Sacred Human Incarnation needs both. Without your connection with your Infinite Spiritual Nature you cannot have the wisdom to see into the lessons of life. And without your Human Vehicle you cannot learn the precious treasures of the soul. It is foolish to deny one's passionate nature for one should live their life to the fullest. And at that moment the Prince took the hands of the Princess and with one kiss freedom was won.