Greetings of this wonderfilled season to those of you on the OS list serve and other friends in Open Space.Those of you on the list serve know of our conversation about OS in dark places.Those of you who know me personally know of my own great wrestling of getting my mind and my being to understand the holding of space in places that are very dark, the exhaustion sometimes created, the need to befriend the dark somehow, and the belief that holding even the tiniest space Open amidst the dark, and sometimes in great personal struggle, is worth it. One never knows the power of what might emerge.On this eve of the winter solstice, in our home we celebrate the darkness, before we have our family celebration of the light and the new year tomorrow.
And so I wish to share a story with you as my solstice gift to those of you who are bringing Open Space out into the world. This storybook was given to me as a solstice gift by a dear friend, saying that it is really a story of Open Space . I agree. There are elements of light and dark. And of course a tree, and trees are very dear to me ( I collect tree stories).And of course the importance of the child and of the stranger.I hope you also enjoy this story. One "balloon at a time" "one open space at a time".Bringing goodness and light. Happy new year to you. The Story is "the Balloon Tree" by Phoebe Gilman <Long, long ago and far away across a wide ocean there was a small, happy kingdom. In a big castle at the top of its highest hill lived the King and his daughter, Princess Leora.Princess Leora loved singing and dancing and playing, but most of all she loved balloons. The castle was always full of them. One day messengers came with an invitation for the King inviting him and the bravest knights to a tournament. "Can I come too?" Princess Leora asked. "I'm sorry" said her father. "Not this time. But I won't be gone long and your uncle will look after things here. I want you to help him." "Not the Archduke!" Princess Leora said. "I don't like him. He's grumpy and he never plays games. What will I do if something goes wrong?" "Don't worry," said the King. "You can always signal me. Just gather a bunch of your balloons and release them from the tower. Wherever I am I will see them and I will come home right away." He kissed his daughter goodbye and rode off. As soon as the King had gone, the Archduke rushed in with the meanest guards in the kingdom. "At last! The chance I've been waiting for! Now I will be King. Guards, lock the Princess in her room and destroy all her balloons. Destroy every balloon in the kingdom." Pop!Wham!Kablam! Princess Leora could hear the sound of balloons popping everywhere. How could she signal her father if she had no balloons. But there was something the Archduke did not know about - a secret passage that led to the chamber of Leora's friend, the Wizard. Quickly she slipped through a small opening behind the curtain and entered a dark, twisting stairway inside the walls of the castle. At last she came to the Wizard's chamber. "You must help me," whispered Princess Leora. Quickly she told the Wizard what the evil Duke had done. "There is only one thing to do," said the Wizard. "Find one whole balloon. Before the next sunrise, plant it under the tree that grows in the courtyard and say these magic words>>moon balloon, moon balloon, tickle the tree. Four balloons, more balloons, blossom for me<<<< The sun was setting as Princess Leora slipped through the castle gates to begin her search. She visited the richest Lord in the city, but all his balloons had been broken. She asked the butcher. She asked the Baker. She asked the old toymaker. But no one had any balloons. She looked through dark alleys. She hunted in the empty marketplace and knocked on every door. At last dawn was near and there was nowhere else to look. Sadly she sat down by a small cottage. The little boy who lived there heard her and came to the window."Princess Leora! What are you doing here in the dark?" he asked. When the Princess told him why she had to find a balloon before morning, a strange look came over the boy's face. "I can help you!" he said. He ran off inside and came right back with a balloon. "When I heard the balloons popping I hid my last one at the back of my closet. I wanted to keep it, but you need it more than I do." Princess Leora thanked the boy and ran back through the empty marketplace. The moon was just beginning to fade when she came to the tree in the courtyard. She knelt down next to it, dug a hole and planted the balloon in it. Then she said the magic words.Suddenly the tree began to quiver. Tiny balloons blossomed on it and began to grow bigger and rounder. Princess Leora reached up to touch one and hundreds came floating down. More and more balloons blossomed from the tree, until they filled the whole courtyard. As the sun rose they drifted through the gate. People leaned from their windows and rushed into the streets shouting, and pointing, and laughing. "Pop those balloons" the Archduke shouted to his men. But whenever they tried, the magical balloons whizzed away. Before long the whole city was filled with balloons.The Archduke jumped up and down with rage when he saw his guards couldn't pop the balloons. He rushed at the tree with his spear, but suddenly a balloon blossomed on its point, and he bounced right back on his bottom. Just then a balloon burst forth from the end of every spear. Madder than ever, the Archduke ran after Princess Leora shouting,"I'll get you for this!" Far away the King was riding through a dark forest when he saw a balloon caught on the branch of a tree. He thought that was a strange place for a balloon to be, but when he came to the edge of the forest he saw something even stranger...his whole kingdom filled with thousands and millions and zillions of balloons! "Leora!" the King gasped. "She must be in great danger. Back to the castle at once!" When the King galloped into the courtyard he could see the Archduke screaming at the Princess. "You spoiled everything,"he was shouting at her. "It isn't fair. I wanted to be King!" "Princess Leora was right about you, you traitor," the King thundered. "Knights, put the Archduke and he men where they belong - in the dungeon!" Then the King invited everyone in the Kingdom to the biggest party there had ever been. The people played and danced and sang. Princess Leora opened the Royal Treasure Chest and gave everyone a present. The balloon tree stopped blossoming as the moon rose, but the party went on and on into the night. All the people stayed up past their bedtime. As for the Archduke and his men, they were in the dungeon for a long, long time. But they were never bored. They were kept very busy...blowing up balloons.
