The Journey - The Quest for Meaning

This is a modern American fable about a raccoon (Marcus) who leaves his home in the eastern woodlands of North America to explore and discover the meaning of life. He defies his parents and leaves their sacred circle of protection and love. His first challenge is survival which he quickly masters. He meets numerous characters on his journey and discovers many things about himself, others and Nature. There are those that will lead him astray, others to test his spirit and those who will carry him into a higher state of being. He doesn't always make the right decisions and suffers the consequences. His best friend is Coyote, who travels hundreds of miles with Marcus while they face and overcome many challenges. He discovers mighty rivers and moves into the great plains. He crosses the deserts and travels into the western mountains. He becomes a member of two western tribes and learns their customs and their sacred union with the Earth. During his travels he gains a profound reverence for the Earth. He is a seeker, a teacher and a keeper and through time transforms to a state of being greater than himself. His greatest teacher is a serpent who helps Marcus see beyond the physical into the soul of being; that soul of being which is directly connected to Nature and the planet Earth. The serpent helps Marcus see that morality - spirituality is an extension of the physical world that is directly tied to the Earth and Cosmos. The characters include, An eagle, raccoons, a spider, a badger, a weasel, a wildcat, a scorpion, a coyote, Gila monster, sidewinder, seal, owl, prairie dogs, condors, mountain lion, bears, plain dwellers, serpent and others. Marcus seeks to know and grows old in the process. His greatest discovery is yet to come which is his final journey into the unknown.