In another land the Cagers lived. From the time a child was born he 
was taught that everything was dangerous unless it was in a cage. As 
he grew he was taught what to make cages out of and what to put 
in the cages. Cagers feared uncaged things so much they even put 
themselves in cages. In fact, a person was judged by the type of 
cage he lived in. The most honored had the largest and most decorated 
cages. Cage building was sacred work.

One day while looking for materials some young Cagers came to the 
land of the Weavers. They were excited to see so much available 
building materials and were also frightened because they saw no 
cages and knew they were not safe.

Now begins a time when battles and conflicts between the Weavers 
and Cagers filled everyone’s days and nights and we will go forward 
to the moment when the Cagers learned about the Great Tapestries. 
The Cagers concluded that the strength of the Weavers was contained 
in the Tapestries. If the Tapestries were destroyed, the Weavers 
would loose their unity of purpose and be easy to conquer. The 
Tapestries were stolen, destroyed or damaged and the Cagers 
controlled the land. To ensure that the Weavers would not cause 
problems in the future, children were taught that Weaving was 
dangerous and small minded and Caging was holy and safe. 
Cager thinking was rewarded and Weaver thinking was punished. 
Laws were written to abolish the attempt of anyone who prevented 
cage building. On a social level people who didn’t want to build or 
lacked building skills were ridiculed or shunned.

After hundreds of years there were still Weavers and there were 
still Cagers, but now there were also many in between and the land 
was covered with cages. Some Cagers felt comfortable that they 
could use whatever land was left anytime they want to and some 
Cagers felt uncomfortable because they were running out of building 
materials and room to build. It was at this time a group of Weavers 
came forward and demanded all Tapestries that had been taken during 
the conquest be returned. The Tapestries that were kept by the Cagers 
were only frayed, tattered bits of the originals and some of the Cagers 
agreed thinking it couldn’t hurt and some agreed thinking it could 
help and some refused to release the fragments from their safe 
glass cages. In the end it was decided that the Tapestries would 
not be released but weaving would be legal - with contingencies: 

 Weaving could only be done in areas assigned by Cagers
 Materials used for cages could not be used for weaving 
 or for looms  without permission.
   etc.          
 
In short, weaving was legal as long as it didn’t interfere with cage building, or look like it had the potential to interfere in future cage building. 

Tapestries that had been kept hidden and worked on for hundreds of years were brought out and displayed. Everyone one who saw a Tapestry was affected and there were so many, that a person could spend a life just in categorizing which group of Weavers worked a particular Tapestry. People were amazed at their beauty and wanted to know as much about the Tapestries as they could. The study of Tapestry seemed to become more important than weaving and being the owner of a piece of tapestry was a status symbol. Soon, a great many people claimed to own or to be related to someone who owned an original piece of Tapestry..

The Tapestry Industry grew. At first, a good copy would bring in as much money as an original because most people could not tell the difference - but experts in Tapestry Categorization could. The Categorizers made money selling books that claimed to teach the difference. Since alot of these books stated that all Tapestries were a forgery except for what the author offered, people wanted more assurance that what they owned was authentic.

The Cagers appointed trusted Categorizers to search the land and document each authentic Tapestry and list the names of those who could prove they contributed to the weaving. Each listed person was given a number to use along with the Tapestry they made for public sale. The list was published and considered final. People didn’t really read the lists, just knowing the information was locked up safe in a book allowed them to spend their money in peace. It didn’t matter that many Tapestries were not found and documented and it didn’t matter that many who claimed to be listed were not.

Eventually, the glory of owning a bit of Tapestry faded because anyone could have a piece - BUT not everyone was a Weaver. And people came to learn Weaving. They brought gifts and money and promises hoping to take in a few quick lessons and have themselves declared Weavers. What the Seekers expected was a painless exchange, what they got was scrutinized, interrogated and tested by the general population of that particular group of Weavers before they were even considered to be considered. Recreational Seekers left right away. Those who were driven by stronger forces stayed and if accepted, were finally introduced to the Carekeeper of the Tapestry.

Some Carekeepers turned their backs on all Cagers thinking The Fear of Uncaged Things was a highly contagious disease and would destroy all Natural Weavers if they were exposed to it. Some thought that anyone with Weaver blood was immune to the Fear. Some accepted only those who displayed Weaver characteristics. And some relied on the wonderment of the Tapestry to make a final choice and accepted anyone who came to them. If the Carekeeper found the Seeker acceptable he then determined if the Seeker was infected by the Fear of Uncaged Things, and If the Seeker was, the Tapestry Reader determined what endeavors were necessary to rid the person of their fear. If the Seeker completed the given assignments they were finally presented to the Teacher of Weaving Techniques. The entire process took years.

Each year more and more Seekers sought the Carekeepers until it became obvious to Weaver and Cager that Seeking was an important activity. Once again Categorizers were sent. They came back with lists. There were the Visuals, those that displayed Weaver ancestry, but for one reason or another, grew up in Cager society. Some Visuals demanded personal retribution for never being allowed to weave. Some declared themselves Teachers of Weaving Techniques by Default and sold information to many seekers. Some Visuals just wanted to go home.

Then there were the People of Choice - those who did not display their Weaver ancestry, but turned away from their Cager ancestry. Some were raised as Weavers and wanted recognition, some were raised as Cagers but were not infected by the Fear of Uncaged Things and they sought a place of comfort.

There were also Seekers who sought understanding.

The Categorizers published their lists and up popped the Suppliers.

'Don’t have a lifetime to spend learning to Weave? We’ll teach you in a week-end!' 'Can’t find a group of Weavers that will accept you? We’ll create our own!' 'Your best friend would mistake you for a Weaver in our Weaver outfits!' 'Learn to style your hair the way the Weavers do!' 'Make your own authentic Weaver jewelry!'

Whatever was needed there was someone to sell it.

There is another category that the Categorizers missed and they always seem to miss them because these people are everywhere yet they do not bring very much attention to themselves. They do not seek or sell. They offer what is needed when it is needed. They listen and comfort and care and every chance they get they - talk to a tree, sing their prayers, dance with the wind, hug their lawns, glory in the storms, laugh loud, cry deeply, fight for gentleness, play with babies, use their strength to protect, and demand that everyone be allowed to feel comfortable being who they are.
 

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