Unit 1 Exercise 2
Relationships and Connections in the Making
All my life I have retreated to the forest. Away from the world and its dangers. The forest was my playground. I danced with the fairies and sang with the birds. The forest provided a sanctuary for little karen. A place where I could go, deep into her arms. To a faraway place with cool mossy beds and a hidden waterfall. A place where I felt safe.
I am very fortunate to have a friend who cultivates and looks after a large piece of forest on her land. I chose that as my spot to visit over the next couple of weeks.
Week 1
What a glorious day to be out in the woods. The sun is shining, and I have Baby Eve at my side. The first thing I notice as I walk into the forest is the drop in temperature. The light is different here. Speckled and muted in some areas. I gather some twigs and create a crown. For I am returning royalty from a time long past. In here it is quiet. I can hear myself think. The sounds of the forest become sharper in my hearing. The rustle of the leaves, birds talking, little animals scurrying off the path as Baby Eve runs ahead. In hear I can let go of all my problems and just be. I saw some amazing things today. Photos only capture so much.
Week 2
Back into the forest I wander with Baby Eve. Today I am feeling so much turmoil inside. A friend of mine just passed away from Covid. Only 52 years of age. Today I am thinking about how everything returns back to the earth. The cycle of life, death, and dying.
Suddenly, a large white wolf dog comes running down the path. Its our friend Yoshi showing us the way to the tree fort. You never know who/what you might find in the woods!
I am reminded by a line in the song Closing Time by Semisonic. ”Every new beginning is from some other beginnings end.”
Week 3
Today I decided to go to the river. I have been going to a sacred spot on the Tsolem river to swim for over 10 years. The land was sold this summer and the first thing the new owners did was start destroying the forest. Instead of cool mossy areas, I walked through hot, dusty clearcuts, past a million Keep Out signs. It breaks my heart because I still see the overlay of my mind map and remember how lovely everything use to be.
The day they paved Paradise and put up a parking lot….
On the beach I spread out my blanket. The sun is shining down. I feel the top of my head getting warm. I jump up to have a dip. Baby Eve runs away because she thinks I am going to put her into the river. She follows me along the bank as I swim down stream. The water is warm and has a greenish tinge to it. An algae covers the rocks and makes them slippery underfoot. What a lovely afternoon at the river. When it is time to leave, I jump in for one last dip. My crown floats off my head while I am underwater. The current carries it away along with a multiple of sins. Today I am reborn again i to myself.
A pair of eagles fly by. Probably searching for some salmon to eat. I walk out of the water backwards and let the river carry my worries away. I see something caught in the tall grass. An eagle feather! Many Indigenous culture believe the eagle feather to be strongest magic. Eagle feathers are given in honor. They represent the highest, holiest, bravest. They say to wear or hold an eagle feather causes the creator to take notice.
I heard the eagle cry my name. I looked for you but you were nowhere to be found. Lost in this place of time and space, I just needed to find myself. To remember my center and to find my own calm. To return to that place of joy where we reside together in love. I heard the eagle cry my name It sounded a lot like yours…
A Mothers Love In the forest I am free. One must first step through the shadow of the big trees. Past the blackberry bushes; home to the Spider Queen. Down the little footpath, past the mossy stream full of animals who make noise at night. The light is dappled here The sun is shining but the trees block her path. The air is cooler here. Oxygenated dampness fill my lungs. In this place I am free to wear my fairy crown. To run and play the day away. To sing songs and make things with twigs and leaves. The Forest she feeds me. Body and Soul. My mouth craves the tart sweetness of the blackberry. My nose, the vanilla aroma of the Ponderosa Pine. She holds her secrets, the Forest, and keeps mine silent. She hides me from the world in her green embrace. And when I am ready to return to that outside place I thank her for her beauty, for her shelter, for her love. For I know the mother is Sacred and she fills me with Myself.