Connecting Uniqueness

The familiar crunch under her bare feet as she steps onto the high forest's pine covered floor. Both the feel of dry needles breaking beneath her weight and the sound hitting her ears like a comforting call of mother. The layers of years creating a comfortable, padded walkway that welcomes her visits. As she steps down the slight incline lined with rocks and young plants; the world behind her fades away and she crosses a washout ditch. A simple bridge of boards, one of many you can see as you gaze down the ditch in both directions. An old toy truck sits in the dirt below the bridge, giving hints of days when childhood filled the air. Stepping from the bridge and over the berm, she finds herself in a beautiful new world.

Met by the smell of the pine needle covered forest floor, she sees a growing array of young and established life. The tall pines are sparse with the hand of humanity shown in the landscape of headstone tree stumps, showing the thinning of the natural forest environment. The few pines that still stretch tall, with their twisted lower branches bare and awaiting the winter freeze, the energy of the Fae welcome her excitedly. She hears a bell chime from within the trees, and follows the sound.

There are many gatherings of scrub oak in this forest, and the bells lead to a beautiful grove of them. An archway of sorts stretches through the middle, with the trees from each side reaching for each other at the top, creating a calming and energetic awning. At the other side of this walkway sits one of the stump headstones, and it bids her welcome as she steps into the archway.

The chimes play on, it turns out to be a chime as tall as her, and plays each time she comes near. Knowing there is nothing random, the find of this bell a calming feel to her as she examines the pine cone décor. Stepping through the walkway, she notices the Oaks. Where some are strong and healthy, while others are breaking apart and gaining perspective on their health. Under the trees is a trick layer of Oregon Grape, the pull of connection grows stronger as she smiles at the purplish blue berries. She feels a slight tug on the shoulders as she exits the far side of the archway; and as she sits on the stump to listen, the world around her begins to communicate.

Watching the forest carefully, she notices first the flutter of butterfly wings. Two colors specifically; the white along the tops of the pines, and the day moth black playing along the yellow flowers of the native snakeweed. Each with their own direction, taking no notice of the other. The buzz of flying insects catch her gaze as well, the intricate tick of nature moving along. Some bees, the horsefly, and little wasps, each busy moving pollen from flower to flower. On somedays, the ants are hard a work above the ground, others, not a movement is seen in the pine needle covered floor.

As she closes her eyes to listen, the chimes begin again. The gray jays happily singing and come together in the Oaks. The woodpecker beat on a distant pine, a screech of the ravens, the caw of the magpies, the calm hum vibration of the hummingbird's wings; The insect life chimes in as well, crickets and bees, wasps and flies, grasshoppers and cicadas. Along with the wind blowing at the top of the taller trees, the forest symphony comes to life. And sometimes she is even blessed with the call of a hawk or a falcon as she connects to the song. She is compelled to tap out an underlying beat as she listens, as the heart of nature brings the symphony of soul. She begins to feel the vibration where her feet connect with soil, her eyes open to the sight of the birds, the buzzers and the rustling leaves high in the trees. And you can find her playing drum on her legs to the song of the forest.

To play music with the Universe, enjoying the Earth's crescendos when the noise comes in too heavy from the outside; in a moment, the love of the forest connects the heart. And a feel of sustainability, with a call for assistance at the same time. You see, the forest is eternal, though not eternally fixed. There is weakness and sickness within the webbing of the life network, each still willing to give their all for their part of this web. And asking for the returned consciousness as we live upon her form. The pines and the flowers energetic waves carry throughout the forest, calling for healing of their aspen siblings, and the protection of their soil from the hands of man.

And she closes her eyes again to breathe in deeply the scent of the world around her. Consistently, with the first breath there is a clear culmination of everything present-pine, sweet, dry-all depending on the morning weather. Her second breath in gives a sweet welcome of Yarrow flower, allowing it to uplift her spirit to feed the soul. On her third inhale, she is given the dryness of the day; some days the dust of dry needles and others an invigorating pinene odor to enjoy and uplift.

Sitting a while in the midst of the forest, sunlight warming and exploring the sounds and life as she takes the time to put everything else out of the mind. To remember that we are nothing more than a manifestation of nature-here to flow with the natural order and not to destroy what nature lives near. To find our place within the divine web of nature, where one realizes that god and earth and the stars are all an infinite design of the same. And it is here, we find our nature.

Everybody has their own way of connecting with their unique personal nature. Whether it be hitting the road with the wind in their hair, grabbing a book, sitting down with a craft, or tromping out into a nature-scape get-away to center; each of us express ourselves in a very unique way. When the world begins to feel heavy from day to day, it helps to have a place to go to pull your nature back together.