The following is part 3 of a short series of Forest the Love of the Forests. It’s not necessary that you read the first two installments, but if you want the full story, here they are:
Part 1 – Fires Burning in Springtime
Part 2 – Skeletons of The Ponderosas
Here is Part 3 – A Message from The Meadow
I took off last week on my own little adventure. I was desperate to get out of town after sitting and watching the darkness of the forest fires unfold; one plume after another, taking it all in, feeling all I could handle, and letting it move me.
Then, when the time was right, I took off to bring forth my own light 🙂
Last week, it was finally time for me to fill up my cup and settle my tender heart.
I knew exactly where to go.
I took off up north, across the border and into the lands of Colorado where the forests are open and bursting with spring energy.
I brought forth my own light as I ran the trails, mile after mile igniting my spirit.
I brought forth my own light as I climbed up mountains, crossing creeks, smiling at colorful wildflowers.
I brought forth my own light as I sat peacefully in the most spectacular meadow I’ve ever set eyes on, feeling into the Earth, and gazing into the spirit of the trees surrounding me.
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Here I sat, twisted up with the grief that had been overwhelming me for weeks, while taking in the abundant light that surrounded me and filled me up.
Here, I once again asked the ponderosas what they had to share.
The words came quickly.
Do not despair.
I see you there, beaten down, seeing no path forward
and crying out that all hope is lost.
Yes, I understand, there is a lot to cry out about.
There is much harm being done.
I see you. I hear you.
And I will continue to hold space for you to feel this grief.
Still, I beg of you, do not despair.
For we have work to do,
as we repair our ways.
As we heal these wounds.
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These days, I constantly feel twisted up inside as I feel moved to direct our gaze over into this deep and expansive darkness.
The fires.
The wars.
Our own illness.
The thing is, this is the easy part, as the heaviness of the world is so often right in front of us these days.
It wasn’t always this way.
The darkness that has now arrived in a series of tidal waves has been at play for a long time now, yet we have been too preoccupied with our own narratives to allow ourselves to see it.
Things are different now, and the forces at play in this world have led to increasing darkness that is being slammed into our faces.
At this point, we are forced to see.
The question becomes, what do we do with it? Do we allow it to take over? Do we allow it to crush us as we sink into pits of despair from which we never return?
On the flip side, do we turn our heads away, doing all we can to continue forward with the narratives we had crafted for ourselves – those ones that sounded oh-so-good and fulfilling when written out years ago.
Or, can we find a way to achieve a balance – to allow ourselves to let in the messages that are arriving on our doorsteps accompanied with black roses and sharp thorns?
Can we allow ourselves to sink down into this pit of rich information, and then can we lift ourselves up and out when the time is right so that we can continue onward?
It’s this balanced path that we must choose in these trying times. For everyone’s sake.
Any other choice leads us forever down into the deep pits that are offered at our doorsteps, or temporarily away into a lalaland that is crumbling at an increasing rate (which inevitably brings us all back into that deep pit).
Get the idea? We make the difficult choices, now, or Mother Nature continues to make it for us.
We know what happens if we take the second path.
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As I took off onto Colorado last week, I was seeking an important piece to this balanced path forward. I’ve learned how to bring forth my own light – how to dance in the magic that is offered in this world, because I believe deep down to my core that this beauty is here as a beautiful gift for us to experience.
The thing about gifts is that they go both ways.
Mother Earth is a giver, and as we take, we must follow through with the exchange of gifts. Receive the light she has to offer. And, as you do, learn to ask what she, herself, is desiring.
Today, I ask that you embark along a similar journey.
No, of course you don’t have to follow my exact path! That path is my own, and it’s one that I continue to shape as I understand what lights me up and what gifts I am able to give.
Your task is to find your own path.
As you do, I get it – things are tough out there! We have our own shit to deal with, and it’s often so hard to make space for excitement in our lives.
Still, what we need now is those who are willing to step into the darkness – to see it, to feel it, to let it move us.
And, what we need is for all of us to take care of our own hearts, to let them light up and soar off to magical places.
It’s a forever dance, one that we must keep flowing to as we move forward through these hard realities.
Moving forward, as we all embrace our own ideas, our own paths forward, and perhaps along the way, come back together in one harmonic dance.
 One of the best part of a long day out in the woods… long after the hours spent putting one foot in front of the other, climbing up mountains, crossing rivers, and soaring through the trees… it’s when I come to rest, to let go of all the doing, and to let the wonder of the world fill me up. |
As I lay in bed waiting for the final rays of sun to sink below the mountains of the Weminuche, the messages comes through clear once again
See, the thing is that
we have lost the way,
and along the journey
have taken down the balance that exists in this world.
In consequence, the forests are now burning.
The heatwaves are getting stronger.
The rivers are drying up.
All around us, Mother Nature cries out with more dramatic fury.
How much more can we take?
This time cannot be about drowning ourselves in the dark realities of our world.
On the flipside, these times cannot be passed by with “positive thoughts” nor spiritual bypassing.
There is no time for drowning in the dark nor drifting off into the light.
Right now, these times are calling for all of it.
These times are calling us to look into the darkness – to see it, to feel it, to know it.
These times are begging us to dance in the light – to let it lift us up, and set us back down, gently, full of life, and ready to serve.
Balance
It’s a balancing act, and I know, that’s a tough game to play.
Still, it is exactly what is being asked of us here today.
