The Spirits Were Active in the Forest Today.
My soulmate and I set a goal every year to hike to our favorite mountaintop once a week in October to watch the color transition of the leafs Today, the last full week of October, we set out on our last trip of the month. It was a very emotional journey and I believe the spirits of the forest knew that, as they were active today.
We arrived at the trailhead before sunrise. Darkness filled the forest except for just a little light from the moon. I stepped onto the forest floor and could not see anything but could hear the rush of the water in the stream nearby. It was a cold start with the temperature at 36 degrees. Before I could get my flashlight on, I heard a deep roar come from deep in the forest. An animal was my guess, probably a bear.
I got the flashlight turned on and we started down the trail. The fallen leafs that were crunching under our feet posed a trip hazard for us as they covered the tree roots as well as the rocks that are spread throughout the trail. The flashlight proved handy to enlighten our path through the forest and we moved on slowly through the darkness of the forest.
Eventually the sun began to rise and started to light up the forest, and warm it too. The sun reflected off the red and yellow hue of the leaves creating a bright explosion of color in the sky that is not seen too often. I just had to stop and take in the views.
Soon I would arrive at the waterfall and my first experience with a spirit for the day. As I looked at the bottom of the waterfall I saw a man. He was dressed like he was from the late 1800's or early 1900's. He had a camp set up next to the waterfall. It looked as if he had been living there off the grid for a long time. I did not have much contact with him. He was making his breakfast and stopped for a second and looked up at me. He nodded his head at me to gesture hello and I returned a nod towards him. He went back to cooking and I started walking further down the trail.
My next experience was with one of the ancient trees of the forest. I stopped to stare up at the beautiful leafs of this tree. The tree kept going and going and it looked as if its leafs touched the sky. The tree spoke and said good morning. I recognized this as one of the trees that had told me jokes on one of my first journeys into this forest. This tree was proud. It was showing off its colors. I told it how beautiful it was. It told me it had been in this forest for almost 200 years. It told me it had been a long season, but as with every season, it ends with an explosion of beautiful colors. But the real beauty of leafs is not in the color, as humans think. The real beauty is when the leafs fall to the forest floor and create nutrients for the soil and plants, and tools for shelter for bugs and animals. The real beauty is the sustainability of nature that the leafs provide. I thanked the tree and moved on.
My next stop was further down the trail. This time I came across the Cherokee families I have met many times before. I had just seen the mother on my journey from the previous week. They were encamped up in the forest. They recognized me and waved. One of the children who had sat next to me at a campfire on one of my prior journeys, came running towards me with a canteen to offer me water. I smiled and showed them my water bottle and told them I was ok. They waved back at me as the child ran back to their camp. I smiled and moved on. What an active day so far.
My next experience was with a couple of fungi who were clinging on to a dead stump braving the cooler temperatures. They told me there were not many fungi left above ground for now, but their root systems were still active and working under the ground. They wanted me to be encouraged and spread encouragement to others that just because the beauty of spring and summer appear to be ending, they really aren't. They told me that we only see through the programming our human eyes have been trained to see. Many people see cold and darkness when winter comes. That is what the world wants you to see. Instead, just see all of the interior things happening underneath the ground in the flora, fungi and animal kingdoms. They are all still there. They are all still beautiful. They are working beneath the surface to sustain the forest, to sustain life and to prepare for the next season to come. They are there, we just need to train ourselves to see them. I thanked the fungi and moved on.
My last spirit experience of the day happened at an area that I had seen before. I previously thought this spot may have been a cave. It was across the stream and up in the forest. Near this cave I saw a British soldier riding on a horse through the forest. He would reach the area of the cave and disappear. I stood there for a few minutes and I saw several other spirits appear from the cave and go into the forest and I would see others come from the forest and into the cave. I realized that what I was witnessing was not a cave, but a portal. There was a portal in the forest. Some of the figures that I saw I had met before in my meditational journeys. I did not understand why I would be meeting spirits who seemed out of place in this area, and now I knew why. The portal. What a discovery. What a spiritual morning in the forest. This would be my last spiritual encounter of the day.
We soon arrived at the top. The view was breathtaking and we were able to relax at the top for over an hour. And then time was up. It was difficult to leave. This forest, this mountain top has become a special place for us. It is our second home in some ways. Now we had to say goodbye. Just for this season. But it was still difficult. Not sure what type of weather we would face in late fall and through the winter, we were not sure when the next time would be that we could visit this special place. I said goodbye to the mountain, the rocks, the Rattlesnake, bugs, bees, butterflies, flora, fungi, birds, and the Spirits of the forest that we had made friends with. I knew I would see them all again soon, but they had become a special part of my life. Perhaps because of the closeness they bring to my soulmate and me. Now I am excited to get through the next few weeks and get back to this magical forest again.
My Journey into the Forest today. One last fall adventure for this year. The spirits and the forest came out to wish me well. I look forward to My next journey.
Blessings
By Michael Walters
The Ancestor's Fire
Writing the voices of the unheard
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