We ride single file on the trail, weaving through the trees on a narrow path. The forest gleams a thousand shades of green in the dull grey light. Rain pours from the leaden skies. I hear it pattering my helmet and coat. Water runs down my horses back. I feel it trickling down into my boots, soaking my socks. The rain falls straight down, muffling the sounds of the horses’ hooves on the soft earth.
Flashes of lightning and booming thunder accompany our every step yet the feeling that envelops us is one of peace, not disquiet. The horses are not bothered by the storm, they know about the rain and thunder and are intimate with the elements in a way that I can only imagine.
The peace of the trees flows into me, carrying with it a timeless strength and grace. I can feel the presence of the mountains, rocky sentinels, watching our passage. All my senses are alive. I am aware of the call of the loon and the sighing of the wind in the trees. I listen to the rolling thunder and the rush of the river. The Song of the trees flows around me. The trees sing with voices that I cannot hear with my ears, but I feel with my heart. Their voices lift me up and soothe me.
The forest has a wild abundance of life and possibility. It holds all emotions: peace and joy and fear. The unknown and the unknowable are here. There is an intersection of the visible and invisible. I see the trees and know that I am only encountering a small part of the Being that is the tree. When you look at the forest, the forest looks back at you. The woods teem with animals, yet they are elusive and hidden. I know that bears, cougars, and wolves all live in this realm. Although we do not encounter them face to face, we can sense them on the periphery of our vision, dancing in the shadows. The soul is like that, shy and elusive, camouflaged by our roles and responsibilities. The forest beckons hidden aspects of our Being to come forward, offering us a glimpse of an unrealized truth, opening our hearts to a new understanding of ourselves.
I am part of All That Is. Awake and Alive, so far from the busyness of my everyday life. All my tasks and goals fall away; reshaped by the wonder at this moment. The sharp painful edges of my life are smoothed over, softened into something malleable.
It is a gift to be here at this moment, without judgment, without worry, without what ifs or what is next. There is only now. Nature offers a new perspective and healing.
It is as though I have stepped through a portal to a different world where feeling is the stuff of life, where we all breathe as One – horses, people, rain, and trees. With each step, my horse carries me deeper into this lucid dream, awakening senses and aspects of my Self that I did not even know were there.
This awareness is the magic of Nature.
This knowing is grace.
This feeling is love.
It is a blessing to move in rhythm with my own heart and the heart of Life.
I carry this memory with me as a talisman and a guide.
May you be blessed with a summer storm in the green wild wood.
May the rain wash away all the noise and confusion.
May Nature show you the truth of who you are.
May you breathe as One with the Earth.
Peace and Blessings of the Forest to you,
Jan
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