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The Festival of Light.

A short reminder to find your way.

By Katarzyna PortkaPublished 2 years ago 9 min read
2
 The Festival of Light.
Photo by veeterzy on Unsplash

I invite you, my dear readers, to my woods.

Ha! I wish it was mine.

No, it is not my home, nor does the forest belong to me. It is not of spectacular widths and sizes, but not too shabby either. It is a perfect fit for our journey in it together.

Here, you can find massive spruces, slim birch trees, extensive oaks and many more intriguing species. They communicate with each other. They send out warnings to each other. They protect and help one another.

Hard to believe?

What about the whisper of the wind?

What about the sound of bending branches on a sunny, cloudless day?

Oh, yes. Forest is a magical place. But this is only a handful of stories I would like to share with you from the wilderness.

Forest is also home to many animals. That is as clear as the blue sky I am looking out right now.

Upon entering the woods, we - humans, become guests.

Guests who walk carefully, minding ants running and sweating from the hard work they perform.

We become guests who act quietly not to scare hares away, who frankly are afraid of their own shadows.

Upon entering the woods, we commit to a non-verbal disclosure to not leave garbage or throw any wrappers or plastic bottles. There are two reasons. One of them is trivial, the other more complex.

First of all, would you like your guests walking through your beautiful threshold screaming their lungs out in the unknown language, leaving waste wherever they went? I bet you would not be up for cleaning it.

Second of all, when you leave a trace behind, animals are down to catch you. And here is where our journey begins.

Can you see those cones up in the pines? Do you recognize acorns lying all over the ground?

If you can spot them, I salute you.

These are tools serving deer, boars, foxes, squirrels, and mice keeping a vigilant lookout upon every little affair in the woods.

How come we know so little about the secret animal kingdom? Human minds have learnt to live with limitations. Animal barely know them. To put it better, animals know how to function despite limitations.

Let me share a short story proving how animals and people are often alike, yet many times wiser.

As I have already mentioned, animals and plants communicate with each other. They learn how to read signs, talk without speaking, give warnings but no sign of fear.

A long time ago, humans and nature lived in beautiful harmony.

Humans looked upon animals as dearest friends, not bothering to come off as superior.

With time, humans gathered more food, more possessions, and materials only to lose them eventually.

With loss comes grief.

Minds did not know how to handle the pain. To not experience it ever again, minds ordered hearts to shut down. That was when humans stopped looking at nature as an ally but a world to conquer instead.

Many years have passed, but animals never stopped having hope for things to get back to the peaceful order.

This is where our story begins.

You see, there is no hierarchy in the forest kingdom. No superiority. Although, there is She to whom animals turn when in need.

She does not look for splendour and power. It happens that She is the Wisest do All.

On a bright summer morning, a squirrel was racing swiftly to get the message across. She had a mission to see through. Jumping through hoops, from one branch to the next, higher and higher she went.

Finally, she has reached the oldest oak in the forest - the oldest, the strongest and the wisest.

On top of the tree among leafy branches, the Wisest of All rested. She was famous for her inconspicuous wisdom to marvel at.

It was never difficult to find her, as those who needed her always managed to talk to her.

The barn owl was resting on the bench high above the ground.

'I am sorry to intrude on you,' asked the squirrel politely. 'But I am afraid the forest council had had enough and desperately need your help. It is about the Wolf. Last night, at the monthly gathering, he lashed out, refusing to participate in the Festival of Light, calling everyone names, threatening to destroy the celebration if we decide to follow through with the plan. He believes our hopes and intentions for peaceful coexistence with humans are pitiful and hopeless. The council is afraid his vocal criticism will have a devastating impact on everyone’s spirit, especially during the ceremony'.

Oh, yes. The Festival of Light was an old tradition. As old that nobody can pinpoint the time it was born.

Animals gathered during the last Full Moon of the summer, singing, giving thanks and sending out intentions to hopefully meet them with times to come. You see, in the animal kingdom, there is no notion of time. There is no day, no year, but the points in their lives are scheduled by nature. The period to hunt. The period to sleep or guard. The period to celebrate. The period to gather harvests. But no time to pass.

The owl pondered the message in silence.

'You know that I don’t meddle when not asked for guidance,' she finally replied.

'We are aware of it, but we ask for your help. You need to talk to the Wolf,' pleaded the messenger.

'I am going to speak to him. He obviously needs help, as he wants to be seen. Otherwise, he wouldn’t make the scene. The opportunity will arise. In the meantime, I advise you to treat him kindly and speak ill of him not', concluded the Owl.

Dawns have risen and gone to sleep.

Until one day, the Owl was sitting on the nearby branch overlooking the pond. She fluttered down to sit on the rock and get closer to the water. She liked the stillness and tranquillity of it. She could sit like this all day to take it all in.

She knew the Wolf would come and find her. After all, he wanted the audience. She wanted to communicate. And inhabitants always found her tales in welcome demand.

And indeed, she felt the presence of the animal lurking in the shadow.

'Why do you come here?' asked the Wolf.

'I believe the same reason as you do,' replied the Owl.

'There is plenty of clear water down the river. Why do you choose the pond to sit here all day?' insisted the Wolf.

'I believe it reflects my peace of mind,' summed up the Owl.

'Is it a coincidence to meet you here?' inquired the Wolf.

'Do you believe in coincidence?' asked the Wisest.

'I don’t believe such nonsense.'

'Then it’s not. I don’t believe in coincidence either.' summed up the Owl. 'I believe we create what we experience. And it happens so that my reality and yours connect exactly at that point, at that pond.'

'I hate when you talk like that. Like you know it all.' retorted the Wolf.

'Nobody knows it all. You just perceive me that way. I believe you know it all.' continued the Owl.

'That is a matter for a debate, but surely I know one thing. The Festival of Light is pointless and stupid. They all would get better off without it.'

'Why do you think so?' asked the Wisest.

'Because we waste our time hoping for peace and quiet, while all we get is a never-ending disappointment!' shouted an annoyed Wolf, baring his fangs.

'What is wrong with hope? I bet it is better than having none at all.'

'Hope is a sure path for pain and anger.' concluded the Wolf.

'What is wrong with pain and anger? They don't define us. They come and go. They are emotions.' added the Owl.

'Yes, the ones that should be avoided.'

'How could you know contentment if you couldn’t differentiate it from discomfort, or peace without trouble?'

'It is better to get rid of them at all. It hurts too much. None of the happiness is worth the pain it brings once you lose it.' concluded the Wolf.

'I respect your point of view, but I disagree.' replied the Owl. 'You can only live when you love. When you guard yourself off from affection, you end up existing half-dead. I know it is scary to hand somebody your heart and trust them with your dear life. Falling in love is messy. But messy don't have to be bad. I realize you fear losing control and abandoning security. With love may also come grief. Still, love is always worth whatever baggage it travels with. Highs come with lows. One cannot exist without the other. But meditate on the possibility of how much you can gain. Love is a gate to the most unforgettable, spectacular, sensational, cosmic force we are all a part of if we tumble the walls down. When you decide on love, you can only win. Nothing will ever change my mind about that.'

'I have loved. And I have lost.' said the Wolf quietly.

'Lost?' asked the bird. 'You never lose when you love. You can only gain. You get richer in lessons and new perspectives. You earn resilience to carry on. And most importantly, you learn to love more. Every time you love, the capacity to feel and to give expands. Where is the loss in that?' summed up the Wisest.

'Do you want to tell me that the Festival is worth carrying on?' inquired the Wolf.

'Everything is worth seeing through as long as you have hope. With hope and loyalty, not to others but your dreams, you can light up the darkest places, even the hearts of humans.'

'I want to have hope, but I am too afraid of disappointment.' cried the Wolf.

'That is a great place to start.' smiled the Owl. 'You can't expect to jump over to faith when the anger is raging inside you. Accept your fear. Where fear resides, there is also a great capacity for love and forgiveness. And that might be an encouraging thought.'

The Wolf smiled back at the bird and asked: 'How come you know it all?'

'Because I have seen it all, and love has always been the answer.'

. . .

That night while animals, even the Wolf, were celebrating. High above the trees, against the light of the moonlight, the Owl was swooping over, reminding everyone that those who are lost will always find their way.

Love
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About the Creator

Katarzyna Portka

Mindset coach. Writer. Reader. Coffee enthusiast. Tolkien’s fan living in Harry Potter’s world.

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