Returning

This is a pilgrimage,

A journey of reconnection.

A journey home, a journey of remembrance.

An opportunity for shedding our fears, our doubts and our minds busyness.

A chance to return home to the present moment.

To ourselves.

To seeing with clarity, with presence and openness.

I will be your guide, your companion for this quest. Gently and peacefully narrating as we continue forwards...

Take a deep breath, exhale deeply and just be here now.

As we step through this doorway, this cathedral of trees before us. This threshold to another world, a portal into the wilderness.

Are you ready. Then let us begin...

We don't go in to the forest to escape the stresses of daily living, but to remember that this is real living. To remember that the intricate ecosystems in balance serve as a blueprint for how it feels to be in harmony with our surroundings.

Nature is no longer a simple leisure outing but an essential part of daily living. Like brushing your teeth and getting enough sleep. Engaging with the land that we call our home is necessary, if we are to develop a secure groundedness and inner peace.

It is a teacher, a guru. A refuge and a sanctuary. We could read book after book on following our intuition and cultivating mindfulness, but it is the gentle breeze that caresses our hair and the cold invigorating water that teaches us how to truly be alive.

You let out a sigh and smile as you remember that we are not just visitors in an alien world, but a part of this landscape. We are welcome here too.

This is our natural state. Our original state of being.

We look at the landscape before us and feel excitement as the sense of adventure swells within us. An opportunity to use all of our senses, to be curious again. Like little children, playing, exploring, seeing what treasure we can find.

You walk through the trails and pathways, the trees towering above you and look up. You see how the leaves make beautiful intricate fractals, swaying to reveal piercingly blue sky. Soft rays of light shine through revealing every cell of the leaves, resembling stain glass windows.

You seem to be seeing more deeply, observing every miniscule detail. The moss is no longer in the background but a whole vibrant world within itself. You kneel down and look more closely, at every individual strand that lifts up to greet the sun. You see a spider web behind it swaying in the gentle breeze and feel amazed at the delicate detail, the craftsmanship of its unique design. You start to see all the fractals, the patterns contained within everything around you. The deep brown bark interlaced with swirling patterns. The roots of the trees, a network of communication beneath your feet.

In this moment, the modern world seems a million miles away as this world fully embraces you. Every minute feels timeless. Hours could have past, minutes? It doesn’t matter any longer. You are here now and that is what’s important.

You start to think about what renews you, what rejuvenates you.

Where modern life dazzles us with distractions, sitting under a tall ancient tree is the remedy to our restlessness. When time feels that it is running away. When we are confused and worried, witnessing the shifting of the seasons realigns us to the bigger picture. To a timeless flowing of transition, a gentle cycle of change that is not based on chasing the clock, but in surrendering to the inner callings for transformation and reflection.

What moments and places captivate you? Make you deeply present? You remember previous trips you may have taken, places where you felt you could shed your burdens.

We pause and reflect, our limbs spread across the leafy floor. A cushion that helps us sink more deeply into the earth.

Eventually I extend a hand and pull you up from the ground. We continue our journey deeper into the ancient forest.

You feel the springy earth beneath your feet as you tiptoe through the pine forest. The needles creating a cushion, a blanket that makes it feel weightless to walk upon.

We enter into a circle of trees and sit beneath their protective presence, cooled by their mighty shadows, held in their formation.

We are safe here.

We sit cross legged on the bare earth and feel soft droplets of rain gently caressing our faces.

We become deeply present to the metaphors, to nature's teachings. Waiting for us to lift our gaze and see them. To settle in, be silent and really use our senses. In this circle of trees, it’s as if we can connect anywhere across the forest and see the sights and sounds, even from miles away. We see many flashes of images in our minds as we sit here. Almost as if we are tapping in to the roots below us, the trees sharing everything they witness between them.

To the birds that have the courage to take running leaps of faith, finding themselves weightless. The deer that nurture one another in community, moving with a gentle elegant pace. We see many animals on our journey, they seem undisturbed by our presence, almost as if we are transparent, they go on as if we were not there. Feeding their families, migrating to new fertile grounds, cuddling in together and playing with a cheeky joyfulness. New cubs stepping out and trying to understand this brand new world around them.

You reflect on nature, becoming aware of the bigger picture. How everything is connected. To the changing of the seasons and life's cycles.

Remembering as the flowers blossom, gently in the spring. You feel renewed in your heart, breathing in fresh inspiration.

As the autumn leaves dance in the wind you find the courage to let go of all that no longer serves.

As the winter settles in with sleepy stillness you retreat and go within.

As the summer blazes with bright illumination, you come out of hiding and follow inspired action.

How strange that we have built these concrete jungles and then feel empty within them, distracting ourselves with entertainment and running ourselves into the ground.

In this short journey, you remember that THIS is the real world. Where everything is in harmony, in balance.

There is no rushing, no pressure. Just a flowing, shifting. Simply being. When we return to nature we find the hidden spark of what we were missing.

Sat around the campfire warming our hands, gazing at the stars, remembering the miracles and the beauty that is around us.

We are returning and we are welcomed home with open arms. Showered with gifts, the jewels of fresh berries and foraged goodness to nourish us.

All it takes is to step out, to leave our minds chattering at the entrance, to step through the threshold of the towering oak trees and to let the meadows, the forests and the wild lands teach us. To awaken us to the remembrance of who we really are. A part of this beautiful earth we have been gifted to exist within.

You wake up in the middle of the circle of trees alone. The campfire has long turned to ashes. You must have fallen asleep to the hypnotic patterns of the flames, the blaze warming your bones as you curled up beside it. You see the dew twinkling like jewels on the grass and hear the first bird singing, signalling that morning is approaching. The sun has not yet risen but the sky is a soft pink glow.

You feel refreshed, renewed. Ready to face a new journey. Where you bring back everything that you have learned here, holding that peacefulness within you wherever you go from here. You feel lighter than you did before, more connected. Nourished by the high oxygen environment of this landscape and the beauty you have witnessed.

You start to walk back a slightly different way to before, finding a rocky bubbling stream. You follow it, as it winds through the landscape. Finding an emerald green plunge pool, you slow down. It looks so inviting, so clear that you can see the bottom.

Without a moment’s hesitation, you take a running leap and with total fearlessness you jump into its icy depths. Below its surface you see the bubbles of your breath dancing to the surface, rays of sunlight reflecting through the ripples and current.

All remaining heaviness is gone, left in the depths of the cold water as your face emerges and you take in a deep deep breath and laugh. The pool feels as if it is purifying you with its glacial waters. Resetting you, shedding any last burdens, fears, worries and baggage. You fill your lungs and allow yourself to float on the water’s surface.

Thinking to yourself, this is what living is supposed to be. This is what it is to be wild, to be totally free, liberated.

There are no expectations here. No roles to fulfil. No pressures, deadlines. You can simply be you. And that is enough.

You step out and let yourself dry off naturally in the newly risen sun, as you continue your walk until you reach the entrance to the forest.

You take one last look back. In gratitude, for all you have experienced on this journey. Knowing that you carry it with you now and can return whenever you need to be uplifted.

With one last gaze around you, you look down and see a large feather on the ground. A gift from the forest only for you. To remember who you are.

The feather is different for every visitor. It may be a soft small feather to remember your gentleness. A majestic eagle feather to remember your strength and courage. A buzzard feather to remember your focus and clear vision.

You pick it up and think about what it is symbolising to you.

Whenever you feel disconnected from nature, from yourself, you remember this gift and it brings you inner strength.

You turn around and continue your journey out of the trees. The bright sunlight dazzling you at first, until your eyes adjust. You stir slowly, remembering your body. You move gently, stretching. And slowly in your own time.

Open your eyes.