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Moisture dripped from soaked branches and thick mist hung like a veil over the face of the forest. It had an eerie feel, even for a nature-lover that had hiked this mountain over 100 times. I walked the familiar path until something strange caught my eye - a new trail of some sort. Intrigued, I followed it and within minutes stood underneath a deer hunting tree-blind. With that question answered, I decided to continue walking through the forest without a path rather than retracing my footsteps. I am good with directions and knew the general bearing in which to head. The further I walked, the stronger the feelings grew – unrest, discomfort, anxiety, fear. What a curious thing to notice. I stopped and did a quick assessment. I knew where I was and where I needed to go. I didn’t know exactly where I would come out but I was not lost. I knew I wouldn’t become lost. I was just as safe here as on the trail, yet I am uncharacteristically afraid. Knowing that I was perfectly fine, I did not panic and kept going. I also kept noticing the environment, myself and my feelings.
The further I walked into the unknown the clearer it became that this was a metaphor for life and our human experience. We know where we are and where we need to go, we don’t know exactly where we will come out but we know we won’t become lost when we trust ourselves. We are safe, yet we are afraid. We are often so afraid that we will cling to any path, especially the well-worn path, just for the sense of security it brings us.
This is a trap so many of us wish to free ourselves from. To do so, it helps to stop, look at our lives and notice where we act habitually. If we are entrenched in a deeply grooved trail, we do not have to remain there. We will not get lost if we wander the forests of our heart and soul. We are just as safe, or unsafe, bushwhacking through new territory as we are on the well-known trail.
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It’s different to go off-trail. Different is scary; different is also freeing and expanding. This mountain journey revealed many treasures. A beautiful stream and meandering deer trails, areas that looked ripe for spring dryad saddle and morel mushrooms and autumn hens-in-the-woods. I found inner power to travel on through fear, trust in myself and my senses, and I didn’t get lost. Eventually, I wandered onto a trail that led to a hidden intersection with the main trail. I marveled at what I had missed and what I had found. I realized that things are not always as they seem and that we are quick to label, categorize, and dismiss things. We place it in a mental box with our past experiences and then move on without really experiencing this new thing. I thought I knew that mountain, but in fact, I knew very little. Amazing things await our discovery when we go wandering and pondering through new territories. Cool stuff is missed when we merely plod along the path. It’s the “missing of this cool stuff” that steals the life-force energy out of our soul and our life, leaving us feeling unfulfilled, searching, empty, tired and bored.
How freeing - to get off the path and look around. Just think what might be out there and “in” there, just beyond the edges of the known path.
Colleen Deatsman is the author of Energy for Life: Connect with the Source(Llewellyn 2006) andInner Power: Six Techniques for Increased Energy andSelf-Healing (Llewellyn 2005). She is a Masters Degreed Licensed Professional Counselor, Social Worker, Reiki Master, Certified Hypnotherapist, Certified Alternative Healing Consultant, & Shamanic Practitioner. www.colleendeatsman.com |
