SOMEWHERE….
There still exists wildness
I have seen it, felt it, lived it and became one with it.
Wildness:
A virgin forest at night, the moonlight to guide your way. Leave that flashlight in the pack. Hear the night sounds, call an owl, listen for the answer, let the stream speak to you and share the secrets of the years….of lifetimes, open your soul to the soul of a tree, touch it, feel it, hear it speak to you, it shall tell you of years gone by, hundreds of years of knowledge hidden among the branches of time. Feel fear, it is good for you, for without feeling, knowing it, facing it one shall never overcome it. Hear the sounds of the night creatures. Feel the presence of the coyote, bobcat, smell the lingering scent of a bear making its way to bed down for the night. Remove anything material, stand naked in the moonlight, enter the stream and feel the cool water rush over your body, washing troubles, worries, pain downstream away from you. Find a moss covered rock, lie down on it and stare at the stars, let the treetops sing you to sleep with their movement. Hear the whip-poor-will call to you, feel the heartbeat of the rock with your hands, remove your clothes and walk nude, allowing the wind to engulf you, barefoot…..feel the Mother beneath your feet, bend down and touch her, thank her for the wildness
Wildness:
A forgotten graveyard in the middle of the Forest. Overgrown with sassafras trees and mountain laurel. No one around for 30 miles. Just you and the Spirits that reside there. Smudge yourself before entering, walk slowly, touch the stones, sit by them and ask them who they are, why are they there. Lay down, look at the sky or close your eyes and allow the Spirits to dance around you. Call the nighthawk to you, welcome all things related, let them share their joy with you, listen if they desire to share their pain, comfort them. Lay down beside a grave, learn everything you can about the occupant, become him (thank you John). Allow your soul to be engulfed by the mist as it rises from our Mother, soothing the souls that may be lost, opening the realm so the Spirits may share the wildness with you is they wish
Wildness:
Leave as much as you can at home, away from the wild, Take only what is needed. Enter a Wilderness Area, stay for weeks, months, alone. Forget what day it is, forget what week it is, forget the month….forget time. Talk to the trees, the animals, the rocks. Bath in the stream, eat from Nature, make a debris hut in a different location each night and see how Nature can comfort you and keep you safe. Eat nuts, mushrooms, sorrel, berries. Taste sourwood, spicebush, bee balm, persimmons. Sleep on the highest mountain top with no tent, no shelter, let the trees protect you, explore caves, climb trees….see what the Eagle, Hawks and Owls see. Crawl on your belly, face as close to the forest floor as you can get it, smell nature, see what the snakes, shrews and chipmunks see. Stand atop a waterfall….see what the Sun and Moon see. Swim in the streams, look under rocks, catch crawdads and become friends with them, see what the fish see.
Become Wildness
