The Sacred Path

I typically journey about three or four times a week. Sometimes I have a destination or a subject in mind before hand and sometimes I do not. Sometimes after I get to my Sacred Garden an idea for a journey occurs to me, or is suggested by my helping spirits, and sometimes I just sit, relax and unwind.

Sunday night I didn’t really have anything particular in mind when I headed off for my Sacred Garden. After arriving I offered my customary greeting to all those spirits that are in relation with me, and then told my spirit helpers, guides and ancestors that I was leaving the journey up to them. I immediately found myself at the head of the trail off one side of my Sacred Garden that leads to the lower worlds; the dreamtime of the earth, animal and nature spirits. The trail emptied out into a large clearing, and in the middle of the clearing was the spirit of the tree I wrote about in my post titled Grand Tetons, The Patriarch. I greeted my friend and asked if he had a message for me. I felt the spirit of the tree embrace me and my journey began.

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A few days ago, I believe, there was at least two fires started by lightning in the Big Horn Mountains – my back yard so to speak. As I understand it, the Forest Service was watching them, but allowing them to burn since they were burning slowly and not threatening any dwellings. Mid morning, Sunday, the wind picked up and the fires began to spread quickly. The wind has subsided, but the fires are now large enough, and burning hot enough to create their own wind.

It’s been decades since there was a fire of any consequence on the eastern slope of the Big Horns so there is a lot of fuel. Add to that the rugged, steep terrain, and it’s very difficult to fight. There are a lot of homes in the foothills, and I don’t suppose we will know for a while how many of them were destroyed.

One of the areas involved was the Little Goose Canyon, which I had blogged about earlier in the year, and it’s one of my favorite spots to just hang with nature. The thing is though, fire is a natural part of things and renews the forests and grasslands.

Recently I went back to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks with a very good friend and her son, and it was quite probably the best week of my life - I certainly can’t remember one that was better. Spending time in Yellowstone and the Tetons – even with the crowds – is magic, and when you can share that time with people you love, it’s all the more special.

This year I’ve been fortunate to spend a good deal of time out in nature – more than I have in years – and I have cherished every minute of it. When I’m out in nature, my mind quiets, and as I’m hiking around and enjoying the beauty, it becomes a walking meditation. All of my physical and non-physical senses sharpen and expand; all remnants of the “noise” of civilization fades away, and in flows this incredible, natural harmonic symphony, and I become an active participant. The answers to questions that begin to form in my mind are answered almost before they can completely form.

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