I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.~Henry David Thoreau
Green Man: We have tamed our earthy ancestral roots with the rope of a neck tie and the apron ties of a house wife. Our inner connection with nature has been buried by layer after layer of materialistic pursuits. We have traded the protective, giving and sacred labyrinth of nature for the cold, gray, polluted concrete jungle, which are our cities. We have destroyed much of nature including the recent guardians of them -- the First Nation Americans. Still, there are some of us who heed the call of the wild, pick up the tradition from the First Nation people and seek out the untamed pockets of the natural world so that we might always remember our true source of life. I was lucky to have been born and raised not a few miles from the great, untamed Rocky Mountains and spent just as much time wandering through the great pine forests as I did the barren concrete side walks of "progress." I know the sounds, smells and instincts of the wilderness like I know my own neighborhood.
I am a child of the woods and thus guardian of these sacred spaces. Especially a spot so remote into the high mountains and dense pine stands that in 14 years of backpacking to it I can count on one hand the amount of other people I've seen up there. It is a hallowed place, which has become a place that our family cherishes deeply. It is an oasis of untamed land where moose and large herds of elk and deer roam freely. They have been under protective status in this area for so long they seem right at home sharing the land with us. I have had the humbling honor of moose walking by our camp within 10 yards or so. We come to an understanding especially with the moose who are the animals that most frequent our divine alpine lake. When they look at me I avert my eyes slightly so as not to be confrontational but in that shared moment an understanding is reached to respect each other's space and right to enjoy the land. For all are but guests when visiting the wilderness.
It saddens me that many people including children have not even seen a cow let alone some of the most raw, natural wonders of this divine planet we share with all expressions of existence be it animal, plant or rock. It is with that knowledge that I recognize my fortuitous circumstances to be able to live in such an area like Colorado, which is one of the last truly untamed places left in America. As I've said the woods have been my companion and guide since I was a child and even still after all these years of visiting I learn knew lessons each time I enter their inner sanctuaries.
There is an immediate change that occurs when you take that first step to engulf yourself in a forest. Things get instantly much quieter as if in reverence to the natural temple that is a forest. So that when something does sound like a bird call it becomes much more than a simple bird call that we might not even be aware of down in the city. Yet in the holy places of nature these sounds might as well be trumpets from the descent onto Earth of an almighty god. It is because of this palpable feeling of reverance that inspires me to ask permission every time we enter these places and upon leaving offer up gratitude for the gifts, lessons and protection granted us.
So indeed Thoreau touched on something powerful about nature, which gives meaning and a sense of being alive. Thus, a person who has not fully experienced nature in all it's glory has not truly lived. It is therefore my hope that all men and women can respond to the call from Mother Nature to return home again and be healed. Embrace her with open arms and feel whole once more. If I had money I would set up a program to enable kids and young adults from inner cities to come and experience the awesomeness of pure nature. I want them to see that there is a world that is ten times more amazing than any video game.
I am a child of the woods and thus guardian of these sacred spaces. Especially a spot so remote into the high mountains and dense pine stands that in 14 years of backpacking to it I can count on one hand the amount of other people I've seen up there. It is a hallowed place, which has become a place that our family cherishes deeply. It is an oasis of untamed land where moose and large herds of elk and deer roam freely. They have been under protective status in this area for so long they seem right at home sharing the land with us. I have had the humbling honor of moose walking by our camp within 10 yards or so. We come to an understanding especially with the moose who are the animals that most frequent our divine alpine lake. When they look at me I avert my eyes slightly so as not to be confrontational but in that shared moment an understanding is reached to respect each other's space and right to enjoy the land. For all are but guests when visiting the wilderness.
It saddens me that many people including children have not even seen a cow let alone some of the most raw, natural wonders of this divine planet we share with all expressions of existence be it animal, plant or rock. It is with that knowledge that I recognize my fortuitous circumstances to be able to live in such an area like Colorado, which is one of the last truly untamed places left in America. As I've said the woods have been my companion and guide since I was a child and even still after all these years of visiting I learn knew lessons each time I enter their inner sanctuaries.
There is an immediate change that occurs when you take that first step to engulf yourself in a forest. Things get instantly much quieter as if in reverence to the natural temple that is a forest. So that when something does sound like a bird call it becomes much more than a simple bird call that we might not even be aware of down in the city. Yet in the holy places of nature these sounds might as well be trumpets from the descent onto Earth of an almighty god. It is because of this palpable feeling of reverance that inspires me to ask permission every time we enter these places and upon leaving offer up gratitude for the gifts, lessons and protection granted us.
So indeed Thoreau touched on something powerful about nature, which gives meaning and a sense of being alive. Thus, a person who has not fully experienced nature in all it's glory has not truly lived. It is therefore my hope that all men and women can respond to the call from Mother Nature to return home again and be healed. Embrace her with open arms and feel whole once more. If I had money I would set up a program to enable kids and young adults from inner cities to come and experience the awesomeness of pure nature. I want them to see that there is a world that is ten times more amazing than any video game.
PHOTO CREDIT: Stunning, mysterious and beautiful picture by D L Ennis. I highly recommend looking at the rest of his pictures because he is an amazing photographer. Click here to view this picture and many others.
-Not All Who Wander Are Lost-
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