There are many ways to get to know a forest, but we take particular pleasure in finding and being introduced to the ancestor trees. To know one's ancestors is, we believe, to know oneself, and it is our very great honor to present the Northwest Woods' Ancestor Tree to you.
Now, you might think from the picture above that you are not seeing the Ancestor Tree in all its Original Glory, and that is quite true. As it happens, we often do not have occasion to know those we meet at their best, and we generally advise bearing in mind their greatest potential in all one's encounters, which perception considerably adds to the pleasure of every occasion.
You may reasonably wonder at how it was determined that this was the Ancestor Tree. As you will shortly discover, it often takes several (and even more) walks in the Northwest Woods before one becomes entirely receptive to the individuals therein. It's quite like the process of any encounter with the new: at first it is all unknown and anonymous, and then little by little each individual part comes to be known.
We have found in the Northwest Woods that it also helps to actually see what one, well, sees. All too often we dash headlong along with our long list of heady tasks (we rather like how that sounds) oblivious of what's around us. But if we have occasion to pause, say, in the interests of waiting for Karma the Beloved Dog, it is in those long moments that we might notice exactly where we are.
As it happens, the Ancestor Tree is so grand that it called attention all to itself, quite independent of the stops and starts of our walk. There is a further pausing, however, that is necessary if one truly wants to know what one encounters. A Frenzied Pause will simply not do, nor will a Distracted one, nor will a Closed-Door-of-the Mind Pause do. However, if one is willing to pause, and then listen with the ear of one's soul, why one would be simply enchanted with what is heard.
The Ancestor Tree of the Northwest Woods is surrounded by countless other trees in varying stages of growth. Despite having eventually doubled over in a single fell crash across the Great Chasm, its base is nonetheless so sturdy and wide it could be a home for a veritable forest unto itself. Many of the trees around it were felled at an earlier age, or struck by lightning, or afflicted with some, er, we think we can safely say, affliction, but clearly the Ancestor Tree lived long enough to have become a Magnificent Ruin.
We think to be a Magnificent Ruin is quite a respectable goal for ourselves, although we suspect that to be ancient is both harder and nobler than we might imagine.
In any woods you visit, we urge you to find the Ancestor Tree, and join it in its Silent Contemplation. We did so, and continued on, feeling quite the way we do when we have been in a Grand Cathedral.
4 comments:
This is a beautiful blog. You have inspired me to write about some of my experiences in the forest.
You might enjoy reading "Woodswoman" by Ann La Bastille if you haven't already. I keep a copy of it around, also Grey Owl's "Tales from a Cabin"
I love that I may have inspired you, and can't wait to read your experiences!
No, I don't know either of the books you mentioned, and will make haste to find them. Thank you for the recommendations.
beautiful; and I loved the visual reminder of the spires of the cathedral.
I am well advanced along the path to becoming a ruin myself; the magnificent part has yet to manifest, I'm afraid.
Lee's River, thank you so much for your comment, and my apologies for the delay in responding (I've been out of state and out of sorts, in that order). I am thrilled to have a reader and can only hope to be worthy of your attentions. In the meantime, reading your blog in return has opened a door to another very delightful world, for which I thank you. I am happy to note that your last post suggests that perhaps the magnificent part of you has, in fact, been acknowledged.
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