Tag: conscious change

When the Forest Rises Up

When the Forest Rises Up

John Seed once said, “I am part of the rainforest protecting itself.” He is the father of the Australian Deep Ecology movement and founder of the Rainforest Information Centre. The idea he shares is that we are One with all life and when we are open, we can take action as an extension of the Earth protecting itself. 

I first learned of John Seed when I spent a week with Joanna Macy and thirty other individuals learning about Deep Ecology and healing our disconnect from Earth. This was after I spent a year documenting the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster and was emotionally and spiritually burned out, depressed, exhausted. Joanna helped me heal and open myself again to alignment with beauty.

Twenty-five years after the explosion of Deepwater Horizon, killing 11 workers and creating the largest oil spill in the history of marine oil drilling operations, I was hiking with friends on Alum Cave trail. Three days before Earth Day. We made it to LeConte Lodge and enjoyed lunch, sitting on a grassy area. One friend wanted to stay at the lodge, so the other friend and I decided to hike to Cliff Tops, a short distance from the lodge.

We almost left our packs with Pam, but decided to take them in case she wanted to walk around or visit the store. There are two trails to Cliff Tops and I led us up the longer one. As soon as we turned onto Cliff Tops trail, off of the Boulevard Trail, we smelled smoke and saw a billowing puff coming from a grassy area. Without looking at each other to talk about it or pausing a second, we sprinted through the woods toward the smoke and found an actively burning fire in a very poorly constructed circle of rocks. There was dry grass all around and high winds. Thank goodness we had our packs with our water supply!

Paige is a battalion chief in a fire department in Georgia and immediately took action. We emptied our water containers onto the fire and she instructed me to run back to the lodge and get water and let the lodge staff know what was happening. She continued to work on digging a proper pit around the fire while I ran back with her water bottles and the water bladder from my pack.

Once I arrived at the lodge, I instructed a guy to run tell the staff about the fire, where it was and our efforts to extinguish it. I refilled our containers and ran back up the trail. Paige had made considerable progress in extinguishing the fire, which was smoldering when I returned. She carefully used the 5 liters of water to cool the remaining hot areas. And then two gals from the lodge arrived with a shovel to bury the fire remnants with soil.

Never in my life have I felt like two individuals, one a fire chief, were so in the right place at the right time. The wind was blowing toward the lodge. One spark from that fire onto the dry grass could have created a loss of not only historic structures, but acres and acres of ancient forest, not to mention human lives and wildlife. The experience reminded me of John Seed’s quote….I am part of the rainforest protecting itself.

Paige & Simone

I met other hikers who ignored my request to bring their water to the fire, so perhaps they didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation or they weren’t consciously open to the call of the forest. I don’t know. But I do know that Paige and I love places like this and have a deep place of connection with them and all life. Perhaps that conscious connection allowed us to respond to the forest, allowed it to rise up through us to protect itself. 

When I reflect back on that moment, at the exact right timing, at Paige being there bringing her expertise to the exact location where it was needed, to my knowing where the closest water hydrant was located…I really do feel that somehow our openness and love of Nature called us to that intersection of need and skill. 

Imagine what can happen in our lives and in this world if many of us are open to using our skills and allow life to call us to that intersection where need and skill meet, not just once, but as a life practice. I believe the world could be transformed.

Simone, Paige, Pam
The Twelve Hikes Challenge

The Twelve Hikes Challenge

Over the course of 12 days away from work, I finished a goal I set to hike each day. I called my self-challenge, The Twelve Hikes of Christmas. Over the course of this time, I hiked a total of 57.63 miles and had an elevation gain of 9302 feet. No records, but that wasn’t the reason I did this.

I chose a word to describe each hike and this is what I ended up with, in order: Celebration, Foundation, Challenge, Beauty, Fun, Recovery, Reconnection, Adventure, Solitude, Expansive, Grief, Peaceful.

The overall takeaways from the challenge were: Setting goals helps me maintain momentum; Nature is the ultimate ‘everything’ for me; being able to adapt to changes brings joy.

I hiked easy trails, icy trails, challenging trails. I saw devastating loss of grandmother trees. Every experience was valued.

As I hiked, I worked on getting clear on my path forward and how I want to contribute to raising of consciousness on the planet. But mostly, I simply enjoyed being outdoors in places of amazing beauty. 

High winds or icy conditions on the road through the national park hindered some hikes I envisioned doing. I didn’t get to hike a favorite trail I really wanted to hike. The one day I could have, I chose a new trail and found it might be a new favorite. Moving forward in life, I was reminded to trust my intuition and how things come together. It will be exactly what I need and want.

I have been in a magical world of Nature for 12 days, so the next challenge is to stay peaceful and grounded as I move back into the muggle world of a ‘job.’ Prior to my time off, I was struggling to go outside and walk after eight-hour work days. I need to prioritize going outside each day and enjoying Nature, no matter what. This is vital for my wellbeing. 

DayDateLocationWordElevation GainMileage
 1Dec 21Oconaluftee River TrailCelebration52 feet3.26 miles
 2Dec 22Deep CreekFoundation243 feet3.51 miles
 3Dec 23Lonesome PineChallenge2454 feet6.88 miles
 4Dec 24Ramsey CascadesBeauty2323 feet7.95 miles
 5Dec 25Jump Off—ATFun1588 feet6.55 miles
 6Dec 26Oconaluftee River TrailRecovery46 feet3.28 miles
 7Dec 27Bradley Fork—Hitching Post FallsReconnection466 feet5.87 miles
 8Dec 28Deep Creek/Indian CreekAdventure715 feet8.02 miles
 9Dec 29Oconaluftee River/Blue Ridge ParkwaySolitude194 feet3.11 miles
10Dec 30Williams Pulpit Bartram TrailExpansive1093 feet4.12 miles
11Dec 31Asheville Botanical GardensGrief102 feet1.2 miles
12Jan 1KituwahPeaceful26 feet3.88 miles
To Infinity and Beyond!

To Infinity and Beyond!

Pleiades, or commonly called the Seven Sisters

Buzz Lightyear is an optimistic character in the movie Toy Story. He’s excited about the future and illustrates that by saysing, “To infinity and beyond,” several times in the movie. Recent star gazing has helped me become optimistic about the future as well.

Betelgeuse

Watching Orion rise last night and slowly, ever-so-slowly, make its way above the bare limbs of the trees, I felt myself slow down and drop into stillness. I explored other areas of the night sky as I patiently waited for the nebula to clear the branches of my tree friends. Slowing down, I felt the comforting reality of Nature’s rhythms that will be here long-term. Everything else dropped away…concerns, worries, politics. Gone, lost in the star dust from light years away.

The Whirlpool Galaxy or M 51

Perhaps our only task is to align ourselves with the seasonal rhythms, the dance of stars and planets, and learn what it means to be aligned with Life. Maybe we can lay down the fight against each other, against the planet, and remember…in our deepest core…what it means to live in Oneness with all life. It’s time to insert ourselves back into the workings of the Universe and stop trying to rule it with our human egos.

Orion Nebula

I’m excited to enter a new calendar year with optimism that we can remember how to work cooperatively with all life…and especially each other. To infinity and beyond, sisters and brothers! To infinity and beyond.

Jupiter with some of her moons
Peace of the Forest

Peace of the Forest

We began walking in the gray, pre-dawn light. The air was chilly, but not cold. The sound of the creek tumbling over boulders and smaller rocks provided our hiking music. I was excited to share this magical trail with a dear friend, visiting from the coast of Alabama.

The day before, we hiked in freezing temperatures up the Bypass Trail at Kuwohi and then on to Andrews Bald. We shared deep soul conversation as we enjoyed the fir and spruce forest. This day, we were silent as we began the ascent. That silence opened a doorway for complete peace to be birthed.

In the weeks leading up to the very polarized election, we were experiencing stress, anxiety, and all the other feelings that occur when democracy is at stake. The forest embraced us in its silence and soothed our ragged emotions.

At one point, we stopped and just breathed with the trees. It’s a powerful practice to do solo; however, having a soul-sister join in the mindfulness practice made it magical. Imagine if more of us practiced breathing together…add the trees and we’d light up the world.

Now, two days after the election, I give space for my sadness and deep grief. I think back to the stillness we found on the trail last Sunday. I know I’ll return there this weekend to walk to the top of the mountain, through the enchanted trees, seeking peace and stillness they offer. But today, I’m there in my mind, breathing with trees that remind me that in this moment, I am okay—our country is okay. One breath at a time, we’ll find our way.

Loss & Beauty

Loss & Beauty

There have been so many images and reports of horrendous destruction. Absolute unbelievable loss of property and life…and more lives will be reported lost as recovery efforts continue. Helene showed us how dangerous hurricanes can be, hundreds of miles from landfall.

It’s been challenging to wrap my brain around this happening within miles from my home. Power never went out for me, I just lost cell phone service for several days. Places near me had flooding: Bryson City, Dillsboro, and Cherokee, but none of it was serious…not compared to Waynesville, just a bit further east. Or Asheville. Spruce Pine. Crusco. Canton. Marshall. Black Mountain. Swannanoa. And so many more places. Being in the eye of the storm had definite advantages this time and the east side…the ‘bad’ side…was certainly the wrong side of the storm to be on.

I used to live in one of the hardest hit areas. Many of my friends still live there. They are suffering. Friends in Asheville…suffering. Business owners, people with missing or dead members of their family/friend group…suffering. It’s challenging to know how to deal with something of this magnitude affecting so many. 

So, I’ve done the only thing I know to do to find balance: I’ve gone deeper into Nature. Last weekend, it was a hike up Kuwohi. And Thursday night, it was a drive up Kuwohi to see the aurora. 

I stood outside, under a canopy of stars, and tried to stay warm in the near-freezing temperatures. The hazy red glow of the aurora and the occasional white streaks of light, kept me transfixed, completely focused on the sky. 

I spent about an hour at the large parking lot and then moved my car down the mountain, little-by-little, where I would stop for half an hour or more. I’d open the moon roof and my window and prop my phone on the mirror, the side of the car, or on top of the roof and take 10 second exposures. My entire focus was on being still and receiving beauty.

One parking place had a small trickle of water dripping down the side of the mountain. I sat inside my car and felt the mountain’s presence with me. It was as if an elder was sitting with me observing the beauty, helping me stay present.

I didn’t want to drive home, but after four hours of cold, I needed to get warm. And it was midnight. But one last treat awaited me on the way home.

Bull elk had blocked the road with their sparring. They were bugling and claiming their cows as the aurora lit up the sky. Seemed sort of a perfect way to end the evening.

Beauty has helped bring me into balance. Hiking last weekend, up the By-Pass Trail to the summit, was powerful. The summit was totally covered by the clouds, but the clouds were exactly what I needed: to feel contained.

Thursday night, the sky was crystal clear so the aurora and stars…the Milky Way…helped me expand again and begin to open to beauty…to life.

Sometimes it’s difficult to embrace beauty. When we’ve seen the ugly side of life, beauty can feel overwhelming. But at some point, we need the healing effects of beauty. Because that, too, is a part of life.

Suffering. Beauty. Loss. Beauty. Destruction. Beauty.