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There have always been magical places in my life. Environments that were very sacred to me. Places of great natural beauty.  Especially in the woods.  Whether it was a certain track of  forest, a special place in the park, a stream of water,  a magnificent rock formation or a circular grove of trees,  all held a certain magic and beauty for me.

As a little child, I would run to the woods, everyday, in the back of my house  so as to participate with this magic and beauty.  I would play on the rocks or run through the leaves on the forest floor.  I would spend hours examining  insects, frogs and caterpillars. And in this place, I became more aware of my connection to the physical world for I would feel and see so much  around me.  Whether it was the  wind currents through my hair or the moisture on the rocks as I sat down to play or  the delicate sounds of the birds in the trees or the chirping of the squirrels as they ran through the forest floor, there was a richness to these sensations that I could not feel anywhere else.  With pleasure , I savored these sensations and reveled in the effects they would have upon me.  For I felt stronger, more aware and more alive when I surrendered to them.  I did not know what I was feeling exactly, I could not put it into words as a child, but I just felt great!

All this wonderful sensation and richness of feeling would often alter my awareness a bit, put me into a bit of a trance or altered state.   And in this altered state , I would often play and  fantasize that  I was an Indian man or woman in my own little settlement.  I used to make a “lean- to” house out of branches and leaves on top of a special group of boulders that I would lie under for hours at a time.  And I would attempt to make utensils out of sticks and leaf parts and pretend that they were my hatchets or hunting knives.   So, I would routinely inhabit this special reality in the woods, playing for hours until suppertime,  when my mother would call me back into the house.

The woods and forests were a special place for me and I loved them dearly as a child.   And, as an adult , the natural world is still a magical place for me. For I still have the same sensations that I had as a child whenever I walk in the local park or visit a woodland area.   Only now,  I have a different understanding as to what those feelings are and how they are effecting me. I did not understand, as a child, that my backyard woods were extra-ordinary or even sacred. But as an adult, I know that everything in nature is extraordinary- filled with a certain sacred energy, vitality and consciousness. I did not know, as a child, that there were  many kinds of beings in the woods who were invisible to the naked eye, but  I know now that there are nature intelligences, faeries, elves, devas and guardian spirits who help create and maintain all of nature. And I did not know, as a child, that all living things were  conscious and aware and wished to connect to us and share in their reality,  as I know  now from my own personal experiences as a spiritual medium and earth keeper.

So, whenever I take a walk in the local park, The (Mighty) *Wissahickon, I look forward to my experience with great anticipation.  For I know  my physical senses will be heightened and  my thoughts and  associative processes will be expanded. And, in certain places, my thoughts will  be tinged with impressions from another time or place and I will often have visions of being a Native American in this and other areas.  When I am in my beloved woods,  I feel more alive.  For I feel joyful, energized and connected to everything.  I feel as if I am in deep communion.  Everything speaks to me and expresses itself through its unique form, sound, feeling and color.  I listen, observe and feel and in, return, I receive the message.   It is a joyful dance with Nature that I participate in.  And, like the  child that  I was, I revel in its song and story and continue to explore its never ending beauty and mystery.

*The Wissahickon Park, located in N. W. Philadelphia  is  one of  five major park systems that make up the greater Fairmount Park system for the city and county of  Philadelphia, Pa.

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