The Forest is alive.
The branches of the trees sway in the crisp autumn breeze, their leaves vibrant with the colors of fall. The oranges and reds stand out in contrast to the gnarled bases of the huge oak trees, the dark green moss on the rolling ground, and the rich darkness of the earth. Birds rustle and chirp in the leaves of these massive guardians, while small forest creatures dart among the fallen leaves searching for the last of the food that will tide them thru the coming winter. The sweet, pungent smell of earth fills your nostrils as you breath the fresh, clean air.
You feel connected. At home. At peace. Every fiber of your body knows that this place is special. You feel it from your head down to your toes.
This is a magickal place.
Suddenly, with out warning, the forest becomes still. The breeze slows until the branches and leaves hang motionless, as if frozen in time. The animals remain, but they too have calmed. The primative urge to store food seemingly forgotten for the moment as they wait, seeming to anticipate some wondrous event to come. A small squirrel sits on a mossy stump beside you, an acorn still clutched between tiny paws. Moments before, you had smiled at his antics as he dashed back and forth among the leaves. Now, you would mistake him for a statue, but for the occasional flick of his tail, and the slight twitch of his nose as he stares intently at the darkening depths of the woods before you.
You feel this affect yourself. You don't understand why, but you know something important is about to happen. The hair at the nape of your neck begins to rise, but you are not afraid. You too know
that whatever is about to happen, will come from the deepest part of the woods. The part that lies at the heart of the forest, far from the beaten path.
You sense the approach of something. Something coming out of the dark recesses between the trees. You strain your eyes to see it, but the forest is too dense there. You feel, rather than really hear, the faintest of rustlings among the leaves as it comes closer.
Something ancient,
Something wise,
Something powerful,
Something magickal,
Was there a movement, or was it just a trick of the shadows? No, you are sure now, something is definitely coming out of the forest, and into the small clearing before you. At first you see only greys and browns, the camoflage colors of many woodland creatures. But as it draws closer, you see more detail.
Long powerful legs. Rippling muscles beneath a thickening layer of fur. The Stag walks calmly out of the trees, his enormous antlers swaying as he comes forward with an almost regal bearing. His graceful neck arches as he takes a drink from the crystal clear water of a stream. Raising his head, his eyes lock with yours. He flares his nostrils and his warm breath turns to clouds of white in the crisp air.
You felt at first glance that this was no ordinary deer. Now you know, without a doubt, that this is the Forest King. The Lord of the Wood. The very personification of all that is wild and free. His large brown eyes are intense and you feel the rythum of his breathing, and even his heartbeat, as you stand facing each other. You sense the intelligence behind those dark eyes. The eternal wisdom of an immortal soul.
Then, inside your head, you seem to hear a voice.
"I know you," speaks the voice, and you realize that it is true. Beneath your shirt you wear a pentacle, but this is not how he recognizes you. He knows your heart. Your soul.
"You are a child of the forest, and to the forest you have returned. All true friends are welcome here."
As he speaks to you, you realize that a part of you deep inside knows him as well.
"I am the Forest King."
"I am known by all these names, and many others, forever lost to the mists of time. I am the lord of the hunt, the protector of the weak. I haunt the wild places of this world, and live within the hearts of those whose spirits will not be tamed. My spirit is in the abandon and pure joy of life itself. I am the wonder of a sunrise as it breaks over the mountains. I am the power of the surf as it crashes on a rocky shore. I am in a Father's smile as he looks upon the face of his child, with pride. I am the fierceness of the Bear as it protects its family. I am the cunning of the wolf as she stalks her prey. I am the consort of The Lady, an equal half of the eternal cycle of life and renewal.
I am the keeper of Death, and its mysteries, but you need not fear me. All things return to me in time along their journey, and pass through me to other paths that lie ahead.
My words are words of love. That you would love one another. Care for one another. Know that you are a part of something larger, something grander. Live in Harmony with the Earth. Love her as the mother that she is. Live as part of the great cycle, never taking more than you need.
I spoke to your father, and your father's father, and onward back to the dawn of man and beyond. They knew my spirit and lived it every day. Know me now, and live life as it was meant to be! Not as a timid thing afraid to grow and experience the wonders of the world, but as a warrior. Never cruel, never heartless, but ever aware of the incredible reward of a life lived to its fullest.
Carpe Diem!! Sieze the day! Live life to its fullest and face death, not with regret but with anticipation of a new and wondrous journey begining again."
The great stag raises his antlered head and bugles a call that shatters the silence of the forest. Great plumes of white steam billow from his nose in the cold October air. He shakes his massive head, gathering himself for a leap across the stream between you. He rockets forward in a joyous leap across the water, muscles flexing as they propell him boldly forward. His head raises in mid leap, a second bugle echoing among the massive oaks that surround you both.
And then he is gone.
The leaves once again move to the graceful rythum of the breeze. The birds continue their chirping, undisturbed. The small Squirrel beside you remembers his duty at last, and returns to the job at hand.
All things were as they were. It is as if nothing had happened. But you have changed. Inside your heart are the words and the spirit of the Lord of the Wild Wood. Your life is now the life of the Warrior.
No, its not a voice,,,,,its music.
Then again, its not quite music either, but it speaks to your soul in a "language" all but forgotten by you. Your body understands it. The primal memories, locked within your mind for generation upon generation, feel the meaning of this language. Your inner mind wraps itself around it like an old friend.
"I am the Lord of the Wild Wood."
"I am the Green Man."
"I am the Horned God."
"I am Cernnunos."
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