Reflections on Listening

Journeys with the Tree Spirit

The tree spirit suddenly walks into the clearing. He nods when he sees me. I put down my pen and paper and begin to follow him. We walk silently through the woods, sun shining through the tree trunks, too early yet for leaves. The teenager is there, the little girl is too, but I realize this is a journey for the teenager. Her backpack is filled with notebooks and articles to read. The answer isn’t in them, I know that now, but knowing what has come before matters. I’m glad she’s here and that she is taking it so seriously.

I’m tracking spirit. We are all tracking spirit, following the footsteps of a tree spirit on a journey that is unfolding. I want to see around the bend but I can’t, ever. And so I keep walking.

I look up suddenly, not sure why.

In a flash I know that it matters that Willow believed in fairies because that means she kept the pathway open, the possibility of magic, that what we see isn’t all there is to see.

Recognizing that, how do we walk? What do we follow? To whom – and to what – do we listen?