The forest and the guide

an invitation to silence

These words arose whilst walking in the forest, with a silent guide leading the way :

To walk in a vast forest without getting lost, we need a guide.

This guide shows us the way, leads us by walking ahead. she’s walked the path before us. She knows its twists and turns, its obstacles. she knows both the long way home and the short way home.

She’s not here to show us how to walk, nor will she insist we join her. She simply walks, and inspired by her presence, we follow her.

First, the inspiration to find our way out of the forest must arise. Then the wish to find a guide. We know when we have found the one, and we join her, following in her footsteps, led by her wordless guidance.

Following her through the darkness of the deepest forest, we wonder if we will ever see the daylight again. But with faith and trust, we walk on, following in her footsteps, covered by her dust.

Suddenly, a shaft of light becomes a wide open sky, the trees fade behind us, and looking back for a moment, we see that we have left the forest far behind us.

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