Walking the Land
By Wolfwalker
Walking the land is a phrase used to describe life’s journey or your movement through a life situation. What the phrase is referring to is how we handle life. Walking the land is a natural process.
First we seem to be walking in the Mountains of Hope. There we hope or wish that this or that will not happen. We hope it won’t be as bad as we think it will be. We look for help in every which way or hope that the situation will change for the better or that it will just miss us.
Walking down from the Mountains of Hope, we find that we are in the Valley of Fear. We try to blame others. The little voice of Fear becomes very big and we fear this or that will happen. We are afraid to move in any direction but as we come to realize we need to do something. We make a choice and take responsibility for the situation and the choice.
If Fear was a person, what would Fear be afraid of or fear? Maybe, Fear would fear loosing its power and disappearing. Could this be why it has such a hold on us? This, perhaps, is why Fear will do anything to keep its hold on us. As we walk out of the valley; the voice of Fear gets less and less noticeable. Fear fades to a small whisper.
Coming out of the valley, we find ourselves in the Jungle of Doubt. Everything looks tangled and even hard to see our next step. We are full of apprehension and suspicious of everything and everyone. We made the choice but cannot see the way out of the situation. So, we experiment with different paths. By the process of elimination, a one way becomes clearer. We are still not sure that this is the right path. One starts to doubt himself but with a little courage one starts to find the way out of the Jungle of Doubt.
As one leaves the Jungle of Doubt, we find ourselves in the Desert of Truth. In the Desert of Truth we see the truth about ourselves and others. The Desert of Truth has very few obstacles to block our view and we can see for miles. As we walk through the desert, we pick up more truths along the way. One finds ways to use the truths in different forms and shapes.
As we are walking out of the Desert of Truth, we come to a large river and stare at it. We see the green and abundant land across the river. This looks like the Promise Land but is it? The river is very wide and hard to cross so we sit and ponder. Is it the Promise Land or the beginning of another journey? How do I get across the river? Then like a lightening bolt, the thought that this is the River of Life and the River of Dreams hits us right between the eyes.
All rivers flow to the oceans. The oceans are the sum of all possibilities. Should I jump in the River of Dreams and float to the Ocean of Possibilities? Do I have the courage to go it alone? Choice made, so we gather our courage and jump in the River of Dreams. Suddenly, we find that we had dreamed too small. Now, we see more clearly. Our small dream has turned into a bigger one than we could have imagined and we feel like we are living inside Joy.
Perhaps, sometimes in life, we just need to trust ourselves a little more and jump with eyes wide open.
About Wolfwalker
A mystical experience in his teenage years awakened Wolfwalker and sent him on a life long quest. His Seeker Walk has taken him around the world. He has drawn wisdom from Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Kung Fu and when he found that he was part Native American he looked into those teachings as well. Wolfwalker wrote and taught a course at a local college for a few years called “Nature’s Way”. In this course he taught that Nature is ALWAYS trying to help us. He feels we need to watch and think when we are out in Nature because it has many things to teach us.
Please note: Always use your own discretion. Any advice you find on Umatter is our opinion. It may or may not work for you. We are not responsible for the choices you make or the result of your choices.