Let the Forest Find You

August 5, 2012 4:46 am \

Ironwood Tree

Inspiration for a quiet moment…

Lost

Stand still.
The trees ahead and the bushes beside you Are not lost.
Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes.  Listen.  It answers.
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it you may come back again, saying Here.

No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost.  Stand still.
The forest knows Where you are.
You must let it find you.

An old Native American elder story rendered into modern English by David Wagoner, in The Heart Aroused – Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America by Davide Whyte, Currency Doubleday, New York, 1996.

 

Posted in: Inspiration \ Tagged: , , ,

20 Thoughts on “Let the Forest Find You”

  2. Charlotte Rains Dixon on August 5, 2012 at 6:44 am said:

    Oh, this is wonderful. I’m in LA at the moment so thoughts about trees are especially welcome.
    Charlotte Rains Dixon recently posted..Emma Jean EditsMy Profile

  3. Vishnu on August 5, 2012 at 6:57 am said:

    thanks for sharing Sandra:)

    Will try to be still so the forest can track me down:)

    Even if the forest doesn’t find me, I should be able to find myself in the stillness.

  4. travelyn on August 5, 2012 at 1:40 pm said:

    Quite moments with nature are to b e treasured. A reminder of all the abundance we have!! thanks for sharing this beautiful story.
    travelyn recently posted..Beachside – Seafood market at Kep – CambodiaMy Profile

  5. Galen Pearl on August 5, 2012 at 2:04 pm said:

    I’ve been away from the computer, so I had some catching up to do on your blog. Glad to see you back after your break. Visiting today was like a visit to the peaceful forest!
    Galen Pearl recently posted..I Gave Up Childish WaysMy Profile

  6. jean sampson on August 5, 2012 at 6:07 pm said:

    Thank you, Sandra. I love this poem!

  7. Pingback: Bold and Uncomplicated: Your Life | The Bold Life

  8. Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. on August 6, 2012 at 5:59 am said:

    Beautiful way to start the day. Thanks.
    Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. recently posted..7 Lessons Writers Can Learn from the OlympicsMy Profile

  9. miriam louisa on August 6, 2012 at 4:33 pm said:

    Sandra – this (shamanic) poem has been my companion for over a decade – keep it, scribbled on a piece of parchment and tucked into your heart-pocket wherever you go. The forest will never forsake you!
    miriam louisa recently posted..the transcendent silence of ‘I’My Profile

  10. Tom Ross on August 8, 2012 at 2:12 am said:

    Stunningly beautiful.

    Inspiring.

    Thank you.

    Tom

    • Sandra Pawula on August 8, 2012 at 12:07 pm said:

      Tom,

      You’re welcome! I enjoyed visiting your blog. I see we have a few things in common, not so much on the success front but in the repression and denial arena. Isn’t it nice to wake up! I would love to follow your blog by RSS but I didn’t see a button for your RSS feed. All the best with your book project. Thanks for taking a moment to visit and comment on my blog.

  11. Corinne Rodrigues on August 12, 2012 at 7:48 pm said:

    This is so beautiful, Sandra. I’m going to print it out and frame it – standing still is what I have to do!

Post Navigation