Connecting with Nature
The afternoon was cool and had the heaviness of impending rain. Though no rain fell, the quietness in the forest was remarkable. The only sounds being the squirrels as they ran from tree to tree rustling the early fall leaves that littered the ground. The occasional staccato knocks of a woodpecker and the steady steps of deer could be heard.
Radnor Lake, though man made via a dam, is a 1,332 acre oasis in the midst of an urban area. Originally created as a water collection pool for railroad steam engines in the early 1900's, it quickly became a refuge for wildlife and was eventually preserved as a natural area. Silver and I were venturing out to this park to commune with the nature spirits that dwell on this land. To call to and make a connection to the land. As soon as we entered the trails, there was a feeling of the forest listening and observing us. We were there to connect and the forest felt open to it.
While we were hiking to find a spot to do our ritual, we kept getting sightings of a deer. But would lose sight of her as we walked along the trail. Eventually we found a bench high on the ridge that felt like a good spot and we sat and took our shoes off to feel the earth. The canopy created a feeling of twilight and a quiet stillness that surrounded us. As we were quietly clearing our minds and connecting to the land around us we heard a rustling in the direction we were facing. Our deer friend had made herself known again and was quietly watching us as we sat. She eventually walked off but the quiet steps of the fawn slowly following her from a distance caught our attention. We talked to and clicked at it a bit and it saw us and started walking toward us. Eventually stopping about 10 feet away where it ate leaves off of the underbrush without any concern for us besides the occasional look. Such a magical moment that truly gave us a sense of welcoming and acceptance in this place. Both of them eventually wandered behind us staying within 30 feet of us while we continued with our spell work and meditation.
We each did a small spell, quietly sat and meditated, and gave our offerings. Despite the few interruptions by passersby and one extremely loud lady on a cell phone, it was an amazingly peaceful area. We felt welcomed in this place and loved the time we spent there. Then we continued our hike which eventually led us to the lake and dam. It was sad to see how the land had been altered so much by the dam but it was beautiful to see the amount of wildlife that called the park home.
