The Walking Stick
"Will you take take a walk in the woods with me?" Sar'h asked the woman who stood before her.
The two had locked eyes in the parking lot of a trail head in Carson National Forest, which lingered off the side of the highway.
It was fall in New Mexico and the leaves burned the color of fire against the azure sky.
The woman had only stopped to use the bathroom, and planned to be on her way quickly.
Sar'h could see that. However, the song sung by the woman's soul played a different tune.
"Well...I...um...I should be going on my way...but...well...yes, I would like to take a walk," the woman stammered.
She hardly recognized the words as they came out of her mouth, involuntary.
"I have a walking stick for you," Sar'h said, handing the woman a long, smooth branch sturdy enough to hold her weight.
She accepted the gift somewhat reluctantly. Later, she was grateful.
It came in quite handy, helping her balance her steps, as she followed Sar'h up a winding mountain pass.
Together they spoke the the language of silence - one that spoke volumes.
Sar'h sensed the woman's trepidation, and instead of pity or even empathy, she held the space of knowing.
Sar'h watched pleased as she noticed the woman's resistance melt and become a warm glow of peace within her new friend.
Once they reached the top of the pass, the two friends began to walk back down the opposite side of the mountain and into a canyon.
It was there, in the canyon, that they came upon a rushing stream.
Seeing that her friend was fearful of crossing, Sar'h suggested that she lay the walking stick across the river.
"But the stick is too thin for me to walk across," the woman said.
"It will surely break under my weight, or I will surely lose my balance and fall into the rushing stream."
She was panicked.
Sar'h took a compassionate deep breath before speaking aloud.
"The walking stick I gave you was never meant to be grasped so tightly in your hands.
I gave it to you, knowing you might need some support when we reached the river.
I brought it to you so that you might lay it across the river, connecting one shore to another.
This walking stick was meant to be laid over the path you thought was uncrossable through your human lens of perception."
The woman took a deep breath and nodded.
She placed the thin branch down over the river, and walked across it easily, landing safely on the other side.
"When you see through the eyes of the divine, beyond your human sight, you will see the bridge I created poses no threat to you.
No harm can befall those truly in balance within their humanity and their divinity," Sar'h added.
The woman saw herself clearly - perhaps for the first time in lifetimes.
Without doubt, she placed her human trust into the tiny branch,
and like Sar'h she too crossed the river with light feet and an even lighter heart.
Once on the other side, the two giggled for quite some time.
Finally, they caught their breath and continued their journey throughout the Sangre de Christo (Blood of Christ) mountains.
The walking stick was left for others who might cross the same path.
Neither of them knew how much time had passed. Neither of them cared.
Song suggestion: "Hearts and Bones" by Paul Simon (Video below)
An Invitation:
Take a walk through the backdrop, the nature, you created.
Remember each leaf, bird, tree, mountain, ocean, breeze, sight and sound you created with pure passion -
before you even took your first steps on Earth as a human.
Take a walk through the woods, knowing you are God, also.
No harm can befall you when you see through the eyes of the Divine.
No experience can escape you when you see through the eyes of your humanity.
Ponder the tools and support given to you by the spiritual teachers and channels you once sought out.
Like the walking stick, those concepts were never meant to be held onto so tightly.
It is safe to let them go now. To walk on your own.
The two had locked eyes in the parking lot of a trail head in Carson National Forest, which lingered off the side of the highway.
It was fall in New Mexico and the leaves burned the color of fire against the azure sky.
The woman had only stopped to use the bathroom, and planned to be on her way quickly.
Sar'h could see that. However, the song sung by the woman's soul played a different tune.
"Well...I...um...I should be going on my way...but...well...yes, I would like to take a walk," the woman stammered.
She hardly recognized the words as they came out of her mouth, involuntary.
"I have a walking stick for you," Sar'h said, handing the woman a long, smooth branch sturdy enough to hold her weight.
She accepted the gift somewhat reluctantly. Later, she was grateful.
It came in quite handy, helping her balance her steps, as she followed Sar'h up a winding mountain pass.
Together they spoke the the language of silence - one that spoke volumes.
Sar'h sensed the woman's trepidation, and instead of pity or even empathy, she held the space of knowing.
Sar'h watched pleased as she noticed the woman's resistance melt and become a warm glow of peace within her new friend.
Once they reached the top of the pass, the two friends began to walk back down the opposite side of the mountain and into a canyon.
It was there, in the canyon, that they came upon a rushing stream.
Seeing that her friend was fearful of crossing, Sar'h suggested that she lay the walking stick across the river.
"But the stick is too thin for me to walk across," the woman said.
"It will surely break under my weight, or I will surely lose my balance and fall into the rushing stream."
She was panicked.
Sar'h took a compassionate deep breath before speaking aloud.
"The walking stick I gave you was never meant to be grasped so tightly in your hands.
I gave it to you, knowing you might need some support when we reached the river.
I brought it to you so that you might lay it across the river, connecting one shore to another.
This walking stick was meant to be laid over the path you thought was uncrossable through your human lens of perception."
The woman took a deep breath and nodded.
She placed the thin branch down over the river, and walked across it easily, landing safely on the other side.
"When you see through the eyes of the divine, beyond your human sight, you will see the bridge I created poses no threat to you.
No harm can befall those truly in balance within their humanity and their divinity," Sar'h added.
The woman saw herself clearly - perhaps for the first time in lifetimes.
Without doubt, she placed her human trust into the tiny branch,
and like Sar'h she too crossed the river with light feet and an even lighter heart.
Once on the other side, the two giggled for quite some time.
Finally, they caught their breath and continued their journey throughout the Sangre de Christo (Blood of Christ) mountains.
The walking stick was left for others who might cross the same path.
Neither of them knew how much time had passed. Neither of them cared.
Song suggestion: "Hearts and Bones" by Paul Simon (Video below)
An Invitation:
Take a walk through the backdrop, the nature, you created.
Remember each leaf, bird, tree, mountain, ocean, breeze, sight and sound you created with pure passion -
before you even took your first steps on Earth as a human.
Take a walk through the woods, knowing you are God, also.
No harm can befall you when you see through the eyes of the Divine.
No experience can escape you when you see through the eyes of your humanity.
Ponder the tools and support given to you by the spiritual teachers and channels you once sought out.
Like the walking stick, those concepts were never meant to be held onto so tightly.
It is safe to let them go now. To walk on your own.