The Free Radical

Lavender Blue & Aquamarine

As the skies become more compelling each day– that change has dawned upon and through us, incrementally– I must remember to breathe;

Breathe

we are resuscitating mountains, after all… It’s all coming to Life again!

Shooting Star

And as I wish upon a shooting star, I already know that everything is at my feet– the beauty of understanding.

Hawk calls to us daily now, just like last spring. That distinctive cry stretches through the Forest silence as an assurance… greeting… kinship. Hawk flies far off, barely visible in the sky, but still it’s good to know he’s there.

The pair of eagles to the north, across the river, played peekaboo with me and my camera, ducking behind mountains every time I fixed my telescopic gaze. Why this new shyness, this sudden reticence? I later found out that they were just making room.

Caterpillar

Time Now is whatever I want it to be; for it is I who brings new meaning to the world of familiars. This caterpillar was as oblivious of me and my giant feet as he was of the time-warp just three steps ahead.

Butterfly

The butterflies look like they’d glow in the dark…

Dandelion!

…even standing beside these daytime beacons. It is Dandelion above all others who signals the bounty of spring has come. They are the first flower I forage alongside my friend Black Bear– who lives upon their covert sustenance for weeks at a time. I eat them every day.

It wasn’t until we got down to the river however, that we discovered for whom Eagle had been making room. As usual, it was Sitka– my little skywatcher– who spotted them first.

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture occupies a strange niche in human awareness, usually thought of as disgusting or even evil.

Swooping Low

I, however, think they’re magnificent. Their silence, their effortless mastery of flight, their sense of community and co-operation, their vital function in nearly every ecosystem– perhaps they are my favourites among all the raptors!

In Tandem

Beside the Purple Cliff, I climbed atop Kevin’s Watch overlooking the river, and sat in a long excited silence, taking whatever pictures I could.

Vulture Culture

I counted five– although I could only get four into frame at a time. Five is the number of magic, imagination and adventure.

Regroup

I couldn’t locate the source of carrion anywhere on the far bank, but assuredly it was there, tucked away among the trees and rocks.

Solo

It seemed, in that moment, that they were there for me.

Spreading Out

They ‘spoke’ of esoteric tasks taken up now in earnest; as what is immediately to come must overlay and obliterate the stench of a rotten era of unsustainable nonsense. Turkey Vulture is the absolute master of clearing away the dangerous, toxic past. Their keen eyesight sees with a New Vision… one that has been on the horizon for lifetimes spent.

I loved my time spent with Vulture. This is the most memorable presence they’ve yet endured… and their overall message seemed clear to me: “It’s not much longer now… It’s do-or-die time!”

Sometimes I don’t have my camera in hand during moments when it would be kickass to have my camera in hand! Some of these Forest encounters are very brief, and at other times, my hands are busy with foraging activities. Luckily though, I’m an author, and I have an inkling of how words might be strung together in order to ‘paint a picture.’

It was the day after Master Red-Tail’s historic narration had been shared with the world. I already felt pretty good about that sharing and was busy entertaining another sort of sublime satisfaction as we (the dogs and I) approached the openness of the power-line from the winding quad track through the dense forest. My hands were busy shoving freshly-picked juniper berries into my front pocket; I always have juniper berries in my front pocket; yeah, I’m that guy!

Master Red-Tail was waiting for us… right where we daily emerge from beneath the thick canopy. He was perched halfway up a tree along the western edge of the power-line cutline. As soon as he saw us, he took flight, right toward us, swooping low across the narrow wedge of grassland. He skimmed just a few feet above the ground and then flew right over our heads. Magnificent! If I’d had a mind for collecting hawk feathers, I could have grabbed a handful as he passed by.

Closer Closeup

This is the last leftover pic from the day of the oration. (I’m not too sure what’s up with that rabbinical lock of curled feathers at his breast.)

Now, you might think that a large hawk swooping right above you is in some way a threatening gesture. The very distinct sense I got however was one of total approval. Master Red-Tail was happy with us and with the general situation… and I thanked him for the confirmation. (The dogs too are fascinated by the activities of raptors.)

The next compelling encounters to report all involve turkey vultures. For two solid days I was seeing them everywhere! Driving home from my walk, I saw three of them fly over my truck. Stepping outside the front door of our favourite local restaurant that evening, another one disappeared among the treetops of the RV park. And then yesterday, within a minute of setting off from the truck to begin our walk, we were greeted by another turkey vulture who deigned to escort us up the mountain. He only came into sight occasionally as he flew in and out of the tops of the trees.

Turkey Vulture energy always excites me. In my opinion they are the most impressive flyers of all, making their aerial antics look ridiculously effortless. And they are metaphorically the cleanup crew who prepare the way for a New Vision to take hold. In the span of just a few days I had encountered at least a dozen of them! That has to be significant!

Something’s Coming!

Then we encountered that familiar harbinger of New Beginnings, Robin. This one’s breast was extra bright, I noticed, as he cheered us on our way.

Turn Your Head and Cough

This spring’s slow and steady pace seemed to be a bit of a healing for the land and all its denizens and visitors. Things had still remained a bit dry for the fecundity of new growth to really take hold. So when during the night a major new snowfall blanketed the valley, we were grateful for the much-needed moisture.

Newly Frosted

This looks back across the valley from the Mesa. My house is at the base of that mountain range. A fair bit of snow had fallen, but it looked more like a very heavy frost from afar.

At the beginning of the year, the Forest had been standoffish, as though there was something I just wasn’t getting… and until I did, the Forest was keeping its distance. I’ve stopped bringing my preferred agendas to lay at the feet of this sagacious landscape. I’m listening more, with less bias, to whatever the Forest has to tell me… on its own terms.

All is well. A new relationship has begun… and I think we’re all going to be ultimately pleased with where we’re collectively heading…

A-Pointed

In the shadow of majesty, we noted a certain contentment come over the Forest demeanour. The feeling was one of satisfaction.

Prior to Master Red-Tail’s revelation from a couple of days ago, Rodney from the Clan of Rodderick of the Raven Nation had been spotted way-far-away atop the Bashibas on the distant bank across the river. It was as though he was passing the baton, so to speak, in a strange storytelling relay.

And now that the latest revelation had been delivered by Red-Tail Hawk, he signalled his approval again.

Rodney Again

It’s really rather remarkable that I was able to spot him at all, as the Bashibas are not all that close.

That Subtle Pinkish Hue

The clouds and the sky are still looking brand new to these eyes; something’s different, more vibrant, more alive!

Tarragon Growth

Spring is truly just beginning…

Gooseberry Bush

…and the foraging promises to improve dramatically in the next few weeks! All I’m managing currently is all the wild onions I can eat, plenty of incredibly delicious juniper berries (in their third year), and the pungent sage-like flavour of the wild tarragon on the Mesa.

Approaching Squall

We’ll still need a bit more rain, as the snowpack this year isn’t all that impressive. Overall, the ground is still a bit dry, now that the frost has risen from the ground.

Youngster

The pair of Eagles are still greeting us almost daily. My previous pics have gotten the elder with the white plumage of maturity, but this time I got the younger one who still sports the feathers of adolescence. This was taken from down in the river valley, at Kevin’s Watch, just after my good friend Darren (yeah, the one from Amazing Race Canada) had just caught up to us for the last bit of our hike.

Darren suggested that the one pictured here may be a hawk, but I find that unlikely, as I know that there is a pair of hawks at the southernmost point of our walk, while two eagles are always seen together at the northernmost point of our walk. It’s very unlikely that Hawk and Bald Eagle would be consistently hanging out together.

And that’s all I have for you today.

Ruffled Edges

The languid meanderings of Time’s convoluted flow had brought this moment as an opening– a glimpse into forgotten truth. It seemed that all of Earth’s local denizens had come to bear witness, to hear Master Red-Tail’s oration.

I should have known that the last to the ‘feast’ would be Vulture– so used to being the cleanup crew.

Circling Vultures

They came up from the river-valley bottom, circling as a tight group of seven… and finally spreading in every direction– only five caught in frame here, though. (The mathematics of Earth includes only seven numbers, one for each direction: north, south, east, west, up, down and inward. Anything beyond the seven directions was empty speculation… mental masturbation. The Earth Mother had never bothered with calculus!)

Master Red-Tail

Master Red-Tail was perched in his favourite tree. The Forest donned a respectful hush, as all strained to listen… After all, this was the fate of their shared world!

On Edge

Even ancient junipers were totally on edge; there was something about this moment– a bound infinity like no other– when Time itself expected to pivot, like a whole new trajectory begun…

Shoulder Check

Master Red-Tail surveyed the crowd at a glance. Satisfied, he began. “When the StoryKeepers were systematically eliminated, destroying the oral traditions, the remnants of the Old… and the seeds of the New Humanity were wholly at the mercy of the HistoryMakers. They hadn’t yet realized that, disconnected from Earth through recent traumas, they possessed no means to verify the perfidy of linear time. Without Earth’s own infallible record of all that had transpired here, they were like denuded actors begging for a costume and a script.”

Throng

He glanced across the river to the Hoodoos, the silent throng still bearing witness to an ancient defeat… and then continued. “The last of the former StoryKeepers became the Ancient Sorcerers, of a necessity. They kept alive the Old Ways– in secret– for as long as they could. They took up the warpath of knowledge, trying in vain to reconnect their brethren to Earth’s golden umbilical, so that the truth might at the very least always be felt. But the infiltrators– the HistoryMakers– were many. And they were disconnected from any obligation to Living Spirit. They roamed the planet like voracious ghosts, sowing fear in every war-ploughed land. They buried crystals and memories from distant worlds, supplanting Earth’s uniquely sacred universal role as equalizer, healer… as Holy Lover.”

Split Screen

The Master continued. “Eventually, even the ranks of the Ancient Sorcerers were divided… and the Earth magic required unity– not conformity, but a unity of belief and purpose. Earth’s true purpose had been stolen and buried.

Shy Standouts

“The most adept were systematically separated out from the rest, standing them in fear, loneliness and heartache. In that moment of usurped time, there was nothing they could do to fight back anymore…

Huddle

“…but still they knew their time would come, humanity’s time… Earthtime. So they retreated deep within the Earth, leaving only earthen tombstones as reminders that they would arise again… just as surely as the erosive forces scoured the surface, eventually they would stand tall and proud again!

From the Inside

“Make no mistake! They are here among us now, as stones and trees, as birds and bees, as the sacred Love reawakened in humanity! The riddle is solved from the inside. Where the outward gaze sees only the endless recoil from destruction, the inward-looking eye finds resolve and remedy, peace and healing… for all are so very tired, and simply long to return Home.

“A Mother forgives… and her child seeks her embrace… and everything is resolved in that!”

I know I kind of promised you Hawk’s oration on the fate of the Ancient Sorcerers– a very red tale indeed– but still the attendees are pouring into the area like the circus is in town… or something! (I wasn’t planning on writing up Hawk’s tale until tomorrow anyway, so consider this a bonus Report.)

Precard (as opposed to postcard)

You may recall that just a few weeks ago it was very quiet in the Forest. What little activity there was was off in the distance, like the dogs and me were being deliberately snubbed.

Snubbed!

In the meantime, the Easter long weekend has come and gone, and the volume of human traffic I’ve encountered this past week has been unprecedentedly robust, to say the least. It used to be, just a few years ago, that I would find evidence of human incursions into the area just a handful of times a year. Now, I’m encountering people or the evidence of their passage about every other day. The increase has been very dramatic! Although my monthly readership is well in excess of a quarter million people, the folks I meet out there have never heard of me or these Reports– just the way I like it. Something subtle, insistent and earthy is inexorably drawing them in– or is it out?

Regal

We were out under the power-line again when a white pickup approached from the south. Two elderly gentlemen were out exploring and snapping pics. As they were stopped while I was talking with the driver, I pointed to the sky suddenly, drawing their attention to two bald eagles circling above us. The passenger had a better camera than I, and took a spectacular photo of the same eagle pictured above. I grabbed my pic as soon as their truck moved on.

That got me looking up mostly, and I noticed that there were still others gathering in the treetops.

Tippy-Top

This fellow– yes, I confirmed him as a male by his colourful plumage– was difficult to readily identify, as he is somewhat rare. This is Mountain Bluebird.

Attending

I thought that perhaps he was the representative of the Blue Avian Sphere Beings causing all the hubbub among the ET enthusiasts. I’m sure they’re very curious as to what Earth might be up to these unprecedented days.

Whassat?

Mountain Bluebird had been just west of us, while this high-perched Robin was just east of us– encroaching dangerously into Hawk’s known territory. Perhaps that’s the reason for his nervous look over the shoulder!

More Pecking Please!

Some of the Flickers were still keeping busy before the ‘show’…

Poser

…while others were more interested in posing for the paparazzi.

Rendition

Perhaps now the scene is fully set… and Hawk can spill the beans on this ancient tale…