The Free Radical

All it takes is a few bad apples (or “onions”) strategically positioned to make the world appear as a very dangerous place…

Any longtime readers here will already know that I dig and eat wild onions every day…

But these are NOT onions! They grow alongside the wild onions, posing as some silent and macabre joke to unknowledgeable foragers. These are Mountain Death Camas. See that? “Death” is right there in the name… and for good reason! What’s in a name? A camas by any other name would be as deadly!

At a quantum level, our psyches create the world in the primordial act of naming. (Remember Adam in the Garden before Eve arrives?) Through naming, we carve up the undifferentiated body of God like an Easter ham so we can live among the digestible bites and bytes. It’s all too easy to arrange our minds cannibalistically, giving the unconscious nod to fear. But knowledge cuts through all that crap! Oh happy Apocalypse!

That’s the real McCoy… except it’s not named McCoy. The leaves of the onion are flat and soft, whereas the Death Camas sports a trough-shaped leaf that is more fibrous and tough. During flowering, which can be likened to a plant exposing itself, the regal onion cannot be mistaken for the Naked Emperor in his newest finery. The flowers of the Camas are white and creamy in the shape of a parasol, while the onion sports a full umbrella of purple private parts.

All parts of the onion smell like… er… onion, and taste like… um… onion. So if your “onion” doesn’t taste a bloody thing like onion, spit that shit out! But also… please refrain from jumping to the easy conclusion that the world is out to get you! It’s actually out to teach you… to reach you… to put all the named things back inside your head as knowledge gleaned.

It’s only certain lying snakes who would have you believe in your own ignorance… and more and more, they’re lying exposed…

They’ve been very creative in how they lie… But you’re not being so easily fooled anymore! Are you?

(First, this Report was intended for release yesterday, but we were without internet for 9 hours. Sorry for the delay.)

Sitka gets it… or at least, she’s beginning to.

Towards the end of our walk, Sitka was traveling far up ahead, just at the limit of where I could still see her. Then I noticed that she had stopped and was staring intently into the forest below the trail. She waited contentedly, just staring, until I caught up.

There were actually four deer watching us from about twenty yards away. I realize that they’re difficult to see in these pictures, but I think you can make them out.

I don’t often write about our Deer encounters because we pretty much have them every day. It is a rare day that we have no interaction with Deer, but this day the encounter was very encouraging…

It is a dog’s natural compulsion to go chasing after deer. And because it’s so fun, Sitka had gotten into the habit of doing just that. Each time, upon her return, I would tell her directly that she’s not to do that. I was always pretty sure that she understood what I was saying, but it’s difficult for any of us to overcome our compulsions.

During this incident, we hung out with the deer for about five minutes. They scrutinized us as we scrutinized them. No one was particularly concerned, and Sitka, for the most part, seemed rather content to remain a passive observer. It was only once I had repacked the camera and started on my way again that Sitka couldn’t resist the urge to give just a little chase. To the sounds of my admonishments she gave chase for about ten seconds and then returned to the trail. I’m convinced that she understands that the animals are not our playthings… and that respect is beginning to win out.

The Old World, the status quo, is built primarily upon habit and compulsion; those are its main supports now. Once enough of us overcome our slavery to such, the New Earth begins in earnest. I think that if Sitka can do it, so can we!

My daily experiences in the Forest are becoming quite dynamic and multidimensional… in case you hadn’t noticed!

Winding up the Victoria Day long weekend, I was accompanied on this walk by a good friend visiting from the city. Jesse is the fellow who has been instrumental in helping to create my presence as a writer on the internet. As such, his vibe harmonizes with mine effortlessly… as was evidenced by the Forest’s ease of acceptance.

We were only mere hours at most behind the bear who left these tracks in the mud, as evidenced by them overlaying the tire treads from trucks having passed this way the afternoon before.

They belong to a medium-sized bear– almost certainly Black Bear– and you can see clear evidence of claw marks included in the prints. Not quite as exciting as Bigsquatch, but a fun find nevertheless! I will reiterate here that Bear represents individual sovereignty. Issues of sovereignty and the individual’s ability to claim and exercise such are rapidly becoming the keystone issues of these times. (This will be explored in an upcoming TOURS update in the next few days.)

Whenever guests accompany me on these journeys, they are invariably and happily surprised by the variety of flora, fauna and landscape involved in such an effortless walk. This little corner of paradise is a truly amazingly diverse ecosystem!

We were nearing the end of our travels along the river, approaching the place of this overhanging cliff, when we had a most unusual encounter. The picture above actually looks back on the spot as we moved past it. Sitka is sniffing out the place where a short-eared owl patiently awaited our company.

Our approach was from the right side of the picture. Sitka was in the lead. Just before we reached the cliff, Sitka stopped suddenly and began to growl quietly. As I came up behind her, it looked to me like there was an interesting rock or some such thing blocking the trail ahead. It was positioned on the ground a mere ten feet away. Once Sitka, myself and Jesse were all gathered there wondering “What is that?” the owl hopped once and spread its wings to fly off over the river. An owl! In the middle of the day! He was just sitting on the ground for no apparent reason other than to wait for us… and was utterly fearless of our approach. He was magnificent!

Once again, the encounter happened so quickly that neither of us was able to snap a picture… with cameras which were safely stowed away in our backpacks. I easily identified the owl in my local bird book though, as the colourings were distinctive, and the short-eared owl is the only one who is also active during the day and not strictly nocturnal.

Owls are associated with a great deal of wisdom and lore coming to the fore in timely revelations. One specific aspect of particular note is the owl’s correlation with issues having to do with the neck. An owl’s eyes do not move; instead, their necks are extremely dextrous in order for them to properly track their prey. For the past two weeks I have had a stiff neck– a knot in the left side just beneath my skull. This is indicative of a blockage of internal awareness, an ability underdeveloped. I have to admit that on the day of this encounter, for the first time, my neck was feeling normal again.

Who else is symbolically associated with the neck– or a lack thereof? Yes, that’s right, bigsquatch. Traditionally, the sasquatch is said to have no neck; its head is much closer to the heart. That is the basis for its telepathic communication– a heart-based skill. It is one I’m calling into remembrance now.

Everyday the adventure beckons… and I can hardly wait!

If I’m right, does everyone else have to be wrong?

I vaguely remember a time when I would have answered that question with an emphatic “Yes!” The part of myself that I now operate from has since sunken deeper into my body where a simple realization has always dwelt. It says “I have to live with the consequences of what I believe, just as everyone else has to experience the consequences of what they believe.” It’s perfect, actually… because we don’t have to waste our time convincing and recruiting.

There’s really only one universal belief in a Free Will Universe. We are each free to explore whatever beliefs we want. (And you don’t even have to believe that if you don’t want to… but then, eventually, we will come into conflict.)

I believe in Forest magic. I believe in telepathy… or, mind fusion. Nature operates in unity, not competition. I have access to that unity… always.

So far, I don’t hear distinct voices in my head. I receive impressions… which are distinct from my own trains of thought. Most often, I experience confirmations. I will be pursuing a particular line of thinking when suddenly a forest critter will have a significant interaction with me. The specific parameters of that interaction will either confirm, refute or modify whatever I was contemplating at the time.

I was thinking about bigsquatch… how the average person will still vehemently deny the possibility of any such existence… and in the vast majority of those cases, the denial will be based in the purest form of ignorance possible. It is invariably those who have done exactly zero research and have no personal experience in the matter who will proclaim the loudest that “It’s ridiculous!” It’s as though being incurious is the highest form of virtue… when, in fact, it’s the most unscientific view possible.

It was Einstein I believe who said something along the lines of “Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance.” What does such a person stand to gain by denying possibilities? Certainly, everyone has the right to say “Well, that’s just not for me; I’m not interested.” But why the pathology of heaping condemnation and ridicule upon others who hold out the mere possibility due to a genuine curiosity? We have a very long history of trying to keep each other small, fragmented and perpetually traumatized. Can we please stop now?

These were my thoughts in the Forest when I stopped to crouch down and scribble the title of this article “Defending Our Pathologies” into my notebook. Toby was sitting right in front facing me. Suddenly, as she looked past me over my shoulder, she began to growl. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I turned in apprehension…

I got the distinct impression that Bigsquatch had been there right behind me… although when I turned, there was naught to be seen, and Toby stopped growling.

You don’t have to believe me.

First off, the little bear my Mom saw last week seems to have found his way back up the mountain… away from the Dutch Creek community. That’s good because bears within human settlements don’t generally fair too well.

This was deposited near the gate which really marks the beginning of the forest walk after the short climb up the mountain. As indicated in this picture, there’s plenty of dandelions now available for suitable fodder. This young bear should have little trouble finding food.

Here in Canada, it’s the May long weekend… a time when our little tourist town goes berserk for a few days. Serenity-loving locals such as myself are lucky to have secret safe havens away from the crowds. On this walk, I was accompanied by a longtime friend from the city… who used to be a local. Her day started with disappointment because she was expecting to work the whole weekend but unexpectedly had the day off… which turned into a blessing in disguise.

Our connection to nature and natural beauty is so important right now. Several hours spent in the woods will do wonders for anyone seeking inspiration and a spiritual recharge. We were especially appreciative of all the saskatoon bushes in full bloom. We also noticed that they tend to take up residence in all the places with the most spectacular views. They like the open spaces along ridge lines and rocky cliffs. It seems as though every bush having a killer view had the largest, healthiest and most delicious flowers.

Jeni agreed that the flavour of the saskatoon flowers was nothing less than spectacular. She also filled in the missing component of the flavour for me. I knew that vanilla alone wasn’t quite right. She identified the other factor straight away– almonds. They taste very strongly of almond extract mixed with fresh vanilla bean… which kind of combines into a cherry-like thing without the tang. Really, really good!

And it’s when plants like these are in full bloom that it’s easy to find the places they love best. Once the berries are fully formed I will be sure to revisit these remote locales.

If, as a reader of these Forest Reports, you think you might like to come along on one of these remarkable excursions, go ahead and book yourself a nice vacation here in Fairmont Hot Springs, BC. Then shoot me an email (niels@nielskunze.com) and we’ll hook up. And please don’t forget to bring your camera… and an appetite!

Our close association with Eagle continues. This time it was Mama Eagle who met us at the precise spot near the swamp where the bigsquatch footprints were found. She swooped low to the ground, just a couple of feet above the hardening mud and then flew over the trees to disappear for a few minutes.

Then, she watched surreptitiously from between the trees as we proceeded to the Mesa and the river valley beyond. She is the lofty eye of spirit keeping close tabs on terrestrial matters now.

Our daily journey by the river has us walking along an old abandoned flume where the black plastic liner is mostly buried beneath decades of debris… but in some places there are large swathes of plastic exposed. Last year, near one such place, I had encountered three mature snakes coiled in the sun all in virtually the same place. I concluded that this must be a breeding ground… but I didn’t know exactly where the “nest” was.

And that’s where Sitka excels. With ear and nose to the ground, she found an odd bulge in the plastic which began to whisper with movement beneath her curious pokes. I knew immediately what’s up…

I don’t know how many snakes there were… at least three… I didn’t want to destroy their love nest completely just to find out… despite the awesome photo op.

Snake is balancing out the Earth-Spirit dichotomy, being the favourite prey animal of Eagle. Snake represents the primal creative Earth energies primed for healing and transition. We’re staying grounded right now because the Earth has been significantly freed up and offers many new possibilities which were previously unavailable. (I mustn’t get too carried away with bigsquatch and his off-world associations… just yet.)

Love is both in the air and deep underground… there’s no escape!

The first thing to report is that we were out of the truck all of twelve and a half seconds before Young Eagle flew up from his perch beside our parking spot… and then proceeded to spiral up the air currents, foreshadowing our own familiar ascent… to the mountain plateau. It feels good to be greeted thusly!

(excerpt from The Garden by Unitopia from their 2008 album The Garden)

Sometimes I can’t wait for the berries to form and properly ripen, so I always try eating the flowers first when they’re in bloom. For most berry bushes, the flowers pale in comparison to the mature fruit. A happy exception– and new discovery– are the flowers from the saskatoon bushes.

And what’s even better is that the larger the flower the better the taste! They really have no excuses though; just look at the deliciousness of the view they enjoy every day… along with the quiet song of the river. Of course they taste fantastic!

Their taste– and scent, for that matter– are unmistakably vanilla. With saskatoon berries it can be pretty hit-and-miss… but it’s the berries that retain a hint of that vanilla goodness that really grab your attention later in the season… and some of them do, giving them that exotic flavour that you just wouldn’t expect from a berry named “saskatoon.”

I’ll try not to eat too many of the flowers… because I want the berries later, but right now it’s the only source of that smooth vanilla flavour until the sweet clover does its thing toward the middle of summer. The sweet clover combines well with the fifth-dimensional juniper berries, whereas the saskatoon flowers combine nicely with the leftover bearberries– which are unfortunately becoming rather scarce now– adding a touch of sweetness.

Yes, I think I have a new favourite flower! (But I still eat a ton of dandelions along the way too!)

(River of Life by Earth Trybe from their 2002 release Rhythm of the Earth)

In recent years, whenever someone might ask me whether I believe in Bigfoot, I would always answer “Yes, I certainly believe in the possibility.”

“Then why hasn’t he been found?”

Perhaps I watched a bit too much of The Six Million Dollar Man when I was a kid. My favourite episodes were definitely the ones involving Bigfoot (5 episodes in total). Even way back then, in the mid-seventies, human consciousness was seeded with the idea that maybe there’s a Bigfoot-ET connection– that there’s way more going on with this phenomenon than simply a very elusive “dumb beast.”

My own answer to the question was always something along the lines of “Well, maybe Bigfoot isn’t a completely physical being; there are spiritual or psychic components that we don’t understand… yet.”

The first thing I did when I accepted that maybe I’m becoming a bigsquatch researcher was to watch a couple hours worth of videos from one of the leading (modern) researchers, Jack Lapseritis. I then went on to purchase both of his books on the matter.

I’m most of the way through the first one, The Psychic Sasquatch and Their UFO Connection. Some immediate points of interest jump right out. The Sasquatch People are in telepathic rapport with the entire forest… and it is specifically mentioned that they can see through the eyes of Raven and Hawk (how about Eagle as well?)… in order to keep constant vigil on forest conditions. They are also multi-dimensional, having the ability to leave just a single footprint in an area of their choosing. And obviously, they are intelligent. So far, this fits with my experience perfectly.

Yesterday, two Ravens chose to interact with us very closely again.

The dogs can’t help but chase them away though… as is pictured here. Immediately after Raven flew off, Eagle called several times and began circling high above. I have always felt that I’m being scrutinized… and evaluated. Apparently, bigsquatch can read my mind too; I’m okay with that. Everything about my forest demeanour is friendly and honourable. I’ve been observed cleaning up after my fellow careless humans after all. I believe I would be viewed as a steward of this little forest.

If all I’ve been encountering are the markings of large bears in the area, then I would expect to see them feasting in the fields soon where the dandelions are now in full bloom. If I don’t see their physical selves, I would at least expect many piles of poop.

We shall see… who’s the only “dumb beast” around here…

“I know a guy who knows a guy…”

When it comes to Bigsquatch, that’s usually how the story begins. Well, now, I guess I’m that guy. And as such, there’s still a few more remarks I need to make in order to put everything into proper perspective.

What may have been lost in the original postings is that this most recent Bigsquatch reference… and story… unfolded over a three-day period. It began innocently enough on the first day with the discovery of some sure bear signs. There were prints and poop which were assuredly from Black Bear.

But then there was this one… which really piqued my curiosity…

On that first day, I assumed that either this was left by an unusually large bear (for this area), or that is was a composite print made by two overlapping tracks– though it certainly didn’t look like it. Beyond that, I didn’t think about it much.

Then the next day, I came across this partial print in the mud (very near to the same area, but it definitely was not there the day before)…

It was about the same size (toe size and general width) as the print from the day before. Well, that was interesting! And as I examined it closely, I could find no evidence of claw marks– which would be expected from any bear print.

As for the possibility of this belonging to a large cat– whose claws are retractable– that would have to be nothing less than a sabre-toothed tiger to leave a print that big! And besides, cat tracks only have four toes out front, not five. Again, it was remotely possible that it could be two overlapping prints, but it certainly didn’t appear to be.

Then, on the third day, the definitive track was left… for me to discover. It had definitely not been there the day before. It was brand new and very close to where the other tracks were found. And for the first time ever, Raven shouted at me as I stooped down to examine it closely.

The reaction to this picture has been interesting to say the least. To those with a very rigid mindset which insists that there’s really nothing new under the sun for humans to discover, this picture is an obvious fraud. Furthermore, it is assumed that I am the one perpetrating the fraud. I faked the print. I promise you that I did not.

To relatively open-minded people who don’t insist that every matter needs to be comfortably settled into airtight conclusions, they’re happy to view this as an intriguing mystery. Incidentally, that’s how I am currently viewing it. My official opinion: I don’t think these are bear prints or that they belong to a large cat. I also don’t think that these are the results of other humans perpetrating a hoax on me. “So what are they?” At this point, I don’t have enough data to draw any strong conclusions… and I’m okay with that. All of life is a gigantic mystery, and I don’t need to have all of the answers. Simply being open to unknown possibilities is quite enough; it goes along with an attitude of lifelong learning (something I highly recommend for personal peace and happiness).

And now I would like to conclude this segment of Reports with another tale from years ago which might be of benefit to others who frequent the woods… and sometimes find inexplicable things.

Fortunately, I had heard of “The Plug” sometime before I encountered it… and its immediate aftermath. Imagine coming across a pile of poop in the forest which is so enormous that it could only come from a huge bigsquatch! Its diameter is not particularly remarkable but the sheer volume is totally unbelievable. It was quite a few years ago when I had just such an encounter… and I knew immediately what it was. Hibernating bears don’t poop for about five months. During that time, their intestines still produce a small amount of fecal matter continuously… which builds up over time into an unbelievable amount. The pile I came across was fully 15 litres! How do I know? Because I came back the next day with two industrial ice cream buckets with lids and took my treasure home for my compost heap. Stuff like that is just way too good to pass up!

I’ve shared this just so that anyone having a similar encounter in early spring won’t automatically jump to the wrong conclusion.

And there you have it. As for Bigsquatch… we await more evidence.