The Free Radical

Sometimes, as I’m walking, I have the next Forest Report pretty much composed in my head… and then something happens that changes everything! Perhaps tomorrow I’ll return to the message in my head, but for now…

(New York Dream’s Suite– edited for time– by Happy the Man from their 1977 self-titled debut album)

It’s utterly impossible to predict what Sitka will return with from her ventures into the deep forest. This one was so bizarre and unexpected that even when directly confronted with the evidence, it took me a moment to realize what I was being presented with.

During recent walks, Sitka has developed a habit of leaving the group near the end of the journey by the river. As the rest of us take the upper path, she continues exploring along the river’s edge and then rejoins us at the Purple Cliff. No big deal.

This time, at the Purple Cliff, as she scooted by me, I noticed something rather large hanging from her mouth. She knows I’m going to ask to see what she’s got, and never hesitates to lay it at my feet.

At first glance, I thought she had just retrieved the old sole from someone’s abandoned shoe…

Upon closer inspection however, I quickly realized that I was being gifted with a beaver’s tail! Didn’t see that one coming!

Twenty years ago there were many beavers in the area. There was evidence of their activity down by the river for as long as I have visited Dutch Creek, but they eventually made their home up above in the swamp, constructing a series of at least a dozen beaver ponds. About fifteen years ago, Forestry upgraded the road crossing the swamp and knocked holes in all of their dams, draining all their ponds. (I guess forestry’s all about harvesting trees and NOT preserving the habitats of declining species!) The family of beavers, whom I used to visit often, left the area.

Beaver is the Master Architect of Dreams. His mastery of the watery element is due mainly to his iconic tail. It took me awhile to realize the full import of what I’d been given. After researching and pondering the subject for a bit, I figured that I’d been given a tool for navigating the DreamRealms… so last night I tried it out.

As I went to sleep, I stated my intention to meet up with an estranged friend… in the DreamRealms. It worked! I found him… easily. Can you imagine how exciting that is? I now have a magical talisman to help guide my dreams along the lines of my chosen intent. It doesn’t automatically make my dreams any more lucid, but it works perfectly as a compass guiding me through the Infinite Imagination. This is an exciting new tool to work with!

I didn’t take the actual physical tail home with me, but I accepted it symbolically… wholeheartedly.

This may be the best gift I’ve ever gotten! Thanks Sitka… and Beaver!