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As we moved deeper along the path, I noticed windchimes made of driftwood, sea glass and shells were hung in the trees at random points along the path. The gusts of the breeze would gently ruffle one of the dangling strands and would produce a delicate soothing ‘clink” as the shells and sea glass struck against one another. The smell of wood smoke got stronger, and I recognized the familiar tangy snap of campfire like my father and brother would build while camping when we were kids. Lilly pushed on through the winding trail and the call of the ocean got louder with crashing sounds as the scene on the left of the trail broke into a view of sky between the trees, eluding there was a cliff beyond the ridge of the trees and the ocean crashed at its feet below. I caught the smell of something else, like the smell of food cooking and it was savory and familiar. Just as we passed a turn in the path we came to a clearing where a campfire was lit, flanked by long wooden structure with a chimney. A plume of gently drifting smoke meandered from the chimney as the structure stood back from the burning wood pit, shaded in the protection of Giant Redwoods. They were like great, ancient columns holding up the vaulted ceiling in this airy cathedral like space and I felt like I was standing at the feet of Gods. They were so incredibly tall and huge; massive and magnificent in their presence, they must have been thousands of years old. I was amused that the pattern of the bark on the ancient trees had grown and twisted into what looked like the huge faces of sleeping old men. I asked in astonishment, “Lil’, where are we?” as I looked around in awe at this gathering of the Gods. “This is your spirit house” she ‘said’. “What do you mean my spirit house?” Lil’ puffed, “this is your sacred space. Don’t you recognize it?” Lil and I moved closer to the campfire where several 3-pronged carved cedar sticks were whittled into roasting forks and stuck into the ground. Each one had a prepared salmon woven through the tines and secured to roast by the fire. “Oh...”, said Lil’ “Forest Spirit has been here... he is drying salmon before he hibernates.” I noticed Lil’ looked around cautiously. The delicious fragrance mingled with the tangy wood smoke in the air above the firepit and circled gently upward like a ghostly chandelier. I heard a loud ‘pop’ and ‘snap’ that crackled from the fire sending up a shower of bright red and yellow sparks that burst from the burning logs, sending them upward from the flames like glittering rubies, lemon quartz and yellow citrines, adding a sparkling glow to the scene. Lil said “When you see sparks like that? That means you’ve been sent prayers or a greeting from someone. Often from grandparents and ancestors wishing you well and welcome. But can also come from someone who is thinking of you.” Lil’ and I shifted around the campfire as the breeze forced a change in direction of the wood smoke, stinging our eyes, but enjoying its warmth and fragrance. I looked around overhead at the lofty canopy above and noticed the whispers has given way to the faintest of voices calling or possibly singing out. “You said ‘Forest Spirit’?” I asked. Are we intruding? Does he live here? “No, no one lives here... This is your sacred place. Your Spirit House. It lives inside of you. You built it piece by piece when you were a child. A place to escape to when you felt overwhelmed. The place has changed over the years. At first you would draw pictures of it as a child. The same image over and over again of a living room with a fireplace and a crackling fire. There was always a mantle clock ticking away on the mantle piece, sometimes flanked with candles, and sometimes a Christmas tree. It was you drawing your first sacred place that gave you comfort and security as a child. As you got older it then became a stately home in England, then an airy classic apartment with vintage details in San Francisco, and now a very spiritual long house, to house and comfort your soul. You are at a time in your life when you need to be comforted and soothed and you would do well to take a break here for a bit and get to know the place again. You’ve been without a home base for such a long time and where ever you can build that home base, is where you will find your true North. I walked over to the curious structure, it was larger than I imagined. It was built of cedar and you could smell the sweet, spicy, aromatic fragrance of the wood just standing close to it. It was strong and raw, like it had just been built with strong undertones of camphor and citrus. Lil’? I said thoughtfully, “Who is the Forest Spirit? Lil’ looked around again cautiously. Lil’ continued to survey the branches overhead, watching carefully, sniffing the air and flicking her tail as she watched. Sometimes her gaze seemed to lock onto something I couldn’t see and it made me question. “Lilly cat? What are you watching sweet girl?” She didn’t answer, she just seemed to watch overhead cautiously. She then responded, “The Forest Spirit protects this sacred space; he has always been here and will always be here. He's not some corny urban lore told around the campfires to scare kids like that stupid story of the ‘Catwoman of Kennydale’ or the ‘Glowing Man of Lynnwood.’ Remember you had birthday slumber parties, and we had that rotary dial telephone, and the kids would crank call the house saying “Bloody fingers 10- blocks away...? Then hang up and keep calling back until the count reached down to ‘1 block away’ then someone would show up and knock on the door. I remember sitting on the bed and watching how you girls were giggling and squealing in anticipation of something terrible at the door only to be disappointed that it was ‘horny Scott’, your brother’s weird friend from college who drove that gold Camero. You’d all murmur “Ew..Gross, it’s just Scott...Let’s go...” With the anticlimactic arrival of horny Scott, you all went back to the basement in your flannel nighties and pajamas to eat something and have a seance or play ‘Mystery Date’ to retrieve the evenings excitement. You were kids doing fun, stupid kid stuff. When Forest Spirit is camping out, cooking like this, it’s because he is watching the area... from something. I’m just not sure what it is. “That sounded ominous I said...” Seeing the Forest Spirit for the first time can be terrifying. He comes to you like a child's nightmare of things under the bed reaching out to grab your feet or something hiding in the closet. You see when you meet the Forest Spirit, it means that your resilience is returning, your courage, strength and purpose are activating and new ideas, paths, direction and new people are starting to appear in our lives. We follow the Forest Spirit to fully recognize the validity of the new presence in our lives. To protect what is sacred in our lives. It is the new that we haven’t quite figured out if it fits or not in our lives, but it is the new breath of life and direction into our own. Examining and tasting the waters, the new waters flowing into our lives. That is sacred and powerful, because it shows we now are listening and taking direction towards our own new truth. Seeing our own true north. “Lil’ I had no idea how smart you were as a cat.” Lil’ nodded her fluffy head and said “yes, of course.” Lil’ what is it? You’ve been eyeing something up in the trees ever since we met. What is it, girl? “Night terrors” she said. “I think there are night terrors roosting up in the trees”, “Night terrors?” I asked. Yes, remember when I told you earlier that you are very vulnerable to falling back into the abyss? “Yes...” I said, colorlessly drawing my name in the pine needle covered ground with the toe of my shoe, not making eye contact with her. You know what’s in that abyss, don’t you? Yes...Lil’ “It’s depression and the sheer terror of soul paralyzing anxiety. What you went through was traumatic and it played on every fear you had. Your primal fear of abandonment. Losing your parents, losing the very family structure you thought you could count on. Losing everything you worked for. Losing your job, losing your home, losing your strength to be resilient under pressure and to think on your feet with the agility necessary to do what you needed to do to save yourself. Your account of strength and resilience was so overtaxed and so overdrawn you could not function. Instead, you got dumb, empty and shallow comments like “you need to be the captain of your own ship” and “take a deep breath.” This is why you now need to know your sacred space. Your place to recharge and draw on the waters that protect your peace and they will keep you afloat. You have made it to solid land after being so lost for so long at sea. Now we need to make sure you have what is necessary to keep you strong and able like you were before all this mess started. Lil’s stare suddenly locked onto something...she stared up into the canopy making a gentle cackling like noise that shuttered her lower jaw making a clicking sound “ack, ack, ack, ack” she cackled as she swished her tail. I looked up and couldn’t see anything. She then crouched low to the ground creeping toward the trunk of one of the trees looking up into the canopy. I saw the branches jostle as Lil’ stared now arching her back with hackles risen. The canopy rustled with something leaping threw the branches.