The Soul

    Our wandering has taken us into the aspen forest, punctuated by beautiful spruce and fir.  As we walk along breathing in the autumn fragrance of life we find ourselves walking quietly, but it isn't an embarrassed silence, rather a silence of contemplation.  The only sound we make is the gentle crunch along the path on which we walk.  The leaves sometimes rustle as the chilled breeze eases along beside us.

   We still follow the ridge, climbing steadily into the thin air, walking along a fence that has been here a long time and that has seen better days.  Eventually there is a break where the fence has fallen down and someone somewhere along the way tried to patch it with wire, which was leaned on by one too many head of cattle, or wildlife.  In the grove beyond the fence is the skeleton of an old cabin or house of some kind.   We approach the wonderfully ruined house to discover that it is only a shell.  No floor or roof.  We look and listen.  For what, I wonder?  If only walls could talk.

   We soon find our pathway wandering through a place where the aspen trees are dead.  Gray spires rising blankly toward the blue sky.  If we look closely we will note that they show scars of fire.  Maybe it was many years ago.  But we also note that among the burned out aspen grove the spruce and fir trees are growing.  Nature is an amazing caretaker.  As the aspens trees die, either by fire or natural causes, the  evergreen saplings which for the first time feel the warmth of the sun and the life-giving energy of the light of day begin to grow.  One day this will be an evergreen forest and beneath the canopy of the evergreens, protected by their branches, the aspen grove will again begin to grow and will eventually crowd out the evergreens.  The cycle will begin again!

   Celtic wisdom tells us that we are all part of the same soul, that God is soul and we are surrounded and filled by the soul of God.  I have pondered that for a long time and find a lot of sense in the idea, especially when I am up here, near timberline where the presence of the Holy is so thick and heavy there is no room for doubt or uncertainty.  To swim in the soul of God with the elements of nature is a perfect place in which to come to know the Holy One!  We will be changed when we return from our Autumn Wander.

To Begin

The best place to begin an autumn stroll has always been for me McClure Pass in western Colorado.  At the top of the pass just before heading down into the Crystal River Valley there is a little lane that wanders off to the east.  It soon disappears into the aspens as the early afternoon sun begins to lengthen the shadows.  It is a joyous trek as it traverses along a ridge from which a wide vista unfolds before the eye of the traveler.

   It won't be long before we will see two rather non-descript peaks to our right.  Though they don't look like much from our angle, if we saw them from the other side we would recognize them as the Maroon Bells.  The mountains rise on the far side of the Maroon Bells Wilderness.

   We will gather our wrap tighter around us and gather up our hiking sticks as a gentle breeze sighs through reminding us that summer is a thing of the past and autumn is leading us to winter.

   As we walk we remember the cyclical aspects of everything,  Literally everything, including life itself is a cycle.  Creation itself was fashioned out of nothing by the Creator.  It will eventually dissolve into nothing, not as an ending, but as a continuation of creation, moving to the next level.  The Creator God has some wonderful ideas about what will come next, what will await us all as we take our place not just on the autumn wander, but in the whole scheme of things.  A sense of well-being settles over our hearts as we contemplate the wonder and mystery of just being alive for ever!

Introduction

   Nothing creates more joy for me than a walk through the autumn countryside on an amber afternoon especially when the aspens are shimmering and quaking in the breeze and the fragrance of fall fills the chilled air.  It fairly sends the senses reeling through the painfully blue sky as the heart and mind become open to all possibilities.

   Won't you join me as we walk together, breath together, love together and celebrate an endless stroll through the most magnificent of seasons,  We will walk and walk and will not stop until one of us gets tired.

   Blessings!  Let's be off!