As my story-collecting sabbatical in Knysna drew to a close, I found myself with far more questions than answers. Why had so many people experienced transformative events in the forests of this region? Who, or what, were people connecting with in the forest? What mysterious secrets were hidden here? Most importantly, who was this Green Lady and how was she related to all those to whom she chose to reveal herself?
I had met so many interesting people and documented so many fascinating stories that I felt a very strong connection with the town and its people. It had started to feel as if I belonged here in this beautiful place and I knew that I would be leaving a large part of myself behind when I departed within the next few days. On my many hikes in the area, I had felt an increasing connection to, and love of, the beautiful forests and natural indigenous vegetation. So, during my final week, I decided to go for one last hike in the forest to clear my mind and to say goodbye to the mysterious and wonderful forests of Knysna.
Stepping out onto the footpath into the forest, I picked up my pace and gradually became aware of my body working, my muscles stretching, my breathing deepening; blood rushing to my feet and legs as I moved up the incline. I found myself gradually releasing the accumulated stress of the day, as the multitude of small concerns and questions occupying my mind diminished with every deep breath that I took. Slowly the incessant chattering of my mind quietened and I began to take notice of the incredible beauty of my surroundings.
Slowing down my pace, I started absorbing the essence of the forest through all of my senses, through the very pores of my skin, and gradually my perception of the forest began to change, increasing in energy, in vitality, taking on the appearance of a stage or movie set, becoming simply too intense in its being-ness, simply too perfect to be real. The almost psychedelic colours, the myriad textures, the richness of smells; the placement of every tiny twig and stone seemed simply too perfect to have happened by chance. It became impossible for me to believe that there wasn’t an incredible design, some awesome intelligence behind it all. As I tiptoed with reverence through massive tree cathedrals and gazed with awe upon delicate green lace-light filtering through living stained glass windows, I became convinced that I was in the presence of a collective intelligence - a spirit of the forest. Well could I believe the many stories I had been told of the Lady of the forest. Sitting down beside a small waterfall, cascading through delicate, luminous greenery into a pool below, I breathed deeply in gratitude and appreciation.
Suddenly a greenish glow appeared, and from behind a dense tangle of large tree ferns a beautiful woman emerged and walked toward me. Her skin was pale green and subtly glowing, as if lit from within, and her wild tangle of waist-length, dark green hair was threaded through with small white flowers and delicate ferny fronds. She wore no conventional garments but her lithe body radiated such a beautiful light that she appeared to be fully clothed. I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding in fear and excitement as I realised that finally I too would be meeting the Lady of whom I had heard so many tales. She smiled at me so sweetly that I was sure that she could read my thoughts and I felt engulfed in deep, calm warmth and acceptance.
“Who are you really?” I asked, “And where have you come from?”
“I am the Deva of the forest,” she replied, “And I have been here all along! You are simply able to see me now because of your relaxed, meditative state of deep gratitude and appreciation. I often watch over you on your walks in the forest and I believe that you have reached a place of readiness to be shown some wonderful things that will increase your understanding of the forest and of your relationship to it.” So saying, the beautiful woman walked up to me and placed her cool, soft hands gently over my eyes.
“What are you doing?” I asked, rather bemused by this unexpected turn of events.
“Simply removing the veil from your sight. Behold what lies before you!” she exclaimed as she removed her hands from my face.
Opening my eyes, I gasped in delight to see a magical fairyland of wonder. The light shining through the trees had taken on a liquid golden hue, which reflected off the shimmering wings of a myriad tiny, dancing creatures of sparkling coloured light that enchanted the air around us. “What on earth…?” I exclaimed in wonderment, suddenly realizing that I was finally seeing some of the beings who had so delighted my little sick friend, Elsa.
“They are sylphs; air spirits which tend to the growth of trees, plants and flowers. Sylphs are one class of elemental beings, all of which have the job of transforming thought-forms into physical forms.”
“But, how do they do that?” I asked in amazement.
“It may be a little difficult for you to understand, but basically sylphs channel etheric energies into producing the physical forms of plants, using the blueprints supplied by the Devas, to whom they report.”
Seeing a bright flash of light out of the corner of my eye, I turned to catch a brief glimpse of a small, fiery, lizard-like creature darting into the undergrowth next to a fallen tree stump. “What was that?” I asked my beautiful guide.
“That was a salamander - a fire spirit. Their job is the transformation of matter from one form to another. In this particular case, the rotting tree trunk and plant matter is transformed by the salamander into nutrients that support the growth of new plants. Absolutely everything is recycled in the forest, you know! Forest salamanders are generally quite small, but the salamanders attending volcanoes, lightning or other large sources of transformative energy can be massive. It is always very important to have the highest intent when lighting a fire, because salamanders are just like mischievous children and can cause great harm if your intent is not pure.”
“What are these elemental beings made of; surely not flesh-and-blood?” I asked, beginning to really enjoy this unique experience.
“Definitely not flesh-and-blood!” she laughed. “Each different type of elemental being is made of the etheric substance that is unique and specific to their particular element. The four elements being, of course, earth, air, fire and water. Although the elementals are not immortal, they do live for many hundreds of years, carrying out their specific functions before they, once again, revert back to the etheric substance from which they were initially formed. Now, if you look over at that waterfall, you will see a nymph, which is a type of undine - water elementals who work with the vital essences and liquids of plants and animals.” Looking at the waterfall I saw a brilliant being of pale blue light which briefly flickered in greeting and then disappeared beneath the water.
“But… these beings are the stuff of myths and legends! I never realised that they actually existed! How is it that humans cannot usually perceive them?” I asked the Deva.
“In ancient times humans actually did perceive the elementals to a far greater degree that you currently do; hence the myths and legends. However, in more modern times, due to the toxic wastes of industrialisation and the destruction of vast tracts of previously unspoilt land, many of the elementals have withdrawn into seclusion or have left entirely. As a result of the ascendance of the human ego and mind, natural human receptivity has almost shut down, and the elementals have become invisible to just about everyone. However, children will often perceive them, as will people who are in a receptive state, such as you are in today,” she answered.
Pointing to a pile of rocks beside the waterfall, where I could see a small, brown creature steadily moving along the surface of the rocks, she said, “Over there you can see an Earth spirit. They are concerned with the minerals in rocks and soils, which, you will be surprised to know, are also living entities. They perform an important nutrient function in the bodies of all living things. Without minerals the plants and animals could not survive.”
The Deva turned to face me again and said, “In addition to the elementals I have shown you, and countless others besides, you should also be aware that your pets, and even your own body, have associated elemental spirits. If you work together with these elementals, you can ensure the continued health and well-being of yourself and that of your animal companions. Simply return to this relaxed, meditative state and allow yourself to feel gratitude, deep within your heart. Then ask the specific elemental to assist you in your quest for health, balance and well-being. It is their duty and their greatest pleasure to assist you.”
“But, having encountered all these different elementals, I’m wondering exactly who YOU are,” I said.
The Deva smiled gently at me and replied, “The entire forest, including all the plants, animals, minerals, micro-organisms, the air, the water, absolutely everything, is a massive co-creative, living entity. I am the energy essence of that entity and I am responsible for the health and well-being thereof. It is with me that you communicate when you experience yourself in communication with the forest.”
After allowing me a few moments to internalise this piece of information, the Deva continued, “Now I would like to guide you in your quest toward better understanding of the forest. I am well aware of the questions that you have been asking yourself in this regard and today I’m going to help you to find a few answers. Firstly, I want you to realise that when you walk in the forest you are actually engaged in a conversation with the forest on many different levels. On the chemical level, you are breathing in oxygen and a multitude of microscopic compounds produced by the plants, animals and micro-organisms that live in the forest and, in return, they are taking up the carbon dioxide that you breathe out, as well as obtaining vital information about you, your diet, your stresses, your attitudes and many, many other bits of information from the molecules that you breathe out. This chemical conversation changes both you and the forest. I think you’ve noticed how you become calmer and more relaxed when walking in the forest?” I nodded my assent and the Deva continued, “Of course you are also communicating on an emotional and spiritual level with the forest. Your feelings of love and gratitude literally feed the forest, as they provide vital energy to the elementals to do their work of growing plants and animals. Your loving intent is made manifest by these spirit workers.”
“But… that’s just incredible!” I expostulated. “That means that I truly am connected to the forest in many different ways. I have so often felt this connection but always thought that it was only my own imagination!”
The Deva slowly smiled, as if she had been waiting for me to reach this very conclusion. She leaned over and took my hand. “I’m about to show you how very deep that connection really is,” she said. “Just relax and don’t resist as I take you on a little journey into the very heart of matter.”
So saying, she pulled me to my feet and then suddenly the golden light surrounding us began twisting and swirling in a crazy spiral of energy and we were sucked into the spiral, moving at breathtaking speeds in a dizzying rush of colour, light and sound. As I gradually became accustomed to the sensations, her voice sounded in my mind, “We are now travelling inward towards the very smallest units of matter. Along the way I’ll point out some sights. On your right you will see us passing an amoeba.” I barely had time to take in the sight of the massive, single-celled monster waving its tentacles at us before we rushed past a tubular E. coli bacterium and, further in, a virus, looking just like a space exploration unit. And then, we were rushing past molecules and atoms and electrons and, a long, long way in, we reached the nucleus of an atom and sub-atomic particles. My head was spinning as we finally reached the smallest sub-atomic particles. The Deva explained to me that these were not even particles at all, but simply potentialities that popped in-and-out of existence all the time. It was mind-boggling to realise that our entire physical world was made up of stuff that didn’t actually exist! This reality truly was an illusion, as the mystics had always asserted it to be. But stranger sights were yet to be experienced.
Our mad headlong rush ended abruptly and I looked around to find myself in a strange ocean of shimmering energy, brimming with potentiality. “Where are we now?” I asked the Deva in a hushed voice.
“This is the zero-point energy field,” she whispered back. “At this level, all is truly One.” As I looked around, the truth of what she was saying became clear to me. The infinite energy field permeated and inter-penetrated everything I saw. Looking down at my own body, I could see that the energy outside of my body was exactly the same as the energy inside of my body. Energy moved freely through my body; in fact my body was simply made of the same energy as everything else. I certainly didn’t end where my skin ended. Looking at the Deva in confusion, I could see that she too was a constantly moving, ever-changing cloud of energy. The thought occurred to me that if the Deva represented the forest, and if both she and I were made up of the same energy, then the forest and I were truly One being. My mind struggled to contain that thought and I reached out to the Deva for assistance in understanding.
“But… then… what am I?” I asked, completely overwhelmed by the mystery and the magic of what I was experiencing.
“There are many ways of describing what you are,” she replied, “It all depends upon your viewing point or your perspective when you ask the question. Your body, your personality construct, your mind; these are all like an eddy in the stream of energy. The energy stream constantly moves and changes and, as you have observed, freely flows through you, but you are a standing pattern in the energy stream for a few brief moments. However, if you take a higher view, then you could be described as a perspective in the stream of consciousness that makes up all that is. There are infinite perspectives, but from the highest perspective of all, you, me, the forest, the Earth and all of her inhabitants, the planets, stars, galaxies, the entire Universe and beyond… are all One. It is all an expression of God. You, my dear friend, are an expression of God.”
With a sudden flash of insight, I realised that we humans are labouring under the mistaken illusion that we are separate and alone. And yet we desperately yearn for our natural state of unity and connection. So we chase money, careers, possessions, sex, love, addictions; anything that we hope will bring us, even fleetingly, the experience of One-ness that we desire. Of course, the grand irony is that there is no way we can not be One, for this is our true nature; it is the true nature of All That Is.
The magnificent wonder of everything I had learnt and experienced permeated my being and my consciousness, and I felt my boundaries gradually begin to disintegrate as my perspective of myself as a separate entity slowly disappeared and I gratefully sank into the infinite wonder of BE-ing… One...
Eons later I awoke to the familiar illusion of my own separateness and found myself lying on a soft pile of dead leaves at the side of the waterfall; the forest having been returned to its own familiar, but more mundane beauty. However, as I turned to leave, a brief flash of green light flashed between the trees and I smiled at the joyful realisation that, within my own being, I now held the sure knowledge of my connection to my beloved forest. But, most of all, my connection to All That Is.
I also knew, with absolute certainty, that just as so many had before me, I would very shortly be returning to this place, never to leave again. I just had no idea of how I was going to make that happen