Journal Entry 09.11.2016 – Bulow Woods Trail
So it’s the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, a date in US history that changed everything. I remember seeing the twin towers crash down, over and over, as the news coverage repeated the images of the falling towers and the resulting chaos that day and for many days to follow. It is a trauma now buried deep in the American psyche, one that haunts us even today. We have an opportunity to heal, but first each of us must to acknowledge the need to heal on an individual basis.
Anyone else seeing a lot of “angel numbers”? It’s 12:22 as I’m writing this post. And I’ve been seeing a lot of 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, etc.
To ground the energies that I feel flowing through me, especially a heightened sense of anxiety (which is not mine, but felt in my solar plexus) I decided to go for a walk in the woods today. Bulow Woods State Park is a large, relatively undeveloped park that contains some fine hardwood hammock, bordering on a marshy Bulow Creek. I walked from the north end of the trail to Cisco Canal and back following a loop for a total of 5.1 miles, an impressive mileage and the biggest hike for me of late.
This is “old” Florida. The woods are ancient hardwood hammock made up of an assortment of under-story plants including saw palmetto, young trees as well as towering giants. There was pignut hickory, assorted oaks, Cabbage Palm, American Holly, Sweet Gum, Magnolia grandiflora, Sweet Bay, Red Bay and other trees I have yet to identify. Careful not to trip over the numerous roots, I found myself gawking up at the huge hardwood canopy, looming some 75+ feet over my head. The paths were sandy, covered in leaf debris and bits of branches fallen in the latest storm. On the loop back to the car, the trail went parallel to the Bulow Creek marsh, a brackish marsh filled with tall grasses. At one point I could see Giant Leather Ferns, a native Florida fern that can reach 12 feet tall! Impressive! The specimens I saw ranged from six to seven feet tall and obviously like wet feet.
I didn’t have many animal sightings today other than some tiny toads, a few skinks, some squirrels and birds… as well as a couple of deer that crashed through the underbrush after being startled by my presence.
The temperatures were in the mid-70’s when I started and 89 F degrees when I finished, without any breezes. Still, I managed pretty well, not stopping for long due to the presence of mosquitoes. This morning I tried using some Tea Tree Oil for an organic pest control. It did seem to limit my exposure although a few brave mosies did manage to land… and got promptly squashed for their efforts. I seem to have extreme sensitivity towards anything that lands on my skin these days. And don’t get me started on the fraud that is “Zika”.
I know that some light workers chose to do “grid work” today. My walk was a form of grid work, I guess. I just “do” it by being in Gaia, in nature, with the flora and fauna as I find it.
I have now just about completed the Bulow Woods Trail. I just need to complete the portion north of Walter Boardman Road to Cisco Canal. That part of the trail has a side trail to Bulow Pond, a large pond that is a favorite for bird watchers.
I’ve started another series of landscape and floral paintings, with the intention of selling them at the Gallery. It’s exciting to have my work on exhibit for the public to see, although not the first time I’ve had work exhibited. My work does seem to be maturing and changing with every new canvas. It is quite an adventure.
I’ll spare you from any deep philosophical or political messages on this day. I find healing by being in Nature. I hope you discover your own means to discovering the peace and healing that emanates from within.
Namaste,
Eliza Ayres
All Rights Reserved, Elizabeth Ayres Escher, http://www.bluedragonjournal.com
More photos of Bulow Woods… although it was hard to see the trees for the woods!