I’m from the forest. I would escape the small house in the woods, crammed with too many large personalities, and commune with the creatures and plants in the woods.
In early life, I would play imaginary games with my friend and sister in the forest. I was Mrs. Rabbit. Alison was Mr. Snake. My sister, Ms. Deer.
The wood was a refuge for me. There was more personal space and less oppression. I was the youngest of six kids in an A-frame that housed eight. Often, it felt like I was under a pile of chairs with people sitting in them, arranged at precarious angles. Oppressive.
When I got out of the house and into the woods I immediately had more psychic space. I could mentally spread out. The large pond in front of our house was percolating with slime and life. There were small creatures to observe, mating newts to marvel at, large deer to admire, fallen trees to traverse, and plants to tend.
Two years ago, when I began guiding formally on my friend’s land, my spirit sighed. Ah, peace. It is a Redwood forest valley - familiar and comforting. My bucket fills up and my spirit rests. All my early associations with safety and peace in the forest come flooding in.
This puts me in a great state of mind to guide. The forest fills me and I shower that fullness on my clients. I feel safe and comfortable and can easily hold them in that container of ease.
If the guide doesn’t feel safe and comfortable, that will work its way into the journey for the participant. Set and setting are important for the traveler and for the guide.