"The Calling of the Wilds"
I remember my first Experience in the woods. I was very young - about 6 years old. What happens to all young boys happened to me; I explored the forests and streams around our camp, and I began feeling the urge we all have deep inside us. We have a desire to connect with the wild, and that desire manifests itself at a young age.
I never strayed too far from camp, away from my loving mother and father, away from my warm tent that I knew so well. This one particular time was different. Being a normal 6 year old, I wanted to keep playing when mother called me back to camp for breakfast. I obliged, and began making my way back to camp. It was then I heard the Call. The whispers of the forest, the quiet chirping of the birds, the rustling of leaves. The sound was foreign yet familiar to me, and I followed it deeper in the forest. For those who do not know what it is, it cannot be explained very well. A collection of sounds, yet one sound, not all at the same time, but not separated.
Regardless, I ventured deeper in the forest. My mother's calling faded and the Call grew stronger. At first it was a mild hum, a constant low pitched buzz. As I went deeper, the sounds grew more intense. It was clearer and clearer. I continued, and soon the sound drowned out everything. It was disorienting, and I stumbled around. I could not contain myself, and I collapsed. I thought I was going to die. I closed my eyes, and everything faded into darkness..
I awoke, and looked around. I was in a circular clearing. A bird which I had never seen before was perched on a fallen log near me. It looked at me, and then flew away silently. I got up, brushed myself off, and began walking away. That's when I saw something that would change my life forever.
An old man, physically weak, clad in tattered rags, was propped up against a tree. He heard me walking and let out a cough.
He looked up at me, and began to speak in a weak, hushed tone. "I did not expect to see anyone else here. None should have found me."
I stared at him in silence. I was both horrified and intrigued. He continued.
"Oh, young boy.. you should not have come here. You should not have to see this."
I asked him why he was out here, all alone.
"I am an old hunter. I have lived in these woods my entire life. These trees have kept me safe, and cared for me. They sheltered me and provided me with my daily food. It's time I return to them."
He let out a short series of painful, heavy coughs.
"Boy, how did you stumble upon me? Where are your parents?"
I explained that I had heard a strange noise, and I followed it here.
He smiled, and motioned for me to come closer.
".. The Call. The gods are one with this place, and they reach out to those who venture in the forests. .. many hear the call, but few respond."
I had to know more. I asked him why it had led me here, why it was here in the first place. Before I could get my many questions answered, he closed his eyes. The man let out a sigh, and lay motionless against the tree.
Darkness was upon the camp before I finally arrived home. My mother thought I had been killed or worse, that evil spirits had taken me.
Why did I tell this story? What I experienced at the young age of 6, is something any Celt is able to experience. As the old man said, the Call reaches out to every Celtic man, woman, and child. We are a people connected to the gods, and our ancestors lived lives that were in constant reverence and contact with the gods. The forests and streams were their shrines. Our society has changed from the Old Ways. We have abandoned our sacred homes that our ancestors lived among, and taken refuge in large cities. We cannot hear the Call, for the business and chaos of daily life drowns out the sound. That does not mean the gods have abandoned us - the Call has never stopped.
Every Celt, at one point in their lives, has felt the tug of the Wild. They have felt the primal need to venture into the unknown, the foreign yet inviting forests. For many, the Call is but a whisper, for others - a shout. Many dismiss the call as just the howling of the wind, or a chirping bird, or simply the rustling of leaves.
I have experienced the Call many times, and I have ventured towards it every time. I urge every Celt that wants to feel more connected to the gods - go out alone into the wild. Answer the Call, if only for a day. You will be changed, for no man or woman, boy or girl, can return to their same lives without seeing the touch of the gods in every aspect.
So the next time you hear the leaves rattle, the trees groan, the wind blow, the wolf howl, the bird sing, or the cricket chirp. Do not ignore it. Listen.
Listen to the Call of the Wild.
No apologies neccessary.
