What a treat this evening, while watering the yard! Of a sudden, I became aware of a presence beside me. Elven. Taller. Male. Way younger. At least by feel. From what I've read of Elven lore, perhaps my age, but by his terms, just a young'un. We thought it prudent not to use names in our journals. So I called him "Emerald Boy". Lord knows what he called me. He would only chuckle and say I couldn't pronounce it anyway. Something about a silver lightning-bug. He told me he was from the North. I mentioned that I thought I had journeyed North, so he must be East, but the directions were just different from his perspective and dimension. He chuckled again, and said, "No. You yourself said you needed to start all over again. So here I am." I thought about that, and thought about where I had been for the last North venture. He said, "Forget all that. That's gone. Very gone. This is now. This is here. This is all there is. So.... What do you want to know?" Well, I did think about that for a while. What did I want to know? I mean, I didn't need to ask about his "home" , because the both of us were journeying both worlds at once -- both in his "home"; both in "mine". And the concept, skills, and purpose of shamanism were no different -- just culturally filtered. So I had to ask myself, well, what then? I thought about asking for wisdom, but the nuances of that were either universal or culturally-specific, so that would be a circular experience. I was looking for something else. I decided I would pursue the notion of interconnectedness with him. He explained that trying to translate that would bleach out the colors of his knowledge, sharing it with me, although he would if I asked. I suggested meditative journeying to "feel" what "felt" when experiencing interconnectedness. He said I would still be filtering culturally, regardless of how advanced my journeying skills were. He told me that all of my previous journey-learning had only opened the first couple of Doors of my Inner Sight and Knowing. To learn the wisdom of his People, I had to become totally immersed. Without losing my self, my awareness of my self. He told me that even learning his language, I would still be translating and interpreting it in terms and concepts I knew from a Terran human point-of-view. It would not be his. He reminded me that in the type of counseling I was developing for myself, I was allowing the person to describe her own cosmology, her story, her metaphor, her world. Understanding her behaviors, emotions, thoughts, attachments and inner wisdom from her point-of-view. Understanding that rational was personal perception and social acceptance. Sometimes these meshed well enough; sometimes they were diametrically opposed. When there was too much friction between, harm was done. He said, "You cannot know me, or my wisdom, unless you know my world. If you choose that journey of immersion, then I will guide you. At the same time, I will be learning your world through you." It was quite dark by the time I got to the rest of the yard, and I kind of sprayed water where I knew there were plants and such. I said to my self, "Well, the water will land where the Lord wants it." I had forgotten my companion, somewhat, when I heard him ask, "Do you follow a specific Person?" I really hesitated because I pride myself with my universal spiritual understanding of the One Creative Force, and attempted to re-frame my earlier phrase. He quietly responded, "It's okay. Many wise men come to many peoples to give them hints of places unknown, thoughts unimagined, actions unbelievable, and wisdom unrecognizable. They always speak of harming none. There is no shame in this. It's not like you have made him a laser-focus excluding all else. And not that that is bad, mind you. Just a different perspective and not yours. I know you. I've listened and watched. Just be who you are. You understand that particular wise man because you were with him, immersed in his reality. You learned his wisdom in your heart, way beyond your mind. This is your gift. Being able to immerse so completely as to shape-shift into others' worlds. This is how you can experience mine. You are ready now, because you have finally become aware enough of your own identity as to not lose it in another's. I will teach you, in your quiet moments, I will teach you my language, culture, philosophy, spirituality, and relationships. I will teach you the wisdom of my People when you are ready; when you have become one of us, as much as you can. Even twins can never know what it's like to walk in the other's shoes. But I can help you get that close. If you choose." "Yes," I replied;"I do choose. I am honored by your willingness to share. I'm honored to journey with you, to share Paths, to share Spirit."
Well, I have spent some more time in the North realm, and learned a few words... like for a type of "mead" and "scone", which is wonderful stuff for sure. Also discovered the word for "tree" is the same of the word for "life" in Elven, in this place. Then later, Emerald and I went for a walk and I began to "feel", "sense" the greenery around me: the trees and such. I began to realize that here the boundaries around "things" isn't as solid or rigid as they seem... when I let go and perceived the truth here, I realized that the trees moved like kelp or seaweed in the deep ocean... and in a sense, everything did... like a dance, all interconnected... this could make a Human dizzy for sure. And I realized that when I went to touch the tree, it was like the feeling of entering an energy zone... you know, a different energy than mine... but I don't know how to explain it, really. Anyway, I drifted back from my Journey still letting my mind sift through those experiences.