Ekatva, Spirit of Unity
We have made our way to the forest of Unity. The team has been in awe since we saw the Spirit of Wind. I hope this positive attitude will help everyone retain high energy as we move into the forest. I am both excited and concerned about what may lie ahead of us. I have been so focused on getting the project going that I didn’t consider all the unknowns of travel, but I guess that’s also what makes it so fun.
The Spirit of Unity is said to be connected to all of the trees in this forest, it will know of our expedition as soon as we step onto its lands. I wonder how many humans have made contact with this spirit, it’s a dense forest and it will be difficult to navigate. Hopefully, the spirit will provide us guidance through its forest.
At the entrance of the forest, we were met by a herd of deer that we have chosen to follow. It seems like they are following a specific path that may lead us directly to the Spirit. I feel overwhelmed by the beauty of this area. It feels like my sense of self gets dissolved into the landscape.
It is starting to dawn on me that I have fallen into a leadership position with this expedition. I have been keeping my mind on the adventurous aspect of this and I didn’t think too much about the necessity of leadership. I hope the team understands that I am going with the flow and that there are no guarantees with this journey. I do enjoy the companionship of the group; having countless hours to get to know everyone is refreshing. The fast pace life back home makes it hard to get to know someone on a deep level, out here we only have our survival to worry about and the rest is time for discussion and contemplation.
I feel unusually calm and at peace, being in the presence of this spirit feels like the warm embrace of a friend. I wish I could bring back this magical sensation to those back home; although I wonder how much of this feeling is tied to the sacrifices made to get here. Maybe the value of this would be lost without the journey itself.
