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Building Bridges
Day Thirty – March 18, 2010
It felt so good to get a complete night’s rest. I crawled out of my truck around 9:00 AM and noticed that my neighbors had left at some point during the early morning and were replaced by a new family. I had hoped that one of my neighbors would have been single to try and make a soul connection, but everyone in my campground was either paired off or with a large group. It seemed as though I was the only single camper around.
After shaking off the morning confusion from the pill, I headed to the most western village in the park, Castolon, which appeared to be a reasonable hour and a half drive from my village. This village was near the Santa Elena Canyon Overlook.
Sure enough, reaching this village took me about an hour and a half.
I got out of my truck, walked down to the Rio Grande, and noticed that the hiking trail started with a steep incline and then gradually declined, returning to the canyon. Wholly hydrated and ready to go, I set off on my first hike of the day.
The trailhead began in the white clearing at the bottom right corner of this photo.
Standing at the bottom of the trail, I took the following photo, looking up.
I climbed to the top and took another photo, returning to where I started. It was a pretty intense incline, to say the least, but very accessible and easy to manage.
I then proceeded towards the canyon, greeting the hikers pictured here as they came out.
About fifteen minutes in, the trail gradually declined towards the river, and suddenly, I found myself walking through various reeds and greenery. It honestly looked like a scene directly out of the bible.
This trail continued and eventually led me to a large rock with a large clearing.
And I spent the next thirty minutes exploring this area.
I continued until I reached the very end of the trail. I decided to rest here and do a meditation. It was time to take a closer look and attempt to deal with all of the silly little worries and fears that appeared the night before.
After I meditated, I wanted to try a little experiment. I took a moment to write to the keeper of the 1-2-3 messages and ask that they please send me some money. Knowing that everything in life, including cash, comes from the source, I made clear that I was very much in need.
After I took a photograph shown above, a Raven flew into the canyon and sat on a cliff no more than 20 feet above my head. As it sat there, calling out across the Rio Grande with its various calls, I had this bizarre feeling that someone had heard my prayer.
Raven brings the following medicine:
- Rebirth without fear
- Ability to tear down what needs to be rebuilt
- Renewal
- Ability to find light in the darkness
- Courage of self-reflection
- Introspection
- Comfort with self
- Honoring ancestors
- Connection to the Crone
- Divination
- Change in consciousness
- New occurrences
- Eloquence
- Copyright Animalspirits.com
These messages could not have been more appropriate considering everything that had taken place in the last twenty-four hours.
After letting out its final yell, the raven flew back towards the mouth of the canyon.
After lying there for ten minutes, I got up and started my hike back out of the canyon. I felt like a significant transition had occurred on this hike, but I couldn’t explain it in words.
I took the following photo right before I left the river.
I was very grateful for the bright, sunny day (74 degrees) and the messages from the raven. I headed back towards the Rio Grande Village, where my campsite was located, and decided that I had seen all of Big Bend I wanted.
During my drive back, I decided to stop at one of the picnic areas off the main road for some additional time to myself. I still had not had the opportunity to make any soul connection with anyone on a personal level, and I had remained aware that my time in Big Bend was meant to be for me and my spirit.
It was as if I had completed my personal vision quest while here.
As soon as I arrived back in my village, I headed straight for the showers. Luckily, I arrived early enough to miss the evening lineup. After my shower, I visited the village store and purchased two packs of sunflower seeds, two oranges, and a piece of chocolate cake. This meal was my dinner.
That evening, I began working on my journal and took the time to redo my daily meditation. I tried to think of those with whom I had conflict, but I could only think of one or two. Since I didn’t have access to a telephone or even know their telephone numbers, I sent the intention out into the universe that our conflict be replaced with unconditional love. I dedicated this song to one of those people.
That night, I decided to take another pill before I went to bed.
I planned to leave Big Bend the following morning, so I needed another good night’s rest for the long drive out. Before I went to bed, I laid across the tailgate of my truck and spent an hour or so looking up at the stars. After seeing some shooting stars and reflecting on my time in Big Bend, I crawled into the back of my truck and slept.