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Baraka_Guru · 07-18-2007, 08:44 PM

I had my own odd occurrence in the woods, except it was a bit different from what I've read here so far.

It was when I was in high school and went on a camping trip with some friends. There must have been ten or so of us. We were all around the campfire, confiding some personal things, and we got on the topic of death. My own experience with death was limited, but I was relating the time when I was young (around ten years old, I think) and I saw my grandfather for the last time before he died of bone cancer.

My older brother and I were ushered in by my mother. I was quite nervous because he was much paler and frailer than I had remembered him. He was propped up slightly and seemed unable to speak, but he managed to hold up his hand and offer a struggled wave by way of clamping his hand open and closed a couple of times. This seemed appropriate, having been told that we were there to say hello to him. In hindsight, however, I have the feeling that my mother and grandmother knew that this was a goodbye. It was a very vivid image that has been embedded in my mind.

Anyway, when I was telling the story, by the time I mentioned to my friends that he waved to us, I suddenly froze up and fell silent inexplicably. Not even a moment later my eyes welled up with tears as a shooting feeling seized my senses--a sort of panic that seemed to come from outside me, from the very depths of the trees, it seemed. It was then that the same image of my grandfather flashed in my mind as vivid as though it were a film. By the time I recovered and wiped the tears from my eyes, several of my friends were nervously saying things like "Oh my god, did you feel that?" and "What was that?" About my own experience, I had not yet said a word. I quickly confirmed that I too felt it and I told them about the image appearing so vividly. Needless to say, we were all freaked out and we broke up our talk and promptly went to bed. I have never spoken about it with anyone again.

And for the record, my friends and I were a bunch of squares: there were absolutely no drugs or alcohol involved. It is an experience I will never forget. Also, I always associate my grandfather with the woods because he was a park ranger and superintendent for Ontario Parks for many years. Some of my fondest childhood memories include the summers spent on the wooded property he bought for the family, north of my hometown.

The woods are a powerful living entity. I am convinced of that.

07-18-2007, 08:44 PM	#12 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	I had my own odd occurrence in the woods, except it was a bit different from what I've read here so far. It was when I was in high school and went on a camping trip with some friends. There must have been ten or so of us. We were all around the campfire, confiding some personal things, and we got on the topic of death. My own experience with death was limited, but I was relating the time when I was young (around ten years old, I think) and I saw my grandfather for the last time before he died of bone cancer. My older brother and I were ushered in by my mother. I was quite nervous because he was much paler and frailer than I had remembered him. He was propped up slightly and seemed unable to speak, but he managed to hold up his hand and offer a struggled wave by way of clamping his hand open and closed a couple of times. This seemed appropriate, having been told that we were there to say hello to him. In hindsight, however, I have the feeling that my mother and grandmother knew that this was a goodbye. It was a very vivid image that has been embedded in my mind. Anyway, when I was telling the story, by the time I mentioned to my friends that he waved to us, I suddenly froze up and fell silent inexplicably. Not even a moment later my eyes welled up with tears as a shooting feeling seized my senses--a sort of panic that seemed to come from outside me, from the very depths of the trees, it seemed. It was then that the same image of my grandfather flashed in my mind as vivid as though it were a film. By the time I recovered and wiped the tears from my eyes, several of my friends were nervously saying things like "Oh my god, did you feel that?" and "What was that?" About my own experience, I had not yet said a word. I quickly confirmed that I too felt it and I told them about the image appearing so vividly. Needless to say, we were all freaked out and we broke up our talk and promptly went to bed. I have never spoken about it with anyone again. And for the record, my friends and I were a bunch of squares: there were absolutely no drugs or alcohol involved. It is an experience I will never forget. Also, I always associate my grandfather with the woods because he was a park ranger and superintendent for Ontario Parks for many years. Some of my fondest childhood memories include the summers spent on the wooded property he bought for the family, north of my hometown. The woods are a powerful living entity. I am convinced of that. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 07-18-2007 at 08:56 PM..