What the heck does this poem mean to you?
Asked by
ftp901 (
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)
October 28th, 2010
What do I do if I am lost in the forest?
Stand still. Stand still
The trees ahead and the bushes along side of you are not lost.
Wherever you are is called here.
You must treat it as a powerful stranger and ask permission to know it and be known.
Listen. Listen. The forest breathes.
It whispers, “I have made this place around you. If you leave it, you can come back again.”
No two trees are the same to the raven.
No two branches are the same to the wren.
If what a tree or a branch does is lost on you, then you are surely lost.
Stand still. Stand still.
The forest knows where you are. You must let it find you.
-an Northwestern American Indian proverb, as told by David Whyte.
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9 Answers
It means to be fully present in the here and now and observe everything from a state of pure awareness.
It means to silence the mind and through stillness you will feel the one connection.
I figured it was about being present but I think I need a more detailed explanation because some parts confuse me.
This part in particular really confuses me:
No two trees are the same to the raven
No two branches are the same to wren
If what a tree or branch does is lost on you, then you are surely lost
What do the tree & branch do? I’m lost.
I blow a very loud whistle.
No idea. I’d climb the highest tree I could find and then look for city lights, if possible.
@ftp901
My interp. is again, awareness.
The branch and tree are not the same, but to the unaware eye, the unconscious person, they do not notice the difference but ‘relate’ to the fact as if it did not exist.
They do not percieve the uniquity of the forest and it’s subtle diversity.
I realize this is a poem question, but I’ve actually been lost in the forest. Happened just a couple of months ago backpacking, actually. I blew my loud whistle, and my backpacking partners blew a whistle back. It took me about 30 minutes to find them, but I did. Whistles are key.
@Rarebear
Heh…quick rescue, whistle while you hike! lol
I got lost in the mountains once tripping on acid, I really GET this poem. hahahaha
I am part Native American. My GGM used to take me into the woods all the time. She introduced me to a belief that we are all connected and one with all the is…“All my relations”. The trees are my brothers. They are all individuals. The raven knows this and so does the wren. All other species know this. They find their way through the wood intuitively. It speaks. You are never lost when you become still and begin to hear with the voice within. You have but to become still and stop the doing…just be. It’s what is taught by vision questing…this forced stillness. It’s how during an ancient ritual that you learn to listen to what is all around you and what is not only seen but unseen.
That is what this poem is about.
It’s means don’t take what you see as mundane for granted, your perspective is just one of many.
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