The Singing Trees

A final island, before I return you to the shore.  This is the island of the singing trees.  It is a high island, ringed with rock cliffs, but the interior is a lush grove of tall trees.  Climb the cliffs to enter this grove.

The trees here sing the songs of the past.  They do not produce words, but the music coming from them and the wind tells the stories of many other travelers who have journeyed in the the Otherworlds.  If you try, you may hear familiar tales of voyages.  Listen to these songs, do you learn anything?  Are you included in this music?  Travel through the trees, learning about the different sounds and melodies each individual tree adds to the music. Each voice is unique, but together, they form a whole that would be incomplete without each individual's contribution.

When you have absorbed as much of the song as you can or wish to, return to your boat and sail towards the shore you departed from.  New lessons on land await you, but you are welcome to visit the islands (and there are many we have not explored together that you can experience) anytime you wish.

The Bulls

The mist has returned.  This time, it is darker and more mysterious.  The sound of  thunder booms nearby and a dark shape begins to take form.  This new island is another place where you should watch from the safety of your ship.  This is the island of the two bulls.

The island is a high plain ringed with broken trees and trampled vegetation.  In a moment you will understand all of the destruction.  You can see that once, this place was lush and green.  Now it is all in ruins.  Look toward the center of the island.  There are two gigantic bulls, one solid black and the other cream with a russet saddle.  Their horns are locked in battle.  Each is bleeding from many wounds inflicted in the course of this conflict. They push and pull each other, struggling to gain their freedom or to dominate the other.  Their hooves gouge the earth beneath them  and they slam into the broken trees. So involved in their fight, they do not notice the destruction they have caused or their injuries.  They do not notice that they have trampled all of the edible plants and their caregivers.  To the victor of this fight, there will go nothing but a slow, lonely death.

This island of eternal battle is symbolic of many struggles.  What forces in your life or your psyche are constantly battling for dominance at the very same time they are destroying other things?  What metaphors to do you see during this segment of your journey?  Watch carefully as the bulls struggle.  Do you see parts of your life in the ruined land around the bulls?  When you have had enough of watching this battle, turn your craft away from the island and sail back into the fog.

The Island of Birds

I laid down next to my son for a nap Sunday afternoon.  Wrapped up with him and holding his hand, I drifted off.  The birds, a place I visited quite a long while ago, invited me back to share their island with you.  This post is a combination of my experiences on the island and of the message they shared.


The sun has burned off the curtain wall of fog for the moment and the sky and sea are crisp, blue and sparkling.  Ahead of you, on the horizon, is a lush green island with a strong line of sandy beach separating the land the water.  Birds are silhouetted against the sky as they fly.  This is the Island of Birds.

As your craft settles on the soft, warm sand, you become aware of birdsong surrounding you. Many types of birds are singing and calling and the sound is both strong and melodious.  Look around at the many birds.  Some are combing the beach for stranded sea life.  Others are foraging through the brush and grasses eating seeds and insects.  Large colorful birds nest in trees alongside more mundane looking birds.  Some are scavengers, removing flesh from the dead.  Others are delicately extracting insect invaders from trees.  Birds of prey and harmless plant eating birds coexist on this island.

Notice that each type of bird has it's own way of living and subsisting.  It's niche is easily defined and equally important to the health of this island.  Each individual fits into the ecosystem and the cycles of life.  Important lessons abound on this island; diversity and cooperation are obvious, but more importantly, these birds on this beautiful, green island have mastered the arts of balance and adaptation.  Each species exists, secure in the knowledge of its neccesity.  All creatures on this island understand and respect the importance of giving and taking- both are required, but never too much or too little.  They understand their own interconnections and to each member of their species, to the island community and to the Earth.

What is your niche in life? You have a purpose, have you found it?  Do you understand it and can you be satisfied with that knowledge?  Don't worry if the answer is "no", but try to appreciate that you are part of something greater than yourself.  Another set of questions to ponder- do you give and take from life in equal measure?  Can you learn to be better balanced?  Have you learned to adapt?  Balance and adaptation are important to creating happiness in your life.  They allow you to grow, to change and to really live.  They are important tools against disappointment, fear, anger and apathy; in times of disaster, they can lend comfort and strength.  In times of happiness, they are mere trophies.

Explore this island and watch with curiosity, like a naturalist studying a new environment.  Learn about the balance of nature and of specializations.  Take notice of the many ways in which this island illustrates balance and diversity.  Once you fell you have begun to understand, return to your ship and continue with your journey.