BootsnAll Travel Community

The Jungle Shrine: Linking Humans and Nature

At the back of my farm, I have a walking track that follows parallel to the gully and up into the rainforest and jungle, past the hut, the turn to the cave, and on to a small clearing and to my jungle shrine. Here there is a seat and a rocky shrine containing a few quirky things such as a cow bone discovered when I planted a few trees there, a couple of valueless jewels, a few broken shards of pottery, and a bent piece of wood.

Around the clearing are a few other symbols, a donated elephant which was to be cast away with a globe on its back, an obelisk, a gong from a found hubcap, and a chair as a substitute throne. These objects mean nothing in themselves but are an attempt to set an atmosphere of mystery and other worldliness. Here is the dark and mysterious jungle as opposed to the know normality of every day life.

I suppose that I have my own ritual here and this is what it is. There is some raised ground and visitors and invited to take to this make do dais. Here they are invited to extemporise. What I mean is to open your mind and to talk freely on what ever thoughts come into your mind.

Most of us live in a regulated and normal society alienated from the natural world. What I suppose that I’m trying to do is to have acknowledged by speaking freely and spontaneously , to admit the power, beauty and even relevence to us of the natural world and its power to inspire. We are now in the jungle and it’s the jungle rules that prevail. This is the challenge, can one speak truthfully and without self censorship as the flow of thoughts dictate. Surely now is the time to say what ever you like. If it makes things any easier, maybe there could be an extra rule of secrecy and confidentiality if there is a likelyhood of it being some form of confession. A pure heart is an advantage.

This may seem a harmless game but it is really a step into the unknown to speak the train of unbridled thoughts if they can be successfully harnessed. Me, I think that I’ll just keep my thoughts to myself though!

A willowed branch attaches itself to my tied torso
i want to jump to let go to reach out
I want to be free and rid of these prolonged attachments

Is freedom really a struggle away a mountainous feet
Why cant I just throw this out move that here quit that start that and bingo freedom well at least thats where I think I will end up.

A thought to capture
A voice to exhale
A foot to move
A life to .....................