Flushin' the pipes.

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I was out in the woods in the rain. Olive drab green, wool clothing. Leaning against a tree. Looking out over a steeply cut hollow at Strouds Run. Watching a group of blue jays dart from limb to limb, listening to their cries.

That's when I got a phone call from Travis inviting me over his house for a bit of spiritual meditation based on the lessons he learned at Tom Brown's Tracker School. I had completely forgotten by that rainy Tuesday our conversation outside the Union on Friday. He wants to form a group to teach some meditation tonight at eight. Would I be interested?

I didn't answer the phone, so he left a message. "Call me back," he said. It took me a few more hours to get out of the woods (I collected some sassafras root, some fungi and I shimmied down an hackberry tree from the top of a couple story cliff). When I first called back I told him thanks, but no, I wouldn't be over. Thirty minutes later I called again and told him I'd be there.

He had two other friends over for the meditation along with me, his girl friend, Laura and their dog, Bramble. We all lay on the floor in darkness and meditated on Travis's voice. "You feel yourself getting lighter... You're floating now, up through the roof into the tree tops of Athens... Go! Fly where you will! Don't go too far."

We meditated for about half an hour, then we enjoyed a slice of fresh baked chocolate cake.

Boy, did need that meditation! My head was jam packed and leaking out the edges. Lots of stuff happened over the weekend: the show, Johnathon, lots of music, a girl (!). All of the stimuli had my brain working overtime, which was good creative energy (I jammed out a lot, painted a picture, made a necklace, etc.), but in the midst of it all, I lost touch with my inner voice - my intuition. Without a sense of that inner voice, I feel unsure about where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to do. But, when I follow it, I am confident and aware (of my surroundings, my physical self and the personality I am projecting). Over the past couple months, I've tried to tune into the Voice so that every action feels right, so that my day is composed of amazing coincidences and there's no room for anger, sadness or worry.

So, what is the Voice telling me now? I want to get back into the woods and be alone for a bit. Perhaps a backpacking trip this weekend with Zdinak. Perhaps a survival weekend at Strouds.

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