The Spirit Land

Sometimes we hear the voice of a family member who has died, or we feel their presence. Is it real?

Out of the blue, I think to send something nice to a friend in another state. When it arrives three days later, it’s exactly what she needs. Is something more going on than coincidence?

We are more connected to each other than we think, both the living and the dead.

Soon after I arrive in Yosemite, a coyote always appears, either sitting along the road to welcome me in, or trotting across the meadow with a glance. Molly says Coyote is my spirit guide. She might be right. Some people say they never see coyotes. I see them all the time.

As I hike, I feel the companionship of Nature’s spirit, and let it guide me where it wants. The wind comes near and advises me about tomorrow’s weather. Taking a break, I fall asleep along the river, feeling I have come home.

We are not limited by what we can see.

I sometimes wonder if my ancestors left predispositions in my genes, some trait that kept them alive and guides me like a hidden instinct. Science is increasingly saying this is possible.

When I’m hiking in the backcountry, I find trail ducks. These are short stacks of rocks left by hikers to indicate turns in the trail that are hard to see. They left them as a kindness for people who will come later; people they will never meet.

Black Elk believed that all members of creation were brothers and sisters to each other — the buffalo, mountains, human beings, rivers, horses, coyotes, and ravens. The Sioux pray to the Grandparents in the afterlife to send messages to guide them. And they do.

The Ahwahnechee of Yosemite believed that the deer willingly gave themselves up to their arrows, knowing that the Ahwahnechee had to eat.

Today is All Saints Day on the Christian calendar. Think about and honor those who have been saints in your life, those who were there at crucial times and helped you survive.

Many people hold celebrations this weekend — All Hallows Eve (Halloween), All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. The ancient Celtic people observed Samhain, when the living could talk to the dead. Latin American countries have a similar celebration called Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, with its fixation on skulls. It’s an observance that traces its roots back to the Aztecs, who believed that the deceased preferred to be celebrated, rather than mourned.

When we share something personal with others, this part of us begins to live in them. This does not die when we do, but continues to guide and inspire them, and it sometimes makes them laugh.

I believe that the spiritual can be more real than the physical, and that matters of the spirit are not bound by the laws that govern physical objects.

I believe that everyone I’ve ever loved is still here with me in some way.

This weekend I intend to listen for what I cannot see, matters that change the world, trail ducks of the Spirit — hope, faith, and love.