Footprints on the Path

"Walking, I am listening to a deeper way.

Suddenly, all my ancestors are behind me.

Be still, they say. Watch and listen.

You are the result of the love of thousands."

Linda Hogan 

Native American Writer

In our busy culture, our land of opportunity, it is easy to become isolated and withdrawn.  We feel like a lone traveler in this life experience.  If we, however, sit in stillness, opening our minds to seen and unseen energy surrounding us, we would come to understand the collective.

There are many ways to describe 'collective'.  It is better understood when we experience it for ourselves without having to put the occurrence into words.  When we become aware of all of the energies whirling around us, we can begin to determine what energy is ours and what is the collective.  

Many take great lengths to discover their ancestors, and genealogy has become a hobby for many.  It as though a thread has been picked up and is now being followed back through time.  It is learning of the hardships of many who have come before us, paving the way for us to continue the thread forward.

We all leave footprints on the path of life, but the path has been traveled many times before.  If one can imagine those who have passed, still wanting to know how the story proceeds, remain in the floating clouds, cheering us on and marveling at the strides we, ourselves, have taken.  The steps we take forward are not for us alone, but for those who have lived before us and for those who travel long after us.