Advent.
Adventure.
________________________________________________

I stand in the realm of pale winter’s light
at the entrance to a deep forest darkness
without scrying sign, portending trail,
or vanishing point to guide my way.
The winter solstice is near. It promises, always,
short lit days, long dark hours, hints of snow.

Confused and worn memories tug at my coat;
expectations, desperate to steer my steps,
clutch at my ankles, grab my cuffs, pull on my belt.

The hidden path in front of me waits patient,
without fear, demand, or remorse.
I feel it’s invitation from out of the darkness –
whispers, voices, songs, blown by winds
near me, around me, in me.

---

Portland, Oregon – Season of Advent, December 6, 2020

Joseph Campbell relates a passage from La Queste del Saint Graal regarding the Arthurian myth and the beginning of the Knight’s quest for the Holy Grail: “They thought it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group. Each entered the Forest Adventurous at that point which he himself had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no way or path. You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there’s a way or path, it is someone else’s path; each human being is a unique phenomenon.'” (Pathways to Bliss, p. xxvi.)