Forest Memory / Araṇya Smṛti

To retreat to the forest these days has a very different meaning to forest dwelling in ancient India, particularly in Vedic times. We may think of Prince Siddhartha, who renounced his worldly life to live in solitude in nature, in order to realise him-Self as a Buddha. He, like many great sages and monks made the forest his home and learnt to live with the unpredictable forces of nature. Herein is a very important metaphor we should all embrace:

“Make the forest your home and learn to live with the unpredictable forces of nature.

Within this statement is the path of discovery towards our innate strength to weather life’s challenges and cultivate fearlessness towards solitude, which should be perceived as a great opportunity for personal growth. 
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The forest is your heart, and its density veils your happy and healthy true Self. The mind is the weather, the organ of unpredictable thoughts, perceptions and emotions that whirl like storms within your psyche. The branches and leaves reflect attachments and abuse of our outward senses to a world bombarding us with unrealistic expectations - that more often than not, end in disappointment.

The lack of light hidden by the canopy withdraws us into fear of solitude; in today's speak - our lockdown.

Short Film courtesy of Satty Verbart, my sister, who made this video as I thought about the words on this page.; interconnected over time & space.

"You stand alone in the midst of the dark dense forest, only to glance up between the branches to see the sky opening up. As you move into a forest clearing you see a larger expanse of sky illuminating your view. Journeying through the forest, the amount of space visible above the trees appears to contract and expand with the thickness of the coverage. With each contraction there is a little more darkness to face and with every expansion there is refreshing lightness and clarity. The light that shines on your path seems to ebb and flow.

From darkness to light.

You must connect to your nature and become the Autumn of your forest-heart, allowing the leaves to begin their descent to create space within. Each leaf that drops is another thought, idea, misconception or habit you attach to. The dropping of the leaves has the effect of calming and stilling the mind by expanding your view of the sky and allowing the light to flood in. 
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The ground beneath you is the fertile soil of your life, receiving the ‘leaves’ you willingly release. They become the compost for your growth and development in the coming days of rebirth we perceive as Spring. A refreshed life of clarity and transformation awaits you, if you align your nature to Nature. Let your suffering become the compost for your happiness. 

Within your forest is the chance to discover your intuitive intelligence, by using your senses in a way that promises your survival and betterment; your sense of ‘I’ ness begins to dissolve into the sense of being at one with the world you have chosen to retreat to. 

The dark forest may bring your hidden fears and anxieties to the surface, and in the same instance the cheerful birdsong and bluebells of Spring may bring the peace and serenity you long for. 

In the forest there is nowhere to hide.  You face every obstacle with determination to live and breathe the rich air produced by the very trees that cause your heart and soul to open wide.

Forced Exile or Voluntary Introspection?

To retreat to the forest is to retreat within. It is a voluntary lockdown, and at some point we all reach that most important stage of life that begs to understand the true Self and its connection to nature and beyond. 

​Our ancient Vedic ancestors looked at life as four stages and this is reflected in the way the Vedas are written. To loosely summarise, the first stage of life equating to the first section of the Vedas, is about  learning the songs or hymns, while the second stage is learning the rituals or routines of life. Both stages are about living in society with the right attitudes and morals, while being taught by your parents and teachers to be mindful and reverent to the cycles of nature and the universe. In the third stage one must seek the solitude of forests for further concentration and meditation while deepening the introspection. This is the bridge to the fourth stage of education and philosophical understanding of the largest questions asked by the Human mind.

Learn to be, then learn to do. ​

The stages of life in the present day are exactly the opposite. Before we teach our children the colourful songs of life, we send them out into the ‘forest’ of a system that attempts to educate academically rather than set the foundations for mental, emotional and spiritual awareness. Bereft of the latter, we grow up precariously balancing upon unstable building blocks from which we keep trying to climb higher, only to fall from a great height into darkness. 

Perhaps if we were brought up learning the ‘songs’ that keep the heart pure and connected to the world around us, with respect for the rhythms of nature, eating, moving and sleeping, we would grow up unafraid of the dark forest. If we were nurtured from the outset with mindfulness and strength of character, then we might just have a better chance later in life, to delve deeply into solitude without fear of the dark, and into education without fear of failure. 

Right now, more than ever, we need the songs of life to change the perspective on our current predicament, from a forced exile, to a self-revealing and self-accepting period of challenges and joy.   

Our hearts are so covered by the dense forest of experience, sense attachment, thoughts, conversations, images and social media influences, that it is difficult to see the light beyond the trees. Our ‘forced exile’ is an opportunity to let go of some of those attachments that don’t nurture our well-being but add to our angst in daily life. It is an opportunity to change the routines and habitual patterns that have become set within us that blindly cause the suffering of our bodies and minds. 
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Admittedly we are not all able to cope with this level of naked truth, and that is because we have never been taught to sing open heartedly and perform the rituals that give us the purity to face the truths deep in our inner forest.

Step right into life.

To return to the opening statement, when you learn to find the path back to your own heart, and openly reflect and accept what is there, you will find space. That clearing is your true freedom, whether you are on the moon, on a beach or locked in your home. Once you accept that, you feel the strength and courage to be in life as it is, without resistance. 

Life is for exulting in. 

Life is about letting go of what you think you need and allow yourself to just be.
Head into your inner forest, and seek help to guide you to find the bright clearing that will bring you the resilience to ride the forces of nature and existence. If you really want to step out of this lockdown fearlessly and responsibly - then first STEP RIGHT IN and view yourself and the world compassionately with love.

Araṇya Smṛti is the Sanskrit resonance of sound ~ that not only denotes Forest Memory but holds in it all the impressions of lifetimes that behold the concept of Forest dwelling - both inner and outer.