Cleaning The Shrine

A warm summer's day, a hidden footpath in the woods, a hidden secret and a chance to make a positive difference. Take a journey through this special landscape and relax into a bedtime story of discovery and meaning.

Transcript

Given that the day was so warm,

The unexpected appearance of the shaded staircase at the edge of the woods was a welcome surprise.

From a distance,

It didn't appear as though there were any way to enter the shade of the trees.

The slopes on which they grew too steep and difficult to navigate.

But the stone steps provided an intriguing route away from the somewhat oppressive heat of the sun.

The lake that the wooded hillside surrounded sparkled in the bright day as though its rippling surface were decorated with thousands upon thousands of mirrors,

The water beckoning to the many people who sought its coolness and activities.

The air was loud with excited shouts and laughter as children paddled at the lake's edges,

And parents stretched appreciatively on the pebbly banks.

The walk around the lake's perimeter had been beautiful,

Imposing mountains visible behind the wooded hillsides,

A clear blue sky without a cloud in sight,

A gentle breeze creating the smallest of waves on the water's surface.

But it was hot,

And she definitely needed some shade to escape from the heat.

The steps were well worn,

Having been subjected to many footfalls over the years.

The centre of each slightly dipped and smooth.

The slope was too steep to see what was at the top.

So if she wanted to solve this mystery,

She needed to climb.

A roughly constructed wooden handrail framed the right side of the steps,

And she ran her hand over its surface as she began to climb.

Straight away the canopy of the trees shaded the relentless sun,

And the air temperature dipped to something much more comfortable,

The light ever so slightly dimmer as it was softened by the thick green of the leaves above her.

As she climbed higher,

The woods dampened the sounds from the lake,

Enveloping her in an air of peace and quiet,

Allowing her to hear the calls of the birds and the rustle of the leaves in the gentle breeze.

Whatever was at the top of these steps was definitely well hidden from the average passerby.

Only those with an inquisitive mind and the ability to take on the steps would venture up here to explore what was hiding.

The steps were steep and demanding,

Her breath was starting to come in faster as she continued to climb.

A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that the footpath that she had left was now quite far behind,

And once she reached the top she knew that she would not be visible to anyone walking by.

It felt very private,

An adventure all of her own.

She ignored the burning sensation that was building in the muscles of her legs and promised herself that she would rest when she reached the top.

Just another twenty steps.

When she finally reached the top,

She was surprised to see that the slope levelled out more,

And a natural clearing opened out beyond the trees to her left.

The wooden handrail continued through,

And the remains of a pebbled path weaved into the clearing.

But there was nothing else there.

Or was there?

Without pausing to steady her breath,

She followed that path.

The sounds of long fallen leaves crunching between the pebbles,

The only sound that she made as she walked.

The activity and the buzz of the lake was far behind her now.

It was as though this secret and secluded place was for her and her alone.

Sweet trills of birdsong punctuated the peace of the woods.

And no matter how many times she looked up to the branches above her,

She couldn't spot the owners of the voices.

They too were secretive,

But she almost felt as though they were walking with her,

Keen to see what she would find in the clearing.

It seemed that the clearing was natural.

There were no signs of tree stumps or felled trunks.

They simply didn't grow in this space,

And so allowed for what had been built there.

She approached it slowly and respectfully,

For it was a shrine.

A place of importance and worship,

Built to honour and house the spirits of the woods like so many other shrines that she had seen and visited in this area.

But this shrine was different.

It clearly hadn't been visited for some time,

And was in a sad state of neglect.

Its layout was simple.

On the woodland floor a square had been marked out with small stone pillars linked by a rusted chain,

No more than a foot in height to separate this sacred space from the rest of the area.

No more than three metres across.

Within the square was a single stone pedestal covered in a layer of fuzzy green moss.

It was only a little shorter than she was,

And atop the pedestal was a small stone block with little openings cut into it,

Like windows.

A slightly pitched roof lay on the top of the block,

Giving the impression of a house.

But of course,

That's what it was.

A house for the spirits of the woods.

The remains of candles lined the front of the structure,

And desiccated flowers had been placed around the base.

At some point this shrine had been cared for and revered,

But not now.

To her disappointment there was rubbish all around the space.

Crisp packets,

Sandwich wrappers,

Empty drinks bottles,

Magazines,

Plastic bags,

Even a stray shoe.

It looked as though someone had emptied the contents of multiple picnics onto the woodland floor and simply walked away without a care.

As she gazed in sadness at the mess,

She noticed that the woods had fallen silent around her.

The birds no longer called,

And the wind had stilled.

The woods were as sorry for the mess as she was.

Perhaps it was because the shrine was so difficult to reach,

Or too secluded that it had fallen into this state,

Forgotten and alone.

But modern life was also full of many distractions and stresses.

Simple things,

But important things,

Like taking a moment away to connect with nature and ground within its energy.

It could become so easy to forget,

Or one of those things,

I will do tomorrow.

She realised that she had also fallen into this trap,

And while she knew she enjoyed being outdoors,

The deeper importance of it had become lost on her.

With resolve,

She slipped her backpack off her shoulders and searched for the spare carrier bag she always kept with her.

It was almost always used to pick up stray pieces of rubbish that others had overlooked,

But this time it could really serve its purpose.

She shook the bag out and started to collect the pieces of rubbish.

Each piece was dry and crunchy,

The evidence of having been out in the open for some time.

Any signs of leftover food long gone.

As she worked,

She noticed the birds starting to sing again.

Their clear voices ringing out in approval of her work.

She smiled to herself as she picked up the shoe and checked inside for any insects that may have made it their home,

Not wanting to accidentally take them away.

The bag was almost full to bursting by the time she collected the final crisp packet,

And she felt a swell of pride at how much better the area around the shrine looked.

The absence of rubbish meant the pattern of alignment of the shrine was much clearer,

And created a focal point rather than a distraction.

Casting around the woodland floor around her,

She started to collect twigs and small sticks.

Once she had made a bundle,

She selected a large stick and then used a piece of vine to tie the bundle to the stick,

Effectively making a rustic broom.

No grass grew around the central pedestal,

So it seemed to make sense to clear the ground.

She carefully stepped back into the inner part of the shrine and began to sweep the ground free of leaves,

Stray twigs,

Dried flowers and stones,

Gently moving the woodland debris out from between the two entrance pillars.

The simple changes had made a significant difference.

The shrine no longer looked like a place of neglect.

It looked like somewhere someone could rest and reflect,

And give gratitude to nature for its strength and beauty.

She wished she could pick some flowers to add some colour and cheer to the setting,

But she knew they were better left in the ground for the animals and insects to benefit from.

Instead,

She stood at the entrance to the shrine and placed her palms together in prayer position.

If there were spirits here,

She hoped that they were pleased with her work and with their cleaner home.

One thing she was certain of was that the atmosphere of the shrine was better,

Clearer and more settled.

Animals would no longer be at risk from the rubbish,

And any other curious passer-by would find a beautiful,

Sacred space to enjoy and reflect.

She quietly gave thanks to the woods for allowing her the opportunity to make a positive difference and enjoy the space that they had provided.

The experience had been humbling and grounding,

And she could now see how much she had been missing these kinds of connections with the natural world.

She could understand why these shrines were so important,

And why they were built where they were,

Marking places in nature that deserved to be noticed and respected.

She lowered her head in gratitude to the shrine and said a soft goodbye.

As she made her way back along the path and to the steep stone steps,

The birds sang cheerfully overhead.

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