Helpful Spirits

Helpful Spirits
            Leaky pipes? We call a plumber. Faulty light switch? Ask an electrician. Health trouble? We seek medical professionals.
            For work related challenges, we check in with trusted colleagues. For more personal matters of the heart, we look to friends and family for support. 
            When needing guidance of the spirit, some go to a house of worship, whatever form that may take. For some of us, the great outdoors is our healing place for body and mind.
            We look for specific supports for specific challenges, but it’s nice to imagine we are surrounded by random forces of good that make the world a better place.
            Helpful spirit animals and mythical creatures appear in a wide range of cultures, whether in African mythology, Japanese folk tales, Native American myths, or Irish and Nordic fairy tales. A worldwide treasury of ancient lore describes mischievous but helpful creatures.
            Walking in San Francisco, we sometimes stumble onto a “fairy door” built into the base of a tree. Some are rustic, simple doors, while others are beautifully crafted entryways worthy of a Hobbit movie set. We smile to think of a helpful sprite hidden behind that door, or perhaps wandering in the woods, who might bestow good luck on us as we walk through their enchanted territory.
            In recent dark times, all of us could use an uplifting boost, even from imaginary creatures! May your path lead you through magical spaces that make your world shine brighter. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s HikingAutism Hike Notes from the archives is Metson Lake-Golden Gate Park, one of three tiny lakes close together in Golden Gate Park that offer peace and beauty within a large city (and an area where we stumbled onto a fairy door).
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This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 106): Metson Lake-Golden Gate Park
 
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