I was hiking through the forest one morning when I noticed a slight movement above me, almost a shimmer. I wasn’t sure what I’d seen. There didn’t appear to be any birds or animals in the trees above, but something had moved, something had caught my attention.

I raised my camera and looked through the viewfinder. I was stunned at what I saw, at the marvel taking shape right before me. The trees were moving and shifting, merging together, and from them all emerged the Guardian of the Forest, a spirit representing, and protecting, the forest and all within it, a being of and for the forest. I couldn’t look away even if I’d wanted to. It appeared to be everywhere, all above me, all around me. And yet I was not afraid. I felt comforted. I felt at peace. I felt a part of the forest.

I’ve returned to those woods many times since, looking again for what I’d found that one special morning. Sometimes I think I feel a presence, almost as if a hand lightly rested on my shoulder. I will continue returning to the woods. I will continue looking, searching, and being a part of that spirit watching over the forest.

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