Walking with a spirit

This time when I walked the long trail, I saw no deer at all, and only one armadillo in the distance.  But spiritually it was a different experience.

There is a place in the trail near the beginning where you leave an open field area and plunge down into the dense woods.  This time it really struck me, and reminded me of the beginning of a spirit journey -- when the traveler leaves the world of light and follows the path into mystery.  I welcomed this feeling, and tried to immerse myself in it as I walked, trying to walk in both worlds at once - the ordinary world of a path through the woods, and the non-ordinary world of a spirit journey.  I felt the woods around me overlaid with the numinous, and was aware of the slow dreams of the trees and animals.  Everything felt more secret and mysterious. 

There is a part of the path that is a boardwalk that is raised slightly over the marshy ground.  As I walked it before, I kept hearing what seemed to be footsteps behind me, very faint.  This time I heard them again, and I sent out a call inviting them to walk with me.  I got a very faint impression of a man who likes to walk this path, but who is seldom sensed by anyone.  I saw nothing (he said that he did not think anyone had ever seen him) but I got the sense that he was walking a ways behind me.  He wasn't strong enough to come close, but liked being noticed.  He seemed only lightly connected to time, he seemed to have little memory.  He just remembered walking in these woods and loving them.

I invited him to walk with me (he could only walk behind by several yards) and walked with him on the boardwalk out of the wooded area into a marshy meadow, which made him happy.  He faded out about halfway through the meadow, and was gone by the time I reached the river at the far side.

I have never sensed human spirits before, it was an odd experience.  I am not sure how much real awareness he has; he seems happy with his quiet ghost dance on the path.