The Wilderness of Mind in Another Lifetime Entirely

I do have to admit, the wandering has no limits. The terrain is vast, diverse, and just as beautiful as it is terrifying. The canyons are deep and jagged. There’s a darkness hidden beneath the thick blanket of forests. There are places so cold it steals your breath, the earth seemingly still- while underneath, bubbling furiously.

The coasts are mostly harsh, rugged at best, and drop off quickly into deep and dangerous oceans. As the fervid waters seem to be swallowing up and reclaiming the lands- the bits of scattered islands first seem like a refuge from the terrors in the sea. You come to realize they’re quite unforgiving- uninhabitable and come with their own terrors.

Possibly more haunting than the scenes etched heavy handed into memory, are the places that may never be seen. There’s too much to be overlooked and too much to carry to go forward in haste. In the heart of every great seeker, even stronger than the fear of finding the worst, is the fear of finding nothing. More unsettling is the confusion of veiled fear in procuring the very thing you seek. First, realizing and admitting the difficult truth is quite a journey of it’s own. This discovery doesn’t come with celebration, rather the deep pit of dread and disbelief. This will last only until your eyes adjust to the light- or more reasonably, the lack thereof.

Climbing out of the darkness requires more strength than a weary traveler can afford. Though the trap was set with no more finesse than it took falling into, one cannot see beyond each heavy step taken.

Paradise does exist somewhere. I know because I’ve seen flashes of it, though admittedly only in short bursts. Perhaps in my own madness, the mirage has lured me to imagined paradise, only to wake in darkness, soaked and shivering.

Last updated December 10, 2021