Great Advice for When You Feel Lost – From A Northwest Native American Elder

Talk about wisdom. This is in response to a question from young people about what to do when you’re lost. As far as I’m concerned, the following applies whether you’re lost in a specific place such as a forest or in your life:

What do I do when I’m lost in the forest?

Stand still

The trees ahead and bushes beside you are not lost

Wherever you are is called Here,

And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,

Must ask permission to know it and be known

Listen, listen, the forest breathes, it whispers,

“I have made this place around you. If you leave it you may come back again saying Here.”

No two trees are the same to the raven

No two branches are the same to the wren

If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you, then you are surely lost

Stand still

The forest knows where you are

You must let it find you