I worried about naming my business A Lantern in the Woods. It feels possibly a bit trite, definitely a bit too obvious. But…I love the woods. I love trees. I love animals. My spirituality is deeply connected to the forest. But I also love stories, fairy tales, illustration, and the symbolism of the woods in these tales. Like Vasilisa the Beautiful and her initiation with Baba Yaga. They’ve been my initiation as well; a training ground. More on that another time. But it encompasses so much of me. When we face our fears, we transform them. They become a gift and an ally.
And as I’ve said before, I felt lost in the woods for so much of my life. Though I’m finally realizing that what has felt like a meandering, an endless seeking, has been a training, an initiation. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, winding path. Life is the journey, not the destination, just like there is no such thing as perfection, though I’ve battled with that as well. The path I was seeking was the one I was on all along, but I’m ready to hold the lantern so others can discover their own.