Deeper into the Woods, Deeper into Myself
Dear Soulwalker,
I want to share something raw and real with you today—something that felt like more than a hike. It felt like a soul moment. A threshold crossed.
Earlier today, I went on a solo hike for the very first time. I had been feeling anxious, unsettled, and heavy in my chest. There was a voice inside me that said: go deeper. So I listened. I picked a trail I’d never been on before. One that challenged me.
At first, I was distracted, my mind racing with everything I “should” be doing—building the Soulwalker Path, tending to work, family. But as I walked further into the trees, something inside me started to quiet. The noise began to soften.
Then came the fear.
The woods grew still, unfamiliar. I was completely alone, and a deep panic rose in my chest. What am I doing? This is too much. I should turn back.
And right at that moment, an older woman appeared. She must’ve been in her late 50s, steady and warm. She looked at me and gently asked, “Are you lost?” I admitted I wasn’t sure which way to go. She pointed ahead and said, “Yes, keep going. It loops back. Just follow the bridge and you’ll find your way.”
And just like that, she was gone—quick, sure-footed, like she belonged to the trail itself.
Later, as I reached another point of hesitation, it happened again. A second woman appeared, just as I was ready to turn around. She gave me directions and encouragement. It felt like the trail was responding to my doubt, my fear—sending guides exactly when I needed them.
I can’t explain it any other way: this was synchronicity. It was guidance.
These women were more than helpful strangers. They were symbols. Archetypes. What Jung would call the Wise Woman—that inner guide who appears just as we’re about to give up. They reminded me of the elder figure in myths and folktales who shows up at the edge of the unknown, right when the hero or heroine is about to turn back.
And I truly believe this: when we commit to going deeper, the soul sends signs.
Walking deeper into the Trail
I’ve always felt a pull toward the wild, especially in my younger years. But somewhere along the way, I got scared. I stopped venturing off the path. I stopped listening to that part of me that thrived in the unknown. I stopped hiking. I stopped trusting myself to navigate unfamiliar terrain—physically and emotionally.
But today, something shifted. Even as I felt unsure, little signs showed up. Women—two separate older women—appeared on the trail just when I was about to give up or turn around. One told me, “Go this way.” Another pointed just as I was turning back, “Keep going this direction.” It felt like the older woman archetype showing up in real time—guiding me when I couldn’t see clearly. These were little miracles, showing up right as fear rose.
I've been asking for guides, not just spiritually but physically, too. I haven’t hiked alone before, and I’ve been afraid of it. But I did it. And I felt safe. And I left the woods feeling refilled.
Walking in nature used to be this sacred thing for me, but lately I’d been drifting—playing podcasts, music, making calls—half-there and half-not. Today, I turned all that off. I just listened. To the wind, the birds, the rustling branches. Just me, present with it all. And that… that’s what presence really is. That’s what home feels like.
The trail usually tells you to stay on the path. Stick to the designated route. But what happens when you wander further? That’s what I’m working on—going deeper into both the wild world and my inner world. Exploring what’s unfamiliar. Letting myself be uncomfortable. Because that’s where the magic lives.
At one point, I looked out over a ridge. The trees stretched far and wide, and I heard this voice in me say, There are others who feel like you do. Others who feel that same ache and wonder. That same tingle in their chest when they touch something true in nature. That’s the soul speaking. That’s purpose. That’s what I want more of in my life.
And at the end of the trail, I saw people again. People who had also walked their own paths through the woods. Somehow, we all ended up in the same place. It felt like a message: that we may journey alone through the dense parts, but community waits on the other side. That even if you’re scared, the trail will show you the way if you keep walking.
The soul wants you to go deep before you meet others who are doing the same. That’s the path. That’s the work.
Why This Matters
This kind of encounter—sacred-feeling, timely, and deeply symbolic—is known in Jungian psychology as a numinous experience, and it's often accompanied by synchronicity. According to Carl Jung, synchronicity occurs when an external event meaningfully mirrors your inner state. In moments of heightened transformation—especially those involving fear or letting go—these experiences can serve as markers that you’re crossing a threshold.
I was experiencing fear—visceral, primal fear. Being alone in unfamiliar woods, away from the known, from the “safe” path. Research in ecopsychology shows that nature can activate this kind of deep psychological processing. One 2019 study from Frontiers in Psychology found that solo wilderness experiences often trigger emotional breakthroughs, especially in those undergoing personal transitions. Being physically alone in nature, particularly in unfamiliar terrain, invites the psyche to surface deeper fears—and often, transformation.
When the conscious mind begins to panic, the unconscious (symbolized through archetypes like the elder woman) can emerge in symbolic form. These women weren’t just women. They were guides. They carried the archetype of the Wise Woman—what Jung would call the crone: a figure of direction, intuition, and trust at the edge of uncertainty.
In myth and folklore across cultures, it is the moment of fear—the threshold—that calls forth the guide. In the hero's journey, it's always when the protagonist is ready to turn back that the mentor appears. The trail is the journey. The moment you commit to going deeper, the guide arrives.
It also speaks to our own transformation.
I am currently in a life stage where I am building a vision, healing deeply, facing fears, and learning to trust my inner compass. The elder women I met weren’t just kind strangers—they were symbols of the guidance I am calling in from within. That I encountered not one, but two, women at moments of deep vulnerability shows that my subconscious knows I am ready to cross.
There’s something else I want to say here: we don’t always need to go far or do something grand to meet our soul. Sometimes all it takes is one brave step deeper into what scares us. Sometimes transformation begins the moment you don’t turn back.
The trail is symbolic of the life path we’re all walking. And when you feel scared, stuck, or unsure—it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It often means you’re crossing into a new season of growth.
The soul always speaks in symbols. And on this day, the guides appeared.
And this is the work of the Soulwalker Path: not to run from fear, but to meet it—listen to it—and keep walking.
I hope this story meets you exactly where you are. May you find courage to keep walking, even when the woods get quiet. The soul will always send a sign. And when you're ready—your guides will appear.
Path of Reflection:
Think back to a time when you were about to give up or turn back. Did something or someone show up unexpectedly to guide you? What form did that “guide” take?
Where in your life right now are you being invited to walk a little deeper, even if it feels scary or unknown?