BooksACORNS IN THE FOREST
Jessica Read is the author of several books one of which she is making available to purchase here on the Simply Flower Power website in the format of an eBook. Click here to go to the online store to purchase your copy.
Acorns in the Forest by Jessica Read
Acorns in the Forest is a short work of fiction similar in nature to ‘Jonathan Livingstone Seagull’ by Richard Bach, for those who remember this remarkable little book.
It is the story of a young fox, who decides to leave his family and start a new life in a different part of the forest. He wants to live according to his own rules rather than those of his family and species. How many of us have wished to do just this and failed to master the courage to leave our comfort zones? Rupert is a brave little fox and his determination to live without harming others does attract a few adventures - he has to find a new way of eating and learn how to deal with solitude. Eventually he meets new friends of like mind and teams up with his soul mate.
The story is allegorical - every animal and every situation is symbolic of something we humans all face at some time or another. Family, work, friends and colleagues, parenting, children growing up, all are delved into in a subtle manner. The wisdom is hidden beneath the words and each reader will gain what he/ she needs.
This novel is suitable for all ages from six upwards. It has been said that the teachings it contains are passed onto you by osmosis, i.e. you follow the thought process without being aware of the changes it is making in your own psyche.
This book is also about the Law of Attraction, which has finally gained much popularity thanks to the movie 'The Secret'. Rupert applies the law flawlessly as he uses his feelings and intuition to guide him in his search for the treasure inside him symbolized in the title as Acorns hidden in the Forest, the Acorns being our own inner knowledge and wisdom and the Forest being our own psyche (conscious and subconscious) where all our truths are held.
The story is based on the author’s own journey of self-discovery and healing. It was written over a period of three weeks. The story line evolved as the book was written and the author feels very strongly that she was guided in her writing.
Foreword by Terry Stephens, Deputy Editor 'Living Now' Magazine, Melbourne, Australia.
You will be enchanted by this beautiful story. Drawing upon the lives of animals in the wild as parable, the story tells of how respecting and accepting the validity of choices made by loved ones, we can be harmoniously disparate from them, while remaining supportive of them. Dr Read describes it as “a fable based on the truth of the heart speaking through our intuition.”
Part of the beauty of this tale is that its profound messages, at many levels, are couched in such an entertaining way. There is none of the heaviness that authors sometimes slip into when they seek to present ethical ideals. You can revisit this tale often and gain new insights with each re-reading.
I recommend that you find some people, young and old, and especially members of your own family, to read it to – it’s a wonderful excuse for dipping into this special world again. Here, we are gently reminded to hold fast to our higher principles while at the same time encouraging others to hold true to their views, whether they coincide with ours or not!
At a time when many people in leadership seem to have abandoned principle for expedience, this fable helps us to remember that, as well as being a powerful means of self-expression, steadfastness brings generous rewards in our lives. This is a book to treasure.
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Sample chapters
Chapter One
It was night-time when Rupert, the young fox, reached the edge of the forest. He sat near a log to review his situation. A few hours ago, he had finally decided to leave his family's den and set out on his own. He could no longer pretend to be one of them.
He had not really had time to decide exactly what he would do. For some time, he had been contemplating leaving, but most of his thoughts had been centred around whether it was really the right thing to do and not so much on what to do if he did leave.
A car drove by, blinding him temporarily with its headlights. The rain started to fall, giving everything a dreary and melancholic appearance. 'I must keep going,' Rupert encouraged himself. 'For tonight, it will be enough just to find some shelter.'
He trotted briskly along the edge of the wood, making as much use as possible of the shelter provided by the tall trees.
Presently he came upon an opening in the forest. He walked a little deeper and spotted a fallen tree. It looked as if a woodcutter had felled it a long time ago and had not come back to chop it up for firewood. The trunk was hollow at one end. Rupert crept in.
Moss covered the inside of the cave-like entrance. It was soft and dry as the rain had not been able to reach it. Rupert lay down to rest. Before closing his eyes, he looked up at the sky and spoke to the stars as he so often had in the past. He seemed to gain strength from this. As he slowly dozed off, weary from his day's travelling, he trusted fully in his own knowing to tell him what to do when he woke up.
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Chapter 2
The next day, the sun shone brightly as Rupert emerged to face his first day out on his own. The birds were singing cheerfully. the branches and leaves of the trees, the bushes and the ground itself were wet from the night's downpour. The air smelt clean and fresh.
'Now, to look for some food.' Rupert remembered his decision not to kill to eat anymore. He had done too much of that already. His father had taught him to hunt when he was only a young cub. At first he had enjoyed the sport. He liked to test his skill in capturing a field mouse or a soft furry rabbit. He had become the best hunter in his family, his brothers and sisters being slightly lazy and less interested in the challenge.
He would find a burrow opening and check that there were rabbit droppings in the vicinity, so that he knew that it was lived in. He would hide behind a bush or low growing tree and wait until his prey either came home from its own food gathering or sauntered out into the open to sniff the air.
Then all his muscles would tense, ready to pounce. Still he would not move. He would wait until he almost became one with the animal he had selected, breathing in the same rhythm, his heart beating at the same pace, his mind completely attuned to his victim's thoughts.
When he was sure the poor creature was totally unaware of what was about to happen, Rupert would pounce. In a split second the animal lay dead at his feet. This was the art of killing and this is what made Rupert such a good hunter!
Recently, he had become bored with the exercise and had started thinking about other ways to feed himself. Surely one should not have to kill to survive! Doesn't every living creature have as much right as another to live its full life term?
Once he had killed a mother field mouse. As he slinked through the tall grass away from the site of his feed, he ventured past her now abandoned nest. Five little mice, their eyes closed, were squealing helplessly. He felt sick in the stomach at the consequence of his latest exploit and left the nest untouched. Some other predator would get a good meal out of them for sure, but he could not make it is.
Now he looked around for berries, roots, anything that could calm the rumbling in his empty stomach. He came upon a bush covered in shiny blackberries. He had often seen whole hedges covered in these berries and had wondered if they were edible. 'Well, it's now or never.'
His long slender muzzle reached forward to grab a berry, but the prickly bush grabbed him first! 'Ouch!' Rupert cried, pulling away as carefully as he coud. His scratched nose started bleeding a little and he felt very sorry for himself. This was not going to be as easy as he would have liked it to be.
He was a determined young fox, however, and when his nose stopped hurting, he tried again, this time using his right paw to gently push the spiky springy stalk to one side, while his teeth bit the coveted black berry off its short stem. 'Got it!' Rupert congratulated himself. The sweet juice pleased his taste buds, but his tummy felt as if he had hardly swallowed a thing. It would take much more than this to stop his stomach from aching, so used was it to receiving meals of plentiful raw meat!
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After eating a dozen or so more berries, Rupert moved on to see if he could find something more substantial in this new lline of food. He chewed on some roots, munched on some grass and seeds and sniffed at a few mushrooms.
He was aware of a feelling growing inside him, guiding him towards the vegetation that could nourish him and holding back from the poisonous plants. This was why he hadn't eaten the mushrooms. Somehow he felt they were not quite right for him. Much later on he found out that these 'mushrooms' were actually toadstools which were, indeed, poisonous and would have made him very ill.
It was as if an inner voice spoke to him through his feelings. He didn't actually hear anyone say: 'Don't touch!' or 'Be careful!' or even 'It's okay, you can eat that!' It was more like a feeling in his chest. Sometimes it felt like butterflies in his tummy. But mostly he just knew what was right and what was wrong.
He had used these same signals in his hunting days, being able to go straight to a lived-in burrow, while the rest of the foxes searched around at random with semingly no sense of direction at all. The fox elders had put his special aptitude down to a good sense of smell. He hadn't argued with them even though he knew that it went much deeper than simply a physical attribute.
It was more of a knowing-feeling. If he really wanted to find something or to go somewhere, all he needed to do was to stop, and feel in his heart which direction to take. Then he would start off the way his knowing pointed and he would eventually reach his goal.
Along the journey, he would remain acutely aware of his feelings, listening for any indication of a sllight change in direction or a warning to slow down or to hurry. He had practised this many times, alone, in the forest undergrowth or hidden amongst the tall blades of grass. He had become very good at sensing the differences in tone of his inner feelings.
Sometimes, he would go against them purposely, just to see what would happen. Invariably he would come upon a would-be prey too fast or too noisily and the fortunate animal would run for its life.
Other times he might miss a subtle signal. When his hunting was cut short because of this, he stopped for a while to think back at how he had been feeling in the few minutes before the mistake was made. Most of the time he would be able to focus on the missed indication and, at the next opportunity, would endeavour to concentrate even more on his inner guidance.
Once, he attempted to discuss his intuitie hunting methods with one of his brothers. His brother had dismissed them as superstitious nonsense.
Another time, he mentioned the knowing-feelings to his father.
Mr Fox was a very well respected member of the fox community who would tolerate no nonsense from his eldest son. There followed a long lecture about the value of traditional ways of living and hunting, well proven and not to be questioned by one as yound and inexperienced as Rupert.
Rupert had bitterly regretted confiding in his father and had promised himself not to share his trusted knowledge with any other living soul, ever again, however lonely this might make him feel.
End of chapter 2.
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©Jessica Read 2003-2012
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