The Forest of Enchantments

The Forest of Enchantments is my muse, a place of magic and wonder. Home to wizards, witches and little fairies, wherever the land exists in its wildly noble, natural state is where fairy tales begin. 

Unsuspecting travelers who rarely travel far from their villages sometimes whimsically wander off,  encountering Enchanted Beings when they do. Fascinated and enthralled by their presence, they continue navigating her many labyrinths and towering high cliffs, seeking only to remain in her presence. 

But how does one arrive to the Enchanted Forest? How does one recognize her presence in another?

ALLOW YOUR MIND 

TO WANDER AWAY FROM HOME

One must wander away from home if one seeks to find the Forest of Enchantments. A journey through imaginary places and the marvels they behold, delivered under the similitude of a dream, whispered in discovery, and across the river ... this is where our story begins.

BEWARE: 

The tracks through the forest are difficult to find and dangerous underfoot. At times they are almost impossible to follow because of the dense undergrowth. Travelers are warned that at one spot in the forest there is a bottomless pit into which they are likely to stumble. 

There are no inns or houses in the forest; there are several arbors but they should be avoided, as those who fall asleep in them will never again awaken. 

In fact it is dangerous to fall asleep anywhere in these Enchanted Lands because thieves and monsters abound. It is during the wee hours of the morning that the forest is her most lively. 

The forest is under the spell of the Mistress of this Land, who makes all those who travel here happy. She is tall, regal in stature, and carries her head erect with a dignity identifying her as goddess. There are no colors to paint such freshness, such delicate tints, which alone are hers, and which has been seen in no other being. 

She welcomes pilgrims on their journey, speaking gently and smiling at them; those who surrender to her vision of beauty will never again return home. She is the Goddess of Freedom, no soul leaves her. 

She is fond of feasting and can often be found at banqueting tables. A Queen in exile, she promises crowns and kingdoms by appealing to desires and ambitions, but only those with pure hearts receive her treasures. An enchanted crown may only be placed upon the head whose flesh and heart are in harmony.

Beyond the River of Deeper Slumber, travelers encounter the tunnels of twisted wood, whose low prodigious oaks extend their groping boughs laden with blossom and shine dimly with a phosphorescence of strange and magical fungi. 

Here the furtive and secretive creatures of the forest lurk. It is where the most obscure secrets are hidden. Those with a taste for her sweet nectar enter the Forest of Enchantments and never return. 

Her land is where heroes of legend are born. Their affinities and hers naturally unfold and reveal themselves to one another. Once the hero spends the night in the forest, this union endows him with the ability to evoke her enchantments. 

Bears, butterflies, and all magical creatures follow in her very footstep. Extensions of her essence, they bewilder travelers, greeting only those whom the Queen welcomes. Her choices often bewilder, for only those who can harmoniously traverse her labyrinthine complexity receive her gentle guiding hand. 

The quest for her enchantments become the stories of folklore. 

The Forest of Enchantments is a safe haven and refuge for those who have not been affected by the Dark Curse. Travelers are advised that the only safe time to enter is while she is in repose.

Her land remains unknown. Her graceful shadowy form is an infinite forest with the power to magically restore all that has been lost by restoring something that never leaves us ... our true essence. 

On Values

The Little Queen

and her Circles

Once upon a time... in dimension not so far from our own, lived a little girl, who was destined to become Queen. She was a precocious young child with an extraordinary ability to get herself "into all sorts of things" that others considered not to be the sort of things she should be getting herself into.

"I wonder," said the little Queen.

"What do you wonder?" asked her mother, the Empress, a kind and benevolent woman who smiled very grand indeed when speaking with her children.

"I wonder what we shall do today, Mother," said the little Queen, feeling a bit lost as to what to do with herself because she hadn't yet been told what to do that afternoon.

The Empress reached her arms out wide and pulled her daughter closely toward her. "Tell me what it is you would like to do, today?"

"I should like to do what is most important!" proclaimed the little Queen.

"And what, Pretell is that, Little One?" Inquired her mother, curious as to how a young Queen might see her role in court life.

"I do not know what is most important. Can you please tell me?" the little Queen looked up at her mother with her clear blue eyes.

Her father had often spoke about his daughter's clear blue eyes. He said they were light because they were the eyes of a free spirit and, just like her mother's, were wild Arabians best left unbridled.

"But how would we celebrate her presence if we did not keep her close to us?" her mother, the Empress, would offer. "Things of beauty are meant to be cherished."

The Empress looked down at her lovely young daughter who was diligently scanning the room for important ideas that might guide her in making her decision. While the little Queen sat in deep, inquisical thought, her older siblings were busy playing games, reading books, and giggling over court gossip. Only Max wanted the little Queen's attention. Max always wanted the little Queen's attention.

Finally, after a few moments of silence, the little Queen spoke again, "I wonder," she said.

"You wonder what, exactly?" asked her mother, patient as ever.

"I wonder if I should do exactly what I want to do instead of what I think is important."

"That is an interesting question," said her mother. "And what is it exactly that you should like to do?"

"That is a whole different type of question, isn't it, Mother?" confidently proclaimed the little Queen, as if she was wise enough to engage in thoughtful, court dialogue with the Empress, who just so happened to be her mother.

"I suppose it is," said her mother knowingly. "I would imagine that the most important thing you can do is exactly what feels most important to you at the time."

"But should I be attending to my studies or riding horses?" asked the little Queen, in a slightly confused but most eager sort of way.

"To answer that question I suggest you sit down and draw a very important picture. Draw one circle to represent how important your studies are to you in the future. Then, after you have drawn that circle, draw another for how important running in the fields feels to you right now.

"Why should I do that, Mother?" asked the little Queen.

"You should do that because it is fun to draw circles," explained her mother, the Empress.

The little Queen put forth her own rebuttal: "But what does drawing circles that have to do with my studies or riding horses?"

"Nothing," said her mother, the Empress, "absolutely nothing."

The little Queen looked at her mother who was seated quite contently sipping her afternoon tea. She was smiling but not laughing, so the little Queen knew it was not a farce.

Making that little frown that she makes, the little Queen sat and sat for what seemed like forever, especially compared to the fact she could be riding horses instead of drawing circles or thinking about what she should do, which was absolutely no fun whatsoever.

Utterly confused about what specifically she should do... about those things which are most important, about whether she could figure out those things which were important before the day passed, and about her new discovery: the importance of drawing circles... the little Queen drew.

VALUES

Your values are whatever interests you and whatever you think is important. The subject of values has concerned people throughout the ages, including philosophers. Values were questions the earliest philosophers wondered about, just like the little Queen does in this story. 

As a result of all this wondering, the little Queen did not end up doing anything with her free time. Instead, she just drew circles and wondered about all the things she had on her mind. Philosophizing is investing time and effort wondering about things like values and why they are important to us. The name of his branch of philosophy is called Ethics. 

In The Little Queen and Her Circles, young philosophers question their own values. Young Philosophers are invited to think about the values they hold and what they should do about those values.

By discussing what each think is "important," Young Philosophers can also discover the common values they share with their friends, family, and school mates. Of course, some Young Philosophers will not agree about the meaning or importance of certain values, but that is exactly what philosophical debates are supposed encourage: thinking for oneself.

Teachers should be prepared to answer the same questions they ask their students to answer, keeping in mind that Young Philosophers are most eager to hear what their teachers have to say.