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.