I am half way through . . . amazing survival story and very moving . . . one question . . . I don't know why this fascinates me so . . . the nature spirits you saw as a child . . . do you think they have a particular purpose . . . do they serve to keep nature in balance, etc. . . .?
They are basically 'embodiments' or 'manifestations' (avatars?) for the conscious 'spark' inside apparently inanimate objects.
Dryads... tree spirits... not exactly legend, because they are the spirit of the tree manifesting itself in a form understandable to the child.
Another example, rock spirits are short, stocky, and broad. A spirit/soul has no form at all, so of course, this concept of short, stocky, and broad comes from our expectation of what such a 'being' must look like.
Just as our souls are anchored to our bodies but not bound there at times, so are theirs. A human being 'flies free' while dreaming (during OBE, during Remove Viewing, etc.)... natural objects are, essentially, always dreaming. Therefor, they are always anchored, but never bound. Humans are the most 'bound' of all creatures, actually. While awake/aware, our souls are bound to our bodies, but they are only tethered during sleep and dreaming.
