Being Young and Pagan: Where Do I Cast A Spell?

Many of the pagans I do come across are in the same situation as me, college students trapped on a campus that provides very little natural space. If there is an semblance of nature on the campus it is too planned, sod, fake grass and trees who look like they've been kept short for a reason. These fake spaces are also often very small, right in the middle of traffic and the only time they are clear of other people is when it is too late to be outside. Unfortunately, being out too late is usually detrimental to the mind's health, especially with class the next morning. So how do you find a place where you can resonate with nature and not have forty people stumble upon you and interrupt your work? Easy, you decide that an adventure is at hand.

In the United States there are a ton of parks, not just your local parks, but those that were years ago preserved by a very smart president. Each of these parks is different, marked with their own special trails, bodies of water and sights to be seen, you have only to look into all of them. Below are two of many ways you can find your closest parks.

Here are some of my favorite National Parks:

1. Yellowstone- One of the largest out west, it possesses many of the species of wild life still roaming the United States. It is also one of the national parks that has geysers that you can see on a daily basis.
2. Badlands-A beautiful park in South Dakota that has interestingly formed mountains. Their material is more on the sandy side, with prairie land abut to the mountains. With cool airs and prairie dogs not far off, its a wonderful sight.
3. Mesa Verde- Another beautiful park that twines together the natural beauty of the land along with the historical. A look into the world of human life thousands of years ago, you can feel not only the natural energy but that which was left by our ancestors.

National Parks are often times the most known places to visit when a pagan needs to connect with nature, but state parks are often times just as beautiful and bountiful. The given link allows for you to select the state you live in and the place you would like to look through. Something to keep in mind when looking for the perfect park is the kind of natural aspects that are offered. Is there a creek or a river of some sort? Possibly a unique rock formation or a grove of trees with a pool of water at the center?

Any of these aspects can influence your decision about where and why. Some of the best parks are the ones with many different aspects in case there is a change of plans later on after you have chosen one. Another thing to keep in mind when looking for a place, the time frame, the public use and how frequent people are there. All of these are important for your safety and privacy when entering any park to do a spell.

• Ludington State Park- A beautiful park in Michigan with shore lines that border along one of the lakes. With lighthouses along the shore line and gorgeous forests skirting the same water line, you find yourself transported back.
• Turkey Run State Park- Located in Indiana, this park boasts quite a few caves and niches eroded away into the rock while the vast ravines tell a tale of times long ago when a river might have run swift and true through the area.
• North Shore State Park- If you have a love for water, especially when it is a cascading waterfall, this park located in Minnesota boasts beautiful and large waterfalls for the onlookers.

• Lake Lurleen State Park- A park with a 250 acre lake, you get the combination of tree line and water in a vast size in the state of Alabama.
• Hodges Garden State Park- A large garden park filled with numerous different foliage, you can't go wrong visiting this park in Louisiana.
• Pinnacle Mountain State Park- With all the foliage and water out in the southern region, you might crave something with a bit more height and a view that cannot be beaten. Pinnacle mountain allows for a 360 view of the entire park, giving hikers a chance to be above their world.

• Smuggler's Notch Park- The park, located in Vermont, is a narrow pass through the Green Mountains that is lined with 1,000-foot cliffs that allows for beautiful views as well as vast tree lines and many different animal species.\
• Stokes State Park- Located in New Jersey, this panoramic view from Sunrise Mountain along the Appalachian Trail rewards the hiker who has trekked up the steep side of the mountain. The pastoral farmland of New Jersey to the east and undeveloped forests and mountain ridges to the west are also a part of this park.
• Blue Knob State Park- Located in Pennsylvania this park has stone stairwells that twine and lead through the park's forest. Tucked away from the urban life of the state, this park offers many hiking trails, some that allow for longer than an hour walk.

• Prineville Reservoir State Park- A beautiful park located in Oregon sustains many places where you can view a large space of the night sky. Perfect for star gazing and being able to feel the strength of the night while out.
• Castlewood Canyon State Park- Located in Colorado, this state park boasts many deep ravines and canyons to be explored. Again, it is like stepping into the past and feeling the change of time in the walls of these canyons.
• Shasta Cascade State Park-For a place in the west that has waterfalls, this is a beautiful state park located in California. With large cascades of white water rushing over rock, this park cannot be missed.

• Kartchner Caverns State Park- Sometimes to go underground is to quite the buzzing of distraction. In Arizona, this is the state park to visit when exploring the caverns that lay below the beautiful earth.
• Coyote Creek State Park- Located in the northern region of New Mexico, it possesses the foliage and water that some of the desert regions might not possess. Quiet and tucked away, this places allows for a vast region to work with magick.
• Palo Duro Canyon State Park- For being in a southern region(Texas), this park still boasts deep ravines and beautiful canyons. With the red rocks of the south western region, it is speckled with the green of shrubbery and some trees.