Around age 14 I developed an affinity for a certain area of the woods in a park near my home. I started exploring the area, and I discovered that there was an old creek bridge foundation there. The central support remained, as well as the retaining walls, but the bridge itself was long-gone. That central support looked like a stone altar. To add to the environment, there was graffiti of a winged eyeball painted on one of the retaining walls, as well as a number of other symbols. I felt like I had discovered the ruins of an ancient temple. It felt like hallowed ground. I named the place The Altar of the Eye. One day, I found a feather in the woods. Something motivated me to leave that feather on the Altar, along with a quarter. I performed an impromptu ritual, my very first, speaking to the spirits of the place, who had provided what felt like a haven for me. Over the following years, whenever I needed a place to step away from the outside world and focus on looking inward, I would come here and feel the woods.
This photo was taken several years later, after someone broke one of the top stones from the Altar.
In the summer of 2025, I returned to visit the Altar. Time has not been kind to it, but I still managed to fit in a bit of wizarding.
