Call of the Wild

Ever feel confined by life’s demands?  Bills, deadlines, schedules….

When Thoreau wrote, “In wilderness is the preservation of the world,” he might well have captured the universal human desire for freedom. And, in going to nature’s wild places as well as to our own inner wilderness, lies the key to liberation.

Let me explain.  As of late, I have been thinking a lot about my past life as a mountaineering instructor.  A very close Soul Sister of mine recently gave me some perspective on my days as an outdoor educator by saying, “Do you realize that you’ve spent a quarter of your life doing that?”

Holy cats!  A quarter of my life.  TEN YEARS!  I’d never really thought about it that way and when I did, it all came back to me:

I found myself pleasantly transported to that wildly adventurous feeling of roaming the high country: the peaks and valleys of mountain ranges in California, Colorado, South Africa and other places.  We’d be up and going by 4 am to climb peaks and be down by noon, before avalanche hazards got too high.  Students would shriek and giggle in delight during free hanging rappels, suspended in mid-air, feet, mind and spirit dangling in the wind.  They learned to climb into the clouds.  They learned to live in harmony with the wilderness.

I would watch in admiration as my students broke through their self-perceived limitations and self-imposed obstacles. They would cry, tremble, and say things like, “This is too hard,” only to travel the razor sharp edge of their fears and come out the other side more alive and suddenly liberated, born from the fires into a new self…

An empowered self.

A leader and a champion.

Their own authority.

Authentic, breathless and in awe of…

Themselves.

And I FREAKING LOVED BEING A PART OF THEIR PROCESS.  A guide on their journey, a mentor during challenges, a teacher of the basics, an ecstatic observer of their process and in the end, a trusted friend.

I know now what I knew then, that my ultimate goal and passion in life was to help people transform and empower themselves in the face of adversity and intense challenge. I am so f***ing lucky I got to do that for ten years with the mountains as the fertile ground for their evolution.  I miss those days.  I miss that wilderness and the wildness that was in me at that time in my life.

And yet I know, that that sense of wilderness and wildness lives as vibrantly and alive in me as ever.  I carry the “mountains” with me in spirit; that daily, I travel the high country of my soul, ascending peaks and valleys through living my dreams and overcoming challenges.

The wild(er)ness in me is why I LOVE doing what I do and what drives nearly every aspect of my life.  And I want YOU to come with me.  Not to my wild places but to your own wild(er)ness.

There is a vast, immeasurable wilderness living inside you right now. A wilderness where lame, social etiquette rules, the public mask you wear to work and to the grocery store every day, the laughter born out of nervousness or avoidance of something deeper, the endless to-do list and social obligations that you dread, have no place.

I’m talking about freedom from self-imposed limitations, expectations from others about who you’re supposed to be and a life history that keeps giving you the wrong conclusion about who you are and what you’re made of.

I’m talking about the land of your life’s dreams, your heart’s longings, your authentic sexuality, your Divinely inspired creativity and your deep hunger to be more of who you really are.

And when I think of you here, I think about you hanging out on some “mountain peak”, the sun shining, the wind gentle and the views beyond your wildest imagination.  There is a breath-taking grandeur and roaring stillness that is unparalleled. It is an experience that most seek and yet, easily lose their way.

So, I’m calling you back to your path, back to the wild(er)ness in you.

 

St. Gregory the Great says:

“Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.”

I share that quote with you because love helps call us back to our deepest, wildest, truest nature. Any “great act” that we undertake, whether it’s picking ourselves up in the midst of disappointment and sorrow, working through fears, committing to a Spiritual path or trusting another, must necessarily have its foundations in love.  And yet, we lose our way when fear misleads us into barren, desolate lands which is not the same as the wild(er)ness.

Choosing to live in the wild(er)ness involves trusting the unfolding clarity that each new day brings, committing to actions based in love, honoring the rhythms of the natural world, ourselves included, and receiving the gifts of challenge as lessons for personal and Spiritual growth.

The wilderness is not a place to be feared, but a place to come home to.

So, here are a couple questions to help you come home:

• Where does love exist in your life and how do you act on it?
• If you weren’t afraid, what “great” thing would you do?  What’s one step you can take today towards bringing that “great” thing to life?
• Where and/or how do you reconnect to your own wilder(er)ness?
• What if the challenges in your life were gifts or lessons meant to empower you?  How would you approach them differently?

Puhleeeze share your answers in the comment section below!  I always, always want to hear from you and am honored that you are here.  And if you see something that someone else has said that you like, comment back to them.  Let’s start building community together!

XOXO,

M.