have you ever
stayed up all night to watch the sun rise
because you were so cold
that you could not fall asleep
because you chose
to walk into the wilderness
with nothing but the clothes on your back
huddled in a ball by a makeshift shelter
with fire that you rubbed to life with two sticks
curling tight to stay warm
and watching
the fire
the sky
and the stars
the stars
the stars are so beautiful
and you are so cold
that you cannot
sleep
and wait
for the
sun
?
I hope you experience this one day,
feeling truly cold,
exhausted,
exhilarated,
ALIVE
~
I cherish my "old" life and travels as a full-time outdoor instructor. These sacred experiences continue powerfully walking with me, informing and inspiring my life in deeply Earth- connected ancient ways, while informing my clinical practice.
I not only practice acupuncture and prescribe herbs, but also prescribe "dirt-time," be it gardening, a daily walk, or a daily "sit spot."
Sit spot is one of our core nature- connection practices:
- Pick a natural outdoor spot close to home. (Closer is better! Backyards or local parks are fine.)
- Spend 20 minutes there everyday, observing silence. (You can just sit and watch, or explore, etc).
Over time, through developing consistent daily connection with one location, you learn things about both yourself and your natural environment that would have been otherwise invisible.
Also consider a weekly or monthly full-day or multi-day outdoor excursion. If you're not sure where to go, then join your local Sierra Club to meet like-minded people, and explore new places. If you're not sure what gear you need if you're doing more than just a hike, then join REI's workshops that range from free to medium price-range... then get your gear for cheap used, on Ebay.
Build ritual into your life. Give yourself a quarterly full-day or multi-day outdoor retreat to rest, reflect, and digest the past, while designing and planning the future.
If you have not experienced a formal rite of passage such as a Vision Fast or prolonged period of intentional ceremonial fasting, then the School of Lost Borders or Animas Valley Institute offer profound (albeit expensive) journeys. If not attending a supported Fast, then you can research the process, then simply build your own ceremony: create a solo community-supported journey of silence and fasting in the wilderness for a Vision. These are particularly helpful in facilitating clarity in times of great transformation or transition.
Also consider a weekly or monthly full-day or multi-day outdoor excursion. If you're not sure where to go, then join your local Sierra Club to meet like-minded people, and explore new places. If you're not sure what gear you need if you're doing more than just a hike, then join REI's workshops that range from free to medium price-range... then get your gear for cheap used, on Ebay.
Build ritual into your life. Give yourself a quarterly full-day or multi-day outdoor retreat to rest, reflect, and digest the past, while designing and planning the future.
If you have not experienced a formal rite of passage such as a Vision Fast or prolonged period of intentional ceremonial fasting, then the School of Lost Borders or Animas Valley Institute offer profound (albeit expensive) journeys. If not attending a supported Fast, then you can research the process, then simply build your own ceremony: create a solo community-supported journey of silence and fasting in the wilderness for a Vision. These are particularly helpful in facilitating clarity in times of great transformation or transition.
Enjoy.
~
Other Resources
Locally, Ventura Wild brings children into wild places, familiarizing them with their natural environment, creating internal and external ease, confidence, and resilience through developing both hard and soft skills through play and solid dirt-time.
Locally, Ventura Wild brings children into wild places, familiarizing them with their natural environment, creating internal and external ease, confidence, and resilience through developing both hard and soft skills through play and solid dirt-time.
Good books
- Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature, by Young, Haas, and McGown
- Soulcraft, by Bill Plotkin
- Becoming Nature, by Tamarack Song
- 8 Shields Institute
- Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)
- National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
Primitive Skills Gatherings
