Tag: wild essence

A Thousand Ways to Draw the Sun

My husband woke up early so we could watch the sunrise together. It was a sweet and rare treat, because usually I rise early on my own to meditate and journal while he sleeps in. So we made some tea, braced the cold and together we watched the colours of night turn to a fresh young winter morning. It’s almost as if the sun burns the night way to make room for new life.

We didn’t get to see the sun rise up from the horizon like we did in the forest last year. The boundary wall and trees block the view. Instead, we watched the sky shift from indigo to crimson to gold and then to pale blue – gracefully, seamlessly transitioning into another beginning. I imagined the sun as a performer dancing passionately through each scene and the set around her changing with each act.

I draw the pictures of mornings and sunrises a lot. Not with pencils, but with my words. I often wonder if I’ll run out of ways to describe the sun. It is after all the same sun doing the same thing that it’s done every day since the beginning of time. But then that quiet voice inside me whispered: “There are a thousand ways to draw the sun. And then still a thousand more.”

I feel it must be true because each morning is different. The colours, the hues and the way I feel – all are in a constant state of flux. The pictures the sun creates and the way in which I experience the world willing itself to life is never exactly the same. That is part of the beauty of this wild life.

This makes me think of those early school days when we were asked to draw pictures of skies with suns and grass with flowers, those days when teachers were quick to remind us ‘that is not how the sun looks.’ Not the right colour or shape or size or angle. Just like that, a child’s connection to the world of imagination is shut down, their creativity discouraged. It’s sad.

I wonder how Oom (uncle) Johannes, a Griqua shaman, would draw a sun rising in the Karoo, knowing that it is part of the miracle he speaks of – drawing his soul out of night’s little death and into life’s gift of a new day? I wonder what shades of inner peace would shape the Dalai Lama’s image of the sun? How would you if you knew that there were more than a thousand ways to draw the sun?

The rules we create are imaginary. Inside we carry wells of inspired creativity and the potential to create unique and beautiful things. We can create and experience the world the way our wild essence guides us to. We have the right to. Sometimes I forget this. Fortunately, life patiently keeps awakening both new and old truths in my heart. I’m sure there must be a thousand ways to relearn the same lesson too.

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Could You be a Sign?

I grew up believing in signs.

My grandmother always prayed for them. My mom did too. And they believed that their prayers were answered – pictures falling off walls, birds in the kitchen and dreams revealing a way forward. So, when I read The Alchemist in my late teens, it reinforced a beautiful reality that I’d seen in action in little ways. It opened my mind to a Universe that I’d caught small glimpses of here and there, an abundant Universe alive with magic, weaving blessings and love into our lives, a Universe that is guiding us to a greater good when we are open to receiving what it has to offer.

I’ve been asking for signs in recent weeks. I’ve needed guidance for clarity and direction. As I try to remain as open and receptive as I can, they’ve slowly been coming to me. Coincidences, messages from the Earth, passages I read in books and guidance from my oracle cards.  And this week, the signs I’ve ask for have come from kind people in the most unexpected ways, people who I am sure are completely unaware as to how much their presence or random messages have touched my life.

Sometimes a feather is a sign…and sometimes we are signs to people. Yes, sometimes you are the message of hope they’ve been waiting for, or perhaps they are that sign to you.

I feel this is especially true when you are connected to your wild essence, because being in touch with your inner spirit allows you become a vessel of grace. Being centred in truth, light, inner peace and wild grace is a gateway into the energetic network of the Universe. And so we carry that vibration of love, of hope and of inspiration through our words, our actions and even just our presence. We become their signs. We become their angels on Earth. We become the breadcrumbs that lead them back to clarity and hopefulness. Back to wholeness. Back to God(dess).

Thank you, dear guiding lights whose love and wisdom have healed my heart. I am so grateful. I hope that in some small way, I can be a guiding light and humble sign to you too.

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Restoring the Rest of the Wild Forest

It’s crazy to think that this time last year, my husband and I were away on a forest getaway and I was working on the final chapter of my book, Wild Essence. It was such a special time to reach the end of a writing project that seemed like an impossible dream for so long. In light of this, I thought that today would be a good time to share an excerpt from that chapter:

“The forest…oh the forest,” I thought to myself writing my morning musings.

It’s been a bearer of so many exquisite blessings. We’ve spent our mornings here taking forest walks and exploring every corner of it. It was made up of a mix of pines, eucalyptus, blue gums and acacia trees. Yesterday, as we entered the forest at a section of pines, it was as if a golden carpet of fallen needles rolled out before our feet. I felt honored that the wild Earth would be so kind to weave such delicate beauty for us to tread on. The forest was full of intricate textures, the canopy top reaching for the sun, the artwork of peeling bark, fallen branches, dark green undergrowth and mosses, scattered brown leaves and pine corns. It’s a splendid mesh of chaotic loveliness, coupled with soothing sounds and the earthy scents of wildness. I loved the sound of the wind blowing through the trees and watching them sway from side to side as Cyrus and I walked under them. It’s like music, a special language of trees that only the seasoned ear can understand. I imagine that the birds we’ve seen flying amongst the tree branches, the rabbits, the buck, as well as other unseen creatures of the forest have learnt to interpret it. I found myself wondering if the passing breezes allow the forest trees to experience different worlds. If the wind has travelled far and wide, coming in from the ocean miles away in the East, or from across the Savannah and bushveld North of here, do the trees get a taste of these distant lands when they dance with the passing gusts? Perhaps one day, with enough deep practice, I too will understand the language of the wind and forests more deeply.

For the moment I remained in awe of the forest energy, the community of the trees, all its inhabitants and the cloudless azure winter sky overhead on a windy morning. After spotting buck droppings and spores for a couple of days, yesterday I finally stumbled across an elusive young buck. We were walking along collecting fallen sticks and pine corns, when we noticed that some of the sticks had randomly falling into the shape of crosses. It gave us an eerie feeling and I wondered if somehow the forest was letting us know that the ground here was holy. Then minutes later and a few paces forward, we spotted it. The young buck seemed to be eating low hanging new leaf growths from a tree. Just as soon as we spotted it, the buck turned to give us a quick glance. She spooked and swiftly bolted off in the elegantly graceful manner that only young buck can. I felt the warm feeling of joy stirring within.

Centuries ago, this land would have been teaming with buck and wildlife. However, so much of the land in this area has been cleared for farming and mining over the years that spotting them here is a rare treat. Although this is not an indigenous forest, it’s fortunate that the owners have allowed it to grow wild somewhat with a life of its own. As a consequence of giving the forest space to become untamed, the natural wildlife has found a place to call home too. It somehow made me think that each of us is a beautiful tree in the forest of life, rooted in the essence of our own being, our branches reaching for different dreams. You are at the center of your own story and the driver of your life. At the same time all life is interconnected. The impact that you are making by re-wilding your soul goes beyond reversing the chains of damage and returning to the freedom and peace of your wild essence. Your individual efforts play a significant role in restoring the rest of the forest to its natural dignity. What you do impacts on the people around you. The people whom you share your life with, the world and Mother Nature all experience the ripple effect of your actions. Think for a moment of how you feel when you meet someone who inspires you – a role model fighting for a worthy cause, your favorite author, a successful person at the top of their game or any larger than life person who moves you. What kind of emotions do these people stir in you? These people inspire us just by living their purpose and making the choice to follow the whispers of their wild essence. You hold the potential to the same. One of our ultimate aspirations is to touch each other’s lives in a meaningful way and inspire them. You will find that each time that you follow through despite your fear, not only will your life be richer for it, but so will the lives of those who you touch along the way. We are collectively realizing our full potential as individuals, as communities and as society. “

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