Part Two - The Rewilding Series
A LESSON IN LEANING INTO OUR EDGES
Last weekend we embarked on Part 2 of the Rewilding Series - Wild Edges.
Over two full days we explored what lies at our edges - the space just beyond the walls and fences we build to keep us 'safe'.
Standing at our edges takes us out of our comfort zone - the safe, familiar, often controlled environment we spend much of our lives.
It was no surprise that arriving here on the first morning proved a challenge for every participant!
Stepping into this new terrain goes against everything our human self (our ego or logical brain) desires.
The brain likes structure, order, familiarity and comfort - and 'the edges' offers everything but this.
It’s dark, messy and often very uncomfortable.
So why would we go there? Why would we take ourselves out of all that feels safe and comfortable?
Because growth and change doesn't happen within our comfort zone - it happens when we stretch and expand beyond this.
The moment we set our intention - to explore our edges - we opened the doorways for new learning, insights and wisdom.
The themes we explored during the first workshop - around control and flow - appeared once again, this time through a different lens.
On the first day I was again given an opportunity to feel and move through an old pattern that had been resurfacing in my work.
This pattern - a disconnect between my head and my heart (the head likes control, the heart likes flow).
As a facilitator, it’s important I trust in my body, my intuition and the gentle guidance of nature (my co-facilitator)
This is almost the opposite to my previous occupation as a primary teacher – which required structure and control!
The conflict between my head and heart arose as I was sharing a new concept with the group.
I noticed my mind go blank almost mid-sentence but after the initial confusion I leant in and got curious about it.
Often all that’s needed is to shine a light on the old pattern and expose it for what it is.
More often than not, it’s simply something constructed out of fear!
Over the weekend, we allowed space for what needed to arise, to be witnessed and acknowledged.
As stories were shared, baskets were woven – each as beautiful and unique as the woman who create it.
These baskets shared their own stories, offering a mirror into the parts of ourselves we hadn’t yet acknowledged.
Their form showed us the ‘containers’ each needed for her rewilding journey – a cocoon, a deep vessel, a wide bowl…
Even my own basket - what I used to demonstrate the process - offered a deep reflection into a part of myself I’d kept hidden.
The theme of control verses flow, continued to lend itself to other analogies:
- the head and the heart
- the teacher and facilitator
- external authority and internal authority
These all sit at our edges, inviting us to step away from what we’ve been told or conditioned to believe - and trust a new path, a new way, to open.
Note – our next round of the Rewilding Series starts in September.