Part Three - The Rewilding Series
A LESSON IN DEEP LISTENING
It’s been a good few weeks since the final workshop of the series – Wild Quest.
It often takes some time before I’m ready to share this part of the journey – even as a facilitator it almost feels too sacred.
Wild Quest took place just days after the winter solstice - a potent time for turning inward and listening deeply.
While it wasn’t intentional, I’m not sure we could have picked a better time to embark on a solo quest in wild nature!
The quest itself is much like a rite of passage – marking a transition from one phase of life to another.
It’s a turning point in which we’re invited to evaluate our journey, our identity, the roles and choices we’ve made.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had a few women down for the final workshop - making our group even more intimate.
While it’s hard not to be a disappointed when this happens, I’ve learnt to trust in how life wants to unfold.
And the unfolding that happened over the weekend, couldn’t have been more perfect.
Our first day was dedicated to preparing for the quest – on a physical level, as much as a mental, emotional and spiritual level.
The baskets woven during the previous workshop, became the container that held the questions each woman would take into her quest.
These questions were each infused and held within stones generously gifted from the creek in which they sat.
While the quest may be solo experience, our ‘work’ is not carried out alone.
Nature loves to co-create with us, to guide us and hold space for our journeys.
From dawn to dusk each woman sat in communion with nature and her wild soul – deeply listening to all that was shared.
Being mid-winter, it was extremely cold in the forest – much colder than anyone had anticipated.
Without the distractions of fire, food and other comforts, they were forced to turn within and be with the questioning that arose…
How would it feel to ask for support – an extra blanket to keep me warm?
Could I break the rules and leave my site - to honour my own needs?
Why was I drawn to this particular site if it brings me such discomfort?
As Kate Ridge, co-founder of nature philosophy once shared…
‘We often go into quest hoping for a deeply spiritual experience – we almost expect this to happen. Instead what usually happens is we’re shown all the ways we struggle in life’
In the stillness that’s created during a quest, we allow core themes to arise – each offering a lesson in our personal growth.
The quest comes into completion when the day moves into night and darkness fills the space.
Witnessing the return from a quest has to be one of the most humbling experiences.
Seeing tiny lights appear in the darkness as each makes her way back to base camp.
Hearing stories of challenges overcome and moments bought them to their knees.
Sharing a bowl of soup around the fire – nourishing and warming their bodies and souls.
However a quest unfolds is perfect for all who embark on the journey.
At the end of the day there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way – only the way that we’re guided in the moment.
In the same way that mycelium connects the trees in the forest, sitting on the earth connects us back into the web of life.
While the rewilding series has now come to completion, the journey for each is far from over.
With the completion of the solo quest, a new cycle begins - as the seeds that were planted start to emerge.
As one who’s held space and witnessed the transformations in each women, I don’t walk away the moment we finish.
I continue to hold the light for each and every one.
These women are leaders, visionaries, change-makers – and I feel incredibly blessed to continue walking beside them!
If you’re interested in joining the next round, we start in September – with what feels to be a whole new format!
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