Tracking - an Inner Navigation Tool
A few days ago I had a wild encounter that reflected what I'd been experiencing in my work.
I wanted to share this because it shows how we can use the art of tracking to navigate all areas of our lives, including our work!
Whilst sitting quietly in my sit spot, a kangaroo hopped just metres behind me, then stopped.
I was hidden by bracken but immediately sensed it, sensing me. It was aware of my presence and was assessing whether or not I was a threat.
Within moments, a bird sitting in the trees above us, sent an alarm call through the forest and the kangaroo took off.
It was gone before I could even stand up.
As I sat with what had just happened, I noticed my mind wander back to my work.
Over the last week or so, I'd been tracking it - where there'd been movement and activity and where there'd been none.
I was noticing how it became quiet when I spoke of the correlation between deep nature connection and deep inner work!
We have a deep yearning to remember and reclaim the ways of our ancestors – I hear this in conversations every day!
But here’s the thing, I don't feel that simply learning the skills is going to create the change we’re seeking.
This change starts on the inside. It involves 'doing the work', questioning, dismantling - all our outdated beliefs, patterns and systems.
To deeply connect with nature means to deeply connect with self - we can't put them in two separate boxes!
So here's what tracking the natural world showed me...
We have two parts of our being – our ego self and our wild self. The kangaroo represents our 'wild self' – curious, deeply attuned and connected to the natural world.
The bird, on the other hand, represents our ego self - the part of us that sounds the alarm bell when there's even just an inkling of danger.
For the ego, change = danger! It will do whatever it can to keep things just as they are!
The moment our 'wild self' starts to venture out, the ego freaks out and gives us all the reasons to turn around and go back.
In the lead up to my workshop, 'Wild Calling', I tuned into where people were sitting with their calling – it was right on the edges, watching, waiting...
The moment they came closer, alarm bells sounded and they disappeared – literally!
I didn't get the bookings I’d hoped for this time, but I did receive some valuable insights.
When I felt into this work, it was so incredibly expansive – even when I was sitting with no bookings.
What I came to understand was that this feeling was my body’s way of asking me to expand. A one day workshop doesn’t really do this work justice.
It’s a great introduction, but difficult to truly honour the different stages we are each at…
Some of us may wander the edges for weeks, months, even years before feeling ready to venture into new terrains.
Others will walk straight into the wild - but move between their edges as the yearning for deeper connection grows.
Wild Calling is evolving, shape shifting, changing. At this stage I’m not sure what it will become – but I know exactly how to get there!
We are all born with the innate skill of tracking, we’ve just forgotten how much we can use it to follow the track of our purpose.
Stay tuned if you’re interested in seeing how Wild Calling evolves!