For the last fifteen years, particularly in early summer, I was able to visit and dwell in the forest region above. It’s southeast British Columbia, Canada. My parents had a cabin there for many years. It meant many walks among the trees. Sometimes solo. Sometimes in the company of others.
One of the super skills of today (being in journey, and maturing, and growing wisdom, and adapting, and being kind, and, and…), is finding an overarching narrative to offer enough shape yet enough freedom to encounter life.
A friend Saoirse recently offered one of those narratives that I appreciated — thx Saoirse. Enjoy it. I love her seeing, her aha, her opening, in the company of others.
The journey of the person who will come forward as a wise & soulful leader is different from the journey of the champion/rescuer/savior.
The journey is not to conquer the dragon, deny the self, suffer the terrible ordeal.
This journey is to persevere in the wilderness in the company of others. Not a tribe but a band of fellow travelers who can hold space for one another in the presence of fear, challenge, the Great Unknown.
It’s not about conquering. It’s not about sacrifice in the way I’ve thought about sacrifice. It’s more about staying with, staying in it … especially when it would be easier to step away. Returning again and again. Being willing to stay with the unknown and the uncomfortable for a time, knowing your band of fellow travelers has your back.
And trusting that whatever question comes forward is for the wholeness of each one who hears those words. That the wholeness of each is the wholeness of all.