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Step 3: Participate in the Discussion About This Lesson Fall 2019 #1
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22 Replies
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To be Soul-directed is to make life decisions according to your heart before your head. It is the practice of knowing yourself deeper than anyone else could ever know you, and having the ability to independently follow your intuition. Not in the sense that you are isolating yourself from the world, or not taking anyone’s opinions into account; rather, to be Soul-directed is to live in relationship with and in full faith of Spirit, the Oneness that resides in everything and everyone.
Practically speaking, this means choosing a career path that brings us pure joy, welcoming only friends and partners who encourage and support our higher journeys in life, traveling to locations or events that seem to call us there (even if we do not know why). It is complete trust in the Self and in the Universe. It is living by the belief that deep inside, we know Who and Whose We Are, and that all we have to do is remember. In this way, to move forward is to go back in time to our roots, our origins, the reason we exist in the first place. Time is nonlinear. The Soul is eternal. This life is simply a truncated episode in the infinite show of life; a show in which we are the actor, and the Soul is the director. Soul-Directed Living, indeed.
For me, Nature Connection has been a major influence in teaching me the ways of Soul-directed Living; therefore, I see this practice and concept as a sort of pre- or co-requisite, or naturally-occurring byproduct, of living in line with one’s Soul purpose. Again, connecting to nature is a sort of remembering. There are times in nature when your mind is quiet, your senses are heightened, and you are truly listening – and a revelation, a truth, seems to bubble up into your consciousness from seemingly nowhere. This is another example of remembering what at one point, when nature was our home, when the stars filled the sky with their stories, when words were scarce and love was unconditional, we already knew without even knowing that we knew it. Nature Connection is to live, eat, act in accordance with the seasons. It is to understand our bodies’ reactions to outside influences, even on the most subtle level; and to intuitively know how to holistically heal those issues when they arise. It is hearing the words of the trees as easy as a breath; and breathing as easy as our medulla makes it seem. It is the lifestyle of paying attention to what is around us, so that we can better understand what is within us. In this way, we can then fully give all that we have to offer the world.
We are human beings, which means that we live in both the spiritual and the physical realm. In order to fulfill our Soul’s purpose (to live a Soul-directed life), we must experience the fullness of Nature Connection (as it pertains to knowing, respecting, and loving Mother Earth). Before we reach into the cosmic realms of Oneness we have to see and feel it HERE, NOW. For whatever reason, our Souls have manifested in this form, and the state of our planet is a mirror of the turmoil that is churning inside of us for having forgotten and forsaken our origins. By tuning into the absolutely miraculous, beautiful, bountiful land we have been given, and thanking her every single day for everything she has ever done for us, we are automatically more equipped to answer the “bigger” questions of life: Who am I, and why am I here? By living presently with this Earth, we honor ourselves, give ourselves permission to live, and openly receive the gifts that come from leading with our Soul-directed hearts.
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Kelly,
I can not agree with you more. Soul, is totally thinking with your heart and not your head. Your heart knows you the best.
For me, When I was laid off 6 months ago from a IT job spending 15 hours behind a cubical. There were only so many ways you can decorate and redecorate your desk. I would get up from my desk in the heat, cold, rain and walk just to get some sense of nature.
After I went through the nature connected class, I my soul told me “this is it” “you are were you are supposed to be”
I drew out all my savings, took a part time job (I just landed today) borrowed money, and I’M all in. I am so excited for this great opportunity!-
Thank you to both @jacklyn.couturier and @nelumbohealingarts for sharing! I also started my nature-connected leadership path as a result of being laid off 10 months ago. My job as an engineer in the solar industry was so stressful I was starting to have panic attacks for the first time in my life. I saw so many flaws in our sustainability ethics that I started a committee, and was leading mindfulness meditations when I could, but all the extra work of just trying to do something I cared about was too much to handle. I basically was praying for something to happen that would allow me to transition into a less stressful, more fulfilling, outdoor and sustainability-related job. I started my business and blog in February and only started working for this amazing nonprofit a month and a half ago. It is incredible the events that have led up to this moment of finally converging on a huge step toward fulfilling my soul’s purpose. I really hope more people can learn how to follow their hearts; and that more people are able to find communities that encourage them to take care of themselves, to make decisions they actually believe in.
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Being the last to comment, I should have opted not to read all of your amazing writings for while we all have our unique expression, you all have made the analyses so thoughtful and beautiful.
Dwayne Dwyer talked about living ‘in spirit’ as the definition of being inspired. This meant that we can be ‘in spirit’ or inspired as a manner of being, not a time bound or specific focus, but a person aware and acting in concert with their spirit, their soul. What I question is the obvious connection being made here between ‘Nature Connected’ and ‘Soul Directed’. Your soul is your natural self and when one is connected to nature, they are aware of their natural self, their soul. The more we are connected with nature, our natural selves, our soul, the louder it’s voice and the more inclined we are to listen.
Many people started this session with acknowledging that we have NOT been listening, either personally or as a society. How do we take this journey from where we are to being Nature Connected to living Soul Directed life. How do we amplify the message, tune out the distractions and find the courage to act in the service of what we know nurtures all? A Self Directed life is one where we are making conscious decisions that supports our greater life’s purpose and leaves behind the best of ourselves for the betterment of all.
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Jackie,
I am so excite for you and your journey. I truly believe that when you live your passion, your sould irected life, good things will come! Trust that everything has brought you here to this moment.
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Kelly nailed it. Beautiful words.
Jaclyn I was in the same situation after I had my son 3 years ago. I lost my job because the company shut down and I was not going to ever get a new job with a baby. I was not where I was supposed to be and the universe somehow shifted me where I was truly meant to be.
Spent 15 years chained to a desk in Design agencies as an image editor and color development for package design. I got to the point I was working 40-50 hours a week to make trash look pretty. Any “ME” time was spent at conservation sanctuaries and volunteering in wellness. After I had my son I became a part time holistic massage therapist at a muscular center. Worked nights and weekends to stay home with my son, take online classes to redirect my career. This year I started a healing arts business on my fathers land in the white mountains where I grow topical medicin, hand crafted salves and run small workshops. I feel at this moment I am finally feeling soul directed throw the power of being nature connected. I thank my son every day for being my teacher. -
I’m thrilled that you went first Kelly, since the tone was set in such a resonating way. I hear you Jaclyn, Kelly and Nelumboheali. In regard to regenerative living and work. First I will speak about soul for me.
I feel soul is both within and without. She has an ancient life and it is what animates the body. We embody the soul and the soul embodies us. When cut off at the neck and it’s only thinking – I lose the knowing that comes with being sensory through this body. My intention to to come back to who is already here and remember this is where the wisdom, knowing and purpose lives. Heart Based. I’m also learning it doesn’t always make sense what feels right for me to do but sometimes I find out later why that made sense. Other times I have no clue!! It’s a life of mystery, listening and not full of answers often but often more musing, dream times, contemplation and felt senses. I too worked for so many years in a box container and was let go due to insurance redesign. I’ve been on a healing journey that keeps me outside and connecting. This feels like it could be the way I can continue to live in right relation AND Live in alignment while making dollars.
The Nature connection piece is really about relationship for me. We are always in relationship with everything thing and everyone. I see our planet as a living breathing being and as part of the hoop of life. Humans Not being in charge of all nature but each species have our part within this life. The humans seem to have lost their knowing how to uphold their part, and it’s a big part of my being here to remember that part. I have a sit spot where I go and be with all my friends who live there. Turtle family, beaver family, fish and fowl. These one’s make my life rich and large to see them and greet them, they give such great joy!! We are not alone and when we slow to pay reverence and give thanks, more life shows up! I am grateful to join with my cohorts and learn and grow in a way were all life is valued and tended through natures grace.-
Beautiful words, Cindy. I like that you mention the ’embodiment’ aspect of soul, as we were obviously given these forms as an expression of soul itself! When I get lost in my head, everything becomes so confusing. When I am able to settle my energy down into the more grounded energy centers, and allow emotion to flow through me (something I have really struggled with), life becomes so much more peaceful and easy.
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Thank you all for sharing! I’ve enjoyed reading all of your words, and I totally resonate on everyone’s responses to these important questions that we are pondering. I appreciate how everyone is taking the time to read one another’s responses, and basing their own responses off of the other comments. This is the way to build community online!
To me, leading a soul directed life means to allow my intuition and deepest knowing to guide my life decisions. I use the word “allow” intentionally here, because I find that my logical mind can sometimes get in the way of my intuition and deepest knowing. Similar to how Kelly explained “leading with the heart, not the mind”.
However, this makes me wonder if the mind can become fully soul-directed. I would hope so. I wonder if an ultimate soul-directed life would be feeling soul-directed by all aspects of oneself- body, heart, mind, spirit, etc. In the last few years, I have really worked on my ego. I find that as I get to know my ego, and let go of leading my life by my ego, my mind shifts to be more soul-directed. Maybe I am building a stronger connection between my mind, body, heart, and spirit.
Similar to what has already been said, I find that being soul-directed and nature-connected go hand-in-hand. Nature connection feeds and heightens the soul, and the soul directs us to a life that is in balance with nature. Living a nature-connected life is not present in our mainstream society (i.e. the norm of working in a cubicle, living in isolation from others, cars, technology, etc) so we must break-away from the mainstream to feel in connection with nature. I believe we are currently living in an extremely important time, in which we are building a new culture that is in connection with nature (i.e. the emergence of permaculture, outdoor education, mentorship, spirituality practices, etc). Many of us are waking up to this deep knowing that mainstream western society is not working, and we NEED to reconnect back to nature and our soul. Like Kelly said, going forward is going backward in a way. We need to connect with our roots. As a settler colonialist society, this is going to take a lot of work for many of us. Most people in the US have roots from other lands. We must learn about the human-nature relationship that has occurred on this land (“USA” land) for tens of thousands (or longer) of years in order to develop an authentic relationship with this land. We also must connect with the history of the human-nature relationship of our ancestor’s land. This all takes a lot of work- a lot of time, energy, commitment, ego-death, grief-processing, and presence. I thank all of you who are doing this work!
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There’s so much good stuff here…relationship, remembering, connection and re-connection, synchronistic shifts and transitions, journeys, reverence and also I am picking up a sense of urgency or response to a call. Yes to all of it!
One of the take-aways from the first session for me is how humbled and grateful I feel for the amount of resonance with the content. A few months back, I adopted the late John O’Donohue as a companion in my journal reflections. He speaks of the shadowy nature of the soul, and our ability to be in connection with it by welcoming “all that is eternal in me” each day. Not only did his poetry feed my soul, but also he helped me ask “What does my soul want to express?” I didn’t look for or expect a direct answer, but instead wove the question into my consciousness. I’ve made some hard decisions since then and experienced grief like never before. Six months after asking my soul how it wants to express, I find myself in this class where my vision is spoken in the first five minutes of the talk, with people who share a similar vision and who seek to weave this content into their livelihoods. AND, I’m being offered support in bringing my unique interpretation of this vision into the world. This is what soul-directed is. It’s when you invite your soul to speak, listen to the mysterious ways it communicates, walk forward one step at a time, and find yourself in places that resonate deeply, are in alignment with your values and invite you into a world of possibility. O’Donohue offers the prayer that we “come alive to the invisible geography that invites [us] to new frontiers”, and oh how nature supports this process. The eternal expresses constantly in nature. Though we connect with individual plants, birds or animals at a given moment in time, we are also connecting with beings who in the proliferation of their species are connected with the ongoing phenomena of life, and they are unequivocally on purpose. I find that the more I cultivate an intimate, reciprocal connection with nature, the more grounded I am in belonging and purpose. I’m enchanted with the way Gaia continually offers us metaphor as teachings and guideposts on the adventure of living a soul-directed life. I look forward to the rest of this dialogue!
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For me, to be Soul-Directed and Nature-Connected means we position ourselves in an open stance to the movement of Spirit, both within and without.
To be Soul-Directed is to develop a practice of deep listening—of listening to all part of ourselves, including our shadow and hidden parts, and holding ourselves with infinite compassion. Soul-Direction is our inner process of self-discovery by learning to listen to our internal and unique vibrations–a falling in love with our deepest, most Sacred, and most vulnerable self. It is the discovery of our internal landscape, our emotions, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, triggers, joys, old stories—the observation of our “weather patterns” from the stability of our identity as Mountain.
Being Nature-Connected, we open to the exterior landscape which mirrors our own interior landscape. What does Nature teach us about who we are? About our seasons and cycles? About our Reality? When we connect with Nature, we experience a “parting of the veil”, and we suddenly see our Sacred reality as being interconnected to all things, all beings, all people. We experience being in the HUM of the universe and our internal vibrations align with the one universal vibration.-
Thank you for this! I love “weather patterns from the stability of our identity as mountain” as well as nature as a mirror to our interior landscape…and eventually we arrive at no boundary between the interior and exterior. So beautiful.
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Thank you to all the sharings. It’s been lovely to read everyone’s reflections on the nature of our Selves and our interconnectedness to all that IS. It is a joy to join all of you as we learn to listen more deeply to Creation and the hum of the Universe as we re “member” ourselves!
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Wow! Reviewing each of your words is so incredibly uplifting and I feel blessed to share in this journey with others who are so deeply aware and alive within themselves! Yes to all of it! My own journey with soul discovery is deeply connected to nature and wild places. It’s the allowing of presence, stillness, slowing down and sinking deeply into our senses. The natural world is a doorway into self-discovery and to be fully immersed we are offered the opportunity to just be, no pushing, agenda…just being with the trees, sky, wind, plants & animals. I find it hard to even put into words…it’s just a way of sinking into the present moment connected to all, beautiful and soul infused. This is how I live my life, it’s no longer a choice, just the path and the way forward. The ego still exists and is a valued guide, we all need our egos to navigate life, it’s in the honoring of both ego (shadow too) and mindfulness that allows balance and wholeness. 😊
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Bill Plotkin’s picture of a tree as a representation of Soul at the roots, Ego as the trunk, and Spirit as the branches and leaves helps me think of what it means to be Soul-Directed (and Nature-Connected at that). I like Plotkin’s picture because it’s an attempt at being wholistic, not disregarding any one part for the sake of another, or imagining that perfection is one aspect apart from the others. A tree needs all three parts, roots, trunk, and branches to be whole.
So all that to say that when I think of being Soul-Directed, I think of being “rooted”, but not rooted in the sense of immobile or being stuck; rather, rooted in the sense of knowing where I came from and the greater ecosystem I’m a part of. It’s to be guided by the dark mysteries out of which I sprang, the mysteries that give birth to all life on earth. This takes trust and patience, and is largely out of my control, but that is perhaps the key difference between being Soul-Directed and Ego-Directed. It is more similar to being Spirit-Directed, but in a different way or direction.
Is this similar to what others meant by being directed by the heart more so than the mind?
This quite naturally leads me to my understanding of being Nature-Connected. Nature is the webbing that unites us all, human and more-than-human. So, to be Nature-Connected is NOT to be separated, if that makes sense. Or, to be connected to all. I also think it means being in the flow of nature, caught up in her rhythms and cycles and way of being fully present.
I have the privilege of leading youth on wilderness treks in the Olympic National Park as a wilderness therapy field guide (which is where I was during this first session). The power of Nature to reach past all the hurt and chaos of a young person’s life and touch their soul is amazing. Sometimes it takes like 6 weeks or more, but eventually, if they open themselves up to it, they’ll see how they are a part of something so much bigger, more eternal and meaningful, than the chaos of their own “little” lives. In that moment they find freedom. That “sparkle in the eye” is what I think of when I think of being Nature-Connected.
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Holy cow you guys! What a wonderful array of insights and perspectives being shared here on the first discussion question for this course! What I love about this question is that it is subjective and everyone may have a different answer, but at the same time there are so many commonalities from everyone! There really is no right or wrong answer to this question. It’s not black or white, this or that, but rather an infinite amount of possible answers. And already you are all seeing the uniqueness and sameness of your responses! I encourage you all to keep this intention flowing throughout the course of being open and honest to your own truth while also engaging with each other and what parts you might also share.
For me, Soul-Direction and Nature-Connection two interweaving modalities. Like Todd shared with his tree metaphor from Bill Plotkin, Soul-Direction is our roots. It’s planted and grounded inside of us. I also like to use the analogy of calling it our North Star. A fixed point that we can always rely on to guide us on our journey. And the Nature-Connection piece is how that journey or direction shows up in the real world. The way I connect with nature is a direct mirror to how I am connected to Soul. If I am disconnected with Soul then I can find it very difficult to connect with nature. It is almost like feedback to the quality of connection in my own life. Nature-Connection has an infinite amount of creative ways to show up, but one thing I have learned in my own journey is that nature connects with me as a container, teacher, metaphor and as a mirror. Nature holds the container of safety and curiosity when I am in it. Nature teaches me things and aspects of nature can be a direct metaphor to lessons or opportunities for growth that I may experience inside myself. And nature is a mirror. It meets me exactly where I am. Every time. No matter what.
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Well that’s an interesting question. This is what comes to mind when I think about this question. Soul and nature are inner woven energies which respond to each other. I see the image of the caduceus or kundalini rising. As one awakes to the inner calling of the soul, it’s natural evolution to awaken to nature and begin to witness and experience the collaboration of internal and external energies. Take notice to, what some call “coincidences” in life. Do I impact the world or does it impact me? Both happen simultaneously. It’s the human’s natural evolution to once feel separate and then realize all things are connected. There is no separation. We are connected to all things and the universe. It’s within us all. I just have to be willing and open evolve. To be / To live Soul Directed and Nature Directed life requires a surrender to an inner calling for change and growth. When I allow my perspective to change from “life happens to me” to “life happens for me” I create an opportunity or growth and change. Connecting with Nature allows me to hear the souls message whether its the wind rustling through the leaves, or the sound of water, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, or the sounds of birds etc… The more I foster the relationship with soul and nature; nature brings the message and an entire new world opens to me by leading through the heart. It’s surrender to spirit, inner knowing that so often gets ignored due to any reason I might give it. Staying in my “power” not giving it away to false expectations, false reality that I placed on myself or allowed another to place upon me. When I listen to the call of the soul, because the calling has gotten to big to ignore and listen to the world around me that’s where transformation begins. . . . in the awareness. When I chose to live through the “Heart Mind” and connect to the Higher Self, use the mind as the vehicle for the physical manifestation of thought. Breath in the wisdom from source, that we are all connected to, take into the heart (where the alchemy occurs) breath it out into the world; allow change to occur. Soul Directed is when all my heart, thoughts and actions come from a place of Truth, Love and Wisdom. It’s uncompromising.
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To me being soul-directed means being embodied and aligned with my heart’s wisdom and my values and acting from that place.
Being nature-connected means I am present and connected with all that surrounds me. Connecting with the outdoors is the way I feel and trust that I truly belong. Participating in nature helps me feel connected to the bigger picture – suddenly whatever is happening in my life that might feel overwhelming is put into perspective by staring up at the tall evergreens or counting the endless waves that land on the beach. Nature offers so many metaphors and symbols to help mirror what is happening with my internal landscape.
I see nature-connecting being what helps feed and fuel my soul-direction. When I’m unsure of my path, I go wander and the answer always comes. If I’m struggling with a decision, I go outside and play, participate, and observe and suddenly I know what to do. Nature-connection leads to soul-direction.
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Over the years, I’ve discovered that my definition of what it means to live a soul-directed life has changed, evolved. I used to see it simply as walking the path intended for me in this life time, and that’s still true. However, I also spent many years struggling to discern exactly what that life path was and what it looked like, so all too often those moments of feeling “on” were fleeting and felt at times random. The path felt narrow. I often lost my way, consumed with anxiety. After several years of trauma healing work in my life, I’ve emerged grounded and centered on a wide life path that I find I can fully relax into and trust as completely mine and completely right for my soul at this time. Even moments of struggle that the past me would have deemed as “off path” are now part of my soul-directed life. And that knowing keeps me easily aligned.
I’ve made my living working outdoors year round for the last 15 years, and my happiest childhood memories are intimately interwoven with experiences in nature. I have directly observed the wisdom, intelligence and sentience of trees, shrubs, perennial flowers, and other beautiful beings in the gardens and forests around me. Being nature-connected is, to me, a willingness to put myself (my ego) aside (assuming I’ve properly prepared for safety and my basic wellbeing, of course) when I set foot outdoors, and know that I stand among beings that are my equal. Being nature-connected involves the ability to recognize those other-than-human lives and to inquire into their needs in the moment. Being nature-connected is the ultimate partnership of human and other-than-human. It means finally coming home.
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I’m very late to this task, but I still want to honor the sincerity and deep effort each of you have made to wrestle with defining soul direction and nature connection. Your words have taught me and challenged me my capacities to reflect. The House of Belonging is a collection of poems by David Whyte that I’m sure many of you are familiar with. About 15 years ago, in the midst of an ordeal and significant life passage, his poetry served as a guide and reassuring friend to me. Reading your thoughts this section of All the True Vows came to mind:
There is only one life
you can call your own
and a thousand others
you can call by any name you want.Hold to the truth you make
every day with your own body,
don’t turn your face away.Hold to your own truth
at the center of the image
you were born with.Previously Cindy said, “We embody the soul and the soul embodies us.” I like the Wholeness, non-duality of that statement. I’ve heard someone say that soul manifests the true essence (one life) of its host whether person, plant, four-legged or winged, etc. Soul, as essence, is the ultimate reality or nature of a thing, its most honest, authentic representation. The experience of soul is boundless, the experience of soul is completeness and connection. And, as many of you have already said, deep soul direction and nature connection intersect at this point. As we learn to “hold to our own truth at the center of the image we were born with” , the natural world becomes a mirror of that reality. Then, we come alive with awe and wonder in exchanging essence with all living things – giving and receiving, emptying and filling, the reciprocity that seems to accompany experience at the level of soul. I’m not so sure that soul wishes so much to direct as to create awareness of the limitless reality of our existence – to provide a lens through which we can glimpse the true state of things. Therefore, “what profit is there in gaining the whole (material) world and loosing your own soul.”
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I am joining this conversation many weeks after your posts, I have enjoyed reading them and agree with each one of you.
To be nature connected means to be aware of and in touch with our external environment and to be aware of ones personal internal awareness and intuition. We are nature, we are not separate. To be aware of what is happening right now internally and externally, being in the present moment aware of all our senses, our sight, our hearing, smell, touch and inner knowing.
Turning to nature in times of stress or indecision can achieve a state of heart coherence and soul-direction. When I was a young mum to three children and I felt moments of stress and over-whelm I would take time out and lie on the grass and watch the sky, listen to the birds, feel the breeze or the sun rays on my skin and fall into that place of gratitude and wonder. And before I knew it, I had returned to a state of coherence, connected to the earth and connected to spirit. I would continue my day feeling revitalised and inspired.
To be soul directed is not separate from nature connection, it is beautifully intertwined. I too, have had the privilege to work with troubled young people. I have witnessed how nature breaks down the barriers and gently opens these disconnected young peoples hearts. Little by little they learn to trust again, be more involved, they become curious and I love witnessing the magic happening, when they start to get excited about their future, their purpose!
I remember this day with reverence. I had been working with a young man for a year, he came to bushcraft once a week. We were carving spoons sitting around the campfire. He looked up at me and announced, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for this!” He continued, “Knowing I had bushcraft every Friday has kept me going. I was so lost, so alone. I would have taken my life if things had stayed the same. This past year, knowing I was coming here to the woods each week has helped me to keep going. Its made my life worth living!”
I feel the deepest gratitude for witnessing how nature transformed this young person’s life. His confidence grew and he went on to study Forestry at college, something he previously never thought possible. Nature connection allowed this young man to emerge from the darkness and listen to his souls calling.
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A powerful story, and a very real encouragement for the work we all seek to do here. Thanks for sharing it.
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