EMBODYING YOUR SOUL GIFTS

“Having uncovered your soul image or story, you long to embody your soul in a way that engenders genuine and intimate communion between people, the land, the other-than-human beings. This is the way you’ll participate in the unfolding of the world’s soul. you know the world cannot flower into its full potential without each person, including you, playing the part each was born to play.” —Bill Plotkin

Plotkin’s work is an important tool in the Wild Nature Heart toolbox. The nature-based map of the psyche, the 8 stages of psycho-spiritual development (Wheel of Life), and a variety of soul-craft exercises are delightful & useful for excavating our unique treasures/soul gifts, leaning into our growing edge, & anchoring how we BELONG to the greater story.

Where are you at on your psych-spiritual journey? I locate myself as having been in the Apprentice at the Wellspring stage since I made a huge transition (Initiation) in my life in almost all ways two years ago. I became an ecotherapist, crossed the threshold in a Wilderness rite-of-passage. apprenticed myself to the land, to the craft of poetry, to deep listening, and to bringing people into wild nature to Re-Wild and reconnect to themselves. After founding Wild Nature Heart, and offering a variety of reconnection programs, after publishing two books of earth poetry (and material for several other books), after living intimately with Nature for two years, after Wilderness First Responder Training, I now recognize I have passed into the Artisan in the Wild Orchard stage, which is demanding something more and bigger.

This is the stage when we step more fully into our power by developing new cultural delivery systems to share the essence of our gift. It is the great Giveaway as art form.

That is why I find myself up-leveling my work & expanding Wild Nature Heart’s offerings & network, with a focus on earth-rooted teaching, 1-on-1 Mentoring, and Inner/Outer Wilderness Guiding—All with a goal of becoming more fully who we are, acting from wholeness, and embodying our soul gifts in the world.

This summer we are launching Wild Nature Heart Academy’s first class with a cohort of 8 people (see previous post), and the Say Yes to Your Wild Nature Heart Wilderness Backpacking Journey, both in August. If this work speaks to you, drop us a line, ryan@wildnatureheart.com.