Ryan Van Lenning

Posts by Ryan Van Lenning:

“The world was made to be free in. Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong. Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.” – David Whyte, Sweet Darkness

“If we surrendered
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.” -Rumi

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💧CULTIVATING BELONGING 2: WATERSHED The watershed is the first and last nation whose boundaries, though subtly shifting, are unarguable.”—Gary Snyder Where does your water come from? Hint: Faucet is not the correct answer. It seems such a simple question, and It used to be the case that the answer was immediate, visceral, & obvious: it comes from the body of water one lived by. And that from the rain and snowpack further upstream, in turn fed by the Mystery and gift of the water cycle. People knew well the rhythms and moods of water, and all the life it nourished. Where is the divide in the watersheds where you live? What is the feel of wild water vs treated water? What is the taste? When I first moved to this area (#Humboldt), I walked down the Mad River (Baduwat in Wiyot), 10 miles downstream to the mouth where it meets the sea. I wanted to know the watershed, not just intellectually, but in my body, my bones, my soul. It was a good start. When I lived on the American River, I followed the yearning to know its source, its Headwaters. So next thing you know, I’m miles up and miles past civilization, tracing the river from its trickle Headwaters in the mountains west of Tahoe, down to where it is first dammed. Let me say: that river is in me now. We belong to each other. I’m not saying anybody needs to or should do these things. It’s what I felt called to do. But What I AM saying is that KNOWING YOUR PLACE’S FLOWS AND WATERSHED IS A DEEP AND MEANINGFUL WAY TO CULTIVATE BELONGING PLACE. Start with finding the source of your tap water and go from there. Maybe you’ll find yourself being called to learn not just ABOUT the water, but also FROM the water. Next up in the #cultivatingbelonging series: local FLORA AND FAUNA.
INNER WILDERNESS WORK I love the work I do! I just finished another 2-hour Earth-rooted mentoring session with a new client. It is such an honor to be able to help provide a safe container for Whole Self exploration and witness the soul journey as people come into deeper belonging to themselves and nature. It’s gonna take each of us becoming our full selves and sharing our gifts to transition in this time of the Great Turning. The beautiful wild coastal landscape evoked the inner tide and walking at one’s growing edge. Trusting your inner guide. Courage to take meaningful action. Creating Ritual for marking transition and celebration. Finding your own flow and rootedness. Leaning into the hardest spaces. Connecting to the inner child/healer/masculine/feminine. Clarifying your purpose. Dancing on the growing edge. Own the shit parts. Cultivating facets of the whole self from the four directions. Shedding old stories that no longer serve. Deepening your ecological self. These are some of the things I live for!! Like anybody, I have a lot to learn, but I love holding space, deep listening, and gently guiding. 1-on-1 work is about a third of my @wildnatureheart work (the others are reconnection workshops and Wilderness trips-and WNH Academy soon). One of my specialties is facilitating a series of inner/outer wilderness sessions, culminating in a solo wilderness ceremony that we co-create. If some of these themes resonate with you and you’re curious about working with me, drop me a line, I’d love to have a free chat with you. Everybody who works with me over several sessions also receives my two earth poetry books. I currently have 1 in-person spot available (Humboldt County) and two remote (via video chat) spots available. Find out more in the Link in Bio, under Work With me: 1-on-1 Earth-Rooted Coacing/Inner Wilderness Guiding. -Ryan @ryanreturntotheearth
RE-BELONGING + AUGUST WILDERNESS TRIP + BERRY SEASON + TIP TEA Did you know that Wild Nature Heart has a newsletter? It’s informative, inspirational, and dare we say, beautiful. We send it out once or twice quarterly with upcoming gatherings and offerings, tips on reconnecting to wild nature and your wild self, poetry, inspiration, musings on The Great Turning, resources, opportunities, and more! We just sent out the JUNE UPDATE earlier this week, where we discuss the concept of RE-BELONGING, evergreen tip tea, berry season, and upcoming wild nature heart events. Follow the links in the bio to read the full update and to sign up (under Receive Wild Nature’s Newsletter) so you can stay in the loop!