Wilding. Why is it that in nature spaces, deep within the woods, we have such acceptance without thought to the cacophony of plants that live together in unison?
Tonight, while I am walking through the woods, it occurs to me that nature accepts diversity and variety, and celebrates all of it. The plants beneath my feet have no sense of angst or torsion between themselves. As I walk along, in any single step, there are numerous varieties of plants living in complete and total harmony with one another.
Sure the occasional power struggle exists even within nature. One plant is more powerful and will work to take over another, but largely nature operates in a beautiful orchestration of coexistence. What looks to me to be dozens is probably hundreds and thousands of plant forms and organisms that exist harmoniously, one, sometimes not even next to but on top of the other. It occurs to me as I get closer to home, less and less of that is true.
The woods’ incredible lush, green, life-giving force makes way to cultivated fields and framed roads, fresh and ready for asphalt. Even as I walk into my own yard there is a sense of demonizing those beautiful dandelions that may oftentimes by others be seen as a mar on their otherwise perfectly manicured lawns. Fortunately, Clarence and I don’t live this way. But it makes me wonder why we as humans worked so hard to domesticate everything.
The road past our farm has been gravel as long as it has existed, but this summer it is slated for asphalt. I ask myself and others, why? Why is it so important that every road is easily navigable without dusting our cars? Why do we feel a need to control and dictate every species of plant that grows in our yard? Why are we in such a hurry to sacrifice “rural” and incorporate ourselves in the mainstream? On a larger level it makes me wonder, why is it that we sacrifice the wildness of our Spirit for the domestication of day-to-day life?
It makes me wonder if somewhere along the line humans decided that domestication is simply safer. Did we decide that safety is in numbers and controllable concrete buildings and developing a sense of system and structure and routine that our psyche feels secure in? In that process did we check in with our soul and our Spirit? Did we feel the subtle yet present yearnings of our Spirit to remain wild? To live in coexistence with everything around us, without fear of what it might do to us? Or, did we just give in to feeling “safe”?
In this time of incredible shifts and changes, I will ask you to wonder and ponder these questions along with me. Are you content in sacrificing your wildness? Is that “you”, that you have known yourself to be, so important that you would accept even the churning discomfort in your gut that is coming from it right now?
Seriously, ask yourself what has worth in your life and your existence. Our Spirit has a way of working collaboratively with our psyche and our ego so that there is harmony and peace and security in being a little bit more wild.
This is a time of renewal…find your wild.
Forever the journey, Anne