What if...

Let’s take a moment and sit quietly. Let’s close our eyes. Let’s wait for that moment if it arrives, where the voice inside is silent. Let’s hold that space. Let’s be that space. The liminal space of everything and nothing. The silent space where the noise is gone. The chatter is silent. We just are.

In this moment if we can hold it gently in our mind’s eye, let’s imagine the world on a different plane of existence. Where humans are not the central theme in the story of life and are a simply one more strand in the web of life.

What if our story was a story of equality and an equity for all. What if our myopic perspective of an anthropocentric world was false. What if we are not the main characters in the creation myth and just a piece of the puzzle. An integral piece, yet still a piece.

Imagine if you and I were not separated by our thoughts, our beliefs and our dogma, that dance like dervishes in our minds. Our minds that have created a sense of ownership. Entitlement, lust and greed for more. More for me and less for you. Less for everything. Now and future generations of all species.

Less for the plants. Less for the animals. Less for the forests and the oceans. Less for the sky. Less for the dreams of the future generations. Less for the children still to come.

What if we did not see the earth as our resource but saw ourselves as stewards for something profound and miraculous. What if we saw ourselves as a part of this mosaic of life and not apart. What if we were able to break that word into two words instead of one. I imagine that everything might change.

What if we stopped thinking of the earth belonging to anything but the earth. What if we saw ourselves and every living creature on this incredible planet as belonging to itself. The stones belong to the stones. The wind belongs to the wind. The raven belongs to the raven. The cloud belongs to the cloud.

What if we have gotten it wrong right from the beginning. From the start. What if we are not the central characters in the story of life. What if we are only the support crew. What if we were adults on this planet that had a sense of conscience, morality, ethics and responsibility. Not only to ourselves, but to every living organism on this planet.

What if instead of being like petulant children, where often our words and actions are a priority of mine, more for me and less for you. Less for the wolf. Less for the old growth forest. Less for the clear mountain stream. What if we took responsibility and we shared. What if we played well together and did not have to fight to settle arguments and differences.

What if sat down together. What if we reached for one another’s hands instead of arms. What if we opened as an alternative to closing ourselves to one another. What if we felt what it was like for me to be you and you to be me. What if I hugged you, cried with you and felt your pain, as my pain. Would this change my story. Your story. Our story. Would we have a different ending together.

What if we shared love. What if we lent a hand and a heart first to everything and everyone. What if our first thoughts were “What can I do”. “How can I help” What do you need”. “What do I have that would help you, I have enough”.

I have enough food. I have enough space. I have enough because I don’t need as much as I thought I did. I was wrong. My society is wrong. Those with the most do not in fact win. They merely take more, so you have less. The bear has less. The individual that doesn’t look like me or believe like me has less. The dolphin has less. The child of the next generation has less.

If we can change our thoughts, we have a hope of changing our feelings. And if we change our feelings perhaps, we change our actions. And if we change our actions perhaps the first words from our mouths would be love. Service. And we are not different. We all belong. I belong to the earth, as do you, and everything else on this magnificent planet. The earth does not belong to us. We have this wrong. It is a story. It is a myth, and it is hurting us all. Right now, and in the future.

Now take this moment. This moment where there is no noise. No distraction and disruption in your mind. That moment where we no longer believe the false narrative. Where in fact we listen. We listen and we imagine a different voice. A voice that comes from within. A voice that comes from our hearts.

Because our hearts know the truth. They always have and they always will. Imagine a world and a life created from your heart. Imagine what a different life and world that might be.

Cold water immersion

A funny thing has started to happen.

I have been voluntarily submerging myself into cold water for over four years now. This water may take the form of a lake. The ocean. A river, or a tub on my back deck. Where ever it may be there are always two common denominators. It is cold and I get wet.

Sometimes there is a lot of procrastination that occurs. The things that need to be done “right now” that have been dormant for eons, though right at this moment seem exquisitely important. Then there is the excuse dance of “later’. That is an interesting one, as later usually takes the form of never.

Or it may get to the point where I stand over the tub, river what ever it may be and I have a staring battle with the water. Almost as if I stare hard enough and long enough I will somehow have the experience of immersion without actually getting in the water, and getting wet. Cold. So far it has never happened. I am still optimistic that one day it may happen, if I get the stare just right.

Then there comes the point when I actually commit and the process begins. It as if a switch is flipped in my mind and the momentum begins to unfold. A steady commitment to the process. The knowledge that yes it will be cold and yes I will get wet.

This often brings me back to a memory of my University days and being on the swim team. I loved the exercise and the swimming. I just didn’t like getting wet. Dry swimming seems like a marvellous alternative waiting to be discovered.

Back to the process of movement. Let’s say it is the tub today. First a leg swings over the edge and a steady momentum towards the bottom for stability, with one foot gingerly probing. Next the other leg swings over the and then a further lowering of other body parts. Thighs. Hips. Stomach. Chest and finally shoulders. I am in.

At first there is a sense of wonder “why am I doing this”, and a feeling of “time to jump out, quickly”. This feeling usually passes quite soon, and then the most wonderful experience begins. A sense of profound calm and a shift. The shift from discomfort to absolute bliss. Hard to explain and seems somewhat contrary to common sense, though it does occur. It as if my body / mind are flooded with a sense of calm and peace.

With this bliss feeling comes another feeling. This can only be described as a dissolution of the separation of body and water. When it becomes difficult and then impossible to distinguish between my body and the water. We are one.

And when this moment occurs there is this incredible phenomena that occurs. There is no separation. There is no body / water barrier. There is only synergy and expansion.

I have come to live for these moments. Because in these moments there is possibility and opportunity on every level imaginable. There is never a feeling of less in these moments. There is only expansion, possibility and connection, to what is and for what may be, now and in the future.

Our Quest

We live in a world marked by borders. Borders between continents, people, and even between our own hearts and minds. And perhaps one of the most pervasive borders is the one we've mistakenly placed, between ourselves and nature. We have on many levels created a world of separation. We are separated from the nuances of our dreams, the synchronicities of the opportunities that are being placed before us on a daily basis, and our connection to something that is profound and awe inspiring. It is time to ignite these passions once again and to dance the primal dance of the quest.

Many individuals feel alienated from nature, no longer dancing the primal dance of connection to the seasons, the patterns and the mosaic of the natural world. Our quest is focused on bringing that sense of connection back into our life, connected to our "wilderness within" so that we feel that sense of purpose, aliveness and a part of the infinite connection.

And what is this quest one may ask. One of the inscriptions written on the Oracle of Delphi is “know thyself”. This quest is the eternal quest in response to this timeless question. The mystics, the sages and the seekers dance this quest in their hearts, as do those that search for their truth in Nature.

Today there is a gradual reawakening to the primal tools of dance, breath, plant medicine, cold water immersion, and many more, to once again illuminate the answers that our hearts know to be true, while our minds are ceaselessly distracted.

All of these questions and musings tumble in my mind, as my body slowly and steadily enters the flow of the water. The river. The cold and the teachings for this moment. Discipline and drive are my twin angels of inspiration at this moment as my shoulders slip beneath the surface, and my primal brain screams. No.

The duality and separation dissolve as the river’s current seduces me once again with its clarity and truth. The truth that there is only this moment. No other moments. And with this knowledge I gain clarity and comfort that with surrender to Nature and the water I am whole once again. In this moment, for this moment, dancing the primal dance of integration and immersion. Alive. Aware and awake to the magic and the mystery of Self connected to Nature.

Cold Water Teachings

Doing hard things.

It took time for me to realize that getting into a body of cold water everyday was not about the water at all. That it was about doing something that I don’t want to do. Doing things that are hard. Stepping into the discomfort and away from the instant gratification, the pleasure.

Think about it. Why would anyone want to by choice, immerse themselves in water a few degrees on average, above 0 degrees Celsius It’s cold. It’s uncomfortable. It’s psychological. It’s probably not where you want to be at that moment.

But the point is the lesson and the teaching. The teaching is that we can overcome the resistance in our lives by doing things that are unpleasant for us. To building an internal capacity to do hard things. It’s like building a muscle. A muscle of will, discipline and focus.

To take responsibility and ownership of our thoughts, and our actions. To move away from our biology of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. It teaches us grit and perseverance. It starts to shape us and mold us. It prepares us. It creates who we become - with intention.

These skills are transferable to all aspects of life. It helps with procrastination, hesitation and keeping your word. Most importantly keeping your word to yourself. Your contract and commitment to your growth and development. To setting one foot in front of the other and creating your path in life, for your life. It means that you are making choices and following through on those decisions. The little decisions become the big decisions in our lives.

By doing hard things. Things that we naturally do not want to do, we build integrity to our words and our actions. We begin to build character. Character from within. This journey from within then begins to permeate into the world and others around us.

We begin to infuse ourselves with drive, and getting things done. We become a lighthouse and a beacon for others and the darkness in the world. We become solid. Dependable. Trustworthy with our words and our actions.

We become a doer, as to a talker. We create. We inspire and we motivate. We become what we do. Every moment. Every day. Every breath. We move forward in our lives and our dreams.

We create purpose, knowing and understanding. We create these principles in our lives because we live them. We do them. We are them.

Do hard things in your life. Do things that make you uncomfortable. Do this and you will grow. When you grow you move towards becoming the person that you want to be. The person that you need to be in this life.

We become self-autolocalized. Individuated. We become trustworthy to ourselves, and then naturally to others. We begin to build our tribe. Our community and start to become the change in the world.

It’s not my fault.

These were the words that my ears heard, though my mind could not fully comprehend. These shouts were coming from the mouth of a young woman that was now floating in the Salish sea. Obviously very wet and salty. Possibly cold. Yet the first sounds to come from her mouth, as she popped up from under the waves were “it’s not my fault”, as water and seaweed draped itself over her body and lifejacket.

She was looking at me with complete conviction and sincerity in her expression and her eyes. She really believed what she was saying. I couldn’t believe it myself.

To gain a better understanding to the context of the situation, first we have to go back in time. About twenty minutes to be exact, when this avoidable situation began to unfold.

I was leading a coastal canoeing course The course was comprised of ten young woman with various levels of skill. Minimal to none. The interest level in learning about coastal canoeing I would say, was about the same level of interest as the skill levels.

This was day two, of three. It was a beautiful day. Clear. Sunny. A warm summers day. Perfect ocean conditions. Calm, slack water, and not a wave to be seen – except. We were also paddling along a BC ferries route, and had watched one or two ferries pass by in various locations, though none having any influence on our itinerary. Until now.

About eight hundred metres offshore a ferry was passing by, directly across from us. As with most ships there was a wake, and the wake from the ferry was fairly significant. Especially when you compound it with the fact that we were paddling along the shoreline and just about to disembark from our canoes to the beach. We had enough time. If we didn’t hesitate.

As I watched the waves moving across the ocean. I gauged that we had about ten minutes to get our canoes above the impact zone. Plenty of time. I mentioned to the girls that the ferry had passed by. That there were waves from the ferry on their way, and that they had better hurray up. I was ignored, as I had often been in the past few days. What did I know? The waves would wait, and they were of no importance to the girls.

I told them again as I saw that the waves were now increasing in size and intensity, due to a shallowing of the ocean just offshore from where we were landing. Again, I was a bother in their world of self-absorption and complete disregard for the world around them. I thought to myself time for a lesson, and not taught by me.

The girls were totally oblivious with their canoes parallel to the beach, dangling their legs over the side so that they could step onto the beach, and not get their feet wet. A perfect storm. Broadside canoes. Waves building in size, Humans completely oblivious to what was about to transpire. And it did.

Two canoes were immediately swamped by the breaking waves along the shoreline. One floundered though managed to upright itself for some unknown reason. Good karma perhaps, or a matter of good luck. Who am I to say? Four young woman, now floating in the Salish Sea, yelling “it’s not my fault – it’s the waves fault for tipping us over”. Blame the waves, bad waves. The waves were stalking us. Intent on tipping us over. Stupid waves.

And here we are. Looking around at ourselves and others placing blame. Not taking responsibility for where we are in our lives. In the world. How did we get here? Who or what can we blame? “It’s not my fault escaping with a rush from our lips. Echoing in the world. Of course, it isn’t our fault. Life is hard, and it is supposed to be easy. It looks like it is fun for everyone else. Who can I blame? The government. The corporations. The human with a contrasting opinion to mine.

If only the world would understand and get it right. We are not to blame. We are innocent. It is our right and our destiny. We are the humans. We are the invaders and we have won the war. Nature has lost. We are the conquistadors of a new world order and “burn the ships”. There is no turning back. There is no learning from the past, our elders or our youth. We know best, and everything that we don’t know, rests in the palm of our hands.

The Oracle awaits the caress of our fingers on her keypad to whisper to us sweet revelations. The sirens no longer call from the rocks. We carry them with us everywhere that we go. Their seductions luring us back over and over, dissolving the separation between truth and seduction. The liminal space is now filled. Crowded and busy. Occupying our shattered minds. An illusion that we are still in control. Control of what? Were we ever? Algorithms and insights – which is first?

Seduction and mist. Who am I? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are a player in the game. The game of separation. The game of lost souls. The game of apathy and addictions. The game of responsibility absolved too other! To the other who looks different. Smells different. Sees the world differently. A threat. Back to the Oracle – what to do?

And as I toss and turn in my shattered dreams, I often reflect back. I reflect back to that beach on a summers day when the world was perfect in that moment. We had it all. It was right there. I could taste it. It was that close. It’s not my fault that I lost it.