RE: Wild Face | Encountering My Instinctual Self
It's amazing how long it takes to re-train our brains. As much as this article calls to me, I still find myself fearful of going out in the woods with my kids if I'm the only adult. Crazy, isn't it? I mean, statistically speaking, I know we're safer out here than we were in town and if it was just me, I would roam freely, but being responsible for these little humans, triggers the fear in me! I'm working on it though and I absolutely do love where we live. How many places do you have deer, moose, cougar, bear, wolf and more right outside your door? But, I also have a very healthy respect for animals that are more powerful than I, especially being a parent.
I believe fears can be passed down along generations and mine feels ancient and deep. I hope that by being aware and working on it I can give my children a different experience and a different outlook than what I grew up with.
Thanks for the beautiful photos!
ah thanks for your meaningful and transparent reflection. i've encountered this fear many times in my life too and even moreso had people who are afraid for me.
I believe you're spot on. Especially as women we're taught (and with good reason) that our bodies aren't always safe in these spaces, and especially in the woods, the place of so much that is unknown, it can trigger this. i have no experience having children of my own in the woods, but i have been a camp counselor and trip leader and i know that brings a different level of alertness.
when i was in my early 20s, i was tired of having the ancestral and familiar voices dominate my experience of movement and freedom and i undertook a spirit journey as i called it. going on trust and really testing what it is like for a human in a woman's body to go forth into the world on her own, hitchhiking, camping and so forth. i did meet some weirdos, but less often than i had awesome synchronistic experiences. blessings to you strong mama as you unfold and uncover and heal these ancestral fears. it's a big task for anyone willing to face them, but what a gift to your kids and generations hence!!! xoxo