Re-wild to release. Dissolving fear, uncertainty, and lack.

Feb 9

“I put my hands in the dirt to remember that I’m wild.”

For many of us, we’ve learned to be fearful. We’ve learned to fear our bodies or at the very least not trust them. We’ve learned to fear taking risks, like planning a big trip, making moves, investing in education or learning, negotiating and asking for more money, the list continues. We’ve learned to fear taking time to be with ourselves and/or take care of ourselves, often blaming a busy life, mom guilt (I get it), lack of resources, or not being able to quiet the mind. We’ve even learned to fear love, perhaps unconsciously believing that we are not worthy of it.

This fear is not yours. Because underneath all of those veils and untruths, your soul (the essence of YOU) knows there’s more, but it’s going to require you to unleash your inner wild. Yes? You could say the fear is part of your ego, the part of you that wants to keep you safe from harm (What will others think? What if I risk everything and lose everything? What if it doesn’t work? What if I’m uncomfortable?). But, it’s not you.

We could go into a whole letter about where the fear comes from and how it got planted into your mind, but instead…I want to offer a way to move past fear, a gateway towards exploring the wildness that’s within you. But listen, it’s going to take some effort and work. In this process of unlearning and rewilding and beginning to engage with life, there are no magic bullets (also, what is this term “magic bullet?” bullets are meant to maim right?). There is no pill, no cure, no overnight solution. Just you. Willing to show up every day.

Wild - in the natural state, untamed, undomesticated

I want you to think about a time where you returned from being fully immersed in nature. Maybe you spent a weekend camping in the woods. Maybe you went on some long hikes in the mountains, submerged your hands in streams. Maybe you spent time on a beach or in the jungle. What about staring up at a vast night sky? Or spending hours around a bonfire?

What happened? How did you feel? How did you feel when you returned home (or maybe this is your home and if so this is a life I dream about)?

I’m guessing you felt grounded. Stable. Soft, but strong. Gentle. Maybe you even pondered your problems and they felt smaller in the grand scheme of the Earth you are standing on. Maybe you felt a renewed sense of energy, love, wonder, trust in yourself and the process.

EARTH. Pritthvi. Earth is one of the five elements in Ayurveda. Earth is stable, supportive, generous, loving. It’s cooling, offers security, and gives form to the body and the planet. It’s found in the plants, grasses, mountains, dessert, sandy beaches, and trees that surround us. In Ayurveda, the Kapha dosha is made up of Earth and Water. Each dosha has a season and we are sitting in the season of Earth, Kapha, right now - late winter.

When our bodies, minds, and hearts are balanced in the Earth element, we feel confident in our decisions. We do not waver. We feel the grounded nature of Earth rising up to support us. We have the ability to be present, to return to the present moment rather than ruminating about what was or what could be. We are generous with ourselves and compassionate with others. Think about it, those who have the most loving presence are incredibly grounded. And, so to move through fear we must remember love. The Earth is full of it, we just have to look up and out to experience it.

There are many ways to work the Earth element in our practice through breath, movement, mantra, mudra, food. This is something I teach and will continue to teach as enrollment opens in a few weeks for a brand-new version of the Narrative membership.

But, one of the easiest ways to call in the Earth element is to literally get your hands in the dirt. It’s cold for us in the Northern Hemisphere, so grow an herb garden (I am!). Make your meals from scratch with fresh vegetables. Soak your grains and beans. Spend time in the kitchen. And, then go into nature. Don the right gear and get out there - hike, snow shoe, walk the beaches, ski if that’s your thing, sit around a bonfire, put your bare feet on the ground (yes in winter), touch trees with your bare hands, if it’s warm enough even practice yoga outside.

When we start to feel more stable, the mind begins to trust, too. Energy goes where energy flows. And as Trevor Hall says, “We come from Earth and Water.” To remember the wildness of who we are, the immense potential that is within us just like the magic of each tiny seed, we have to return to Earth. Practice your connection with Earth every day and I promise you will begin to feel less fearful. And, when fear comes in, you’ll learn to acknowledge and move towards love, one bare foot or hand in the dirt at a time.

With love,
Leanne

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