reaching into the desert of the soul, She unearths the Wild i long to know
She is Wild, Wisdom, boldness, both dancing and still, crying out in sheer anguish and exuberant joy, and utterly silent. On a desert wander that feels as though it was eons ago, i encountered Her in dancing Juniper as She stood atop a mesa delighting in Her unending land… and my knowing of the desert has not been the same since.
When wandering the high desert of the Southwest, or now, the desert of uncertainty of this moment, there is something about this mystifying landscape that leaves those who enter (whether with intention, by accident, by force) exposed, raw, and vulnerable. This deserted land forces me to confront the deeper parts of myself, parts now left open and gasping for air, and all i can do is unleash a cry, a scream, a groaning from deep within my being.
It is here when Wild and Wisdom come to find me. It is where She found our ancient desert mothers and fathers who discerned Wisdom from wilderness landscapes and wilderness times. She stands at the crossroads, atop the heights … at the edge of chaos, uncertainty, unknown, She cries out. (Proverbs 8:1-3 modified).
In this desert time, i feel Her calling me again, the sensation of Her in dancing Juniper will not leave my soul. i long to cry out in anguish and experience exuberant joy, i long to dance and remain still, to be wild, wise, and bold. i long for Her. Do you feel this longing too?
We all have experienced a loss of normal, and with that, an invitation (almost an urging) to unearth new ways of being in our world. Do we have the courage to wander into our own deserts to find what makes us truly human, wholly interconnected with Divine, with Wisdom, with Wild?
If you’d like to wander with others on this journey of discovery, my sister, ellen, and i invite you to participate in our new Women Who Wildly Wonder gathering: part book discussion centered around Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ book, Women Who Run with the Wolves and part invitation to engage in self-exploration, (re)discovery, and recovery of the wilderness within through art and nature-based practices. Join us!
