Your purpose in life

I’ve had a lot of feedback since reviewing Rachel Corby’s book, ‘Rewild Yourself: Becoming Nature‘ and I’m even more inspired to learn and act on the lessons within the book and to rewild myself, little by little.

From reading the book, I have a head full of questions – in some ways, I wonder whether it’s possible to ‘rewild’ yourself and then go back to an ordinary life? Once you unlearn some of the modern crap we’ve come to accept how could it be possible to step back into what most consider an ‘ordinary’ or ‘civilised’ life? Surely as you rewild, you pass some point of no return? We’ll see.

I’m keen to walk my talk and not just consign the wisdom I’ve learned into a ‘have read’ pile on the floor. I also attending some ‘mindfulness’ classes, and likewise, I want to make sure I take the lessons on board and act on them.

One way I’m thinking is to actually have a plan for the future. I tend to just get on with life on a day-to-day basis and although I’ve changed some aspects of my life, there is no overall plan. Sure, I have goals in my head, but no plans of how to get from here to there.

By chance, I discovered a blog today where the author (Kim) had written a post “What is your true purpose in life“, and as part of that, had listed some aspirations. I hope Kim doesn’t mind me listing an edited few here (do check out her blog for the full list and other wonderfulness: Spiralspun.com)

• To connect with the sacred in nature.
  Oh yes! This is a big one for me and very much in line with my views on spirituality and rewilding myself.
• To learn and grow and help others to learn and grow.
  Well yes of course, if others want to listen and learn, I’m happy to give my time.
• To take time to slow, savour and appreciate this one life.
  In other words, to live a mindful life.
• To listen to birdsong, smell flowers, taste fresh tomatoes from the vine and linger in fields, forests and on seashores.
  Again, in line with my Mindfulness
• To reconnect with growing things, with wildflowers and our wild selves.
  In other words, to engage in a process of rewilding myself.

In fact, there’s very little in Kim’s list that I wouldn’t also add to mine. Some are different ways of looking at the same and could be grouped under similar themes such as ‘live a mindful life’ and so on, but they’re all great ideas.

The one that I’m not completely sure of the meaning is “to live the life of the wild wolf woman inside and open my heart to others to join me” – I suppose for me, being male, it would be to connect on a deeper level with other men, to talk and support each other, to forget about all the competitiveness and bullishness that is often associated with the male aspect and to be able to talk and open up to each other in a supportive manner.

One of the things I definitely want to do is more creative stuff. I already write in a journal, but I want to do more of that. I have also been gifted a good quality pyrography machine. The photo above is my first effort – it’s the tree Ogham, with the centre Ogham of Birch as it was burned onto a birch wood disc. My inspiration is the wonderful book, ‘The Tree Ogham‘ by Glennie Kindred.