Re-Wilding the Self -2
The essential movement of rewilding the self is the turning toward Life, what I have come to call biotropism. This is no small feat of orienteering—while living within a culture of self-destruction, of the hatred of nature and freedom and joy, of Life itself.
This is the orienting movement Thomas Berry writes of in The Great Work. It is the work of our time.
This is not the kind of work one knows how to do, though of course I am attempting to explore this ‘how we do it’ here. I use the word ‘know’ here as one would speak of knowing 
‘how to bake a cake, or knowing how to file a legal brief….
No. This rewilding of our selves, this reorienting of our life force arises out of our souls as a desire, the way Spring’s wild iris shoot arises out of the yet thawing soil and pushes its delicate green tip up through the white of snow. It is a primeval impulse. It is Life turning toward itself; Life wanting to happen, seeking its own wholeness.
So it is that I think of it as our wild joy. It is the courageous willingness to say, “Yes!”, to Life, even in the midst of life composting itself all around us.
Antonio Machado captures this well in this poetic snippet here:
Last Night, as I was sleeping
I dreamt — marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
Note: I do not know where this series on rewilding is leading. My intent is to follow the game trail with focus for 30 days, to keep the posts short and inspirational and to add links of resource as I am able. I will collect and publish a collected list of links to books and web resources as this series closes itself so please send me any that you would like to share and I’ll do what I can with them.
Also, please feel free to contribute your own suggestions, tips and comments as to your own process for what supports you as you reorient your life toward thrivability for all.
4 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Judith Simpson
05/09/2010 at 7:29 pmI have loved this poem ever since I first read it only about fifteen years ago. I use it in my Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction classes, and I use it to remind myself of who I really am!
Larry Glover
05/09/2010 at 11:38 pmYes, Judith. Another synchronicity for us with this poem. It’s been precious and dear to me for about 15 years as well, informing me of Life’s capacity within me for transformation and change… for healing, for deep learning…. I particularly love to use in when with a group around an evening campfire in the woods as they prepare for their solo experiences.
And in response to an earlier comment that has gone without response for too long, this series of posts will surely lead through the fields of Tonglen.
marc choyt
05/10/2010 at 9:32 pmLarry,
At the last sweat I did my prayer to the Grandfathers was for help to become indigenous to the soil that I walk on. I too strive for this rewiring, but my human limitations allow it in only small doses.
This type of intimacy is what I strive for too and it involves also, I think, something so terrible and fierce and divine– becoming one with the earth as you suggest in the next post is something I can barely fathom as I grieve for the destruction of the Gulf eco system, for example, and so many other things similar.
What you describe is an attempt to put Logos in its proper play in context to the tragic, the mythic understanding. It is like a post modern Ghost Dance, a cry given out from the hearts of a few hoping to preserve some quality of the beauty before us and around us for seven generations.
Larry Glover
05/11/2010 at 9:23 amThank you Marc. You have captured beautifully where it is I am trying to write from… where it is I am living. It is an honor to share this path with you.