Wild, Wildlife, Wild Nature, Wilderness, Re-Wilding. I like these words. I've been reading about a project in Finland, that has taken the largest tract of land ever designated as 'on purpose' wilderness, and created an 'experiment' with it in re-wilding. The scientists running the project are letting it alone to see what the animals will do with it. No management or control by humans allowed. This seems very basic but incredibly many scientists are protesting the information that is coming from these studies. We want to think that what we've always thought was true is true.
It turns out that our notions of what 'wild lands' are, or more accurately 'were' in the past, isn't very accurate. Large herds of animals recreate the landscape on their own, without any of our human, artificial input. That land now looks like vast, open savannas rather than closed, forested areas. Herds of large animals are forming that normally don't herd together. There aren't as many hiding places in the landscape so there is more exposure for all who live in this land. And all of this is blowing the scientists' minds because historically we have thought that ancient animal life didn't live like this at all.
Why animals you ask? Because I'm wondering what humans would be like if we didn't have so many cultural constraints to live by. What if each of us let ourselves 'go' more into our natural states? What would life look like and what would our love life look like if we let go more? Our concepts of sex come from Cosmopolitan magazine and our notions of what works in life from our stressed societal constraints. Maybe there's a parallel universe where each of us is truly the master or mistress of our own destiny.
If your cultural and family views didn't hold so much weight, you might experience more freedom in your life to have the kind of love, sex and open-hearted intimacy that you really, in your heart of hearts, know is possible. You might have even experienced the essence of this a few times in your life. Profound changes might occur in the world if each of us could express ourselves with full freedom, boundaries included, and exist in a more 'wild' environment of our own creation.
Think about it and see if there are some ways in which you can move more fully into your own Re-wilding project. Consider the ways you are in the world and your actions. Which things would you like to change and which expand? Re-wilding requires risk taking, small risks, granted, but risks just the same. For example, I use to trance dance a few times a month. I haven't been for a long time and I want to start again. Trance dancing requires that you completely let go of how you might look, what dance moves you make, silly or otherwise, wondering if anyone is looking at you, questioning if you have any friends present and so forth. You have to re-wild yourself in order to attain the 'now' state of being that is necessary to fully experience the true blessings of this form of active meditation.
You could examine many corners of your life when considering Re-wilding. Examine what feelings this blog brings up in you. Resistance, confusion, judgment, overwhelm. All I'm really saying is that we live constrained lives, unnatural lives in many ways and it may be appropriate to consider this and open up the space a bit more.
Consider:
-How you kiss -- question how this is for you and your lover. If it's satisfying let it go and move on to something else. If it isn't then go back to innocent mind and start over, knowing nothing.
-Your style of partnership -- do you avoid conflict or perhaps start it, to create more excitement in your life? If you're an avoider find new ways to step up to 'wondering' rather than becoming distant or eventually arguing about an issue. It might just open up the conversation for you.
-Could you learn to be more easy-going? More accepting? Studies show that you'll live longer if you can. This is RE-wilding to the 'tribe' mind rather than single organism mind.
-Consider saying 'yes' more often.
-Travel to a destination that makes you a bit uncomfortable or volunteer for a project that gets you out of your normal circle of friends.
-Slow down. They may have passed you by but we're in a bunch of 'movements' right now; the slow food movement, the slow sex movement and the slow 'being present' movement. Join them!
-Spend more time in nature, on purpose. Get outside and create a garden or help a friend with theirs. Roll on the grass.
-Spend five minutes gazing into your lover's eyes without 'doing' anything, just softly look. Better yet, spend five minutes looking into your own beautiful eyes in a mirror.
-Sing karaoke in front of someone you don't know, in public.
Open up the spaces in your life for more adventure, small risks, loving exploration, deep caring, intimate contact, full breathing and outrageous orgasmic energy. See if your fellow human members decide to 'herd' with you in new ways!