At this point in my life, I feel certain about so little.
Much of what I once firmly believed as a child, in adolescence, and as a young woman, has not survived the winds of time and experience. Even now, I can only be certainish of a small garden of ideas. I tend to them and appreciate them, knowing there may be a day where they too will die.
Four decades on this planet have yet to disprove this:
Everything you need to survive, to grow, to heal, and to eventually thrive, is embedded into this moment.
I have realized this in countless moments of epiphany, which are almost always followed by periods of buoyant inspiration. And then, after a while, I seem to completely forget it. Mercifully, it finds me again and around we go!
I decided to write this today to remind you, in case you are in a period of forgetfulness:
Everything you need, at this point on your path is right here – no more, no less.
Which begs the question: What exactly is embedded into this moment? Or put more simply, What is here?
The primary function of spiritual practice, as I understand it, is to help us figure this out.
What is here?
There are so many layers in any given moment. There is the material reality – that which we can perceive and measure with our five senses, all connected intimately with the outer world. Then, there is the spiritual dimension, the world of inner guidance which can include visions, memories, colors, dreams, feelings, fragments of melody or thoughts, all the stuff of the inner world.
Each moment, outside and inside, is alive. And if we are aware and present, if we can sense outside and inside ~ we too become more and more alive.
As we come alive, we know what to do next. I think of this process as the recovery of an instinctual way of being.
Recently, I saw this process reflected in art and I can’t stop thinking about it.
If Greta Gurwig hadn’t made the movie, I would be shocked that this profound scene reflecting inner guidance and instinct happened in the world of Barbie. But I’ve come to expect this kind of thing from Gurwig, who has a very special way of telling stories about the rich inner lives of women, and how they dance with the complex outer world and culture that so often misunderstands them. See also: Ladybird and her version of Little Women.
Without spoiling too much, Barbie is having an existential crisis of sorts. She is experiencing irrepressible thoughts of death & cellulite – that is she’s beginning to feel less plastic and “perfect”, and more human. She must go on a mission to find someone to help her with this deeply uncomfortable problem and is given a couple vague instructions including the assurance: not to worry, she will know how to find them.
After a while, and some chaos, Barbie decides to sit on a bench, alone, and get quiet. The audience gets to see from Barbie’s perspective as she looks up at a tree whose leaves are gently fluttering, a subtle breeze moving through them. The sunlight pours down through the branches, the quality of sound shifts, and there is a calm feeling. Barbie closes her eyes and we can see these dreamy vignettes moving through her mind~ maybe memory, maybe vision, maybe dream – one moves into the next, different and related, giving her hints about where to go next. After those few quiet moments on the bench Barbie opens her eyes and heads out surefooted to continue her mission.
That’s it!, I thought as I watched it in the theater, that’s exactly how it works.
- First, you trust that you’ll know where to go when you get there.
- Then, you find somewhere to get quiet and focus.
- Take in nature ~ see it, breathe it, feel it, and it will slow you down and open you up.
- Next, close your eyes and sense inward.
- See what you see, hear what you hear, feel what you feel, see what comes.
- Let what you sense inspire your next action.
Everything you need at this point on your path is right here.
This is the extraordinary magic we have access to on any given day, in any given moment.
If you’ve been a part of this work for any amount of time, you probably know, the reclamation of intuition and instinct is one of the primary aims of The Wild Woman Project. Women’s Circles are our central tool because they contain multiple spiritual practices: meditation, connection with nature, journaling, contemplation, and ritual aimed at helping each and every woman open the pathway between her conscious mind and her instinct – amplified by sharing in the practice together.
What might happen to our lives if we were in steady connection to intuition and instinct? What would it feel like if we were taking action on inner guidance? How might our world be different? I’d love to find out.
Everything we need is right here.
On the Horizon
Join an international, intergeneration group of weird and wonderful wild-hearted Women in our online Cave (which lives on an app)!
We meet weekly in Circles, Workshops, Practices to keep our wild spirits lit!
Upcoming Weekly Gatherings:
Join us for an hour-long New Moon Meditation Adventure on May 7th!
Online, from anywhere.
Using a dynamic meditation journey, we will tune into the New Moon, to your own Inner Guidance, synced up with wild-hearted women from around the world. This offering will include music, storytelling, meditation, journaling prompts & intention-setting.
Can’t make it live? No worries. All participants will receive a copy of the recording with 24 hours of the session.
We have Wild Woman Project-trained Circle facilitators is 26 countries, and 44 out of the 50 United States.
Chris Maddox is the founder of The Wild Woman Project where she teaches women how to utilize the gifts of the Wild Woman Archetype in their everyday lives & how to lead women’s circles in their local communities. She is the organizer & facilitator of the beloved annual WILD WOMAN FEST, a women’s retreat-festival hybrid which fosters a deep connection to nature, a direct experience of the divine feminine & profound spiritual sisterhood among the women in attendance.
An ever student of the great mysteries of existence and nature itself, Chris believes women are holding innate gifts & tools that society at large needs – now more than ever. She is committed to helping women remember their special magic and to bring it forward into every corner of their lives, for the greater good of the planet.
