Our Yosemite adventures were born out of Kelly's and I's deep and personal experience that Nature is a sacred, healing force and a longing to share that force with others.

As we began guiding journeys into wilderness we witnessed those that came with us begin to relax and slow down. We watched people come alive, awaken to wild truths within themselves and release old patterns that no longer served. After the trips ended we heard story after story of people making powerful shifts and changes in their day-to-day lives.

Very quickly we realized we couldn't take credit for any of this. It wasn't our doing. We were merely liaisons. The power responsible was something, much, much greater and more mysterious. 

We began to think of our work as serving wilderness medicine. Our primary role on these trips became to serve the Wild and help others cultivate their own, intimate relationship with its vital energy. When we open to nature, nature opens to us. That is when magic happens.

"Fortunate are they who have softened the rigidity within, for they can gain access to the universal healing power of Nature."
-Jesus Christ*

WHAT IS MEDICINE WORK?

Medicine work is something entirely different. It operates from the fundamental belief of the wisdom of the body, that the body is always working toward balance and optimal health, and that what heals is life force pulsing freely through us. Medicine work is about restoring our inherent wholeness.

Imagine a river that supports countless lifeforms on its journey from mountain to sea. It is the life force of the river that nourishes and sustains. When the river is dammed, the ecosystems it supports begin to suffer, languish and eventually disappear. Medicine work removes the blocks that keep the river from flowing freely. It is the practice of aligning and connecting with the vital energies of life.

Inherent in this approach is a sacred reverence and respect for the Great Mystery of Life. The power to heal is not ours to claim, it is bestowed on us like the waters of the river are bestowed on the mountain by the sky---a wild gift planted deep within each and every one of us. Nobody controls this power. There are no door keepers. Nobody can do it for you. But when we are sincere in our efforts to connect, honor and align, it we may access it.

And we all have medicine to share.

THE MEDICINE PATH...

Over the last year, we have been deepening and broadening the medicine work we do. There are many practices, modalities and wisdom traditions that can offer us guidance on this journey home.

But that, is for another time.

*This is a more literal translation of Jesus' words from the original Aramaic and is quoted in Will Johnson's The Posture of Meditation who cites it from Prayers of the Cosmos by Neil Douglas-Klotz. This line by Jesus is often quoted as "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."