The Proposal

Friends—

We are all venturing in a new wilderness together. Though physically separated from most, and perhaps on top of others, we feel how our lives are thickly woven together. This writing is an imperfect way of offering gratitude for you, for all the beings of this world, and for our generous and exhausted Earth. In it, intentions will be offered for shared “wanders”. A wander in this sense is a time for listening and connection with oneself and the earth, where we physically engage with our world around us, at a slower pace than we are used to, listening from our hearts, offering ourselves as best we know how. It is an opportunity to find grace.

This idea came from asking how to practice gratitude for what we have during this time—how we might create community during a time of isolation and uncertainty, how we might more deeply connect with the earth that gives us life, and how we might tend to ourselves and find courage and strength and opportunity from this time.

Here is the Proposal.

Every fortnight, we make a time to wander outside, with a collective intention. We are solo, but sharing in the energy of the wander. 

When we wander we do not have a specific destination, but we create a time and space for ourselves to be led. We may bring an intention with us, and we can create a beginning and ending threshold to separate this time from our ordinary time.

In the days after our wander we can share our experience with each other on the blog through the comments, on a group zoom meeting*, or over the phone or in a letter with a buddy.

Intentions for wanders will be uploaded twice a month—Full & New Moons

No doubt this will evolve as we go.

*Online group meeting time to be announced.

Contact me through beccalavinder at gmail.com or (whatever email you have for me), to be receive the online group info, or to be paired with a buddy to share.

Questions are welcome.

General guidelines for Wandering:

Let yourself be led to where you will go. You may have a plan, but be open to its evolution. 

Make some agreements with yourself before you go:

• Leave distractions at home (i.e. phones)
• Practice openness
• Practice silence
• Practice simplicity: a time for just this (i.e. not multi-tasking)
• Generosity/Reciprocity: Go with an idea of what you can offer to the wander, who you encounter—not what you will take from it.

Take what you need to be safe in your weather (whether it is a rain coat, sunscreen, water, etc.)

Perhaps bring a journal or an offering for your walk.

Thank you Robin, Melanie, Annie, Peter, & constance especially for inspiring this project