A Story of Wild Selves (Thanks Maria Scordialos)

Maria is a friend and colleague. I’ve loved the connection with her over the last 10 or so years that has included a few working places — Art of Hosting and Large Conference Hosting. I’ve also loved the social settings — Maria was key in helping to arrange and host my Dad / Daughter trip with Zoe in 2013 that is forever ingrained as transitional marker in our family.

Maria also has a gift of being able to feel and speak an authentic invitation, which is itself, a story. This below is from Maria’s recent invite shared through the Art of Hosting network to share some of the continued journey in Greece. I love it, and her, for the way this story resonates well beyond Greece. I love it for the call to practice, deepen, and remember our wild selves.

Dear Practitioners,

For some years now, we have been witnessing and incubating intentions of supporting practitioners and apprentices to the practice and also stewarding to deepen into themselves as the practice.  

We see more than ever before how important it is for each one of us to now show up with our art forms of hosting, holding space, listening, harvesting, witnessing. Our World is in trouble, we are in trouble and it is time.

We can feel in our bones how we need to step away from our comfort and remember our wild selves.  

We have experienced over the years that the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Trainings are increasingly becoming such spaces of initiation, rites of passage, as people open a doorway of stepping deeper into themselves to create the systemic transformation we individually and collectively long for.

We want to create an Hestia, Hearth, where people who have crossed to being practitioners can deepen their practice and deepen themselves.

Here’s to finding the call in each of us, and in the unique way that wisdom is found among us.

From Harsh Ground

These words this morning come from a simple photo, and a simple moment of reflection, staring into this picture of desert plant, and giving permission to connect the world of inner reflection to outer awareness.

I continue to learn that the inner and the psyche are always connected to the outer and skilled awareness. I continue to learn that there is life in this connecting. A natural and resilient growth.

I’ve enjoyed simple focus on photos this week.

Be willing.

To notice.
To view from another perspective.
Above. From beneath. From another side.

Be willing.

To wonder.
To become aware of other patterns of choice.
Tips that reach from center. To sky.

Be willing.

To grow.
To creative adapting to the life’s many changes.
Even from harsh ground.

 

More

These Palm Trees remain standing in a flooded area, from rains that came six weeks ago. They are near Palm Springs, California. There is something about the unusualness of these trees in water (rather than near water) that catches my attention. There is also something for me about the line of reflection that makes it tricky to see surface differentiated from what is underneath and above.

I suppose I have long been a person that seeks the unusual. I’ve been drawn to it. I like the interruption of entrained normalness, just because it is in fact entrained. That’s also part of the relationship to surface, above, and below. I have long been a person that believes that there is more unseen than seen, whether in this realm or others less claimed that reside above or below in the individual psyche or collective cultural pattern.

 

Nothing Other Than The Moment

I don’t know what these flowers are called. I’m just called to them, a few days ago on a morning walk, particularly with backgdrop of blue sky.

Beauty remains a medium for me. It’s what I go to, somewhat knowingly, to ground myself when complexity feels intense.

There’s no grand lesson in it for me. Just the feeling of a moment in beauty, sometimes just two breaths worth, that requires nothing other than the moment.