Thoughts

(a collection of ‘thoughts’ taken from my sister blog and book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild‘ which is available to buy as paperback and kindle here)

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~ Keeping the Magic ~

“Play on little one. When the nature of your heart is joy and you yearn to experience the magic of this universe, play on. Don’t let anyone convince you that life is ordinary – that life is some sort of serious task. There is nothing ordinary about this at all, and the moment they convince you that life is a serious path of toil and drudgery, is the moment when the surrounding world loses its magic. Suddenly the trees and their branches are no longer paintings and those eyes no longer shining diamonds. Don’t let that happen. Play on and wander down the rabbit hole of your imagination and curiosity. Play on and explore your dreams, your natural instinct – your insatiable appetite to have fun with the world around you. The ones who tell you that adventure and imagination aren’t important are just the children who forgot how to play. Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t become that bitter and resentful old person who doesn’t kick the football back over the fence. Don’t be the person who thinks money is more beautiful than a sunset. Shake off the shackles of seriousness; delight in the daisies of life. See the world through a child’s eyes.

Stay young now and forever.”

~ A Storm From Within ~

“It takes courage to be yourself. It takes courage to walk your own path. It takes courage to pursue the life you truly desire and not the one expected of you. Too often you will be surrounded by those who want to see you fail; by those who will seek to pull you back into the darkness in which they dwell because your breaking free causes them to reflect on their own choices and limitations. Throughout the ages of human history the mavericks and pioneers and dreamers have faced such a challenge when liberating themselves from cultural conformity and convention. Many are tamed and return to the safe farm of normality with their dreams and desires slowly gathering dust in dark, forgotten corners. Many let those voices of fear and doubt also infect and infest their own minds. It’s no easy feat to break free from the mould to live a life of total authenticity and personal truth, but there will be ways to stay strong to who you truly are as you walk the path through the wild to the shores of your destiny. Stuff your skull full of madness; overload your heart with passion; summon a storm from deep within your soul. Shake some windows, rattle some walls – let the words of your heart rain down mercilessly upon the blank pages of the world. Don’t apologise for the mess and madness. Let your spiritual thunder awaken this world into life.

Let your soul’s lightning ignite the darkness of the night.”

~ The Migration ~

    “It is true. In this life there comes a time when a man can no longer accept a situation of existence which has belittled him for so long. The breaking down comes gradually over many tickings of clocks and traffic jams and deadlines. There’s more to life than this, his heart demands ever more loudly. After the days of emptiness have been endured too long, a snapping point is reached. It is at that moment when the spirit is unleashed and a great migration begins. Outward he moves beyond those cubicles of pain. Into the night of the unknown, beyond the security – beyond the bickerings of fools and preachers and bosses and politicians. Beyond them and their soulless advice. He moves into the hazy dreamlands where the mad and mystics wander, where the eyes blaze bright like stars – where the traveller stands barefoot and bewitched under skies of freedom and nothing is certain but the pure fleeting transience of life. It is there where the spirit is cleansed. It is there where the ships of the soul set sail toward the shores of destiny. It is there – in those lands of the living – where the world shines clear and life is finally experienced in all its chaos and beauty and mystery and magic.”

~ A Thought For The Broken ~

“Yes, I know you are hurting. This world has broken you. It breaks many of us at some point but you are not going to give in because I can still see the flames that will start a great fire still flickering within those eyes. You are going to overcome this, but know that it’s not going to be easy. The warrior inside you doesn’t even want it to be. It’s going to be a great battle in which you shall dive down and rescue yourself from the depths of hell. Soon that darkness will pass, the dungeons will be unlocked, the dragons and demons will leave your skies. A new dawn shall arrive as the flags of joy in your heart flutter once more in that morning wind. This is it: the greatest battle you will ever face and you will face it as who you really are: a child of infinity; a warrior of the sun. And it is a battle you are going to win. But first remember to be gentle to yourself. You are not responsible for saving the world, but first yourself, and please know that you are worth saving. Those eyes were meant to blaze with brightness, not wither with gloom; those feet were meant to dance in ecstasy, not trudge in the swamp.

In all your despair, you have forgotten that you are the entire universe dancing in a singular being for a singular lifetime. Stars have died; light has travelled billions of years; cosmic magic has been weaved. Your very flesh contains the fundamental fabric of the entire universe and no matter what anyone says: you matter and you count. So go on: do whatever it takes. Go crazy if you have to. Reinvent yourself. Set fire to your soul and let the battle begin; let your spirit be unleashed. Because there is no way a divine being such as yourself was meant to dwell in darkness and despair. Those days are over and now is the time to emerge from that swamp; now is the time is now to claim back what is yours. With the power of a million suns burning deep inside your heart, now is the time to rise up and become who you were born to be.”

~ Heading Home ~

“Sometimes you wonder how many other souls are also out there drifting through life, staring into space and skies, dreaming of something ineffable, a home that can never seem to be found here or there or anywhere. The eyes scan and search those grey streets for another of your kind, but you know deep down your fate is to wander alone through the wilderness of life, becoming ever more scratched and scarred by the wild things roaming around inside of you. You know you deserve a home, everyone deserves to feel like they have a home, even if it’s just for a short period, to stare into the eyes of another who finally understands, but ultimately nothing comes or arrives. It’s the dark room of isolation. It’s the solitary shoreline. It’s the tired head against the bus window. It’s the trudging on alone through the swamps and storms, fighting through the muck and mess and madness in your own mind. Yet through all this inner chaos, comes a great strength somewhere inside of you, strong enough to blast the darkness, to slay your demons and save yourself from the haunted places. In your own isolation, you gradually become a wild warrior – your own protector, your own saviour. You create your own world and forge your own path home. Even if you will never find it, you’ll always be out there hunting the horizon with wide eyes, moving fearlessly forward to the lands of your distant destiny. To the lands of salvation. To the lands of light and love and the life that is yours and will always be yours.”

~ The Crazy Ones ~

“Always the crazy ones were discussed with hidden interest. Some were mocked outright, and others were affectionately referred to with lines like “she’s a bit different” or “he’s a bit out there”. Whatever the case, it seemed most people had a subconscious fascination for the alternative mind. People would stand back and observe them as if they were a rare species – some kind of exotic bird with pink feathers. Mostly they fascinated me because they were the creatures who had jumped the fences of normality; they were the ones who hadn’t subscribed to the current version of sanity which helped us all enjoy small-talk down the pub. To me that was a liberating quality I couldn’t help but envy. Without being shepherded on the farm of conventional thought, you were free to invent yourself and be whatever you wanted to be. And what was more desirable than that? In a world that said the winners were the rich people, or the famous people, or the good-looking people, to me it was the crazy ones – the people living life on their own terms – who were life’s greatest success stories.”

~ A Thought From The Wind ~

“Watch the sunrises. Watch the sunsets. Walk barefoot when you can. Stand tall against the storm and laugh in the face of stupidity. Soak in the sunlight and don’t feel guilty about devoting time to your passions. Travel if you get the opportunity – even if it’s just to another town or neighbourhood – travel. Explore your surroundings. Explore your creativity and express yourself. Even if your audience is just one person, share the contents of your soul with another. Practice mindfulness and don’t bother wasting money on lottery tickets. The illusion that happiness can be bought with money is just there to keep people toiling away in a hollow rat race. Listen to those starry-eyed children – they have more wisdom than you think. Also listen to the elderly, teachers and gurus, but never forget that true insight and knowledge comes from walking your own path. All the books in this world cannot ever replace the authentic experience of one person rescuing their truth from the wilderness. Believe in your own voice and don’t allow yourself to be marginalised by any institution, culture, religious book or writer. At the end of the day, your very flesh contains the fundamental fabric of the universe; you are the entire cosmos expressing itself as a human-being for a little while. Your skin is literally made of stardust so don’t be afraid to shine, don’t be afraid to dance – don’t be afraid to live your life with such blazing brightness that the stars above you weep with envy.”

~ Infected ~

“One day in this life you realise you are infected with the condition of being an outsider. The symptoms are revealed to you gradually. As you walk the neighbourhoods of normality you realise your heart yearns for something else. Stability and security only give you a feeling of sadness. You have no interest in the contract of life offered to you. As you stare at the rows of houses and green lawns and shiny cars, as you look up uninterested at career ladders before you, as you stare wistfully into space in the supermarket queue, you gradually begin to realise that something isn’t quite right about it all. Every ounce of your being rejects the things you were told to desire. What gives you fulfilment simply isn’t available in their stores or on their menus. You have no interest in material riches or status. Their television shows and newspapers are toxic poison to your mind. You are allergic to their conventions and expectations. The suits and ties don’t fit you. What is important to them, to you seems utterly meaningless and trivial. In your world adventure and exploration and art rank above all else. Yes, accept it: you have the alien madness – the condition of being an outsider. You are infected. Do not trouble to even try and cure yourself, it will only make you worse. No, no, no: forget the therapists, forget the sensible advice, forget trying to fit into a society which doesn’t fit you. Do not trouble yourself. Here is what you shall do:

    Let the infection take over. Let your eyes become bloodshot with blinding passion. Let your skin be shed, let your soul be set on fire – let that heart of yours become filled with poetry and madness. This is it: you were never one of them anyway, and the sooner you accept you never will be, the more powerful your mutant soul will become. You will liberate yourself from society and walk those streets with a rare strength and joy – a feeling of freedom not known or understood by those who define themselves in groups. The world around you will glisten with magic – you will see things they can’t see; do things they can’t do; go places they can’t go. You will attract strange glances and stares – sometimes in secret admiration, sometimes in fear. You will terrify some and inspire others beyond belief – and as the infection spreads further, you will grow stronger and stronger – fiercer and fiercer. Nothing will be able to hinder you. Things like isolation and rejection will only fuel your desire further. No cage or poacher will be able to capture your wild heart. You will be unstoppable like a storm; you will be impenetrable like a mountain. You will live the life of a fearless adventurer and go to the grave knowing that your life was lived with absolute fullness. The flowers around your grave will blossom with an exotic beauty; the birds will sing songs about your adventures at your headstone. You will have been totally consumed by your passion. You will have stayed happily infected till the end of your days. You will have died knowing that this world could never find a cure for your beautiful madness.”

~ A Priceless Pleasure ~

“I do not want gold or diamonds. I do not want my own parking space at work. I do not want to be popular, or to be noticed when I walk in a room. Such things are only hollow joys – pleasures dependent on the opinions of others. No, I only want what I have always wanted deep down. I want to feel myself wander free through the woods of discovery. I want to feel bewitched by the stars and corrupted by the animals. I want to feel the wind and rain drench me to the bone as I delight in the sheer joy of being alive. With the spirit of adventure in my blood, I will joyously hunt those horizons of freedom; possessed by the magic of nature, I will forever delight in the daylight of dawn. No status or riches are required for such pleasure. Just give me the simplicity of light, air and rain, and you will see me bloom like the flowers in the meadows, you will see me dance like the leaves in the wind – you will see my soul swoop and soar like the birds that welcome the skies of an unstoppable spring.”

~ The Trip of a Lifetime ~

“We are all on a one-way highway towards death. Stop kidding yourself and accept that fact. In every second we are cruising towards a cliff that drops into the abyss of the unknown. There is no way off this road; there is no secret turn-off hidden somewhere to the side. Life is transient and you are going over that edge whether you like it or not. So please stop wasting so much time stressing. Stop spending the entire ride trying to tighten your seat-belt. Some people rush around their whole lives trying to make themselves safe, working and toiling and creating the illusion of permanence, but I promise you that it doesn’t mean a thing in the end. The end of the road is coming whether we like it or not. This is not something to be sad about; this is not something to avoid thinking about – it is something to celebrate. It is the very thing that sets you free. Look outside your window and marvel at your environment. You are a human-being riding a rock around a big ball of fire. You live in a world of mountain peaks and dancing clouds. You are the most intelligent creature in the known universe, living at a time when horizons are easier than ever to conquer. Don’t be afraid to sit back and enjoy the ride. Don’t be afraid to stick your head out the window, screaming like an utter madman with the winds of life soaring against your face. I promise you that when the road finally ends – you will look back and smile. You will look back in complete fulfilment knowing that you were alive, knowing that you were free – knowing that you experienced the trip of a lifetime to the absolute, goddamn full.”

~ A Separate Space ~

“You may look for me in the everyday places but you will not find me there. The offices. The streets. The suburbs. The supermarkets. Yes, it’s true that I may sometimes be there in body, but please know that my soul and spirit are somewhere far away over the hills. If you are looking for the real me then come find me out in the foreign fields of discovery, chasing my bliss and staring into sunset skies with a mind on fire. Find me lost in the woods of madness, tumbling down rabbit-holes and dancing in the dirt. Find me out on the plains of the wild, running toward the horizon with wide eyes and an open heart. I am sorry but I just don’t know how to stay grounded in those concrete realities; I don’t know how to keep my mind locked in world of sensibility and stability. To me they are barren and desolate lands which only suffocate and starve my soul. So if you’re looking for the real me then come out beyond the fence and find me. There I’ll be on the other side of sanity, playing in the grass of eternity, swimming amongst the stars of infinity – happily lost in my own wonderland until the end of my days.”

~ Beyond the Billboards ~

“The day people learn to be happy with the contents of a backpack is the day a lot of rich people go out of business. Those billboards and advertisements aren’t there to guide you to happiness like they say. They are there to marginalise you and make you feel perpetually incomplete. No matter how much you buy, those billboards will still look down on you and tell you that you need more. If you finally get that phone you want, they will be there to tell you that it’s now old and unfashionable; if you finally feel peaceful and secure, they will be there to scare you into buying the latest form of insurance. My advice? Empower yourself. Rise beyond the billboards. Delight in the free things and find yourself becoming richer than ever before. Watch more sunsets and less televisions; wear more smiles and less makeup. Become the centre of your own universe – the maker of your own material. One day you might just wake up and find you possess contentment. One day you might just wake up and find you possess fulfilment. One day you might just wake up and realise you have something that the greedy people will never have:

you have enough.”

~ The School of Self ~

“Do not look always outward toward teachers and institutions for guidance and knowledge. Don’t be scared to venture inward into the galaxies of your own mind, your own experience and your own intuition. Your very flesh and bones are the outcome of billions of years of cosmic drama, and within yourself lies the fundamental fabric of the entire universe. If you allow yourself to be perpetually marginalised, limited by convention and to chase after the external, then you will never unearth the hidden treasure that you carry within. Each and every one of us has some untouched gold in the hearts within our chests. The combination to it will not be found while allowing yourself to be molded shut by the formulaic and unimaginative. The world waits desperately to hear the symphony of your soul. So don’t suppress it any longer. Become your own teacher; learn your own dance; sing your own song; walk your own path. The greatest discoveries are made by those brave enough to explore the kingdom of themselves.”

~ The Fight ~

“If anything is worth fighting for, then it is the contents of your heart. In this world there are so many people out there who want to steal the treasure from within your chest. They want to see you deprived of your magic. They want you to be another empty soul beaten down into silent submission, totally afraid to show their true self to the world. But such an existence is a prison and you did not come here to suffer such a terrible fate. So whenever those poachers encircle you, rise up and fight them off at all costs. Grit your teeth. Let slip the roar of freedom. Be bold. Be fierce. Be fearless. Fight to the death to protect that magic inside of you. If you can migrate across the plains of life with that still intact, then you will know that you made it. If you can die with a heart still full of gold, then you will know that you lived a life of unbreakable beauty and courage.”

~ The Path Less Taken ~

“Always say no to the things that insult your soul. If the safe highway requires you to feel pain, then walk alone through a forest of bliss. There is a priceless pleasure in living a life true to yourself. It is not something that can be purchased in a store, or downloaded onto a computer, or stored in a house. It is the magic of the wild – the magic of trusting yourself to the water and learning how to swim. Yes, the path can get scary, and you often walk alone, but better to breathe in the air of solitude than to slowly suffocate to death in a crowd.”

~ Reclaiming Your Heart And Mind ~

“From the moment you can understand words, you are enrolled and controlled by a culture that teaches us that we are all marginal and that life is ordinary. But venture outside their control for a short while, and you sober up from the illusions. Life is not a formulaic journey to the grave down a grey highway of bills, television and weekend drinking. There is more. Despite what those men in suits say, there is more. I implore you to have faith in your own individual direct experience. I implore you to step out beyond the comfort zone, follow your bliss and wander into the glorious wilderness of the unknown. You may get messy hair, dirty feet and a broken heart – but on your deathbed you will be able to look back and say the thing that matters most: “I lived my life to the full”.

~ The Celebration ~

“The great trick is to just sit and observe. Be still and the universe will deliver its secrets to you. Meanwhile people rush around the sidewalks of life like electrons around a circuit board. The kids in school are preparing for work. The people in work are preparing for retirement. Some are chasing the weekend, some are chasing riches – some are even chasing an entire afterlife. Most people are so bewitched by the future that they can’t even see the glory of the universe unfolding right before them. They can’t see the beauty of a crescent moon, or a singular leaf dancing its way down a wind-swept street. To rush around your whole life declaring war on the present moment is a tragedy great enough to make the gods weep; it is to get to the end of your life and realise you missed the music all the way along. In this chaotic and crazy culture, people so easily forget that existence is playful and not political. Just watch the way the waves go back and forth, or the way the clouds sway – or the way the leaves flutter in the morning breeze. The entire universe is nothing more than a blissful playing of energy. It is a symphony; it is a dance. Just look at those stars fill the clear night sky like a firework display. Every moment of every day you are a part of some spectacular celebration. So, please: don’t forget to dance.”

~ The Drum in the Deep ~

“Often in this life, if you listen carefully, you hear a faint noise beating somewhere deep inside of you. It is not your heartbeat or your pulse, but rather a haunting sound which beats occasionally, and beats louder at certain times. It beats louder when you are passively drifting through the days and weeks. It beats louder when you are surrounded by people who make you feel alone. It beats louder when every ounce of your being knows you are living a life that is false to your real self. That beating noise is the entire universe shepherding you away from the swamp of a sterile existence and guiding you toward the shores of your own destiny. It is the drum in the deep; the call of the wild summoning you into the lands where your true purpose and fate reside. The sound is unpredictable and can come at any time. Sometimes the drum can beat early in the morning; sometimes it can beat in the middle of the night. Sometimes it can beat when doing the dishes or the grocery shopping or staring out of the window of a train on the way home from work.

I believe that as human-beings we all recognise that internal call into the wild. There are many people out there who ignore the sound their entire life – who stick their fingers in their ears and suppress their natural instinct towards doing what they were undeniably born to do – in going to the places they were born to explore. And it is clear to me that the more it is suppressed and ignored, the more it drains and decays individuals from within. One only has to walk the sidewalks of life to see the people who have totally ignored their innate calling, and as a result have become bitter and jaded individuals with eyes empty of any lust or wonder for life. For me, I could spot that sad look from a young age, and consequently I knew that as soon as that drum sounded, it was time to put on my boots and chase down the sound ferociously over the horizon.

Because the truth is once you are called there is no way to ignore that drum in the deep without letting it gradually destroy you from within. The only way to deal with it is to follow it curiously over the horizon; to venture into those unknown lands and search for the source of the sound. You have to accept it is your master, and that you are its slave to be summoned. Sure, the journey it can take you on may be dangerous, tiring – even painful – but to ignore it totally is to commit some kind of spiritual suicide; it is to starve and suffocate your soul slowly to certain death.

Such a fate was never an option for me, and I guess that is why I sit here alone tonight: writing these words, plotting my next adventure – still following that haunting noise ferociously wide-eyed through the universe. The drum has called me into the wild for many years now. It has been an epic adventure – an epic voyage into the unknown. And yet I have still not silenced that drum in the deep. But, truthfully, as I continue this magical journey toward the source of the sound, as I feel my veins burn with adventure and passion – as I look back on a path that has set my soul on fire and made me fall in love with the overwhelming beauty of existence – a part of me hopes that I never do.”