Growing a vision from tiny ember to vital fire one goal at a time I recently killed a fire before it got a chance to catch hold. One of my favorite nature connection practices is primitive fire using a bow drill. The practice entails generating friction between two...

As I write this, a heavy rain washes away my day’s plans. I had hoped to go swimming and fishing with my son, but now I’m here in front of my computer. A small voice in my mind wonders if this is the beginning of the end. The Iowa State Fair ended yesterday. The...

Living a good life can be pretty simple: open your heart to love what you love, accept the things you cannot change and endeavor to treat the world and others with the care, dignity and respect that you would wish to be treated with. In practice, any one of those...

Seeking The Peace of Wild Things  Amidst the modern turmoil of the day, I am ever more grateful for teachings and practices that help me train my awareness and direct my life energy away from drama and towards meaningful activity. If you are like me, too often you may...

  The Fire Is In the Wood  At a recent Wild Inner Stillness retreat, I offered a demonstration of primitive fire. If you’ve never seen this done, you may have a Flintstone-esque vision of rubbing a couple sticks together until a flame bursts forth. If you have...

Like many of my fellow nature-connected Iowans, I’ve recently been spending time out in the woods on the hunt. Mid spring is morel season, and there’s few tastier reasons to get outside and open up my senses to feel into the forests for these emerging gifts. In her...

Consider for a moment that your life is a creative process. That with every choice you make you are expressing what is important to you and communicating that to the world. While there are countless events that occur over which you have no creative control, your...