I’m about as undogmatic as they come… and after all these years of almost every kind of spiritual, shamanic, somatic, shadow, sovereignty, archetypal, alchemical & self development work, I’ve arrived at the point where it seems to me that unless it prioritises the Child, it’s not really The Work, it’s yet another abandonment of the Child.

I’m lying in bed listening to my family downstairs making me breakfast in bed, and admiring my very own Klimt, painted by my daughter (when she discovered last week that he is one of my favourite artists, she secretly began painting this).

When people discover the archetypes that are meant for them, especially the ones that are rare in this modern world, the difference it makes is beyond anything rational… that’s because the archetypes are beyond the rational.

(A post from March 2019)

This week, two separate clients told me that they hate me*...

I understood why.

Becoming present to the possibility of the gift that we are can feel like The Most Terrifying Thing On Earth.

As you might know, I speak a lot about how our greatest gifts are held in our deepest wounds, especially for those of us who are changeworkers, healers and coaches devoted to doing our deepest soul work.

In fact, one of our deepest, most magical crucibles, Waking The Wild Medicine, is focused on exactly this ancient truth.

I’ve been journeying through the five stages of The Thankless Task over the past decade (and in truth, before that for most of my life at stages 1 & 2), if you’re human, I suspect they’re stages that you’re journeying through too.

And you’ll notice that there’s no “How to” move through these stages, that’s because it’s the same work I speak about over and over. It is the work of individuating and actualising to live from soul - our deepest, fullest truth - which requires devotion to healing our wounds, integrating shadow and realising our union with all that is…. And it begins with choosing to begin.

1. That it’ll come easily.

Yes, a vital part of doing your soul work is about doing what you’re innately great at, but ‘innately’ doesn’t mean that there won’t be a tonne of conditioning and wounding in the way or that it won’t require years of guidance and practice to fully actualise it.

Last week’s #wildwednesday invitation over at Waking The Wild is one that couldn’t be closer to my heart… it’s all about finding your special tree (or honouring it in reflection if you already have one), if you want to join us in this practice, the link is in the comments. And also do share with like-minded friends who might want to join too!

This poem below is one I wrote some time ago that is my reflection of what my tree has provided to me (it’s truthfully beyond words but words will have to do). ♥️

I remember growing up, I used to be asked *that* question…

“What do you want to do when you grow up?”

It probably happened much less often to me than to most children because #hippylife but it would still occur when I ventured out into the world of mounting mortgages and shiny new cars, in which it seemed that children were meant to have their life plan all figured out from the age of six, maybe so they can be ready to do what’s needed to get the mortgage and car.

I was on my daily wild wander this morning and appreciating one of the first bright sunny days in weeks… so far 2023, here in my corner of England, has been predominantly grey, rainy, cold and blustery.

Whatever the weather or time of day… I’ve gone out into the wild, day after day, season after season, year after year.

A sneak peek behind the scenes of Waking The Wild today! 👁️

It’s our first day back at work and we’re straight into ‘22 review and ‘23 planning. This year will be a mythical year for Waking The Wild in all the ways!

That means we need to create more intentional structure and support, including…

recently recorded my solo show All The Everything (a monthly variant of the Waking The Wild Show) and the topic was ‘How to be powerful and responsible about your neurodivergent needs and gifts’ - there’s a link to the show below.

The invitation within the episode was to be conscious and sovereign about your neurodivergence… honouring what comes with that, and the wounding that will make that challenging, without making yourself, others or the world wrong.

Here’s what showed up for me this year, and in true Lian-style, it turned out to be all about myth and archetypes…

THE CHILD

I devoted to knowing, loving and listening to my inner child more deeply than ever.

I haven’t chosen a ‘word for the year’ for many years since I realised that I’d reached a point on the path where letting go of that form of (perceived) control of my experience was necessary to go further, and yet, this week little Li asked for 2023 to be the year of the Child: the archetypes of the Child, my inner girl, my actual children, and the inner child of everyone who I’m in connection with.

I interviewed a chap (they might not be a chap and I may have changed some details to protect their identity) for The Waking The Wild Show recently… he is one of those people that folk in the coaching world get excited about… a multi-millionaire, a creator, a trailblazer. There’s much to appreciate and admire about him.

As I said in my last post, my father has been on my mind a lot in recent weeks as I’m descending into yet another Jungian-hewed abyss.

This morning I was pondering how in my spiritual, magical, rewilding circles (where neo-paganism so infuses the water we swim in, even if it’s not directly mentioned) the common refrain of “Solstice blessings!” that will ring out today, takes me back to childhood, a time when my father and his friends honoured the summer and winter solstices, sometimes with all night celebrations in the woods.

For most of us, learning the language of the soul is in part relapsing into a guilty pleasure we attempted to give up in order to grow up.

For those who…

believe they haven’t done enough.

know they’ve done too much (and are now paying the price.)

are alone.

wish they were alone.

For those whose childhood taught them to be…

Waking The Wild Soul Guide is becoming a thing before my very eyes… training others to do this much needed “whole tree work” (see link below for more about “whole tree work”).

This is a barely dared vision, unfolding despite my usual “I don’t know if we’re ready.” proclamations.