Your Wild Mind - The South + Wounded Children

<p>Today we’re continuing our series on the Wild Mind by diving into a different facet: the South.</p><p> </p><p>The South is about our wilderness, our emotions, our sensuality, and sense of belonging in the world - the <i>natural</i> world.<br /> </p><p>I love talking about the South because I feel like it has been a strength in my life, especially at times like when I was at UC Santa Cruz (a clothing-optional University at the time), living amongst the ancient redwoods, dancing wildly to drum circles on the beach, and riding my bike to sit under my favorite acacia tree and watch the sunset; or when I was a climbing guide and slept under the stars over 250 nights each year, and having playful meetups with lovers all over the world.<br /> </p><p>The energy of the South is returning to me as I intentionally create more time in the wilderness and to connect with my place in this world in this new iteration as mom and online biz gal.<br /> </p><p>You know, we seem to forget as humans that <strong>we are also animals.</strong> And we tend to default to <i>human exceptionalism,</i> an idea that we’re better than other species, or that we hold more value.<br /> </p><p>Even in Buddhism it’s said that because of the type of sentience we have and the capacities of our brain, that humans can achieve enlightenment more efficiently and make greater progress on the path, helping more beings along the way.<br /> </p><p>But the flip side is that we can also cause more <i>harm</i> than other species, right? And the disconnect from nature and the resulting harm gets even more out of control the more we forget that we are <i>also</i> animals - we have had, and <i>continue</i> to have, a symbiotic relationship with other beings, plants, and the Earth. <br /> </p><p>This is where the South comes in. The South (for those in the Northern hemisphere - if you’re in the Southern hemisphere, flip the North and South in this series) is the place with the most sun, the most warmth. Humans are outside more, exploring more, watching the sunse