Trail Blazes.

I once dreamed of the full-time job of walking trails and being the painter of trail blazes like this one. While this hasn’t come to fruition yet...trail blazes serve a very important purpose to us all.

To show us the way.

If you a hiker...then you know that many times you’ll be toodle-doodle-oodlin along and then everything just looks like a forest floor in front of you. Like the trail disappeared.

An easy example of this is in the fall after the leaves fall and the trail is covered over which makes everything sort of look the same.

Yet another example of this is at a river crossing. (Which is why before I cross the river...I’ll look across for the trial on the other side and where it picks up so I know where I’m headed once I get across).

There have been many many times...I just can’t tell where the trail continues...yet I know to shift my gaze up and study the trees looking for the painted blaze that will show me the way.  Often you’ll see...blaze, blaze, blaze.  One tree behind the other...showing the path.

Other times you may only see one blaze...and not until you get to that one can you now see the next one.

This is exactly why one of my favorite taglines has been “Just follow the blazes on your trail.”  Is also why you’ll find this in the header images on my website at RachelDickson.com.

There are many times in life that we wish we could see further down the trail when faced with a decision. And well, sometimes we cannot.  We can only see the next blaze...so we have to trust and then move forward in that trust. And sure enough...when we get a little ways forward there is some more information for us.

Of course, for me, built into that trust is my practice of tuning into my inner knower...much like looking to a compass for confirmation of the right direction.  I am blessed with some rather stellar directional sense...but much of this is directly related to tuning into intuitional awareness and listening to direction from the other side of the veil.

I also want to say here...I just love seeing a trail blaze markers. Feels like art to me in many ways and carries a feeling all its own. It means I’m in the forest!

Stay true to your heart by friends and followers.
Would love to hear your trail blaze stories here.

Namaste.

Come with me...into the wild.

A strange phenomenon occurred to me this past week while I was pet sitting in the city.
I felt like I was in a foreign land.

No really...it was very strange...but I’m so glad this was all revealed to me so I knew how I needed to respond. It never occurred to me that the wild (the forest, rivers and mountains) has become a home signature vibration to me (a very comfortable place...easy for me to engage with) until I found myself in the urban jungle.

I felt out of sorts...like there was a void I couldn’t explain.  So what does one outdoors person do when they find themselves in the city?  Well, ya go to Outdoors World (Bass Pro), REI and Academy Sports all in one fell swoop.

Yes, yes...I know I wrote about this in a previous post. But here’s what’s so interesting about this.
My friends who I was pet sitting for were in Alaska. And they shared w me a story about arriving in Anchorage after traveling all over in the wilderness and how out of sorts they felt being in this city.

I immediately knew the feeling. And I’m not kidding when I say...after your body had been exposed to nature’s magic and silence and calm and sheer beauty and acceptance and will power and awe...when you find yourself surrounded by its opposite it is nothing short than off putting.

Ask anyone who has ever thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail.  They’ll tell you the same thing about having to re-acclimate back into “civil life” again.

When I walked into that REI coop store and looked to my left...on the wall was a HUGE black and white image of Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah Forest.  (It’s important to note...this was in SC...a hot minute away from Pisgah).  

But let me tell you something...the warmth and familiarity that flowed over me while viewing this mural...brought me a rush of calm and the feelings of “home.”  I know this place! I’ve stood on this very rock in Pisgah where this photo was taken.

So no...you’re not crazy at all if you absolutely HAVE to walk in the forest every day. Or if you HAVE to go to the river a minimum of a couple times a week. Or if hiking to waterfalls and sitting there staring at them brings you an enormous amount of joy.

Nature is medicine my friends.  Your body already knows this.
Get outside as often as if possible.

Turn off the noise and listen to the stillness that will surround you out there. Even if just for a few hours. And it will change you.

Namaste my outdoors friends! 
Namaste.

Reading the River.

 

Two summers ago I was new to guiding whitewater kayak trips down the Upper and Lower Green River just outside Saluda, NC.

We were assigned to guide one of two trips in the morning on the Upper and then one of two trips on the Lower in the afternoon.

I had paddled the top half of the Lower Green numerous times at this point a gentle class I and II river and very family friendly. But I had not once paddled the bottom half of the Lower Green and on this day I was assigned to guide that trip.

I felt somewhat unqualified because after all...aren’t I expected to “Guide” this trip down the river? I was nervous and apprehensive...and felt a bit like an imposter.

But then...the owner of the company walked past...and asked me what was up. I described my misgivings about this...and he said something that I have never forgot.

“Rachel, read the water. You’ll guide this trip in ways you don’t even know you know.”

A lightbulb went off in my head...because he was right. This was something as simple as reading the river.

Rivers have a way of showing you the path through them. There are tells. If you’re tuned into them and are looking ahead.

And just this morning I was reminded of this story while thinking about the future.

What may come? What may go?

And then… “Read the River” popped into my head.

You can’t paddle through rapids that are two miles down river, because you can’t see them. You’re not there yet.

But you know exactly how to paddle through what is right here right now...because well...it literally is all about reading the river.

Countless life lessons like this one I’ve learned from the mountain river. And if you’re reading this still...I’ll bet you too are a river lover.

Cheers to the river lovers and to the rivers!

Photo Credit: Fotari70DX from pixabay dot com

 

Adventures on the Tuckaseegee River!

 

It's takes practice...to be truly good at a thing.  Including...keeping your heart open.

To me this means...I don't stop doing the things I love rather...I seek them out more. And I bring friends!

It truly takes courage to allow ourselves to remain open to possibility versus shutting down after we've experienced the pain of grief or despair or heartbreak.  I know you know what I mean here.

And I've learned that continuing to engage in things that stretch us a little bit can be so very powerful. If you're too afraid...invite your friends. Because there's something about having your besties along with  you when you're about to experience something epic!

These things don't have to be expensive...in fact they can be totally free activities. So no, you don't have to put yourself into a tough spot...but rather sometimes just a little creativity will do.

This whitewater kayaking trip with Tuckaseegee Outfitters in Whittier, NC cost just $30 per person and SOoooo worth every penny!

Of course you can spend thousands of dollars on a Colorado River trip through the Grand Canyon...but I'm simply saying...if you're planning to repeat said fun and adventure over and over...it can be done on a budget.

So...that said...go...be...do!

and Stay Wildhearted!

 

 

 

The Hidden Language of Frequency: Discover the Invisible Forces Shaping Your Life • 40-Min Live Zoom • Thur, July 16 • 6:30 PM ET

  

 

The Hidden Language of Frequency

Session One: Everything is Energy...Now What?

A practical introduction to living as an energy being.

Thursday, July 16 | 6:30 PM ET
40-minute Live Zoom Exploration with Rachel Dickson
$10

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We've all heard the phrase...

"Everything is energy."

But what does that actually mean?

More importantly...

What does it have to do with the way we experience everyday life?

In this 40-minute immersive Zoom session, we'll explore frequency as a lived experience in some very practical ways.

Together, we'll begin noticing the invisible forces already shaping our thoughts, emotions, relationships, and even our sense of well-being.

We'll explore questions such as:

• What does grief feel like from a frequency perspective?
• Why does music have the power to move us?
• What happens to our awareness when we spend time in nature?
• Why does noticing matter?
• How do we recognize the frequency generated by our thoughts?
• What simple practices help us to maintain our “home frequency?”

Imagine for a moment that life is speaking to us all the time.

Birds are speaking.

Trees are speaking.

Water is speaking.

Our nervous system is speaking.

Emotions are speaking.

Intuition is speaking.

Resonance is speaking.

The language is already here.

Most of us simply haven't learned how to listen...or how to interpret what we're experiencing.

This session is about how to become more observant.

Some of the most profound shifts in our daily lives come from learning to notice what has been quietly present all along.

If you've ever sensed there's more happening beneath the surface of everyday life, this conversation is for you. (Think Matrix).

Together, we'll begin exploring The Hidden Language of Frequency and discover how awareness may be the doorway to living with greater presence, coherence, and connection.

Frequency may, in fact, be the doorway to becoming a conscious participant in our daily lives instead of simply reacting to our circumstances.

I personally invite you to step into a new way of seeing yourself and the world.

 

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Details

Date: Thursday, July 16
Time: 6:30 PM EST (please note the timezone)
Length: 40 minutes
Location: Live on Zoom
Cost: $10

(reservations are no longer available.)

Once you reserve your spot, you’ll receive an email with the Zoom link for Thursday.
Just show up, settle in, and we’ll take it from there.

 

 

Life has this special way of jamming us in so tight that no amount of wiggling will set us free.

 

I'm gonna guess you're thinking the same thing I was thinking when I saw this old metal car hood jammed into these trees along the creek bank. 

I was hiking along and had just broke through the tree line and stepped out onto the edge of the bank when I looked downstream and saw this image.

"Really?" I thought to myself. "A car hood, out here? Come on!"

In my myriad of outdoor experiences there's usually beer cans, rubber tires, some chunk-a-metal something, plastic bags, water bottles and every other sort of man-made litter you could imagine lying around out in the woods.

But this time it sorta jarred me into reality. (Sorta like the sound the Road-Runner makes in the old Bugs Bunny cartoons when he stops...foooaaaannnng) Anyway, once I got over my initial shock of what seeing this metal hood did in disrupting my serenity (I stood there and looked at this thing for what seemed like ten minutes.) 

My concluding thought in that moment was, "Wow, this creek must have really been rushing fast and high for this hood to get lodged here like this."

Finally I stepped past it and continued my rock-hopping-adventure along the creek bank...and proceeded to forget about it. About 45 minutes later on my return trip back up stream, there was the hood again in all its glory. 

But this time...it hit me. 
Hmmm, that hood is sorta like life and like me.

I'm floating along life's stream digging the flow and the view and the experience and then I bump into this rock, and that rock and then get stuck on this tree in this place. 

Then this huge flow of water comes at me and jams me into this place where I stay with no ability of my own to move...and simply have to wait it out until the next big rush of water comes and lifts me up and out to float to the next.

I've been there, many times. Jammed into a bunch of trees and rocks. 
Unhappy that I can't move. 
Grouchy that my surroundings have grown stale. 

Until I let go, and simply appreciate it for what it is. No amount of struggle or complaint is going to change it. I simply have to resolve to appreciate where I am and enjoy the moment. Because until I can appreciate where I am and be grateful...I'm not going anywhere. 

Life has this special way of jamming us in so tight that no amount of wiggling will set us free.  We need to be here for some reason.

There's much to be learned jammed up in here, would I just look and listen and learn. And when I realize this and simply sit still and learn, that's when it happens. 

I learn what it is I'm supposed to learn and don't even realize it...and then when I least expect it, that's when the rising river comes. That's when change comes...and poof...when I'm not looking for change anymore that's when I'm lifted up and I float on down stream again...to enjoy life's next adventure.
Ironically, when I'm unstuck and floating down stream again I look back and say, "But wait, I was comfortable there, I liked it there, I had friends there and etc etc." 

Let it go Rache, celebrate what was and embrace the thrill of knowing new experiences await you, likely greater than the ones you just had, once you relaxed enough to enjoy them.

Reminds me too that I once realized that if I can't be thankful and appreciate where I am right now in this moment, then I'm shaking my fist at life and ultimately slapping life in the face
for somehow giving me what I'd asked for in the first place!

Change is inevitable. 

Permanence? 

I'm not sure that exists...and then I hear in the distance, “Be careful what you wish for”...and then, “Be grateful for where you are.”

Not such a bad thing that metal hood I saw there by the creek. 

Ho Ho HO! River mugs are here!

 

Check these out!

Brand new river mugs for you to sip the magic from.

Three designs to choose from right out of Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina.
Fresh water photos I took while videography-ing these very special river spots.

Click here to browse the shop!