Community-supported, purpose-driven, gear-lugging vagabond creating content for good. Currently putting time and energy into my newsletter, podcast, and starting a new life chapter down under. π Te Waipounamu South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
βI have made peace with the things I cannot change. I have the courage to change the things that I can. And I have the wisdom to know the difference.β - Serenity Prayer by Sah D'Simone β open share / musingsFrom the indigenous lands of the Shoshone, Bannock, Blackfoot, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventre, and Nez Perce people, About a year ago, in the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador, an absolutely magical, memorable day was unfolding. So, as some of you know, the past 7 weeks have been quite the whirlwind! We left off from the previous newsletter in northern New Mexico in the beautiful town of Taos. Now, some 6000 km (3700 mi) later, here I am amongst the Teton range in the Rockies (once more), in huge thanks to my friend Sylvia (thank youuu!). The wedding in Chicago was a massive success! In addition, I got to record 3 conversations for the Wilderness Within podcast in this time period, and more are coming up in Montana and throughout the west coast in the coming week/months. Very exciting! In the past few days I've (finally) began writing the intro/script for the intro episode and intend to record it in June. Stay tuned! Without chronologically getting into it all (perhaps a chapter in a future book is needed?! π), here are some highlights from life on the road, with old & new friends, surrounded by natural beauty, life unfolding serendipitously, and with much time for contemplation: To my amazing patreon supporters - I have for you over 300 handpicked images & videos from the ground and the sky for your enjoyment, all in higher resolution with locations and some additional context noted. Big thank you for your continued support!! π Onwards to good news, original shares, and some recommendations below. β global good newsEven if I stop creating this newsletter, I'd still be reading and clipping good news articles from around the internet. In fact, some of you readers are semi-regular recipients of my good news link drops, haha! Good news from sources such as Future Crunch, Good Good Good, and Upworthy have become a foundation of my well-being as I continue the intentional curation of my "news feed" on socials - often with success but there are most certainly still days where I find myself feeling the weight and cynisim of it all. That said, I present you, my dear audience who seem to adore this section as much as I do (I can tell from the link clicks + response emails π), the positive news of recent times from around our earth:
When we think about Indigenous communities, we must acknowledge that they have spent generations over many centuries observing the seasons, tracking wildlife migration patterns and fully comprehending our role in the delicate balance of this earth. -- Deb Haaland, US Interior Secretary
β original work / offeringsThis month I am happy to present an original video as deep and satisfying as the massage itself - a multi-person collaboration filmed on the coast of Oaxaca early in the year with Camila as a fellow videographer (& modelπ) , Daniel as the amazing massage course facilitator & co-producer, and my homeboy Miguel as the co-editor along with me. This course started as an exchange for Camila and I to be models for the course so that the participants have a body on which the techniques can be demonstrated. Over time, I saw the potential in developing a larger array of media for Daniel to promote himself and his future courses wherever he goes. He has recently hosted workshops in Mexico, Germany, and other parts of Europe and has intentions to return to southeast/south Asia where he studied and has spent much time to offer massage courses like this one. To say that this was an experience that was both relaxing, enlightening, and fun creatively is still an understatement. Daniel is a gem of a human and instructor who holds space with gentle authority and patience, and brings so much heart to his teachings and guidance. It was much more than simply a massage course, as you'll hear & see in the video that came out of this collaborative, synergistic week together! You can find Daniel and his offerings on Instagram - @dan.healing.artsβ Thank you team - Camila, Daniel, Miguel, and the participants I got to interview - your presence, grace, communication & talent have made this possible! βSome favorite moments from the massage course in stills (yes that's me in the nacho libre mask π): recommendationsBeing on the road with much time on my own for the past month and a half has allowed me to read/watch/listen a plethora of amazing content. I am continually staggered by the quality and depth of creations folks from around the world are creating - it motivates me to step up my game while also finding my own voice. It was no easy task to choose the best-of gems for each newsletter. The following 2 videos are wonderful in their own rights. The first one is... well, allow me to present you the title and description by the filmmaker themself: βRUNNING from PAIN - And when we stop, we find peace.βWe are adept at the avoidance of pain and suffering - we push it away, we pretend itβs not there. And we keep ourselves busy so that we donβt have time to sit and reflect - when bored, we surf social media - when we feel down, we go shopping or watch TV. But running keeps us stuck in spiraling patterns of despair and hopelessness.
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And while we may not be responsible for causing the pain, we can be responsible for ending it. And to admit to that and own up to that is a humbling thing to do. You create an opportunity for growth and expansion in your life by taking accountability. You let go of your egoβs dominance over your actions and decisions, and start listening more carefully to that intuitive voice inside.
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To run from pain is to run from life itself. Because by embracing difficulty and the challenges it presents, is how we grow and improve as humans. So letβs learn to accept it as a part of life. It's this that will make us whole again.
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Filmed in McGregor, South Africa.
Featuring Sung-Yee (Sy) Tchao. The next video features folks in Hawaii who are leading the way by leaning back into traditions of food growing, hunting, and sharing with local community in mind. This speaks to me deeply. βLiving Off the Land in Hawaii | National Geographic ExplorerβCorrespondent J.J. Kelley travels to Hawaii to meet with a group of people who are living off the land like their ancestors. The book that captivated my attention since the last newsletter is "The Man Who Quit Money" by Mark Sundeen featuring Daniel Suelo. Thanks for the recommendation, Alex! A Walden for the 21st century, the true story of a man who has radically reinvented "the good life." In 2000, Daniel Suelo left his life savings-all thirty dollars of it-in a phone booth. He has lived without money-and with a newfound sense of freedom and security-ever since. The Man Who Quit Money is an account of how one man learned to live, sanely and happily, without earning, receiving, or spending a single cent. Suelo doesn't pay taxes, or accept food stamps or welfare. He lives in caves in the Utah canyonlands, forages wild foods and gourmet discards. He no longer even carries an I.D. Yet he manages to amply fulfill not only the basic human needs-for shelter, food, and warmth-but, to an enviable degree, the universal desires for companionship, purpose, and spiritual engagement. In retracing the surprising path and guiding philosophy that led Suelo into this way of life, Sundeen raises provocative and riveting questions about the decisions we all make, by default or by design, about how we live-and how we might live better. When asked by Joshua Becker, founder of BecomingMinimalist.com, in an interview with the question, "What are some of the most important lessons about money/people/society you have personally learned over the past 12 years? And did any of these lessons surprise you?" This was Daniel's response:
Most important is that Iβve learned our true nature lives moneyless, giving freely and receiving freely. Even the most staid CEO is human underneath, and gives and receives freely with friends and family. By cultivating this nature in myself, I can see it in others, and it can be cultivated in others. When our real selves are cultivated, the gift economy is cultivated, our unreal selves (based on ulterior motivation) and all the nonsense drops away.
I have been surprised at the intensely angry reaction thousands of people have had at my living moneyless. It used to bother me, but now I realize that anger doesnβt come from peopleβs true nature, but from the facade they build up. The facade is threatened by reality. Who wants to hear that the basis of our commercial civilization is an illusion? Money only exists if two or more people believe it exists. Money is not a physical substance, but merely a belief in the head. Money is credit, and credit literally means belief (e.g. credibility). Money is literally a creed, the most agreed-upon creed, or religion, in the world. And what fundamentalists wonβt get angry if you question their creed?
Podcasts I've been tuning into recently: β Finally, thank you to my dear friend Kristine, who recommended this artist and their beautiful sets of yummy organic downtempo, folktronica, medicina musica! I am so enjoying it to work to or chill out... whenever! π β gratitudeFor those of you who are new to this newsletter, welcome and thank you! Your time & attention are invaluable, and I sincerely hope you find value here. π This publication is a labor of love & devotion. For each edition, I spend hours compiling, writing, editing, and weaving content altogether. It is made possible in huge part due to patrons who pitch in regularly on patreon. Supporters get bonus content such as this newsletter edition's bonus album. This relatively small income has become a reliable, essential pillar of financial support for me. Supporters allow this publication that you read (& enjoy) and other creative pursuits to be possible while keeping them ad-free. I must also thank friends around the globe who hire me for their portraits, engagements, weddings, business/org photo & videoshoots, etc. that contribute to the financial pie. Without these supporters, there would likely be no newsletter, and it'd be a bigger challenge for me to commit the additional time and resources to commence The Wilderness Within amidst commitments and life itself. I am ever thankful for their financial support month after month. If you're keen to learn more or ready to pitch in, for as little as $1 USD/month, please head over to my patreon page, or if regular contributions aren't your thing, I also have a tip jar - think of me as a "street busker" with cameras, curation, and musings.β π° These are the humans that make this newsletter, the podcast, and other aspects of my life possible: π€ Antoine M., Taylor C., Gautier B., Anica W., Jackie C., Alyson S., Yu Shin C., Dora L., Jennifer G., Anne G., Steven M., Utsav K., Yu Shan C., Camila N., Steven W., Kelsea S., Dana W., UrΕ‘ka Δ., Christine T., Ramona G., Tiange Z., Michael C., Clare M., Kelsey Y., John E., Evan S., Emily B., Reynette R., Orion H., Carina F., Jacky C., Frankie L., Kelly P., Candice Y., Aiyana B., Maggie T., Otis S., Guthrie S., Lisa C., Jonathan V., Steve T., Lindsay C., Michelle K., Khen R., Julie T., Nils F., Kristine S., Zach S., Anna W., Jim B., Fred D., Brenda L., Clare M., Alex A., Willow B., Will R., Sebastian B., Jessie P., Paul J., Marek B. β ζθ¬ζ¨ηι注 / grateful for your attention / agradecido por su atencion, Reader, Jonathan |
Community-supported, purpose-driven, gear-lugging vagabond creating content for good. Currently putting time and energy into my newsletter, podcast, and starting a new life chapter down under. π Te Waipounamu South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
βIt's not possible to save the world by trying to save it. You need to find what is genuinely yours to offer the world before you can make it a better place. Discovering your unique gift to bring to your community is your greatest opportunity and challenge. The offering of that gift β your true self β is the most you can do to love and serve the world. And it is all the world needs.β by Thomas Berry, Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche open share / musings Yesterday, I...
βLife is not something, it is the opportunity for something!β by Viktor E Frankl, in Yes To Life, In Spite Of Everything open share / musings Kia ora (greetings), friends and whΔnau (family), Thank you, Reader, for opening this newsletter and taking the time and curiosity to read what I put out to the world. I send you this compilation with care from Aotearoa New Zealand, for I am here. I am back in the land of the long white cloud, native to the MΔori peoples. The feelings and emotions have...
βThe curious paradox is that when I accept myself, just as I am, then I can change.β - Carl Rogers open share / musings Greetings, Reader Like most newsletters, this edition is written/created in chunks. At the moment I'm writing this, I'm sitting on a fallen cedar tree (I think) laying across Wildcat Creek on the Kitsap peninsula of western Washington state. The mid-afternoon sun is lighting up the tops of the canopy all around me, diffusing the summer sun into a soft glow here on the forest...