What did I learn after fasting for 4 days and nights in the middle of the forest, without any company other than nature and my own mind?…

I spent the last couple of weeks immersed in a “vision quest” led by a shaman in the south of France.

A vision quest, is a rite of passage. A closing of old cycles and a symbolic death, to give birth to new beginnings.Back in the day, it was mandatory for all boys to go on these journeys, so they could return to the tribe,only after having found their groundedness in a deep rooted and healthy masculinity.There’s way too much I witnessed, felt and learned for a single post to make justice. So much I saw about nature. God. Myself and life.
But if I was to condense this experience, my main lesson would come down to this :

There is magic everywhere, if you choose to see it.

We live in constant reaction to the world around us: notifications, social media, friends, work, appointments and so on. We run from meeting to meeting, and consider “Me” time laying down to watch Netflix. (Just another distraction)

We have forgotten what truly being in relationship with our selves means. We have lost the ability to slow down. And ironically, it is only when we slow down that we are truly able to appreciate everything that’s already here.

It is only through being DEEPLY in love with our mundane present, that the transcendental and magical becomes available.

But also, it is only when we get in touch with what truly matters that everything else we used to stay numb, naturally falls out of our lives:

Meaningless relationships. Toxic friendships. Unhealthy habits. Addictions. Purposeless jobs. Fears, doubts and so on.

I’m looking forward to being back in Toronto this weekend, having shed a big part of who I thought I was, and ready to embrace life with a blank canvas and an open, grounded heart once again!