[Guest post] Inner Outings – by Street Wisdom Walkshop host Nicky Torode
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
Henry Miller
That quote sums up for me the heart, soul and joy of Street Wisdom. By wandering the streets, by sniffing up the aliveness of the main roads, the back streets and sides, we tune in to new ways of seeing things.
Really?
Yes, Street + Wisdom really is a magic combo.
The signs, the smells, the sights, the sounds, the atmospheric pressure of the streets all give us data, give us new ways to see.
To see ourselves.
In a Street Wisdom walkshop — wandershop if you will — the streets become our companion. Like the Pied Piper, the streets entice us ever deeper into our voyage of inner-outer, outer-inner wanderings. We see more of who we are, where we’ve journeyed from and whispers of the path onwards.
Blimey! What are these mysterious goings on in these walkshops you might be wondering? We cultivate our receptivity by doing some initial mini tune-ups. Quickly and intensively we tune into ourselves and the environment. We use our full complement of senses — and even closing our eyes momentarily for other senses to be sharper — to harvest the wisdom around. We notice the gravitational pull of our attention, we soften our gaze, drop our shoulders, and drift.
And at the heart of Street Wisdom is the quest: a question we want to take for a walk. A top-of-mind question, something that we’d love an answer to now. It might be a question about a crossroads in your life, a decision about work, a move to be made. And we quest, go on a longer wander, with our question in mind, noticing dots that we might join up later.
Wandering is key. Not efforting, not rushing from A to B. No, Street Wisdom is more of a belly loose, hands unclenched, jaw jaunty kind of movement. We stroll, curious, and receive. It’s about catching the colliding of the street’s energy and your inner energy arising. What was it Jung said? Resonance is the future you manifesting itself. Yes, that’s what happens on the streets!
And on Peckham’s streets, on a recent rainy Friday, there was much manifesting! Peckham bounced so many signals back at me and the Street Wisdom participants it was as if we were magnetic. With the leisure centre called Peckham Pulse how could it not! My question for the walkshop was How can I make work more easeful? Or was it?! Perhaps, it was more Delboy whispering in my ear This time next year, Rodney…
The more I lead Street Wisdoms, the more I feel the parallel to journaling which I also do regularly. Journaling, that spontaneous way of writing, is deliciously freeing just like Street Wisdom. No destination in mind, no audience in mind. We wander the street, we wander across the page: one foot in front of the other, one word after the other. Both are where the subconscious really runs the show. Where gasps of insights and breakthroughs occur. Away Days for one you might say!
Fancy seeing how the inner outings of Street Wisdom can take you places?
Join a Street Wisdom walkshop near you – or further afield! Or try one from the delights of your office or home.
And oh, what did Peckham have to say for itself that rainy day in April, you may well wonder?
Be more Peckham.
Yes, that was my take-away, an idea that had me giggling as I headed back to Hastings. Hmmm, think I need to journal on that further! And not leave the return so long next time!
*****
Inspired? Join Nicky Torode’s next Street Wisdom Walkshop in Hastings and check out her journalling offerings! Or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy a copy of founder David Pearl’s book Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_
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