Sophia's Children

“The wilds outside the gate …”

“The art of outrageous trust …”

These are powerful words and metaphors, intended to invite and invoke.

Or do they stir something else for you?

Both evocative musings came up recently; here’s a snippet of the story:

I was fortunate to enjoy a wonderful visit with a friend at a local coffeehouse recently. In our conversation, I was reminded of the inspiring mythic-journey-story of Jerry Wennstrom.

So I went looking this morning to refresh my memory and my inspiration-wellspring.

I was delighted to come across an inspired interview dialogue between Brian Alger and Jerry Wennstrom that I’d not seen before.

The interview-dialogue series explores the type of person — like the fierce-edge-living artist, mystic, transformation-agent, or what Dolores Cannon called ‘volunteer soul’.

The person who thrives on the extreme edges of creative expression and horizon-edge exploration.

The “pioneers of identity and powerful advocates of transformation.”

Those who, like Rainer Maria Rilke spoke of, learn to love the questions themselves, who live into the questions.

Here is a short excerpt from the second of the three articles in Brian’s series, and then a link so you can enjoy and be inspired by them yourself.

Perhaps you, too, will recognize something of your own authentic self here?

Brian shares two examples of people who explore life with a sense of curiosity and adventure, and says,

“Both of these perspectives reveal a unique and original way of being in the world – of living life. They embraced unknown territory and walked courageously into the midst of a deep mystery.

I believe that many people secretly wish for a much deeper and authentic experience of being fully alive.

But we live in mechanistic world that often imposes conformity and submission to the status quo.”

As the conversation continues, Brian asks Jerry, “How can we use inspirational life stories to help us transform our own lives?”

Jerry replies,

“What is essential in both of these statements, “Life as safari” and “I want to summit” is the requirement of outrageous trust in something unseen”

“To seek the summit or to venture into unknown territory with the poetic sensibility suggested requires individuality, courage and personal vision.”

“These statements are not the voice of complacency.”

“Whatever we choose to call it, there appears to be a knowing in the human heart that overrides reason and awakens, in us all, the spirit of outrageous trust and adventure,” says Jerry.

“The power of this knowing will inspire us to venture into unknown territory where the path is defined only as we move forward.

“To come to terms with the discomfort of this override and to jump into the adventure anyway, is where the creative heart comes alive.”

“It is often the visionaries, the artists or the more intuitive among us who lead the way. They are the gatekeepers who point to the wilds outside the gate while inviting us through.”

Find the full three-article interview series at Brian Alger’s web site.

For more on the spirit of creative adventure and transformation at the fierce edges of life, have a look at “The Spirit of Creative Adventure: Uprooting from False Ground” from the Sophia’s Children archives — it includes a lovely bit of inspiration from the late John O’Donohue.

Big Love & Outrageous Trust,
Jamie