What Is Soul Rooting?
Soul Rooting is the intersection of the spiritual and the material.
That means I will write about spirituality, religion, psychology, sociology, politics, and culture.
Within the last 10 years, the culture has gone through a huge shift, translating into my own spiritual, psychological, and political evolution. I have changed my view on a few things but for the most part, it seems that the culture itself has changed so radically that words no longer have the same meanings and political parties no longer stand for the things they once stood for.
This has caused many people including myself to reevaluate their views and consider other perspectives they never thought they’d ever believe. While all this inner and outer chaos is happening, remaining committed to core values and principles is important to fortify the foundation that guides you. These are grounding pillars in my life that I aspire to even if I continually fail, struggle, or stumble along the way:
Self-awareness (wisdom)
Self-acceptance (surrender)
Self-expression (authenticity/creativity)
Self-actualization (purpose/fulfilled potential)
Self-sacrifice (contribution/impact/community)
Who Am I?
Hi, my name is Nicole.
Since grade school, I’ve been questioning the world and the social rules and traditional institutions society holds as sacred. I found myself a self-described outcast who was painfully shy, in awe of the beauty of nature and the lessons it teaches us. I found the sacred in the stillness of the woods rather than at church.
After about 40 years of thinking I had it all figured out, the entire world flipped upside down. I found myself on the opposite side of almost every argument I used to feel so strongly about.
So many of the institutions I had raged against like religion, capitalism, the police, the military, Western Civilization itself… I started to see the value in it.
Because I was seeing the alternative: moral ambiguity leading to more violence locally and globally, an all-encompassing victim mentality with no personal responsibility or accountability leading to a prevalence of narcissism, increasing crime, fewer resources to go around, stolen tax dollars, rampant bureaucracy, stigmatization of free speech, more war, more debt, propaganda parading as “journalism,” vigilantism, …need I go on?
I spent 6 years before COVID traveling solo around the USA living and working in national forests, intentional communities, permaculture ecovillages, holistic retreat centers, farms, and temples, I’ve settled down since then and grown some Roots. Becoming a partner and stepmom has changed me for the better.
It feels good to ground into familiar soil and to be still. To grow sturdy as well as wildly.
I’m excited to continue on the inner path and I hope we can learn from each other here as we grow and evolve.
Why Did I Create Soul Rooting?
Good question.
As I was growing up, (and really when does that stop?), I felt a lot of pain around my perceived difference from others and never felt that I belonged or that my presence or absence mattered.
I didn’t understand why I couldn’t relate to anyone around me and always felt so lonely and alien.
I never felt seen or understood.
Maybe you can relate?
I often found myself escaping into fantasy, developing a rich inner world, and just being quiet in nature.
It was in the woods around the age of 12 that I first felt an experience of God. There weren’t other people around but I never felt less lonely in my short life. Time stopped. I felt like the trees were communicating with me. I could feel the presence of each living thing. Everything came alive.
I wanted to know more.
Why did I feel different from others? What makes others think, feel, believe, and act so differently? What if people took the time to understand each other? What made Nature feel so magical? Why did the woods make me feel so connected and alive? Why did people make me feel so afraid and ashamed? What else could Nature teach me? What was my purpose? Why was the world so backward?
Everyone seemed to stay on the surface and pretend.
I had an unnamed outrage.
A deep loneliness.
Why didn’t anyone want to get to the root of things?!
Why couldn’t they see what I see?
Why wasn’t anyone else asking questions?!
I was really starting my spiritual search for Self, God, and the meaning of life. I wanted to know myself and my place in the world.
And I guess I still do.
If you hold similar values or have an interest in human topics like spirituality, psychology, sociology, politics, and culture then please stick around, read some posts, leave some comments, and share your thoughts and experiences.
I’m glad you’re here,
Nicole
nicole@soulrooting.com