12/03/25

Hello, wild-hearted, truth-tellers, hope-dealers and beautiful souls!

When I was a kid...my parents told me I was a “strong-willed child.” (Thank you James Dobson). This wasn’t any kind of badge of honor. Trust me. This was a way to label someone who was different...someone who pushed against the expected...someone who asked a lot of questions for better understanding...someone who didn’t just accept the status-quo as gospel. Many things that I was told just didn’t resonate with me...so I asked a lot of questions and...simply, “Why?”

In the last few months as I continue working and feeling into what’s true for me and what’s not...I laugh at these words “strong-willed child”. I don’t accept that label any more.
Move along crap label. Move along. I now stand in defiance of this shackling of “oh that’s what they are” simplicity. Nope.

If anything, I’d say I’ve grown into a truth-teller — not out of rebellion but out of instinct. The truth rises in me like a reflex, an inner impulse. Funny how truth-tellers are so often treated as the black sheep. But it’s usually the truth-tellers who spark the change, because they’re the ones brave enough to name what isn’t working. They don’t follow rules just because someone says so; they want to know whether the rules make sense for the good of all.

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Image Credit: by Lucreziva from Pixabay​

So here’s to the people who listen beneath the distractions. The ones who feel the subtle vibration humming in the air and say, “There. That. That’s the real thing.” The ones who name the elephant in the room — not out of anger but out of curiosity. Sometimes the boat just needs to be rocked.

Recently I read something beautiful in Jewels on the Path by Eric Klein about how we recognize truth:

Isn’t that stunningly accurate? Our bodies do not lie. Ever. Truth-detection is baked right into our wiring, but we have to be present in the Now to hear it. We have to listen to the heart and notice the feeling tone of what’s in front of us — whether it’s half-truth, made-up-entirely, Golden Truth, or something in between.

And then — this is the hard part — we must trust those signals.
Trust the inner-knower.
Trust the bell.
Trust the impulse that says, “Turn right, not left.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ignored that voice and paid dearly for it. These days, I consider it our built-in compass — designed to keep us safe and guide us toward what’s real.

One practice that sharpens this inner truth-detector is the same one bank tellers use to identify counterfeit bills: they handle the real thing all day long. They know the texture, the weight, the exact shade. So when a fake slips through, the body notices instantly — something’s off.

The same is true for us.
When I spend time in Nature — really feeling the mountains, the trees, the water, the rocks — I’m in the presence of what’s undeniably real. Source energy everywhere, humming in every direction. My inner bell rings like a ranch dinner bell. I don’t have to analyze or discern; I just feel the truth of it.

Compare that with spending hours listening to the news: judgment, noise, distortion, projection — all of it requires discernment. Nature simply is.

The more often I immerse myself in the real, the more clearly I can sense the truth around me. Nature calibrates my inner compass. It tunes me to source. It reminds me what truth feels like in the body — so that when something false crosses my path, I know it instantly.

This is why Naturing is sacred to me. It’s a living reminder of how powerful we are simply by existing — wired with internal guidance, supported by the unseen, and never navigating this path alone.

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Image Credit: by Felix Mittermeier from Pixabay​

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Wild-Heart Practice of the Week:

The Black Sheep Blessing

Take a moment to bless the part of you that never fit the mold.
Say (out loud or silently):
​“Thank you for refusing to shrink.
Thank you for telling the truth even when it was inconvenient.”​
Feel the strength of that lineage in your bones.

A Special Guided Meditation:
​A Walk in the Woods (from Wherever You Are)​
​For when you’re far from the forest, but your soul longs for trees.

Ready to begin a meditation practice but unsure where to start?
Start here.

This 5-minute guided walk isn’t about doing it “right.” It’s about stepping out of the noise and into your own breath…your own inner bell…your own knowing.

Because before you can discern what’s true out there, it helps to return to what’s true in here — the place your body has never stopped speaking from.

This “Rachel guided” meditation is a special offering just for you—my Field Notes subscribers.​
Consider it a thank you for being here, for reading, for trusting your inner compass, and for walking this path with me.

Let’s take the walk together → [Click here to listen]​

Field Notes is a weekly pause.
​A clearing in the noise.
A place to return to yourself—one breath, one truth at a time.

If something here stirred your inner bell, share it with someone who might need the same reminder.

With warmth,
​Namaste,​
Rachel

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You can find more writings by Rachel here on her blog.

You can find Rachel's Tedx Talk that ultimately led to the creation of these Field Notes at www.RachelDickson.com​

You can find fun tshirts, Rachel's original art on coffee mugs and more at the wild-hearted shop.​

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