Boundaries and the Beyond

Boundaries and Beyond the importance of both sides of the guaridan stones.

Over the past few weeks, I have embarked on a profound journey of self-discovery, learning about the sanctity of boundaries and the transformative power of venturing beyond them. This exploration took me by surprise and has been deep, soulful immersion, guided by the wisdom of the plant spirit Motherwort and the protective presence of the White Wolf. My initiation into the teachings of Motherwort began in a serene garden, in a Plant Initiation with Pam Montgomery at her Sweet Water Sanctuary in Vermont. Motherwort gifted us many blessed teachings and gifts that will be cherished and carried deeply into my daily life forever more. She merged with me, and has become one of my beloved grandmother spirit guides, embodying courageous softness, centered protection and divine feminine wisdom. One of the many things she taught me was about the importance of boundaries in our personal spaces—how they define us, protect us, and give us room to grow in safety and love. "Stand courageously, fearlessly in the center of your being and know you are never alone, bee soft and sweetly in your energy and open your heart freely. Know deep within who you are, walk gently and softly in your empowered sovereignty. It was a lesson in balancing firmness with kindness, establishing limits without closing off completely. However, life, as I've learned, isn't only about maintaining these boundaries. There comes a time when the soul yearns to explore beyond the known, to retrieve parts of itself left in the shadows of past traumas or forgotten dreams. This is where the journey of Beyond the boundaries into the wild wood begins. As a for-warning, never enter in the wildwood without a powerful guaridan spirit by your side. My recent joruney beyond the boundaries came as a surprise, when I was at Columcille, just before the Summer Solstice. After deep communication with the wise grandmother of the land a White Wolf appeared to me. She was sweet and powerful and wanted to take me through the gate into the wild wood. I asked her why would I do this? And she told me that there was a very ancient piece of my soul that had taken to the wild wood a 1000 years ago in order to flee from a very bad situation. The white wolf had heard her lonely cries and promised that he would help her. With this, I agreed to go find her. I had learned that venturing into the Wildwood without a guardian spirit could be perilous, and so I would only go beyond the boundaries with the white wolf as my guaridan guide. This wildwood was unlike any forest I had walked before. It was alive, mystical, filled with wild monstours creatures, it seemed to have a heartbeat of its own—a place where magical and dangerous spirts roamed freely. The White Wolf, with its piercing blue eyes and fur as bright as moonlight, was ever at my side, and guided me through this landscape where paths twisted unexpectedly and shadows danced with secrets. We finally came to cave deep in the wildwood where a wise old woman walked out with long grey silver hair, and eyes that seemed to know the secrets of the universe. She was soooo very happy to see me and so very excited to come back into the boundaries of life again, now she was full of wisdom and power of the silence and had so much to share.

This journey was one of soul retrieval, seeking the parts of myself that had been lost though ancestral trauma. Without the White Wolf, it would have been easy to lose my way, to be ensnared by the allure of the Wildwood's deceptive beauties or its haunting sorrows.The retrieval was an emotional reunion, a rediscovery of pieces of my soul that were integral to my wholeness. With each part welcomed back into my being, I felt more complete, more powerful—like a puzzle finally pieced together after long, scattered years. The journey back to my boundaries—the safe, sacred space that Motherwort had taught me to cherish was deep in the center of my being, and now this ancient part of me had come back home. I was returning not just to physical boundaries but to a new inner understanding of my limits and capacities. Now, reflecting on these teachings, I recognize the critical balance between maintaining boundaries and daring to step beyond them. Boundaries are essential; they provide structure and safety, allowing us to flourish and grow within a secure framework. Yet, the journey beyond is equally vital. It challenges us, scares us, and ultimately, transforms us. It teaches us about resilience, about the depths of our bravery, and about the endless capacity of our souls to heal and expand. This is also a true reflection of My personal journey into the wildwood, that took place in the physical world in my late teenage years where I ventrued beyond the boundaries without a guide, it was a necessary journey for me to escape from an abusive relationship, it left me fragmented and sacred but Luckily in the wildwood years of my life, I did have a jaguar by my side and met and learned from many amazing healers and gained poweeful allys that lead me to a safe and sacred cave within the earth where I learned the wisdom of mother Gaia, was taught the healing power from the spirit of the plants, learned the songs of nature and made friends with the nature and plant spirits. I am who I am today because in my twenties I choose to enter the wildwood. Now at almost 40, with the wisdom of Motherwort and the protection of the White Wolf I feel I have been able to form a bridge between the worlds. They have shown me that while it is important to guard our personal spaces, we must also have the courage to explore the unknown, to reclaim what is lost, and to emerge stronger, more integrated. This delicate dance between safety and adventure, boundaries and beyond, is where true growth happens. It’s a dance I am still learning, step by step, with each breath, each day.

Amba Aliana'Hi