Wilderness Adventure of the Soul

Here's the forward to my book in progress. I hope the book turns out as well as the intro!

"Each of us is on a journey. But it’s tragically easy to walk the beaten path over and over again — never learning, never growing, never gaining insight. We become masters of our work, sculptors of our bodies, and experts in shallow relationships, while too often failing to cultivate our souls and reach the destinations we truly crave. In moments of vulnerability we may admit that we can’t even identify those desired destinations. Why? Because this all takes time, unrushed time, reflection, solitude. And in much of the world today there is no rarer commodity.

"The thought of going on a wilderness trek, like the one undertaken by the character in this story, may be exciting to you and something you will begin to plan even as you read. Or it may be an overwhelming idea, a true impossibility at this stage of your life. In either case, you are fully capable of taking the more significant inner journey, and making many of the same discoveries our traveler makes along the way. But to do this, you will need to add to your reading those rare ingredients of unrushed time, reflection, and solitude. Read slowly. Journal your thoughts. Allow the principles to soak into both your head and your heart.

"A mentor once instructed “If it doesn’t work at home, don’t export it!” I have followed that advice in this book. As a result, what you will find in these pages is not merely a theory of personal discovery, planning, and growth, or some random thoughts strung together in an afternoon. This is the systemization of a process I’ve lived through, which was forged in my real world of pain, success, crisis, and joy. As I shared different aspects of this process informally, and in talks given in a variety of settings, I was surprised by the response. The principles I shared struck an immediate chord and helped many progress on their journeys in very specific ways. I quickly realized that these principles I’ve discovered through my reading, writing, reflecting, counseling, and teaching, and then applied to my own life, had a universal quality which would benefit many. This book is the result of that discovery, and an attempt to make these principles and the Release process accessible to more people than I could ever meet with personally.

"My prayer for you, and for every person who launches out on the Adventure of the Soul, is this: May you be released to more clearly see both your place in this world and the Creator’s heart for you. And may you have the courage to take the next step on your journey, wherever it leads."

If you want to be notified when it's published, let me know via www.darenwride.com . I could even possibly be persuaded to email you the first chapter.