Summary: First copies heading out to the world — Once you receive your copy — Sailing — Jay revisits the Pacific
Dear Backers,
Words, thoughts in one’s head tend to be a little unreal until voiced, given form and molded by the medium into which they fall. Half the books we’ve printed have arrived in the UK, receiving them, ripping open the pallet and cardboard boxes they’re stored within, the first thing I notice is the smell: sandalwood mixed with resin; can I smell the pines they’re made of, that grew alongside Lake Veneto Lombardy in Italy?
The texture, too. As one early recipient commented, ‘These are how books should be & were in days gone by; superbly bound & produced. Something you’d want to pick up, read & then re-read simply for the joy of the tactile experience of touching them’. We, too, are delighted with the finish—thanks for helping us get here. Now, as I send out orders to Europe, UK and all countries outside of USA/Iceland, the next steps reside with you, the reader, the viewer. You are the medium into which they fall. We look forward to hearing your impressions, the dreams they help gestate, perhaps a trip to the north, and of course any practical application you may put them to.
Please note: if you are based in the USA, fulfillment will begin in June, after Jay receives his half of the bulk shipment. Similarly, if you are based in Iceland, orders will also be fulfilled in late June, after Henry has finished posting from the UK and got a bulk shipment sent to Iceland.
Once you receive your copy
When you receive your copy please do let us know! And if you want to help spread the word, let everyone know on social media. Tag us @wayfinding.guide and use the hashtag #InTheWestfjords. Making a post or story on social media will help support our effort to connect travelers to the heart of the Westfjords.
Henry Sailing, Constellating
Along with the University of Iceland, a key sponsor for our work has been Ocean Ambassadors (OA), UK. This is an organisation set up by Save the Elephants founder, Felix Applebe. Under the OA umbrella, I am taking to the waves with Sail Britain, a residency programme run around the British Isles. We’ll be attempting to chart new collaborations that bring awareness and ecological learning for the marine environment. If you fancy some time at sea, their programme is very affordable and well received!
One might characterise some of our Wayfinding book within the genre of Eco-spirituality. Indeed, I’ve found my sense of belonging in the world to deeply rooted within ecology. As a facilitator of such experiences, I’m always on the look-out to add more strings to my bow, and am therefore happy to have begun a part-time training in Systemic Constellations. This is a powerful healing modality enabling people to live freely within their stories, their systems, whatever, wherever they are! As this cycle of work approaches its completion, it’s rather lovely to have these new pathways to explore…
Jay revisits the Pacific
Just two weeks back now I visited San Francisco, where I lived for 7+ years, and was able to reconnect with friends and the pacific. When I lived there, I joined in with others for an ongoing ‘hella dawn surf party,’ which was an open invitation to gather before the sunrise and enjoy surfing, swimming, or just being out at Ocean Beach before the rest of the day got started.
It wasn’t easy waking up at 5 AM day after day while I was out there, but each morning brought its own rewards. And for these silver-slicked, sea-sky mornings, a lot of the wave-wading conversations were a rally for love: for self love, the love found in friendships, and the love built over years with partners. There were bare-chested baptismal dips into the waves that sucked the air from lungs and left us staggering with brain freezes. Salty water that brought forth both sweetness and fortitude…
Mary Oliver’s poem from A Thousand Mornings “I Go Down to the Shore”:
I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall–
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
Excuse me, I have work to do.
— Henry & Jay