FOOL-HEARTED

Guided by a Curious Heart

The fool is guided by their curious heart.

The fool is the kitten, the bear cub, the child in us all, alive in the moment, agenda-free... a true hero. The fool takes the boxes of the status quo and turns them into a fort and invites all their friends over for a tea party.

This is a place to build forts together. It is a place to laugh at ourselves. It is a place for wonder, awe, curiosity, to guide us to a more joyful, tender, heart-driven life.

Foolish Thoughts

Writing, musings, and other nonsense.

Workshops and Retreats

Workshops and retreats that aim to open us up to our fool-hearted freedom.

The Urgency of Joy

With every closing of the year, I choose a word or a theme for the next. This year, the word that came to me is JOY. If there is anything...

ilana

Jan 10, 20224 min read

Opal Whiteley and Our Untrue Stories

What of the stories we tell about ourselves and the world are true? “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards” - Queen, Alice...

ilana

Nov 17, 20215 min read

Becoming the Bear

How much bear are you anyway? When I see a wild animal, I wonder what lessons can be drawn from its nature. Its essence. When I was going...

ilana

Nov 10, 20214 min read

The Thin Veil

Exploring the liminal with a group of fool-hearted adventurers in the wilderness. This past Sunday my collaborator, Wade (Uncanny Means),...

ilana

Oct 28, 20212 min read

The Infiniteness of Identity

How does our sense of Self shift when considering our interdependence? There is an oak tree that I visit on my walks. I often pause to...

ilana

Oct 11, 20214 min read

The Joy of Zero

What the number zero can teach us about freedom. ~~~ In my twenties I was a substitute teacher for Special Education classrooms in the...

ilana

Oct 5, 20213 min read

The Gift of the Dead Coyote

Trigger Warning: death ~~image of dead coyote~~ I live on a property that is butted up against the Angeles National Forest. Lots of...

ilana

Sep 20, 20214 min read

A Brief Sunday Morning Musing

Walking alone in nature, I shapeshift. Assuming the form of the oak, the rabbit, the flicker, the whale, the darkling beetle. On the...

ilana

Sep 5, 20211 min read

Here is Everything

A not so solo wilderness retreat ~~~ I recently went on a solo backpacking trip to a place I’ve spent a lot of time exploring, the...

ilana

Aug 30, 20214 min read

The Fool Doesn't Suffer Inner Critics

The uneasy inner critic is no match for the blithesome inner fool. introducing the cast of my inner critic committee I have this trio of...

ilana

Jul 29, 20213 min read

ABOUT ILANA

I’m a fool. At least I aspire to be. I’ve explored this aspiration through wandering in nature, creating theater, as an educator, a daughter, a friend, a neighbor. I am here to meet you all in the place where we can feel most free. The way there, I have a hunch, is through listening to our curious hearts.

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