Book Recommendation: The Wander Society by Keri Smith.

Hello and Happy Thursday!

“Wandering is not about a specific place or destination, getting from one place to another, or movement as a means to an end. Instead, it’s about letting the soul and mind roam”. 

First of all “Hallo Putzl and Thank you for stopping by today. And of course Thank you for reading my blog every day! Keep your eyes open Seventh son.

A couple of weeks ago I searched for a book on Amazon and for some reason I stumbled upon The Wander Society by Keri Smith. I do love journals and notebooks and purchased Wreck This Journal years ago at an Urban Outfitters. This one is also great and somewhere in my bookshelf. 

Keri Smith explained in the introduction that she browsed her local bookstore and found some strange notes in a worn copy of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. Notes such as “WW will show you the way,” The Wander Society” and “Solvitur ambulando”. There was also a weird little thunderbolt symbol on this particular page. She found all this very strange but was intrigued and did some research first. She then discovered pamphlets, hidden messages and clues in the city, in the woods and at several other places. All her findings about The Wander Society are in this little gem of a book and beautifully done. 

What is The Wander Society? The Wander Society is a secretive mysterious group who say that in order to live a deliberate fulfilled life and if you want to find your true self you need to wander. Simple as that. “You have arrived”, “we are infinite” and the book is just as awesome as this all sounds. 

“Technology can be an amazing tool when used for good. But when it is used constantly throughout your day, it serves to distract and disconnect you from the things you are attempting to explore on a deep level, namely yourself and the world. On this note, the wanderer makes a conscious decision to limit his or her technology use while out on wanderings. Certainly technology will be used for documentation purposes, but other access should be limited to emergency use only.”

I do like my computer, phone, new camera and whatnot but I am becoming somewhat disenchanted with all this new technology out there. So this book just came at the right time in my life. It is full of practical tips, how-tos and much more. I found the tips on wandering fieldwork very interesting. Discovering new things by solely walking around is fantastic. The Wander Society also suggests that you take different routes to broaden your horizon. Observe and treat nature as your teacher. I found this book very inspiring and felt like going into the woods and explore right here and there. I highlighted many passages and loved this quote especially: 

“Regular wandering provides us with mental space so that ideas have a chance to form. When we repeat the same activities day in and day out, we limit our ability to have new experiences. Over time our bodies, senses, and brains start to atrophy. Our world becomes smaller and smaller until we are living in a tiny little box. Society likes us to exist in this box because it makes our behavior predictable. If our behavior is predictable, society is more able to sell us things that we don’t need. We tell ourselves that the box is okay, that it is safe, but really the box is a little prison.” 

Read this quote one more time! Isn’t it so true? 

Since my son can walk we are outside most of the time. We love being in the woods, in the park or just to “wander around” and explore. Now I want to do it even more often. The Wander Society has a plethora of symbols they use and since I saw them all in the book I have to say that I have seen at least two  in a city at lamp posts and carved into an old tree. The society suggests that you leave some of these symbols, or your own, somewhere along your journey of discoveries. Leave a stone pile somewhere, a sticker, a chalk drawing. Be creative. So many times I left stone art at the beach with my son. It is all fun! Needless to say, I loved loved loved this book. Check out The Wander Society’s website. There is not much on it or to click on because they want to remain as mystical as possible. 

“The Wander Society is a secret underground organization based on the concept of experiencing unplanned time. Membership will require you to conduct research on your immediate environment and complete a variety of assignments designed to creatively disrupt everyday life. That is all you need to know for now. If you are interested, please continue reading this site. All else will be revealed in time.”

Order the book here. Enjoy!