The Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer

Aloha Tribe,

We each, all of us, surf our own path. This, is simply the wave I'm listening to now.

So, what exactly is a Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer? Hmm, well, it's fun you asked. First off, such a surfer surfs and travels, for the most part, alone. They are an Independent. A Solo.  And, in their Wanderings, they move from break to break with no real plan, simply, instead, following a sort of intuition of the sea, a calling of sea chi (mana), if you want to think of it that way.

Such travels are seemingly without purpose, yet, it is the call, the feeling, that leads the Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer. And, beneath all paths, even those seemingly aimless, lies, a goal, if only, to lose oneself on the path to self discovery and internal stoke.

As a Soul Surfer, one simply surfs for the pure love of it. For, the feeling. The sensation.  The stoke!!! It is a path a great many of The Tribe follow. Even the pros, in their hearts.

And, as a feral, well, that implies one searches out "the wilds," even, if the wilds are simply within the individual surfer's own experience, that is to say, a new and fresh break, as yet to be explored by the surfer on the quest.

Which, if you put it all together, simply means that a surfer travels, perhaps far, possibly simply within at a local break, letting their own energy or chi (mana) guide them, in other words, basically just listening to intution. Now, granted, it's a bit more complicated than that, after all, to truly follow such a path, one surrenders their will to the call, heeding the next break, not from choice, but instead, from feeling. Simply put,  it just feels right. And, in these meanderings and adventuresome ramblings, the surfer is not after money, fame, and glory, but instead, simply, the ride. More so, the feeling of the ride!!!

For the ride, is the thing.

In a way.

Now, that's not to say one has to constantly ride. Far from it. When done with Aloha, that internal stoke of any particular wave stays with you. Forever. It simply becomes a matter of calling forth the remembrance of a given break at a certain time, for a specific ride. If we but quiet ourselves deeply enough, we each can call forth such imagery. A key, to that, by the way, is breathing. Slow, rhythmic, quiet, soft, gentle, beautiful, natural, receptive breathing, sort of, like in a sense, surfing breath itself. For, that is what one does as you grow deeper into the art of chi gung surfing.


Living in such a way, namely, with internal Aloha stoke, it's the culture of surfing that we embrace. The International Tribe, if you want to think of it that way, and, our collective memories and experiences, and dreams of that which was, that which is (our specialty), and that which will be.


Now then, getting back to Feral, well, perhaps it is an adventure to the wilds somewhere, a place, that nobody has ever surfed. Or, perhaps it's simply a new spot for you, or, a new way to ride an old break. The bottom line,  it's all about feeling and how we each, individually, relate to that.


Moving along gently to the vagabond aspect, one simply travels. With no plan (that's the key and the definition). Perhaps staying here. Or there. For, awhile. Until, the feeling calls again and it's time to move once more. To another break. And, another wave.


Such passion for life and surfing is, I suppose, many surfer's dream, yet, realistically, few surfer's realized dream. For most, I would imagine, fall to obligations of life, unless, we each learn to hold, deep within ourselves, our stoke.


That being said, the Vagabond Feral Soul Surfer is still out there in the world, not some relic from the 60's and early 70's but instead, still there, just, harder to find. Wandering. Traveling, more than likely, ultralightly. With but a board, probably battered, and a bag or two. You can know such a person by their eyes. And, their smile. For it stands out, even in mega-crowded line-ups. Though, that being said, such a person seldom would be in such a line-up, for, they would have ridden at a different time, a time of their own calling, in a place, only their heart knows.


Living such a lifestyle brings a uniqueness to surfing that calls the hearts and souls of many. For, it is the dream that most of us have grown up with. Of bygone days. Yesteryear. When the waves were uncrowded, there were no competitions,  no money, and it was simply he sea itself that called us to dance.


My trip, starting in the tomorrow in morning, early, will be such a trip. To the wilds. Literally. Yet, also, internally. For my quest is about the feeling. I'm not so much after the perfect wave, nor the pefect place, but more so, the feeling of the flowing, not as a form of perfection, but instead, merely as a means to surrendering within and finding my own flow, matching my ride, with, what happens inside my body, to my own chi (mana).

I seek not big waves. Nor small waves. Neither crowded waves. Nor uncrowded waves. Instead, I search for  that which takes place inside ourselves. For my dance, as is the dance of so many of us,  one of surrender and following, in order to grow and explore the wild new frontiers within myself.


Bodaciously Stoked,


Lily of the Valley