What if you don't need to leave your everyday life behind to go deeper?
There is a field
Creating space in the tangled forest of life to see more clearly, feel more deeply, and decide what comes next.
Life is busy, some days there's barely time for coffee, let alone perspective. Same old worries, habits and self talk.
And the years are slipping by.
What if the perspective, pause and peace you are longing for aren't at a retreat or somewhere 'other', but hidden right in the centre of your busy life?
What if your most reliable, self-repeating patterns and habits are, themselves, the answer?
What if the way to clarity is myth?
This is an invitation to meaning through mythology.
Practically, it's a way to speak about what’s really going on so you can see your repeating habits as your strongest allies and choose what you really want for your life (instead of having it chosen for you).
'There Is A Field': Creating space in the tangled forest of life.
Fortnightly 1-on-1 sessions, minimum 8 sessions, online or in-person, with an optional ‘wild’ day.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
Rumi
Who this is for
This is for you if:
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You’re ready to see things differently, and to actively work towards change for your own benefit and contribute meaningful change in the world.
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You’ve been asking "Is there more to life?" or "How do I go deeper?" and feel a quiet curiosity about what might come next.
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Your life path has turned towards the unknown (or you're hopeful that it soon will). You're facing a new position of leadership, parenthood or retirement.
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You want to feel more alive, but haven't found a way to make space to begin to figure out how to do that.
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You've tried some of the prescribed methods, and you're looking for something different. Something deeper. Something mythic.
This isn’t for you if:​
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You want change, but you’re not yet ready to go beyond surface level.
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You feel protective of your own practices and don't want/feel the need to bring more meaning to your daily life.
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Your judgements about mythology and deeper meaning are too strong to allow you to engage fully.
What You’ll Get:
Through these sessions, you’ll begin to see the shape of your life and your repeating patterns and habits. More importantly, you'll learn ways to alchemise them into the things which help you.
In the process, you’ll create space to reflect on your life, feel more deeply, and step into something new. This is your chance to stop, pause, and reflect—not on what others say you should do, but on what you truly want and what’s possible for you.​
“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
#1 most common regret in palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware's 'Regrets of the Dying'.
Surely we've all heard ourselves say "There must be more to life".
There is a field is for those who hear the question and don't want to hide it away.
This is not a life hack or an efficiency tool, this is the work of ‘meaning making‘ so you can free yourself from judgement, find clarity and, ultimately, get to the end of your life with fewer regrets.
Benefits
Ever feel lost?
Choose what you want from life (instead of having it chosen for you).
Life is “fine”. You experience success, but it's not easy to hear your heart. You can help others find clarity, but you're struggling to find it for yourself. The very centre of this work is a shift in perspective: When things stop making sense, start making meaning. Through this process, you will learn to ask “What is meaningful?”. The sense, and your actions, will flow from there.
Too busy? Distracted?
See what’s really going on, so you can reason with it.
You don’t have to ‘leave it all behind’ to find perspective. Instead of looking for a way out, together, we will create a metaphorical clearing. A calm, quiet place in the middle of the forest, which we return to together each fortnight. And we’ll wait to see what comes out of the trees so you can notice it, reason with it and make small but foundational changes to benefit all aspects of your life.
Tried it all before?
Convert your habits into your strongest allies.
Sooner or later, those shadows from the forest will step into the clearing. The repeating patterns, old habits, self-talk, self-sabotage. And instead of ‘dealing’ with them or ‘overcoming’, we’ll lean into the powerful but simple, everyday practices to make allies of your enemies.
Going against the grain?
Be galvanised by universal, timeless truths.
Trying to make a change in your life without allies can be hard going. And when your old friends don't like seeing you change, they can actively (if not consciously) work against your progress.
Fortunately, the oldest stories are the truest. Like mineral water through mountain rock, they are passed from generation to generation, all superfluous details filtered away so, by the time they reach us, they are with rich with life-affirming universal truths. Grief. Love. Sabotage. Anger. Working with old stories, guided by images from one of the greatest mythologists of our times (Dr Martin Shaw), and my own experience, you will walk away each week with another mythic wellspring to ‘drink deeply from’ in times of need.
Who's behind this, and why it works
There is a field is hosted by 'Campfire Sam' Crosby, oral storyteller, founder of Recalling Fire and ‘meaning making mentor’. You can find out more about his journey on the about page.
The short version is, Sam is someone who spent years carving a path from ‘fine’ to ‘feeling’. The little voice was telling him something was up, but he was masterful at ignoring it. And as soon as the realisation hit – that “I’m fine thanks” meant “I’m numb, stop asking” – the whole world came rushing in.
Through his own journey – and work with Dr Martin Shaw – Sam has learned to give himself practical ways to live a meaningful life.
As oral storyteller, Sam has seen how powerful and weirdly specific old stories seem to be to our own personal stories.
And as a nature guide, he's experienced firsthand how stepping into the natural world can create moments of stillness and clarity.
Sam is also…
Mentor for A Band of Brothers, the charity founded on the mythopoetic movement, mentoring young men at risk of the justice system.
Fellow of The Bio-Leadership Fellowship, global leaders working with nature to change modern human systems for the benefit of nature.
Alumni, Dartington College of Arts, Dr Martin Shaw’s The Westcountry School of Myth and Advaya’s Rewilding Mythology.
TEDx Speaker.
Host of Drop The Map podcast.
Sam's work draws on these experiences, filling journeys like yours with meaning.
What this is (and what it isn't)
You at the centre
Although my personal story and guidance may sometimes be relevant, the majority of this work is focussed on myth, meaning, you and your journey, giving rise to your habits, patterns, hopes, regrets, grief and optimism.
Practices/Practical stuff
Together we will develop a series of practical elements for you to try to make meaning in your everyday life. The gold is in this work. I promise powerful questions, you promise real, concerted effort.
The majority of sessions will be online. Depending on your geography, we may strike out to the wilds for milestone moments.
Your 'Field'
We’ll keep coming back to this central theme. As soon as we have a sense for what a metaphorical ‘place of pause’ looks like for you, we’ll start inviting other things there. Could be your work, could be your hopes. We might build a house there together, dig a well, or we might agree it’s as simple as a campfire. (And, if you like, we’ll range out together to find the real, physical thing.)
Mentoring (not coaching)
I hope you already know by now, this isn’t coaching or life skills. There are other, far more talented folks doing that sort of work.
My role is somewhere between 'witness in meaning making' and 'myth mentor'. I am not a life coach or a business coach, I am someone who is deeply entrenched in mythology and meaning making.
I bring my experience in going from 'rationalist' to 'wonderer', my background in myth, storytelling, and nature connection to help you reconnect with something real. Through these lenses, we’ll look at your everyday life, helping you see clearly, feel more deeply, and decide what comes next.
I’m not here to give you life hacks or efficiency tools, this is the work of meaning making for clarity, peace, wisdom and courageso, ultimately you get to the end of your life with fewer regrets.
