becoming still
A Tale of Inner Reckoning and Wild Places
“An open and vulnerable account of how journeys shape us.”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS
overview
What begins as a reluctant holiday—tagging along on her boyfriend’s trip to the untamed wilderness of Venezuela—quickly turns into an unpredictable journey, evoking fears, challenging perceptions, and questioning long-held beliefs. Amidst jungle rivers, towering waterfalls, and Pemón guides, a woman finds herself navigating not only unfamiliar terrains but also the hidden depths of her doubts and desires.
Becoming Still is a captivating and poetic tale of adventure, loss, and inner awakening, an invitation to surrender control, embrace the unknown, and discover the healing power of nature. Interwoven with vivid storytelling, cultural insight, and moments of quiet revelation, this story explores how travel can simultaneously unravel and restore us, and how stillness, even in the wildest places, can guide us home.
Dear Reader,
Set against the wild landscapes of Venezuela, this is short travel memoir about fear and the quiet transformations that occur when we stop trying to master unfamiliar places and allow ourselves to be changed by them. As danger, beauty, and discomfort heighten perception, the journey focuses on mindfulness rather than reaching a destination. Rivers, forests, and remote pathways are portrayed as spaces resisting possession, not just scenic backgrounds for conquest. What unfolds is not mastery but a loosening, and a realization that stillness can reside even on unstable ground, and that not every experience needs to yield a lesson to be worth holding.
Written as a rich, compressed narrative rather than an adventure tale or self-help guide, Becoming Still is for readers drawn to travel, to books that reward patience, and to stories that allow ambiguity to remain intact. If you are interested in how fear shapes perception, how landscapes alter desire, and how quiet attention can change the way we move through the world, this book may meet you there.
Topics explored:
- Travel through politically and environmentally complex places
- Fear, perception, and vulnerability
- The psychological experience of unfamiliar environments
- How travel reshapes desire, not just identity
- Learning restraint, attention, and stillness rather than mastery
Comparable reads include:
- The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd,
- A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit,
- Findings by Kathleen Jamie, and
- Tracks by Robyn Davidson.
Readers who have previously enjoyed Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert may find this book resonates with their current interest in more introspective and quieter narratives.
Thank you for reading.
author
Sej Saraiya is an ethnographic photographer, filmmaker, and writer whose work explores indigenous traditions and wisdom. A USC MFA alumna, she has exhibited her photography globally and spoken on the topics of non-duality, indigenous ecology, and coexistence in academic and cultural settings across the United States and internationally, including USC, the Pacific Asia Museum, CSUF, Athens and Paris. Becoming Still draws from her earliest travel experiences, marking the start of her lifelong journey into storytelling and self-discovery.
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