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PROGRAM OUTCOMES:
Barbara, an online program participant, shares her results from
a nature-connecting activity.
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MY FEELINGS AND ATTRACTIONS ARE NOT MINE ALONE
I joined some fragrant, vine
plants that grow near my front deck, and came up with the following
statement from that sensory attraction visit to the natural area:
My experience in nature shows me that I am a person who gets
good feelings from the sweet fragrance of flowers. I am attracted
to the cycle of the blooms - - some wide open in appearance and
scent, some still buds, holding the promise of future sweetness,
and some that are wilting, the petals edged in brown, growing
papery from the sun. Even these dead and dying hold the promise
of the future. All the phases have purpose, supporting the cycle
of life.
I re-learned three important
things that I already knew - - connection, connection, connection.
I suppose this means that the word connection is important to
me, and including people in nature, means connecting with ALL.
I have been in environments
where things are kept pristine, and that never feels "right"
to me. Those sorts of environments, even gardens where everything
is so in order that there is a lack of life despite its neatly
trimmed presence, always leave me bereft. I suppose, if you took
away the cycle of the flowers I see on those vines, that I would
feel bereft - - which is why I leave them. All of these phases
connect one to the next ... all are important.
I see that there is no judgment
in nature. No words such as religion, war, cult, group, organization
... no judgment. To me, this equals freedom.
I'm not sure I can "verbalize"
effectively how this activity re-educated me, but I know that
it did. I think there is a sense of completeness I received from
this experience. At times, I have felt that I am separate from
my childhood, or from certain experiences within my life. Perhaps,
even, I have purposely distanced those times and experiences
from the me that is current. But they are a part of me, and like
the petals that fall and help the soil grow fertile, which in
turn feeds the whole plant and nourishes future fragrant blooms,
those experiences are a part of me, and have helped me to have
a fertile current life.
I was most attracted to the
statement from "Anonymous" in California, who crawled
through heavy brush to find a secluded area beneath a Bay Laurel.
Anonymous was alone, and yet not alone ... the air joining Anonymous
and a twig high in the tree, reminding Anonymous to breathe deeply,
be calm, and admire nature's perfection. This experience attracts
me because it seems to represent the struggle (crawling through
brush) that most of us face in today's modern society, to even
find a little sole space, let alone a place of solitude in nature.
Once there, though, the reward is great. I also read into the
statement, though it wasn't expressly stated, that Anonymous
felt a PART of that nature ... this connectedness to the earth
then lasts, and helps one to remain centered long after the experience
is done. It's almost a reminder of the old saying about some
of the most worthy things deserving doing being some of the most
difficult to get done. But crawling through that brush, struggling
against our society's story way of thinking, to cut through to
nature and become one with the earth, really is worth the time
and effort.
I also connected with Robert Beam's statement about visiting
places where, as he says, "Over ions of time, nature slowly
reclaims that which she gave forth to sustain those that have
gone before." This statement reminded me of much smaller
experiences I have had, where it seems nature is reclaiming spaces,
not over eons of time necessarily, but even over days, over weeks,
or maybe months. For instance, behind a huge housing complex
where they have left some "green" space nearly untouched,
a creek runs through, and trails have been etched for the residents'
enjoyment. In certain spots, the earth doesn't cooperate with
their planned green space. Dirt collects, water joins, and a
patch of reeds begins to grow. Within that patch, insects breed,
and wildlife is attracted to eat those insects. The cycle continues
until the wild space begins to invade, and planners step in again
to clear the route for residents. But standing in such a place,
one might hear birdsong, or the call of a young coyote, and imagine
that if allowed to, nature would cover over and repair these
spots, filling them with life. I've seen the same thing happen
in a patch alongside the road, where rainwater somehow collects,
and life begins a cycle of growth.
Linda Robins and Sarah Small of Portland both spoke of tiny little
wonders, of finding a surprise in nature (deer tracks, a single
droplet of water on a leaf, moss on a fence). Such a connection
of wonder I felt in response to both of these statements! I absolutely
love the surprises of nature ... of being in the moment and discovering
that something wondrous is always waiting, if we only look!
I see that nature is pure,
and we are also pure, the essence of nature, and our continued
experience gathers for growth and unity.
I've discovered that the feelings
and attractions I connect with in and around nature are not mine
alone, and in that knowledge there is a feeling of unity and
connection with others. This is heartening because whatever I
share with others about nature in the future can find a home
in them and ALL.
Act now.
Master Organic
Psychology by doing it.
Explore it from our homepage
.
Contact us at 360-378-6313 mailto:nature@interisland.net,
http://www.ecopsych.com
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