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Project NatureConnect |
The Value and Outcomes of Nature-Connected Experiences.
Share your story here; help others recognize and enjoy the unifying and wellness benefits found in natural areas, potted plant, backyard or backcountry.
"When I was 6 years old, the primary school I attended was located at the foothill close to the border between Hong Kong and China. Every morning I had to take a bus from home to get to the border, and walk across the hill to reach the school in the other side of the hill.Ê When getting close to the peak, it was really a steep slope for a 6 years old girl to walk through it.Ê I was always imagining that I would slide backward and fell down. In order not to let this happen, I have to bend my back forward to balance my body, held a big breath and took every foot step very firmly. When reached the peak, I always have to take a minute to get back my breath. Down at the foothill was my primary school, right next to a big piece of farmland. I remember that morning I could not see the school and the farmland because they were covered by a light sheer of white cloud. I was astonished by this scenery which was just like the heaven I have always imagined in my mind - I was standing above the white cloud."
"The activity attracted me to lie in the water beneath that sky of reddish and orange colors with the sun rising more powerfully than I've ever seen it before. And there I was, all alone in the pond but at the same time feeling totally held by the moment. I knew this is where I belonged. I felt a powerful energy being given to me by everything around me. I had a feeling in my throat that made me feel like crying and shouting with joy at the same time; and also a sense of peace, like everything was telling me "It's alright, it's all good. My sense of isolation, this sense of loneliness, of being abandoned, of having the world against us is a common feeling. But how could a person be lonely when they could feel as part of the pond or see themselves in a lovely flower, in the trees and animals, and in other people? Think of all the lonely people who have no idea that we are so connected to nature. We are truly not alone but only disconnected from our natural state. I used to be so depressed and now when I feel it come on me I think about how connected I have become to all things. I am less and less depressed now. Imagine if everyone could experience this connection. It would become a different world."
"I felt so light in both my mind and body without holding back any single thought. It was absolutely a new discovery sensory for me. I was totally attracted by this scenery and unconsciously imprinted this beautiful picture and calmness deep inside my heart. The cloud was flowing in the air like a big piece of white sheet.Ê Its softness touched deep down into my heart with embracing love. I walked down slope and tried to catch some cloud to keep into my pocket forever. I couldn't. The golden sunshine has taken them away in a single moment. Then, I recognized that clouds cannot be caught. They belong to the sky, not my pocket."
A Magical Lake
It was late morning, and I walked down to the end of the street to be with my beach. Lake Ontario is more like an inland sea, and often acts like one depending on the wind. You can't see the opposite shore, and in the summer people wind surf. Once, during one of the big hurricanes down south, I saw people surfing the lake. Today, from the sidewalk I could see the water - one mammoth, gem-like sparkle. It was magical. The sky to the southeast over the lake was blue with large white clouds floating over it, moving shadows across the water. Behind me, the northwest sky was darkening with an incoming system. I got to the beach and saw all the twigs and branches littering the grass and sand, evidence of the winter wind's pruning effects. I saw seagulls wheel and dive and hover. I saw the "air" beneath dogs' feet as they left the ground to jump and catch balls and frisbees. I felt the cool air enter my hood and snake down my neck. At the water's edge the waves were beating on the gravel as each wave landed on, then caressed and clawed, the shore. The gravel rolled around and made a little barking sound.
Connections of air:
The wind/spirit churns up the lake.
The wind/spirit churns up me.The opposite shore of the lake is invisible to me.
The opposite shore of my life is invisible to me.The lake looks magical when it sparkles.
I look magical when I sparkle.The skies are clear in spots and stormy in others.
My soul is clear in spots and stormy in others.The wind/spirit prunes trees.
The wind/spirit prunes me.Seagulls use the wind/spirit to wheel, dive, and hover.
I use the wind/spirit to wheel, dive, and hover.Dogs "grab some air/spirit" when they play.
I "grab some air/spirit" when I play.The cool air can blow on me and sneak down the defenses of my hood.
Spirit can blow on me and sneak down the defense of my personality.The waves beat on the gravel as each landed on, caressed and clawed the shore.
The air/spirit beats on me, landing, caressing, and clawing at my edges and shores.The wind/waves made the gravel roll around and make little barking sounds.
At times, spirit can make me do the same. (But mostly, my sister's dog Gracie does that.)Marie McLean <lucidliving@acncanada.net>
Contagious Perfection
Kurtland and I were giving a talk at our Unitarian Universality
Fellowship meeting on Earth Day Every Day! For some reason, I was unusually nervous about this presentation. So I went out in my back yard and looked around for an attraction. I saw a Bottle Brush tree and was attracted by the color and delicacy of its unique blossoms. My sense of movement was attracted by the gently waving of the branches. I asked permission to connect with this being and being even more attracted, knew I had received her welcome. I let one of the blossoms rest lightly in my hand. I stroked its featheriness, which tickled my palm. I looked at it up very close and paid attention to the formation of every part. The deep reds and light yellows filled my sense of color. I began to breathe with my new friend, satisfying my sense of respiration. My mind began to calm. I looked at several more blossoms, some just becoming and some ready to drop off and I sensed the transformation process. And the thought came to my mind, "No matter what stage this being is in, no matter how buffeted by winds and rain, or dried out by sun - no matter what the circumstances - it is just perfect." I looked around me and saw that the sky was a perfect blue with perfect white fluffy clouds floating in it. The pond was a perfect shimmer with a perfect Egret standing in perfect stillness waiting for breakfast. And I remembered that all nature is perfect, and humans are part of nature. And I knew that our talk would be perfect and that all the people who would hear it would get exactly what they needed and wanted from it, fulfilling all our senses of nurturing and community.
And so it was!Gaia Davies <kurt.gaia.davies@mindspring.com>
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INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL EDUCATION Special NGO consultant United Nations Economic and Social Council
PROJECT NATURECONNECT
Readily available, online, natural science tools
for the health of person, planet and spiritP.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-6313 <email> www.ecopsych.com
ORGANIC ADVANCED ECOPSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION
The Natural Systems Thinking Process
Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Director
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All programs start with the Orientation Course contained in the book
The Web of Life Imperative.
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