|
|
PROGRAM OUTCOMES:
David L., an online program participant, shares his results from
a nature-connecting activity.
.
THE ABILITY TO SENSE IS A RESOURCE AND FREE GIFT
I did this activity with some
spruce trees on our land. It was a beautiful evening with a sliver
of silvery moon (the moon is starting to wax after the new moon)
with Venus shining nearby. I explored three spruce trees, first
with my "free" hand and then with my other hand covered
with a glove and a toque (how Canadian!). With my free hand,
I experienced and enjoyed the sensuous touching of the tree,
bark, needles, cones activating sense of form, design, temperature,
color, texture and others. I really felt alive and connected.
Felt really good
My experience with the fettered
hand was that I felt frustrated, angry, dead(ened). I couldn't
feel the sensuousness of the trees. It was not a good feeling.
I then asked myself and the
area: What are the layers (glove and toque), the barriers that
prevent me, at times, from feeling fully, from being fully alive.
I didn't get an answer right away. I wanted to immediately say,
"Well it's all those nature exploitive stories you have
addicted to", but that just didn't feel right (although
I am sure it is true). So I let it go and continued walking without
thinking too much. Soon afterwards, three thoughts surfaced (this
often happens with me, while doing an activity, something will
just pop into my head - its that unconscious "stuff"
becoming conscious). Anyway, the three thoughts, in quick succession
were: "It happened a long time ago". "It's not
your fault". "Stop punishing yourself". I felt
no need to analyze this further or delve deep into my past to
find a traumatic experience (I've done that work already!) .The
only thought I had was that "long time ago" probably
included well before I was born.
I learned:
1. My sense of touch is one
of many gifts of nature and one of many ways to explore the world
and to feel alive.
2. Whatever keeps me from experiencing life fully, being fully
alive, is not my fault, it is not a judgment on "me".
It is probably something I took on as a child and internalized
and something that is part of everyone in one way or another,
since we all live in a dominant culture that is "sick".
3. When I am feeling "deadened", I know what to do
to revitalize: (re)connect with nature!!
I found the subtitle of this
chapter amazing: To habitually think in terms of multisensory
ways is to consistently be inspired by nature's beauty within
us... I imagine this is true...
also, An intelligent civilization's mandate is to gain consent
from nature to survive.... something to think about!
... and to organize itself to nurture nature's supportive ways
within and around
... that the behavior of the earliest forms of life show that
they change in response to changing environmental conditions...
they cooperate, net work, and regulate and control community
behavior...
I find these awesome and humbling concepts... Again and again
in this course, I find that we humans have not much over our
Earth nature, if anything at all.
In this activity, with my eyes shut my toque-covered hand loses
dramatically its sensitive touch, my sense of touch loses its
ability to know and to discern minute differences and changes
in shape and texture. My wrapped hand can touch and the leaf
and tree knows it's being touched but only as I open my eyes
can I discern that I am touching a tree or leaf. The whole experience
itself is frustrating. I have lost a whole way of knowing, loving
and appreciating. It is an aberration to me- my covered hand
has lost an ability to be gentle and subtle.
The good feelings I have are a deeper, much deeper appreciation
of my sense of touch. I also appreciate how much more I can appreciate
beauty because of my sense of touch= and without my sense of
touch I would feel significantly handicapped. I certainly have
a much deeper appreciation of the gift and blessing of my senses
and that increases my self worth-- in that a sensing human being
is in itself a resource and gift.
Act now.
Master Organic
Psychology by doing it.
Explore it from our homepage
Read
Additional Student Reports
.
Contact us at 360-378-6313 mailto:nature@interisland.net,
http://www.ecopsych.com
|
|
