Attraction Energies in Nature Enhance Meditation
ATTN; DR. COHEN
With respect to a nature connecting activity that you recommend to precede meditation (14), a response you report is that people have said it was like "a flower was holding my hand" or "the grove smiled its consent"
Doesn't it seem interesting that the very "things" we claim to respect about nature i.e. somehow gaining consent, becomes limited by our unique/linear understanding. Doesn't it also seem as though nature's balance is beyond our words...maybe some form of poetic justice could be used...something where the pattern, not the words create feeling...it seems to me that to explain nature with terms like "holding my hand" and or "the grove smiling its consent" are off the mark slightly, is it not enough to just be? To look and feel and know? It seems like talking about the experience belittles it to yet another human experience, rather than say a spiritual experience. I'm not sure if this makes any sense to you, but... I am very interested in psychology, phenomenology, philosophy, and nature....the quilt like balance between all.
- a concerned neighbor
Dear Neighbor,
Thanks for sharing your excellent thoughts.
Abstract by definition means shortcut, to leave something out. In this light, all words except perhaps words about language are abstractions of the world.
Nature in its wholeness is mostly non-verbal, except for humanity. Authentic Nature is not an abstraction. Rather it is a genuine non-verbal reality, the relationships and process of the eons.
Humanity, however, is not whole without its sense of verbal language. Verbalization is as much a gift of Nature and part of our nature as is our eye or sense of touch.
Verbalization with respect to most things is an abstraction. When you abstract nature you disconnect yourself from its integrity because you lose its wholeness. It becomes words, representations of the real thing rather than the real thing. Thinking with words alone fools you into thinking you know Nature, even when you know Nature is wordless.
We produce our troubles when our relationships are based on abstraction alone. For this reason, my work enables people to make thoughtful, non-verbal, sensuous contact with authentic, wordless, Nature and thereby consciously become whole with Nature for a time.
From that point on, the challenge becomes to become whole as a human, to verbalize in way that sustains human wholeness and supports personal, local and global natural systems as well, for that is a major purpose of life. In that thoughtful, word-congruent wholeness lies our personal and global integrity.
It is usually the effects of things that matter most and best measure them.
Abstraction of nature, verbal or otherwise, is always off the mark unless it leads to behavior that genuinely supports nature's wholeness. Then abstraction is on the mark, even though it may be off by definition. (Definitions, being words, are also abstracts).
Nature-connected meditation is seldom off the mark because the person first gains consent to make genuine contact with real nature via non-verbal attractions. This enables them to register and embrace Nature in oneness. They then share words emanating from their nature connection with others. Their inherent sense of reason notes the effects of their words. If the effect is for their words to somehow thoughtfully further their or other's ability to support life in a balance, can their words really be off the mark? If they say a tree held their hand or a grove gave consent and that brought them or others to further support all of life, whose mark are they off?
Not mine.
It's when we leave out any one of these steps that we may be off the mark. We disrupt the peace inherent in Our or Nature's wholeness and end up with the conflict, wars and abusiveness that too often marks contemporary life within and around us.
Owls and Howls,
Mike
Best Nature-Connecting Meditation Link: The Web of Life Imperative
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..........APPLIED ECOPSYCHOLOGY
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Department Chair Office
Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Lead Faculty*
Post Office Box 1605,
Friday Harbor, WA 98250.
(360) 378-6313
nature@interisland.net*Dr. Cohen is the director of
PROJECT NATURECONNECT
at the
Institute of Global Education
A special NGO Consultant to the
United Nations Economic and Social Council
He also serves as Adjunct Faculty for
Portland State University School of Extended Studies
and
Applied Ecopsychology Director Greenwich University