Project NatureConnect
How Nature Works:
The Natural Systems Thinking Process(Continued from Page 1)
Energy:
While continuing to sit under the tree, I took some deep breaths and allowed my body to let go of control and sank slowly into the forest floor to lie there a few moments, sometimes looking up at blue Sky through Trees and sometimes closing my eyes. What a comfort to let go of all burdens, stories, wranglers, worries and just let Earth support me in the simple act of BEING. It was truly relaxing and energizing (I felt very tired and stressed at the beginning of the exercise and then, at the end, ran part of the way home! Where did that energy come from?). I wrote: Is it possible? Is it right? Is it natural? Is it real? Can I trust it? To just let Earth cradle me, support me, love me Could it all be THAT simple? Yes.
Place:
"I was born with a "mild" form of cerebral palsy. When I was growing up, I was put through many programs because of my disability. I was labeled a variety of negative terms by my peers. When I got older, my disability was less noticeable, although still very real for me. But now I was dealing with people who tried to discount my disability, saying I wasn't "disabled enough" (whatever that means?!). So, I have been constantly caught between two worlds, never feeling I belonged in either one. Recently, that feeling of loss of place strongly came upon me. I felt sadness and frustration, as I always have. But, this time, after the negative feelings were felt, through the activity I found a reason to be happy. And that reason was/is nature. Nature has no labels for what I am. It just gives me feelings of love and acceptance. So although I felt the sadness, I did not wallow in it, thereby making it worse (I had done that often in the past). I realized I could go to nature and find peace and acceptance."
Letting Earth Teach"Yesterday I decided to try to heal some distressed thinking about illness and death with a trip away from home into Nature on a particularly bright autumn day. But my main connection with Nature happened right outside my door!
I stepped outside and felt drawn to a hydrangea bush which still has one, fading blue flower on it. I was ready to walk over to it and stroke its shiny green leaves--but I was stopped. I did not receive permission to move closer to the bush. This perplexed me because certainly I meant the bush no harm and it was not harmful to me. I sensed that I need not move back from the bush, either. So, a little confused at first, I just stood there and waited. I looked at the plant and tried to BE there with it.
Then I found myself focusing on its flower which was fading and leaning towards the earth. Already it was dropping some of its petals. It was then that my experience became very emotional and difficult to verablize. I'll try to describe it. It was as if what I had already known in an intellectual and one-dimensional way, suddenly became fully-dimensional and sensuous to me.
I became focused on this particular hydrangea bush which took and gave so much energy from and to Nature and as a part of Nature; I could FEEL how this one plant was so active in its movements of energy to create a bud, then a flower which it nurtured and now slowly was letting go of as the flower was dying. New life would arise from the death of this flower. . . . This cycle seemed so right, and I was able to accept the process of letting go somewhere deep in my psyche in a way that I hadn't been able to before. But in a "gut" way, not a verbal way.
More than that, this one hydrangea bush now is soooooooooo real to me, and I feel a more full respect and affection for it. I walked away feeling centered and peaceful. Later when I stroked its leaves, I stroked the leaves of a friend in Nature, a companion on a journey--not just some plant separate from me."
Connection Results
"A friend had a close encounter with a wild dolphin and felt so connected to all of nature after the experience that at dinner, with six or seven of us sitting around a table on the outdoor balcony, she spoon-fed soup to a wasp. And the weird part about it -- after some of my own close encounters with dolphins -- is that I knew *exactly* how she felt. (And now, after doing some of the PNC exercises, I know even more!). Another weird thing that I've done lately is buy containers of oysters and clams to leave outside in the parking lot of the grocery store for the seagulls. (They rely on stale bread for so much of their existence that once in a while, rather than leave a church offering, I'll leave an offering from the sea to the gulls.)"
Food
The view of the still, gray water amid the colorful autumn leaves and sky softly muted with clouds were strong attractions. The sounds of wildlife were soothing. The birds and squirrils amused me with their intense demeanor. All business in hunting and gathering. The single-minded focus of the animals was delightful.
I have noticed this in all animals and it is always a joy to watch. Then I wonder why the human animal has to acquire food and everything else in such excess. Animals are so much wiser than we are. The more I do the nature activities, the more aware of my bodies needs and I find I am eating only what my body craves and very little "junk" food. It just does not appeal. This was not a "I am going to change my eating habits" new brain decision but an old brain change that just happened.
Freedom:
"Doing this activity reminds me of the story about the elephant who had his leg chained to a stake to prevent him from escaping. He was used to only being allowed to roam a short distance in a little circle. Then as time wore on he became so habituated that the trainer was able to get the same results from a thin string instead of a chain. Ironically, this strong elephant stayed put because he had no idea he had the power to break that tiny thread that he thought was holding him.
I feel I am like that elephant. Living in a closet and so used to it that I don't know I have the power to leave. Someone tells me I can and I don't really believe it.....until that is, I experience my own power. That's what the connecting with nature activities help me do. They let nature feelingly show me what is beyond my closet and soon I want out. But unless I am able to have personal experience to convince myself that outside the closet is better, trying to force me or anyone out of the closet doesn't work."
Fear:
"The "web of life" description made me me think of the circular nature of things and I chose to look at why I have such a problem with yellow jackets, wasps, and most bees. I have had very intense negative reactions to them since childhood. I am not allergic as I have been stung a few times in my life and neither one of these times was particularly traumatic. In doing the activity I realized that this is not just a natural sense ("fear, dread of injury") but was a thwarting of possibly the aesthetic sense and the sense of appreciation. I think I have unconsciously been paying attention to this "aesthetic string" because we have planted all sorts of native and non-native flowering plants in our yard that have attracted every sort of bee, hornet, wasp, etc. that you can imagine. They are either enjoying the plant or the other creatures on the plants (i.e. aphids). I have been trying to think about them differently and FEEL differently around them for the last two years. Now, due to this activity, I have a new way of sensing them and actually found myself attracted to what they were doing in the yard this weekend. I hope to do this with other creatures in the area such as scorpions!"
Responsibility
"Since I spend so much of my time outside I take for granted the conscious contact principle. Once this was realized and I began using the breathing techniques that I have used with others I began to have deeper and more memorable moments. i.e. Because the Bluebirds in our area no longer have the nesting areas needed I began to put up houses made for them and asked them openly to take use of them....the Bluebird population increased a the feeders almost by 50%. Was it because the houses went up or that I consciously began to send out a loving invitation to come back to the area and that we would help to create a new habitat for them? I believe the latter."
Stress:
"I chose to go to my newly transplanted container garden, as I do every morning now. The smile instantly appeared as I felt the spring nip in the air and the sunshine making a rare appearance. Slowly, I tried to focus on the birds and the smell of the earth so that the sounds of cars and construction wouldn't pull back into my shell. As I could feel my body transforming into a part of nature the stress rolled off my neck and shoulders and back. After a few minutes even the sounds of human existence didn't make me feel anxious. It felt as if I could see this space from a higher distance and see myself as just one part of the activity in this city. I think that without a connection to nature, I am often left feeling anxious and depressed by the city and the conditions of my neighborhood. We have lots of construction, drug deals, gun shots and gang members around my house and sometimes I really despise the city because of it. Yet when I can remember that even cities are connected to nature, that my box garden is still living by the standards of the sun and soil and rain and that my breath is one of my links, I can relax a little and not be so stressed out."
Grace:
"I returned to my favorite paperbark gum tree I know as Grace to do the Matching activity: "She's tall and straight and strong and sturdy, although recent storm tides and king tides have exposed some of her roots, which adds an air of open vulnerability to her being. Her body twists like a ballet dancer caught in a photograph mid-turn...." To match her then was for me to assume her dancer's pose. Easily done, despite my uneasiness at being so seen and considered a bit odd.
I discovered the most extraordinary, ordinary thing. That Grace is Grace because of her stance in the world OR taking it from a different direction: Grace's stance in the world is Grace.
I learned that what allows Grace to be Grace is that she has set herself squarely and firmly on and into Earth, and from this place she has learned to yield....to Life and from Life. From this place she has withstood Violent Wind, who has bruised her branches, has ragged at her leaves, has torn at her skin, has tried her spirit. From this place, she has acceded to Gentle Wind, who has approached with courtly manner, has sung softly along her boughs, has taken her tenderly in his arms, has lead her in dance that has moved her soul. From this place she has held secure while Taking Sea has wildly rushed her, has swept around her, has pried with curious fingers, has dug to unEarth bits of her secret self. And from this place she has shared the wonders of Giving Sea, has found comfort in Sea's endless sounding, has heard her heart in Sea's primal pounding, has mapped timeless paths of Sun and Moon across Sea's fluid body.
Matching Grace through the activity, I learned that she is the essence of being AND doing because she is so well grounded in the nameless-attractive-loving-intelligence we call nature. In finding her, I found that part of me, my grace. I also found the part of me that had me looking through the storied eyes of others, seeing myself looking a bit silly matching Grace. And there is one that has me still trying very hard....so hard I keep getting in my own way."
Healing
J.D.: I went for a walk between rain storms on a very stormy day here on the Oregon Coast. I asked permission to walk in this very strong wind and connect with nature for this activity. It felt right to do this.
As I walked the wind pushed me along and I felt how warm and strong it was. It seemed to push me and cushion me as I became part of the wind. Just letting my mind push me along, I felt a part of the wind. That sounds backwards but it was not on a verbal thinking level but on a much deeper level. Here I was in the middle of a violent storm and feeling the greatest comfort. I was a part of this exciting world and I enjoyed it without thinking just feeling. My old brain was operating and the peace that came over me was profound. I walked several blocks and circled back home and the wind stayed behind me and it felt like I was in a big soft comforter. Just as I arrived home the rain started again, with hail and I was glad of the shelter of our house. The feeling of peace continued throughout the rest of the storm, during my inside activities.
I have a sore on my left leg that has not healed since last August when I had a growth removed in a surgery. It was almost healed until last week when it became infected again. It is very painful. During this walk all pain disappeared and when I later had to go to the Medical Doctors again to try to find out how to heal this wound, I felt peaceful through this very unpleasant experience.
M.S.: 'I have experienced a strange calm as I felt connected to wild, high waves close to me near the end of a hurricane storm. I have experienced the disappearance of physical pain at moments of extreme compassion for another being. During these moments, at once I was emptied of self and whole in self. And I do believe that immersion in natural connections may result in the healing of physical woes."
G.A. "I am so grateful for my emotional being! I at one time knew only one chaotic sense as a result of my Drug/Alcohol dependence. For some time now I have been gifted with a part of the world that has provided me with complete days of nothing but warmth and beauty. Hawks, Eagles, and Osprey allowing my being to soar to places no drug could ever have taken me. Feeling deeply the death of a dear friend, my divorce, and my fathers death while sitting in the woods grieving at a depth that left me open and cleansed. Not through counseling and the spoken word, but through the large and small teachings held in ever tree animal and blade of grass. Thank you "Great Mystery Of Life" I can now accept the question without the answer."
Relationships:
"For my husband and I, sharing our experiences in nature has been and will continue to be a powerful and positive force in our relationship. Participating in this course has already energized me and it seems to be contagious. I can't believe how validating it feels to have others express what I've been thinking for a long time.
As a nature artist, I have known nature produces unity for awhile, but have been unable to verbalize exactly what was happening to me. Sometimes I thought it was a unique experience, until it started happening to my husband too, when he would go out and do the activities with me. Something in us changed. Our relationship deepened. I started feeling the world in a different way. A joy crept into my heart that I had never known before. My time out in the woods "working" was more effective than a month of therapy, more fulfilling, and A LOT cheaper. My husband and I checked it out, and our pulse rates actually lowered when we spent the day in nature! In fact now it's a joke between us when we go out in nature. "How ya doing Honey?" and take each other pulse."
Hope:
"As we were returning to the stream that was fed by the lake, the egret landed in front of us, on the rail of the bridge over the stream. We stood there for a long while. I took some photographs and was surprised at how close the egret let me get to it. I couldn't help feeling the egret was as curious about me as I of it. I felt so honored but also didn't want that moment to end. The peace at watching this beautiful creature, the joy at being trusted to get that close. Then, the egret flew off and I was in awe of the grace and fluidity of its movements. When I turned around I was surprised to see that a crowd had gathered. Not only that, but this was an automobile road. Traffic had stopped, people had gotten out of their cars, all just to admire the beauty of this piece of nature, almost gone from this area. At that moment, I felt hope return. That perhaps all is not lost, and if given the opportunity people will stop and "SEE". If one bird can stop traffic and hold a crowd in awe the connection is not gone.
That moment gave me hope for this planet and the people on it. For the longest time I felt no one cared, and that we would end up in some bubble cities cause we had destroyed all of nature. But, in seeing this response to the egret, my hope returned. People just need an opportunity to feel that connected to wonderment, the awe."
Love:
"Earlier this evening I went into my backyard to give thanks to the earth on this Earth Day and receive consent to visit there. I have walked out there dozens of times since we moved here, and each of those times I felt removed from it, like I was on my way to somewhere else, somewhere I had to be, with something I had to do. This time, I sat down in the grass which we have let grow fairly tall, and I looked around at the many trees and plants, and I asked consent to join with the oneness of this place. Immediately I felt very different, as if the person that I am had expanded, had become as big as the yard, had encompassed and been encompassed by the nature that is living there. I felt immediate peace, a smiling kind of relaxation, a warm welcome from life...almost as if these natural beings had been waiting for me to stop going and doing, and to simply be, as they are simply being. I felt at home, here in this community of life that seems so friendly in its warmth and beauty. I feel a sense of happiness and joy is being shared by all the life in this yard...I am so glad I am here.
Touching, seeing and sensing the backyard mini-forest in which I now sit tells me that I am a person who feels a profound sense of wonder and peace as the love of these trees and plants wraps its arms around me and fills my heart with the essence of life. This love feels like a warmth extended to me from each living attraction within each cell of each natural being, and it washes over me and around me, as if to welcome me home from a long journey. It feels wonderfully good to be home."
Truth:
"Sensory contact through the activities makes me feel better about myself. When I enter into those experiences I am better able to sort out what makes sense to me and what doesn't about my everyday life. When I am confused I can go to Nature and, somehow, I am better able to get a sense of the truth in the situation. That confirms that I am a real part of an ongoing process, the process of life. The feelings I recall from my youth come from my innate, inborn abilities. I didn't have to learn them from a book or be taught how to experience them. I feel them from my core. I was granted those abilities by the Source of Life."
Roots:
"Earth Day, trees swaying,
Blue sky, soothing wind blows through my soul
Earth, wind, sky, trees, Us! ""This haiku arose in me as I sat under a tree in my beloved forest area where I have skiied all winter and had many beautiful moments of connection to Earth. The area is wondrous now, washed in sunlight; green spruces and beige poplars seem happier, brighter. This glorious sunny day inspired the haiku through light often gusty winds blowing and playing with the tops of trees. An owl called (even in bright daylight) and songbirds visited from time to time as they wandered through the forest. My dogs, as usual, played or sat near me. I was inspired to assume the posture of the swaying trees so I stood up. Feet firmly planted on the ground, I moved my upper body and arms mostly to the changing motions of the wind in the trees. I sensed how rigid my storied, stressed body and thoughts are, and how wonderful it feels to let go and let the wind, through nature's intelligent-nameless-love, carry me, touch me, move me. All the while, as my upper body swayed, my feet felt firmly rooted to Earth - an empowering feeling of belonging. I realize that, yes, many people around here would label this as "flaky". My response is, "If this is so, are you really happy with the effects of our non-flaky world? What's important?" I feel the reconnecting with nature process is the opposite of flaky, which connotes superficiality. I'm tried many forms of self-improvement, this is the deepest work I have been involved in."
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