Orientation Course
Natural
Systems Thinking Process Evaluation
In this day and age, most people
never see the natural surroundings rioting outside their windows.
Severed ties with the environment are the cause of this, and
that is what this introductory course on ecopsychology has sought
to teach each member of the Bluebirds. Because of this, The Natural
System Thinking Process has caused growth in both my peers and
I, and it has provided skills and activities that has affected
each of us forever in how we individually treat nature.
The Growth of My Peers
It seemed that there was a large growth of personal being during
the duration of this course. When first started, the group seemed
a variety of mixed emotions: restraint, excitement, nervousness,
and skepticism. One student starting the course stated that,
"even though I am connected to this work, there is a part
of me that was very resistant to actually doing the lesson. Another
person, though, expressed extreme excitement for what the lessons
were showing her. From the start, the program was making each
of us look at our personal relationship with the earth and the
environment from a different angle.
The next couple of weeks still saw a type of resistance to what
we were learning. My peers were only just finding how to separate
themselves from the "real world to one of natural existence
with their surroundings. As one student said, "At first,
I was not feeling thank-full for this awareness, still being
caught up in my things to do, list including this chapter.
Gradually, though, the information started to sink in, and everyone
began to reconnect with their "webstring attractions."
The group was beginning to relax and experience what the lessons
were saying. Attractions were becoming self-evident, and a rekindling
of the webstring relationship was taking place. One student even
began to replace words such as feelings, and senses, with the
comfortable term of webstring.
As we delved even deeper into the course, my peers seemed to
be blossoming from the way the program was directing each of
us. Painful memories of deaths that had occurred to family members
were being re-examined and worked through. Relationships that
were somewhat unsteady were balancing out when the two people
talked to each other about the experiences this course was providing.
Trust in ones-self was beginning to rebuild through the guidance
and support of reconnecting with our natural surroundings.
Now at the end of this course,
my peers seem to have found and learned many things. Every one
seems to be more insightful and aware of their relationship with
the natural world. It appears that there have been internal shifts
in each person as to how they look at other people, at nature,
at the world, and at their own lives. All of us seem to have
grown in the period of a couple months.
The Growth of Myself
I feel that I have also grown. I started this course somewhat
skeptical, as I am in any situation where I don't know what to
expect the outcome to be. I was recovering from personal tragedies
that had happened recently. I was tired, and sad, and didn't,t
really feel like doing more school-work that this program was
sure to involve.
However, all of that changed as I went along with each activity.
When I look back now, I have seen a shift in myself as well as
my peers. It appears that I am more relaxed within myself (which
has always been a personal problem). I also have been reminded
of what I always knew was true: it really is therapy to go to
a natural area and just be at one with my surroundings.
This course has also reinforced ideas that I have had throughout
my life concerning the environment and the H. Sapiens place in
it. With the idea of webstrings, I can see that everything really
is intertwined. Everything supports each other, on both a physical
and "spiritual level. This idea was backed by the story
of the person who managed to keep a plucked leaf "alive
and healthy longer than a week, just by praising it and loving
it.
Another part of this course that had a specific impact on me
was that of requesting permission of a natural area to be a part
of it, and remembering to thank it when leaving. This really
affected me. Having always tried hard to be a polite person,
one that is respectful of others feelings, I realized that I
was being incredibly rude to the part of my life that I felt
most comfortable at. I now try to see any natural place as I
would if I were going up to a bar and asking, "May I sit
here? and waiting for a response.
Lessons Learned
Throughout this course, the Bluebirds have learned many valuable
skills, lessons, and activities. We have learned how to behave
properly in any part of nature, we know the importance of keeping
our webstring connection open to the universe, and we now know
different ways that we can interact with nature. Hopefully we
will leave this class, remembering that we humans are only one
part of a conglomerate of existing life.
One student said that she trusted nature to provide her with
answers and guidance, but that she doesn't,t often follow through
on what nature is trying to tell/call her to do. This was stated
early in the course, and I'm sure that today she would agree
that she has learned what it takes to really listen to her natural
surroundings.
Another statement from a student was that she felt too immersed
in her "real world" office job, as well as the modern
day habit of drinking a lot of coffee and shopping consistently.
She felt like she was losing her connection from nature due to
these distractions. We all have this problem, but I feel confident
that each of us has learned enough to look past the superficiality
of our day-to-day lives and to see what really matters.
"We often sense, our attractions, but without understanding
what the message of the sense, is, we limit our full integration
of the that attraction. This was written by a Bluebird at the
very beginning of this course, and I happen to agree with it.
However, The Natural System Thinking Process has provided each
member of this group guidance in understanding how to use and
interpret our sensory attractions. Each of us is now more richly
endowed in the knowledge of our relationships with our natural
surroundings.
Lacie
Additional student reviews of the course are available at
orienteval2a.html
orienteval3g.html
orienteval4h.html
orienteval5j.html
orienteval6k.html
orienteval7z.html
orienteval8.html
