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Program
Outcomes:
an online program participant, shares her results from
a nature-connecting activity
with Honeysuckle.
NATURAL SELF-DISCOVERY:
I FIND MYSELF FRESH AND ENCHANTING
In Spring, I'm always reminded
of my first house, an old New Jersey Tudor, and the glorious
scent of Honeysuckle that climbed the front chimney wall and
blew an early morning kiss through my bedroom window. I wanted
that here, in Harrisburg. So yesterday, when I saw that the delicate
white and yellow blossoms hung abundantly on a 300-foot fence
ringing the parking lot of a suburban supermarket, I went over
and asked permission to collect some to transplant on the fence
in my backyard. It had rained the night before, and the grass
was still wet. I moistened newspaper on the grass to wrap my
intended harvest, but could find nowhere on the stems to take
clippings. I took this as a sign to avoid harvesting at that
time. I thanked the lush, perfumed flowers and the clean, fresh
air for the attraction and time spent, then left.
Later, I talked with a friend who bakes. She makes a sweet, eggy
cornbread to "die" for, weaves her own straw nests
for wild birds, and has a green thumb. She explained that Honeysuckle
has to be dug from the roots in the ground with something like
a pick axe or shovel. I don't know, but that seemed overly intrusive
to me, so I let the honeysuckle be.
From the activity I discovered that I love Honeysuckle because
it is like the melody of Franz Liszt's Liebestraub - sweet,
light, fresh, enchanting. And I love myself because I try to
maintain a pleasant disposition - most of the time I'm easy to
be with; I believe in freshness - self-renewal and open-mindedness,
and some people even say that they find me enchanting. (smiles)
People who find value in this ( the self-discovery activity)
show that they trust their non-verbal self and attractions....
That is key to living in balance with nature within and around
us.
To remove my ability to sense and trust nature's non-verbal attraction,
of course, would be a travesty. I would feel very sad and hollow
inside. For me, Honeysuckle is an absolute marker for Spring.
This discovery activity enhanced sense of self-worth and trustfulness
of nature, especially when I realized that although I was strongly
attracted to the blossoms on the fence, clipping them would not
have helped sustain the species, when, obviously, was my intention
was to be helpful.
Doing this nature-connecting exercise reinforced my awareness
of my sense of responsibility to nature. I really wanted the
Honeysuckle, but my webstring connections prevailed. Nature has
a reason for not putting buds on the plant's branches, and for
not making its roots easily accessible. There must be a reason
why, despite its delightful scent, Honeysuckle is rarely seen
in flower beds, but grows almost exclusively in the wild.
I was attracted to the Sal's email statement, "I think this
course - the readings, the reactions, and the exercises - are
helping me to open to the potentiality of my part in the webstring
model...." I found that I was able to easily go into silent
experience without labels...."
As noted above in parts reasonably combining natural and cultural
senses and thoughts re-educates us and brings forth a whole life
satisfaction -increased feelings of peace and well-being. This
discovery helped me realize how at birth we are physically and
emotionally amputated from the environment."
Many folks who do these activities want to do them in private.
They feel foolish or ashamed about what other people will think
if they are seen hugging a tree.... We do not have those inhibitions
as children. Our troubles result from socialization that educates
us to think differently than how nature's webstring attractions
work."
I woke up this morning and I can still "see" the blossoms,
intact, on the fence around the parking lot and I believe that
my decision not to take any was a good one. I'll likely go out
on the internet to learn more about the plant, especially why
it isn't harvested more. I plan to pilot this activity with my
elementary students in summer school this year.
I treasure that will help me reconnect discomforting parts of
myself with nature and lets nature nurture them so that they
feel comfortable to me. I become more immune to nature-desensitized
people, and they become more respectful of me.
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
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