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The Value and Outcomes of Nature-Connected Experiences.
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Enjoy an attractive experience in nature:Never had an attractive experience in nature? Do this nature-reconnecting activity and see if one develops.
.For the Chapter 5 activity, I didn't have to go far. I'm watching the sun
set earlier in the evening, with more vivid colors in the sky. The colors
are refractions of far off fires, a reminder to take care. The smells on my
ridgetop are dusty, signeling a long dry spell. There are many intellegent
messages to read here, the changing skies tell me that fall is coming, it's
time to start getting my firewood in, and start my winter garden greens. The
sulphur from my water tells me to conserve water even more carefully, The
many deer down in the meadow tell me that food and water is becoming scarce
further out in the hills, the mountain lions, bears, and bobcats will be
following soon. There are so many intellegent messages on my doorstep,
unconcious webstrings of the seasons. I I love the changing of the seasons,
the webstrings are more active at this time, The fruits are maturing, I can
smell the juicy warm sweetness of blackberries, te! lling me it's time to
round up my canning jars and start putting up berries, pears, and plums. In
the past I've relied on the webstrings for timing my gardens, the smells of
rains in spring for planting, summer ripeness for harvesting, and autumn
frosts for final harvests and
winter planning. This is a very basic intelligence for survival!
Appreciation: I say a blessing and thank you to my garden every day, for
the pleasure and sustinance it brings to me and my family. I find much
pleasure in my garden!
Man is not himself only . . . he is all that he sees: all that flows to him from a thousand sources . . . He is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys. - Mary Austin
I read this to the rock I'm using for the activity which I found on the beach and keep by my bedside. It is the size and shape of a small round dinner roll, and it's beige and speckled and pocked with white little stones that are embedded in it. When I think of all the earth processes that have gone into making it, and how it ended up on the shore, and how I was attracted to it . . . I see how this quote applies to this rock and I both. We are each an event that took the earth its entire history to complete, and now we have come together as one event.
I went to a stream haly way up Purple Mountain, where I often hike, It was so hot that I was happy to splash the sparkling water on my face and then I looked for some stones at the stream's base. I picked up a dirty, dark brown stone which when I washed it turned out to be an almost transparent mineral, with yellow and orange streaks inside, as if a paintbrush
had painted on a piece of glass. What a wonderful surprise.
The mineral I found is a true surprise. I like its smooth elegance, its beauty and its cooling sensation under my fingers. This small piece of the forest will go home to remind us all of what we miss when we stay indoors.Part 2
I like this mineral because it has both strength and beauty. I have always tried to combine these aspects in my work as a teacher - I am not the mineral - perhaps I am one
small streak within its myriad of streaks, firey colours and quiet strength.
This activity was pleasant and tranquil - not an intense moment of insight but a quiet reassurance that nature's strength is silently present, ready and willing to be tapped at any moment.I shall keep this and use it as a paprt weight in my room at school and also as a stimulus for acitvities aimed at increasing oral and written expression. I believe nature can help me and help the children I work with. This will not be a sudden phenemenon but slow and ongoing, like nature's own regeneration and the rebirth of natural beauty may be mirrored by a rebirth in the children's self esteem and linguistic development.
I am a person who finds hope and inspiration in nature.I am happy I can find this in nature and in myself - this is a lesson worth more than my years of academic study and research in dusty university libraries.
I hope nature's open air libraries will be used by more students and teachers.
Mt self worth receives a boost as nature reinfornces my belief that teaching can benefit and
promote self discovery.Quiet Attention:
"I took a question into my nature meditation today, asking about any other lessons I could include in my Earth Day presentation in a couple of weeks. After I asked I became very still and quiet, waiting to perceive if there would be any response from nature that would attract and guide me. Then after a few moments, I realized that the gift I was receiving was the 'stillness of
waiting' itself, the experience of calming down of my body and mind in the process of quiet attention to the natural world while I sat there. This was a good reminder of how slowing down and resting in Nature's rhythms, our deepest inner rhythms, can bring feelings of well-being."Mark Brody <Markbrody@aol.com>
Restoration:
At my job, one of the projects we are working on is restoring a creek that was rerouted early last century for railroad access to a coal mine. With all the blasting and such that was done, a man-made waterfall was created that prohibits salmon from swimming upstream to their spawning sites. Even after almost 100 years, salmon still pool up below that waterfall, feeling the call of their ancestors from upstream. One day, when we were out at the river on a field visit I was lucky enough to have a few minutes alone. As I stood along the side of the river, I suddenly could feel the gratitude -- it was like the river was speaking to me -- thanking me and the others who are finally working to restore her natural systems. I have never forgotten that moment, and the project has been divinely guided with money showing up at just the right time to do the next thing that needs to be done.
Profound Listening
"A small group of people gather in a park by a river. The cottonwood trees sway in the wind and brightly coloured leaves are everywhere on this crisp autumn afternoon. The group includes a woman recovering from chemotherapy and a man recovering from a stroke, a poet, a community activist, a First Nations musician, a secretary, a mental health professional, and a naturalist.
I give a brief talk based on change and impermanence in nature from chapter of "Reconnecting with Nature" by Dr. Michael J. Cohen and then explain today's activity. We silently separate, asking permission to learn from nature. Some sit by the river and meditate on the flowing current and standing waves, others move into the woods and consider the trees and falling leaves.
After about 20 minutes we gather together again and share our experiences and impressions. The talk is profound and the listening is respectful. Everyone's experience was different, but everyone's was the same, too. We say goodbye and return to our separate lives, feeling safer and happier and more connected than when we arrived.
I learned to share my connection to nature in this way through online courses with Dr. Cohen's Project Nature Connect. The process was the same in the internet courses as in these nature meditations. We read a chapter in a book, spent some quiet time doing an activity in nature, and then shared our experiences via email. As we repeat these brief sessions Cohen's Natural Systems Thinking Process helps people re-establish their connection with nature and learn to live more enriched and connected lives. Dr. Cohen's work has made a significant and enduring contribution to my life and to the lives of many other members of my community."
John Scull <jscull@ISLAND.NET>
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INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL EDUCATION Special NGO consultant United Nations Economic and Social Council
PROJECT NATURECONNECT
Readily available, online, natural science tools
for the health of person, planet and spiritP.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-6313 <email> www.ecopsych.com
ORGANIC ADVANCED ECOPSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION
The Natural Systems Thinking Process
Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Director
send email
All programs start with the Orientation Course contained in the book
The Web of Life Imperative.
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