PROJECT NATURECONNECT
Institute of Global Education
Greenwich University
Portland State University
Introductory Course
ECO 501 Educating and Counseling With Nature
"Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." - Chief Seattle
Chapter 20
Resonate With Nature:
I committed myself to using these nature-connecting activities daily. I was attracted to do so because I was slightly overweight, my previously injured back, knee and ankle hurt, my cholesterol and PSA blood tests were high and I felt down. Were these symptoms of excessive disconnection from NIAL? The answer came within 5 months: my pain was reduced, my blood tests were normal and I'd lost 15 pounds, too.
Over years of trial and error experiments, my unique outdoor education, community learned to govern every aspect of itself by encouraging each individual to express what was naturally attractive to them at any given moment. Because this included each person's attractions to the well being of the community itself, it was not a selfish process. Rather, the process was NIAL in action, an attraction in and of itself. We consented to be challenged to find what attractions or senses we had in common. This let us identify a multisensory way of knowing by which the sense resonated with each other and produced a personal and/or community consensus. They two were often identical, an ongoing, ever changing common good for our community and each of its members. The process included using all our natural senses, including our sense of reason. We learned as much from this resonating method of self-governance as we did from any other activity.
The reason the consensus process works so well is that it is precisely the same process by which NIAL operates, and from which NIAL got its name. It is how NIAL created us. It enabled each of us to connect and commune with NIAL in ourselves, each other, and in the natural environment as well. As describe in RWN Chapter 5, the 53 natural senses communicate and modify each other in order to create the enjoyable integrity of Planet Earth and our inner child. This activity enables you to make that happen for yourself. One of its effects is to widen your range of appreciation and sensitivity. This reduces unwarranted stress, specialization and focus. People who learn to resonate with Earth lose a big load placed on the old brain by the new brain. They do not find themselves with a burden, like that of the golfer whose long time companion died of a heart attack while on the golf course with him. "What an unfortunate tragedy," he moaned, "All day long,, hit the ball and drag Harry, hit the ball and drag Harry."Resonate: Go to an attractive natural area and thankfully gain its permission to let you do this activity there.
This activity helps you further register a natural attraction through many of your different senses. For example, connect to an attractive color in this area through your sense of music:
Experimentally hum or sing a few musical notes until you find one which you feel resonates with (best represents or registers) this color. Once you make this connection, you have learned to know the color more fully by resonating with it through your sense of music.
Now hum a note that represents how you feel and then find a color, or a place, etc. that fits that note.Resonate with an attraction through your sense of distance. Move towards it or away from it to discover at what point it feels most attractive and supportive.
Further each different attraction that calls you by discovering its intensities: softest-loudest, brightest-dullest, largest-smallest,
Repeat the above resonating experience by selecting other senses by which you want to sense this attraction. Through them, you can more fully resonate with it at will and thereby strengthen it. For example: You can be attracted to the sound of a flowing stream and attempt to resonate with that sound through the senses of community, taste, trust, smell, compassion, belonging, etc.
Repeat the resonating experience using your attractions to a person you like and a person you don't think you like.Each time we resonate with a natural attraction through a different sense, we get to know the attraction and ourselves in a new, more fulfilling and holistic way. This holds true for the natural attractions we sense in people as well as in places. For example, if you are not resonating with a person with respect to their loudness, try sensing them musically.
A methodical way to better know yourself and nature is to go through the list of senses on pages RWN 48-50 one at a time. For each sense, locate a natural attraction, and then resonate with that attraction through each of the other 52 listed senses. Do this as long as it feels attractive to do it, stop, and continue it at some other time.Past Participant's reactions:
The rock glowed a little brighter every time I got to know it through a different sense.
This is like a combination of all the activities I've learned to date. It feels like I think Us must feel and know itself.
Definitely a way to increase my spirituality and contact with Higher Power.
I found it hard to do this, but each time I accomplished it, I really enjoyed the results.CWN Connectors that add experiences to this chapter: #78 #45
Write down the three most important things you learned from this chapter and activity.
Write down three G/G statements.
How would you feel having your ability to experience this G/G taken away?
Does this activity enhance your sense of self-worth? your trustfulness of NIAL?
Which wrangler/person, if any, does this activity identify or reeducate inside or outside you?
Share at least one sentence/person that conveys how hearing their experience has enhanced yours.
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