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Good Strategy Activities for Spiritual Healing Courses and
Degrees: Reconnective Healing and Spiritual
Healing Non-Verbal Communication
INTRODUCTION. This nature and spirit ecopsychology distant learning degree program is an opportunity for reconnective healing and spiritual enhancement. Throughout its duration students reconnect with nature and establish the foundation for a continuing relationship with like-minded people in the Project NatureConnect community. The experiential spiritual healing component of this program has defined and enlivened understanding of book readings while students read and respond to each other’s postings. This creates a dialogue that grasps any overlooked information in the supplemental course material. We strongly encourage any citizen who values both personal and global wellness to participate. The course content is current, transforming and applicable. Liven your senses! Restore your innate ability to connect with nature through your 53 natural senses. Foster personal wellness by doing a series of nature connecting spiritual healing activities while documenting and sharing these experiences with others as the reconnective essence of your degree and courses. A SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF COURSE PROCESS By Clark Mumaw “To be part of any system, a person,
place
or thing must be in communication with the system. Earth is a global
ecosystem and we
are part of it. We must be in communication with it."
-
Reconnecting
With Nature
Communication, one of the basic needs of human existence, can be defined as the transfer or exchange of information between entities. Sense deprivation experiments have proved beyond doubt that a person cut off from communication of any sort begins to go mad fast. CLASSMATE: Excellent point! I'm glad you brought this in! I've studied this but did not think about connecting it to this class. As soon as the word "communication" is mentioned, we immediately think of telephones, television, computers and books -- in short, all the devices related to verbal communication. A verbal communication model requires a language. Language, defined in terms of semantics, is a group of labels used to represent approximations of space-time events and abstractions. The labels can be conveyed from one entity to another by a variety of means including vocalization, writing, etc. Is verbal communication the only means of communication available to us? In fact, considering the importance of effective communication to us, is it fair to be gifted with only a single method of communication? In view of the above given definition of verbal communication, non-verbal communication means communication which is independent of a formal language, communication whereby ideas and concepts can be expressed without the use of coherent labels. Do we have means of non-verbal communication versatile enough to qualify under the above definition? The answer is, of course, a resounding "yes." Generations and generations of ancient tribes made do with non-verbal means of communication --animal-like guttural sounds, gestures, drawings -- to fulfill their requirements before they latched on to a language. Let us look around carefully, and we are sure to be surprised at the number of non-verbal communication methods we find at our disposal today. One of the most important forms of non verbal communication is nature connection. CLASSMATE: This is a point I was thinking about making, too. I think in management classes these day they are teaching that 90% of our key medication is nonverbal so managers really need to watch what they're doing even more than what they are saying. I'm glad you have made this point in your paper. Nature’s non verbal language is independent of a formal language communication wherein ideas and concepts can be expressed without the use of coherent labels. It engages us with our senses. We have 51 senses that allow ourselves to communicate with nature. The natural form of a non-verbal communication model, relates to our senses of the communicators because, obviously, it is the senses which receive information. We, as humans, are aware of five senses (and with nature we have 51) suitable to be used in communicating. Communication for us can be related to any of these senses. Let us first take a look at the kind of effective communication that involves motion, color or shape. There are numerous examples of this kind of communication in nature. Let us begin with motion -- the dance of the honey bees is the most obvious example. A worker bee makes intricate motions with its body, and these motions are seen and accurately interpreted by other worker bees. The dance of the bees is normally used to convey information to other bees about the location of a source of nectar, its direction and its distance. Squids and octopi are known to use bioluminescence and color signals for communication. Pyrotechnical communication of the squids is particularly fascinating. Their pigment cells (or chromatophores) are connected to their central nervous system by muscle fibers. Their control over the range and rate of change of colors is astounding, and the display that results is said to be one of the most beautiful sights of the ocean deeps. A squid can also focus and beam lights of any color in any direction it chooses, although the actual mechanism by which it does so is still not completely known. CLASSMATE: I love the point and facts of this paragraph. It reminded me about the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," where the spaceship and humans communicate back and forth via colors and musical notes in a mathematical sort of communication. You very importantly point out ways that nature communicates for people who may not be quite so familiar with all aspects of nature. What about us? Can we use such means of communication in nature? We can and we do. “I was driving in Marin county several years ago and it just hit me like a ton of bricks that Nature, someone was trying to communicate with me. It was a telepathic sensing and was so strong that I got out of my car and just stood by the side of the road and this is what came through. So I spent about 6 months off and on researching then, you know, life and work got in the way and also I don’t think I was ready to run with it. I needed a few more years of maturation. I hike a lot and about and year ago I was walking among the redwoods and it was so plain to me that they were “communicating” but I did not know what they wanted. But it felt like a similar message as the initial calling – “we have something to say and will you amplify our voice in some way?” So I want the messages to come through in many ways over a period of time before I am confident, before it really sinks in that this is what it is. CLASSMATE:-I absolutely agree this because my own thinking is exactly the same. I might have even said in my paper I to rely on multiple systems of communication to verify and make sure that the communication is clear. Like when my emotional communication and logical thought process both point to the same answer or direction then I am much more confident of my movement forward. I am excited and think it's so neat that someone else is doing the same type of multisystem verification that I do. So that’s what happened. There was a tipping point that happened last August - September and it just became crystal clear to me that, you know the term dharma CLASSMATE: In my tradition we use dharma as our life mission, and this is my purpose. It is clear as day this is my purpose, my personal mission is answering this call. CLASSMATE: This was my initial understanding too.” CLASSMATE 2: I think is happened gradually. When I was a little girl, I was the eldest daughter with two younger brothers, so often I would go off and play by myself. I grew up in my early years around the woods in Washington State where there were so many huge trees and ferns. And I would go exploring in these woods and spent a lot of time by myself. I remember the day I became aware of this. I was sitting alone in the woods and realizing that everything was alive all around me. It was the feeling that they were like people and they had this presence. The trees and bushes and all of them were like people and they were my friends! The forest basically said, “You humans need us, we will survive with or without you. I can’t remember if I heard distinct messages but I became aware that each one was alive and had an individual presence just like people.” CLASSMATE 3: Well the connection that leaps to mind most immediately is an experience I had with a plum tree in my back yard when I was living in Oakland, California. My old Zen teacher told me that when he was young, he took a 72-hour walk. It was a very difficult practice to walk continuously without stopping for 72 hours – 3 days and 3 nights. So I decided to do that practice and began looking for good places where I might do it. Finally I decided to do it right in the back yard of the house where I lived in Oakland. There happened to be a pretty good size plum tree there, so I started walking around this plum tree. I just walked in a large circle doing a meditation walk, and realized after I got into it that I’d bitten off something really big. You can imagine walking for about 12 hours without stopping and realizing you still have about 60 hours more. I kept going and what I discovered was, at night things got very surreal as time went on. By the second night, I began to have different experiences that were very interesting with the tree. And the main thing was that the tree became alive like a living being, and not just alive as a biological entity, but really alive as living being. I think that the programming and conditioning of my culture began to fall away. I started to see the tree as a conscious being, very awe inspiring, tremendously alive and with an enormous presence. Everything got much more vibrant, especially the colors of the flowers. By the third night there was a very pronounced experience. There was a sense that this plum tree was not just a living being that was very powerful, not really frightening, but demanding respect. That was the feeling I had, and the sense that the tree was dancing. There was a feeling that the tree had an enormous presence and that it was dancing and moving but not physically. It was something I could just sense in my consciousness. To our physical eyes they are just standing there like they’re not moving but it was as if another eye opened and I could see this tree was really moving and dancing and had an activity about it that we don’t usually see. That was the main thing, an experience of the tree having a consciousness that was very different from mine but was something to respect. It had a knowing and a consciousness that was awe-inspiring. I was walking around that tree with my jaw dropped and thinking, Wow, look at this tree! I have to say that after that experience I’ve never looked at trees the same way. I’ve had this feeling of them ever since as Beings. The experience with that plum tree still lingers, and when I look at trees I still have the sense that there is much more to them than we normally see. I have this feeling that we get programmed by our culture to look without seeing and to just walk through and discount the reality of Nature. When we do something like I did with walking for 72 hours without sleep, the programmed, conscious ego mind just kind of gave up and fell away and I was suddenly seeing directly, more clearly in some ways, what is really there. That was that experience and I thought it would be somewhat helpful to share it here.“ I love this 72 hour walk example, I have not been able to get it out of my head since I read it. All of the examples that you include by individual people give specific important examples of how nature affects people if we can take the time to stop to listen and let it. How is it possible to communicate with nature? First we have proven that nature communicates through a nonverbal language and through our senses we can communicate with nature. We also need to recognize that mankind is part of nature. Once this is understood we allow ourselves to be open to a natural form of communication. We need to relearn what society has taught us about labeling, as a form of communication and trust in our senses and natures wisdom. In the book Reconnecting with Nature Page.49-51 Mike Cohen explains the 53 natural attraction senses that enable us to communicate with nature. The Radiation Senses The Feeling Senses The Chemical Senses The Mental Senses The 53 senses that are used to communicate with nature are profoundly seen in documentations of his students: “I then tried to open and close my eyes to view nature in glimpses. What I found interesting about this is I saw nature as fragments lines, color and patterns. I did not see whole images just part of the whole. Once I finished this I was attracted to a branch that was overhanging the river. I asked permission to be with it and as I sat and was with this branch I began to see its reflection in the water it made a woman's shape an within this shape was the reflection of the layers of the cliffs layers. The layers shimmered like pieces of mirrors between the branch and the branches reflection. The light through the trees projected his sight for me to see. What I learned to this moment with nature was the importance of clarity and light.” “I asked my client to close her eyes (she did) I used her hand to touch many arrays of nature from flowers to bark to grasses, to dirt. I led her to roll down an embankment with me... we hit each other and she opened her eyes wide yet senses were only to verify trust. I led her by the hand in a walk. We took off our shoes and felt the grass as we are still closed eyed. I asked her to feel the wind... she acknowledged in a sincere calm, hummmm... Eyes still closed I asked her to bend over in an effort to sense the gravity. We sensed the warmth of the sun together. .. the coolest thing was a dragonfly flew by both us that we heard and sensed while eyes closed. As the guide I first and foremost I had to know my love for this process was whole and confident as I know it is contagious. I had to constantly slow the process down within me to remain stable and in truth (the immediate moment). The more relaxed I allowed myself the more powerful the non-verbal communication This moment in time quickened the trust in our relations. The other 2 witnessed in a non-verbal sense of respect... None denied the event or the sense of trust being witnessed. That moment in time we were non-verbally respected (all of these children have the labels of a disconnected culture), they all stood in a moment in time that non-verbally said, this moment is truth and it is tolerable. It was touching it was powerful.” Our senses are a non-verbal and non-literated form of communication with nature and one must learn to trust their senses. To learn to communicate with nature one must first have must become part of its systems. “To be part of any system, a person, place or thing must be in communication with the system. Earth is a global ecosystem and we are part of it. Through natural attraction Webstrings, Earth communicates with us, and all other beings in supportive ways. Webstrings are nature’s voice. They contain a unifying logic that our nature- conquering society often teaches us to ignore." The nonverbal communication between mankind and nature is done through the web strings and the energies of natural attraction. Learning to use natural attractions is developing a natural system thinking process. This is a new way of thinking for most people. We must unlearn what we have been taught and become to know “the natural system thinking process in nature for within nature and about us, attractions are real, intelligent, healing and conscious of themselves.” Through nature activities our non verbal communications becomes a nature based language. Nature activities must be done with authentic nature. The main idea is to let nature’s intelligence show your mind that it is reasonable to enjoy and benefit from nature connected thinking. You will reconnect with nature and your own inner nature, the natural systems in you. Ask permission to be with nature. Allow your natural attraction to lead the way, let your senses surface, and Nature’s wisdom will unfold it’s messages. Give thanks to Nature and be grateful that you are part of nature. Mike Cohen explains, (The Web of Life Imperative Pg. 103) ” Natural System Thinking Process steps are: 1.CONTACT: Let Natural Attractions lead you to them 2. CONSENT: Sensitively, through attractions over time, obtain permission from a natural area to visit it. 3. FEEL: Recognize that contact with natural attractions feels good. Thank the Natural Attractions you found and the web string(s) involved for the valuable feelings and information they have provided. 4. TRUST: Trust the thoughts and feelings arising from the contact. 5. VALIDATE; Write, in a reasonable language (New Brain) your thoughts and feelings from natural sense (Old Brain) experiences to produce whole sense communication and reflection. 6. READ: Read aloud what you wrote. Note that your translation is usually intelligent, enjoyable and honest. 7. SHARE: your nature connected story with other consenting people, personally or via the Internet. Encourage them to let you know what they may have found attractive in your message to them and continue this relationship with them as long as you have consent and it feels good. 8. OBSERVE: that you now feel less stressed, that your nature-connected story builds supportive contacts and closer relationships with people and environment. 9. ACT: to stop your discomfort from abusive or exploitative relationships with nature or your inner nature. Insist on receiving and giving permission to relate before interacting. 10.RECOGNIZE: that you own this nature–reconnecting activity; you may repeatedly use and teach it to benefit yourself, others, and the environment.” This ECHN Natural system thinking system allows us to non verbally communicate with nature. The process is a learned technique that enables us to nonverbal commutation with mankind and nature. Steven shows this example of the natural system thinking process: “Each of our Fifty three natural
senses is a distinct way of knowing ,
loving, and feeling. For this activity I
ventured / risked including a couple of the foster
children I live with. We are already out camping so what the heck..
they are bored..
lets try it.
At first I thought to blindfold everyone , however that might invite a sense of captive / hostage situation, so I simply asked 'one' of the 3 to close her eyes and allow me to guide her in an unseen adventure ( Big trust issues challenged) she has all the labels from High functioning autism to ADD to conduct disorder to rebellious spirit. Upon entering into the realm of the exploration I had to check my sense of confidence in the process ( My "you can't do it" inner authorities were alive and well, yet I found the safe solace of confidence as she is so sensitive and all internal processes in me are contagious). I asked her to close her eyes ( she did) I used her hand to touch many arrays of nature from flowers to bark to grasses, to dirt. I led her to roll down an embankment with me... we hit each other and she opened her eyes wide yet her senses were only to verify trust. I led her by the hand in a walk. We took off our shoes and felt the grass as we are still closed eyed. I asked her to feel the wind.. she acknowledged in a sincere calm ,hummmm.. Eyes still closed I asked her to bend over in an effort to sense the gravity . We sensed the warmth of the sun together. .. the coolest thing was a dragonfly flew by both us that we heard and sensed while eyes closed. As the guide I first and foremost had to know my love for this process was whole and confident as I know it is contagious . I had to constantly slow the process down within me to remain stable and in truth ( the immediate moment). The more relaxed I allowed myself the more powerful the non-verbal communication This moment in time quickened the trust in our relations. The other 2 witnessed in a non-verbal sense of respect.. None dissed the event or denied the sense of trust being witnessed. The moment in time were non-verbally respected ( all of these children carry the labels of a disconnected culture), they all stood in a moment in time that non-verbally said , this moment is truth and it is tolerable. It was touching it was powerful. To have this moment denied or not allowed would breed a frustration I frequently see in these kids and it does in me too. This experience defiantly enhanced self worth in all of us. PNC / RWN is the only tool I have ever discovered that really works.... the only problem is that it really is non-verbal.... so observable reality's are hard to document on a report.. so I am left to simply know this is a memory the child will access many years from now and use it to live and to not run from / deny the inner knowing. I learned to trust in the immediate moment my internal condition and my natural attractions Thanks all... this was fun, Love, -Stephen CLASSMATE: you picked a wonderful example, this is a beautiful experience. I don't think you could've made up or crafted a better story to relate. Retraining our brain to a nature based thought process is the process of unlearning what we have been taught by society. The acceptance of natures wisdom and the way of relating that defines natures unconditional love. We are born within nature and at birth we have an understanding of nonlanguage tensions, sensations, feelings, and emotions. Mike Cohen states “Researchers show that most of our old brain sensitivities we inherit from, and share with, the plant, animal, and even mineral kingdoms.” “For example, our desire to breath is an attraction to air that is as real as the air; our hunger for food is an attraction as real as an apple.” Reconnecting With Nature Pg. 97 Nature’s wisdom provides us with its wisdom based on unconditional love. Once we start to be integrated into society our brains become programmed on labeling and misinformed stories. We are taught to believe in society's control and taught not to use our senses and that nature is not part of our human make up. Nature is looked upon as recreation and a resource that that humans have control over. We have to relearn what have been programmed as truth and realize we are a part of nature and nature is part of us. Each breath we take, to all the food we eat, to the importance of taking care of the earth, water, skies as part of daily lives depend on it. We also have to relearn how to communicate with nature and allow nature's voice to be heard through our senses. We must unlearn our destructive ways on the way we take care of nature and ourselves. Learning to heal through nature. Once we know our natural origin and relearn our society’s information’s then we begin to communicate with nature’s wisdom and trusting what nature is telling us. This process is an ongoing process. We are always going to be connecting with nature and disconnecting and reconnecting again with nature. Knowing we are always part of nature, natures wisdom is based on love offers us an ongoing conversation with nature. Nature offers us healing, peace, self love and the courage to stand up to protect nature. When we are being proactive of the benefits of nature, we become proactive in taking care of ourselves and mankind. Sharing the knowledge of nature’s wisdom and the importance of the communication of nature will show benefits now and in the future. Examples of this reasonable thinking process would include Donna’s Activity, My mind thoughtfully reconnected with
nature.
I gained consent. I released stories. I followed one attraction after another. My new brain engaged a new story. I became one with all. I thanked all that is for this attractive experience. I learned from this activity that when our stories are gone peace opens you and I like roses into full bloom and that peace is located in my psyche. When a new peace story is imprinted within our mind you and I become the most assured conductor of our lives. "Nature is a peace treaty that helps us heal our distortions and eliminates the blocking factors of the mind body connection.” This is an affirmation of the thought process change. Without a Nature based communication we will remain insensitive to life and our natural environment. A BLESSING FOR SPIRITUAL EARTH HEALERS
We give thanks for all those who are moved, in their lives, to heal and protect the earth, in small ways and in large. Blessings on the composters, the gardeners, the breeders of worms and mushrooms, the soil- builders, those who cleanse the waters, and purify the air, all those who clean up the messes we have made. Blessings on those who defend the trees and who plant trees, who guard the forests and who renew the forests. Blessings on those who learn to heal the grasslands and renew the streams, on those who prevent erosion, who restore salmon and the fisheries, who guard the healing herbs and who know the lore of the wild plants. Blessings on those who heal the cities and bring them alive again with excitement and creativity and love. Gratitude and blessings to all who stand against greed, who risk themselves, to those who bled and been wounded, and to those who have given their lives in the service of the earth. May all healers of the earth find their own healing. May they be fueled by passionate love for the earth. May they know their fear but not be
stopped by fear.
Blessed
be the healers of the earth.May they feel their anger and yet not be ruled by rage. May they honor their grief but not be paralyzed by sorrow. May they transform fear, rage, and grief into compassion and the inspiration to act in service of what they love. May they find the help, the resources, the courage, the luck the strength, the love, the health, the joy that they need to do the work. May they be in the right place, at the right time, in the right way. May they bring alive a great awaking, open a listening ear to hear the earth’s voice, transform imbalance to balance, hate and greed to love. You are invited to read or distribute a press release about this webpage.
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INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL EDUCATION Special NGO consultant United Nations Economic and Social Council
PROJECT NATURECONNECT SUBSIDIZED EDUCATION, COUNSELING AND HEALING WITH NATURE
Accredited CEU Courses, Certification, Grants and Degree Programs
online to sustain the well-being of person, planet and
spirit. Prior training and life experience
incorporated in all programs.
P.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-6313 <email> www.ecopsych.com
The Natural Systems Thinking Process
Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Director
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All programs start with the Orientation Course contained in the books
The Web of Life Imperative and Reconnecting With Nature.