Journal of Organic Psychology and Natural Attraction Ecology (OP/NAE) Project NatureConnect  Akamai University Institute of Applied Ecopsychology   VOLUME 1,  NUMBER 2011-2012                                                      Dr.  Michael J. Cohen, Editor ...;,................. .Instructions. ... .Contact. ... .Contents. ... .Submissions. ... .Reviewers. ...Course

........................... Project NatureConnect Educating, Counseling and Healing With Nature Online Funded, sensory, accredited, courses, degrees and career training: BS, MS, Ph.D. Our.alternative, natural, holistic studies include your life experience and prior education. . This vibrant, whole-life program offers.core.distant learning that enables.you to add practical, hands-on, nature connecting methods and credentials to your livelihood and interests. Ecopsychology in action! Homepage: learn how to create moments that let Earth teach.   ................. ........... ........... ........................... ........./////////........................................................ When Our Thinking Includes Our Love For Nature We Personify Earth Wisdom. -Journal entries of nature interaction participants Project NatureConnect education, counseling and healing studies. The intimacy of my patio garden agrees with me for this nature degree activity. I tested the waters first by going down the street in search of a different locale but came back. I am fond of all the shapes and colors, sounds and textures of this small sanctuary and yet my eye lifts far beyond to the clouds passing overhead. I would say variable today with mixes of rain and sun. The white, silver and gray shapes are moving noticeably interconnecting and edging apart. They appear as vast continents sailing across infinite blue directed by invisible currents. Is it the outer hygiene of space I am seeking? A tiny black dot flickers and dives downward. Ah. A Chimney Swift comes out to catch bugs. I love the mystery of clouds as entities that drift through the surface of my mind. They take me with them on vast journeys over the rim of time. They move effortlessly towards destinies unknown. Out of sight blue remains. I love myself as an entity that drifts through the surface of my mind. I take myself on vast journeys over the rim of time. I move effortlessly towards destinies unknown. When I’m clear only blue remains. I think that the blue was my mind stilled and the clouds passing thoughts…. I am nature. Consciousness is endless regardless if it's aware or not of its destiny. I don’t think current sensation can be taken away unless we’re not focusing on it….We decided that memory alone has sensation and the feeling in the memory is memory. So it goes both ways…..I definitely saw those clouds and with their disappearance the stillness was penetrating. The value of this to myself is knowing beyond my perception lay one huge Mystery.  Whether I see the sky or my mind is blue, you got me. I could say they are the same, but then everybody else’s mind sensation is in there too. All is one We cannot teach Earth to speak English or any other verbal language.  We can, however, learn to participate in Earth’s non-verbal, sensation, webstring ways since we, as part of all of nature, are born knowing them and able to register them. Many say they want to feel closer to each other and themselves. They want to be in a community, to build supportive immediate relationships that they can trust. In today’s disconnected world, close relationships best form when we make a safe space for them to happen. We must learn to consciously, thoughtfully, consent to relate sensibly and to support each other as we do it. That hygiene makes it safe to relate in wholeness, in ways that include everybody and that include nature. It reminds me of the inadequacy of the psychology that a professional uses to heal the hurt from her separation from her natural community origins. Since we are part of the natural system, nature must communicate with us in some way. When our thinking includes our love for nature and Earth, it includes the wholeness, balance, and wisdom of our biological Earth mother. ^^^ I went to my front yard which happens to be a large grove of trees.  In this past week of rain and sun, I have been blessed to see the opening of springtime in Carlisle.  There are wild cherry trees in the woods and the white blossoms in contrast with the light green tree leaves coming out from their winter sleep are just breath taking.  I am in awe.  I gained my consent to be present and I verbalized "I like you because you bring the promise of beauty, food, and shade to my energy.  I love your color, vibrance, and strength.  As I repeated this I found it quite easy to express these words.  They flew off my tongue like bird feathers floating softly across a breeze.  I completely embraced NIAL.  And just then the wind began to blow.  Awe again.   I apply the nature connection to myself: I like myself because I am beauty, color, vibrance, and strength.  WOW.  That was empowering!  I repeated the phrase as the wind continued to blow.  I held out my hands and turned in circles.  It was hugely self-affirming and honestly quite gratifying.  I too like myself because I  was once food (in my season of life when I needed to be for 3 little people).  I like myself because I am the shade that protects others from society's nature disconnecting ways.   Too often society cuts us down.  The 5 legged thinking processes of "there is always room for improvement" or "I have to do better than the other fella so I don't get passed by for a promotion" or "she is prettier than me and I need to loose 5 pounds" is a way of thinking that industrialized society has set up for the human population to never be at its best. It is destructive.  I actually feel that these words are powerful but strongly dislike that I felt the need to put them in my comments.  It is a sad way of thinking but I am not sad.  At this point, I am at my best.  I feel great and empowered and affective and strong.  I am woman hear me roar!  I am a person who feels stronger in nature.  I am a person who embraces the color green and I think I knew green even before I knew I knew green.  Every meaning of the word green empowers me to be at my best and love myself even more.  The energy that keeps going is associated with the constant flow of energy in nature.  I love nature.  I love me!   I am nature, I am strong and I like that I am strong and it is ok that I like my strength. I am loved and the most basic form of that love comes from nature. Nature is an encompassing creative energetic force from which I can renew each day to empower my being and be more effective in my world.  I must give back and  resend that energy in a constant circular lifeforce of love.   I AM WORTHY!   A night's sleep reaffirmed that I am worthy of the aformentioned self affirmation!   I LOVED THIS EXERCISE! ^^^ I went into my courtyard, and as often happens, I was distracted by the  cleaning or patching and repair we need to do here in this area of our yard.  Then I noticed the scent of jasmine in the air. I walked over to our jasmine vine and touched the delicate white flowers, allowing the petal soft  returning touch to soak into the tactile webstrings of safe-to-be-near understanding in my skin. I breathed in the scent of jasmine. My nose opened and my throat opened. My eyes closed to better take in the depth of the scent. I felt my webstrings of attraction to the beauty of the flower. I felt my own breath and postural awareness being pulled into the gravity and returning cycles of productivity in pollination and sharing seed of the flowers and pollen. I felt my heart open and my own veins pulse in empathic sharing of root system, leaf structure and photosynthesis with the plant. What grows in me each time I do this activity is the knowledge that the shared connection is larger and more operant than the important and respectable boundaries of difference between myself and elements in nature. It let the earth speak by making me wonder. What if we were taught from birth to approach each other and the Earth this way under all circumstances? What if we teach each of the children in all of our communities, this kind of planetary hygiene? What would our lives be like if they learned these practices with the same regularity with which we teach them to wash their hands before they eat? You may read or distribute a press release about this journal article ^^^ Enjoy further information about Organic Psychology and Natural Attraction Ecology: Publishable Article<http://www.ecopsych.com/hallucinatearticle.html> Process Synopsis<http://www.ecopsych.com/transformation.html> Fundamentals <http://www.ecopsych.com/mjcohen22.html> Outcomes<http://www.ecopsych.com/survey.html> Interview<http://www.ecopsych.com/ecopsychologyjournal.html> Research<http://www.ecopsych.com/2004ecoheal.html> Overview<http://www.ecopsych.com/insight2005.html> Identity<http://www.ecopsych.com/thesisquote6.html> Petition<http://www.ecopsych.com/petition2.html> Articles<http://www.ecopsych.com/2004artnews.html> Activity<http://www.ecopsych.com/trailattract.html> Book<http://www.ecopsych.com/ksanity.html> Film<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1357054/> Learn More: Benefit from empowering, online, your livelihood and prior experience to be more resilient, validated, green, holistic, environmental, sustainable, natural, nature-connected, healthy, spiritual, organic and peaceful. Achieve a degree or certification that strengthens your contributions as a counselor, healer, teacher, environmentalist, coach, therapist, spiritualist, leader or health and wellness mentor. You may obtain an Educating, Counseling and Healing With Nature degree or certificate in conjunction with: Applied Ecopsychology Yoga Reiki Self-Improvement Self-Confidence Self-Esteem Weight Loss Ecotherapy Intimacy Holistic Leadership Organic Psychology Friendship Happiness Unitarian Universalist Pantheism Mental Health Peace Climate Change Shamanism Earth Day Activities Retreat Centers Energy Medicine Natural Systems Parenting Child Development Alternatives Dog Cat Pet Care Tao Healing Touch .................................. Art Therapy Massage Therapy Ecopsychology Therapist Training Hypnotherapy Wilderness Therapy Human Services Social Work Counseling Teaching Life Coaching Integral Therapy Hospice Caregiving Home Schooling Creative Writing Life Experience Naturopathy Consciousness Jesus & Wilderness Biophilia Herbal Remedy Life Science Violence Prevention Outdoor Education Continuing Education Anger Management Energy Healing Qigong .................................. Hope & Life Relationships Stress Relief Management Natural Health and Wellness Parenting & Child Development Spirit & Spiritual Development Administrative Services Continuing Education Complimentary Medicine Native American Indian Ways War On Terrorism Multiple Intelligences Environmental Education Body Mind Spirit Tai Chi Climate Change Recovery from: Addiction disorders Eating Disorders Sleeping Disorders Attention Deficit Disorders Anxiety Disorders Food Disorders Nature Deficit Disorders Depression Abuse, Addiction, Loneliness Midlife Crisis Burnout Global Warming Return to OP/NAE Table of Contents Homepage INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL EDUCATION Special NGO consultant United Nations Economic and Social Council PROJECT NATURECONNECT Readily available, online, organic psychology tools for the health of person, planet and spirit P.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 360-378-6313 <nature@interisland.net> www.ecopsych.com 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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