Big Picture Nature Degree Vibration Ingredient: Light Circle Reflection Waste

It was my privilege last year to be part of the "Wild Spirits" cohort of a Nature Connected Educating, Counseling and Healing (ECHN) online program based on the book The Web of Life Imperative, by Dr. Michael J. Cohen. At the start of this orientation course, I knew myself to be an extension of my environment, i.e. my family circle, my friends, my career, my education. Essentially, I knew myself to be all of the societal ideals that I have learned and acquired in this life.   Over the last year, all of those 'walls' have been slowly crumbling to the ground to reveal who I really am, on a soul level, on a natural sensory level; a reflection revealing who I always have been and continue to be in the big picture.

I began to feel and hear the call from Nature to re-connect (although I never really viewed myself as disconnected before this point). I felt the Earth's imbalance, before I felt my own.   I always felt very overwhelmed and helpless at the feet of this grand crisis. I felt very disconnected to a solution.   It was at that moment that Project NatureConnect (PNC) entered my life and its light began to guide me to these natural solutions on a very gracious and personal level.

My effort in PNC took me on a vibration journey of Self. I began to experience individual lessons, messages, and awarenesses pertaining to my own personal journey. But at the same time I also began to see how my personal lessons were reflected in Universal lessons(or vice versa).   In other words, I was experiencing a re-connection to the webstrings ingredient of the web of life.

I feel very strongly that personal re-connection to Nature is the first crucial step to the collective re-connecting to Nature, which ultimately (or simultaneously) leads to the healing of the planet. PNC was my direct guiding light to this realization.

With every activity in the PNC course, I found that Nature had something for me ; a gift, a communication. Many of my lessons were naturally attracted to me. Some lessons came before I was aware of the next activity.   I quickly came to learn that no matter how the lesson surfaces for the individual , it is always there awaiting our awareness. Nature knows, before we do, what we seek for our inner growth. All we must do is re-connect and remain open to receiving what Nature so graciously provides.

Through PNC, I became more aware of the regenerative cycle and circle of the Earth; everything that is derived of Nature is an important part to the whole. But our 5 legged thinking has created major 'misconception' of these most natural ideals. For example in chapter about Bonding to the Word or Image, I made the following comment:

“The word 'weeds' or the idea of 'weeds' gives off (or rather has intentionally placed meaning which in turn creates our perception) a negative connotation in our society, our world. The word is even used in our vocabulary as a negative verb…..”a weed-out class…” or “…weeding out the bad…” But weeds are Gaia's natural way of healing, replenishing, and adding missing/lacking nutrients back into the soil. They are a crucial part of the natural cycle of life. They are good.”

It is the same with the word 'waste'. This word is only in relation to our 5-legged education, as there is no waste in Nature. We created the word waste because we created the product of waste. We, the collective, have become so disconnected from Nature that we forgot how to live waste-free. This PNC lesson of 5-legged desensitization, misconception, and de-meaning brought to my awareness a personal-reveal experiment. For one day, I tried to go about life as I normally do, but waste-free. Through this effort I became aware of the waste I created throughout the day. This was a big lesson and reflection for me as I found it to be much more waste in one day than I ever imagined. I saw so many solutions just within my daily existence for a waste-free life. Solutions that could be easily applied on a grand /collective scale.

This lesson also returned in chapter about We Are What We Label.  In this activity, the connotation of the word 'death' kept coming to mind. And how this word has come to shape our perceptions of so many things; of life , really. It has come to mean the end, finished, sadness, linear, etc…. This mis-interpretation of the word death effects the way we live, love, and care(or do not care) for the Earth. But in this lesson, Nature showed me how death leads to life. As I sat on a dead tree stump I realized in its light that the decomposition of a dead tree is food for the soil, for the Earth. It also provides habitat for other living creatures. It becomes its very own micro-climate. If we were to bring new meaning to the word death, then we may even begin to look at life as cyclical, rather than linear…keeping all webstrings attached, never disconnected. If this were the case, I would imagine that recycling and composting would be a very gracious, natural and innate part of the circle of life. It wouldn't have to be taught or re-learned. So even in death there is no waste; there is only life.

These lessons took me back to the essential idea: personal transformation = global transformation. With our natural senses, we must re-examine the intrinsic value of everything; experience everything in a new light, and decide for ourselves. If our experience's and effort are viewed as personal truths, then we can live those truths out with a pure heart……a natural leader for change.

The lesson on Webstring Intelligence, really connected many dots for me. Dr Cohen's said “Webstrings are intelligent enough not to separate from their wisdom. Rather, they are it, are conscious of it, and they share it freely to become more intelligent collectively.”   This chapter and this particular quote brought about much clarity for me. I saw the importance in sharing our knowledge and our personal truths, so we all may benefit and thrive. I realized that we must change the way we think, collectively, for real change to come about. We think individually as a society, a culture, and a human race. That is, the “I” consciousness. It seems that once we start to think in terms as a collective (i.e. what is good for the greater whole, rather than 'me'), then we will surely begin to experience the change that Nature is asking of us. I believe at that point , we may have reached a higher vibration.   As a fellow student pointed out in a response to my comment: “….there is a much higher vibration when there is collective energy! We only try to fill a void when we think in the “I” consciousness….”

Dr Cohen wrote….”Nature biologically and psychologically created good feelings to contact, connect with, and reward sensuous forms of life for heeding and fulfilling their natural attraction senses(webstrings).”   It was through the oneness of this quote that I found my great lesson of this course: how to recognize and follow my natural attractions. Through this course and these activities, I found that our good feelings will lead us to our destiny; good feelings=nature's reward for fulfilling one's natural attraction senses.

The lessons of natural attractions continued through Webstring Self Discovery. Here I found myself literally recognizing and following one attraction at a time. I didn't see the connection amongst all of my individual attractions until I reached what I had ultimately been seeking all along. I learned to trust in my attractions and where they lead me. Nature will guide you to where you need to be, if you allow Her to. With this valuable PNC activity, I learned that what I seek in Nature, I seek within my own being. If we learn to recognize our natural attractions, then we can follow them. If we follow them , one attraction to the next, one moment at a time, then we will surely be guided to our destiny. The beauty of Nature's love is so, that it not only guides us on our journey to destiny, it allows us to choose to go there.

I have found great value and reward in re-learning and enjoying sensory connections from Nature. Whether it be meditation or physically being in Nature. The connotation of these re-learned sensory connections bring me peace. They allow me to slow down and reside in the moment, because that is the only place Nature exists, truly.....and the only way we can communicate with Nature and know what She needs from us is in the moment.

The importance of group and sharing became clear to me during this course as well. In reading all of the different experiences within each activity I saw how unique we all truly are. I saw how Nature has unique and special communications for each of us. At the same time, I saw the Oneness in our group. We all brought our individual experiences back to the whole at the end. Each of us would relate our experience to the big picture; benefiting Earth and humanity….because there is always a connection. Sharing with one another and learning from one another , with collective consciousness, is Nature's way. That is a great lesson we must all be willing to learn.

I have come to view PNC as the major missing ingredient to life. We look to our 5-legged education system for defining our purpose in life. As this system was designed to give our life direction, it has become the very thing that hinders it.   PNC is the ingredient that will re-define our education system. With PNC 'added in', we would begin to structure our lives in accordance to our connections to our oneness with Nature, rather than to societal expectations. Earth and humanity would begin to heal and then soon thrive, as Nature always intended.
As Nature is our wisest teacher , She naturally belongs in the schoolhouse…..or more appropriately, the schoolhouse belongs to Her.

I thank my course members and facilitators for staying connected, sensing the webstrings of life, following your natural attractions, and sharing. This was a life-changing course for me. I intend to further my studies in Ecopsychology. I want to honor my experiences here by sharing with others, as well as continuing my own learning and growth through Nature.   Even though I know there is so much more to reveal, absorb and experience, I now see webstrings and ecopsychology as a core part of my value system.

Nature is my life support, so naturally webstring attractions have become my new way of life.

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:

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ADVANCED ECOPSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION

The Natural Systems Thinking Process

Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Director

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