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Accredited Nature-Connecting
Holistic Degree Courses On Line: Natural Career Education
Personal and
Professional Whole Life System Alternative Training Grants, Employment,
Jobs and USA Global Citizenship.
What
We Can Do. How to Create Sensible Change
and Responsible
Economics.
THE
CHALLENGE: 150 million individuals x $20,000 per person equals
$3,000,000,000,000, (three trillion dollars). That's what the
present "bailout" for the recession is going to cost in the USA. However, that money is mostly
being given to banks and industry.
Now,
think about what life would be like if twenty thousand dollars was paid to each of
150 million folks (half the USA population) that took our Educating Counseling and Healing With Nature
course online. They would each become healthier, more balanced
and less wanting. They would spend that three trillion
dollars in ways that wisely increased personal, social and and environmental
well-being because they owned a tool that helped them accomplish this.
Isn't that the goal? Isn't that the change we want?
 Project NatureConnect
Friday Harbor, San Juan
Island, Washington, USA
Institute of Global Education
Organic
Psychology and Natural Attraction Ecology
Special
NGO Consultant, United Nations Economic and Social Council
Practical distance learning to strengthen the "great turning."
SYNOPSIS:
This
report describes a funded natural sensory science in action,
an organic psychology tool that helps us improve health
wellness and counseling by enabling our thinking and feeling to safely
tap into the nature's grace, balance and restorative powers.
Participants benefit from, and strengthen,
their hope and inborn love of nature as part of the great
turning. They master
alternative therapist coaching, stress release management and holistic
spiritual psychology to reduce excessiveness.
PROGRAM
DESCRIPTION:
Educating
Counseling and
Healing With Nature
Supportive Degrees, Career
Training Courses and Jobs On Line
Project NatureConnect
offers
nature-centered distant learning that enables you to add the benefits
of nature-connecting methods and credentials to your degree program
and/or your skills, interests and hobbies.
We honor your
prior training and life experience by providing grants and equivalent
education credit for it.
You
may take accredited or professional CEU coursework and/or obtain a
Nature-Connected Degree or Certificate in most disciplines or personal
interests. A partial subject list is located at the bottom of this page.
- Improve
your economics and
satisfaction through independent, interdisciplinary or integrated study
and Ecopsychology.
- Help
people connect their
thoughts and feelings with the self-correcting and renewing ways of
nature.
- Increase
personal social and
environmental well being.
- Add
the self-correcting sunlight beauty and
spirit of the natural world to your life and community.
Visit our Homepage for
complete information
What
We Can Do. How to Make Sensible Change and Benefit from its
Rewards.
"Change
will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We
are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we
seek."
- Barack Obama
- Change
is a wonderful mandate, especially if we know how to change
responsibly.
- Due to greed,
humanity and
Earth are at risk and in need.
- There is an powerful thinking process that helps
us stop greed and make environmentally sound social and economic
changes.
- If you can
see the relationship between the six facts below, you know
what needs to be done. Section Seven describes how you can do
it.
1. No matter how rich or poor they are, most people in Industrial
Society say they want about 15 percent more money.
2. Who and what are we, are you? Within atoms or material or the universe,
99.999999999 percent of everything, including us, consists of space
filled with natural attractions. Natural attractions hold
atoms
and
all other things together individually and collectively. Natural attraction unifies the
world, including humanity, in self-correcting balance and
beauty. We are natural attraction manifesting itself as human beings.
http://www.ecopsych.com/thesisquote6.html
3. We are part of nature. Important natural attractions of the world
register in our
psyche and thinking as at least 53 natural senses. We know
these attractions
as sensations like thirst, our natural attraction or love for water.
Similarly, we inherit natural attraction loves for nature's air, food,
temperature, trust, sight, community, place, wholeness, taste, motion,
touch, consciousness, reason, balance, wellness, beauty and at least 37
more.
When our natural attraction senses are unfulfilled, hurt or weak we
experience frustration and reduced sensibility.
http://www.ecopsych.com/insight53senses.html
4. We live excessively nature-disconnected lives. For over 98 percent of our
existence in Industrial Society, our psyche is socialized to be
separated from the naturally attractive, self-correcting, grace, spirit and
restorative powers of nature's non-polluting perfection.
The profound
loss of these natural attactions leaves us wanting. When we want, there is
never enough and we are
never enough. This is the root of our greed, stress and lack of
self-worth. It spawns our excessiveness and disorders. It helps to explain
why, rich or poor, we want 15 percent more money.
http://www.ecopsych.com/trailattract.html
5. A walk in the park demonstrates that we think and feel better
when we reconnect our natural senses with natural attractions in
natural areas, backyard or back country.
http://www.ecopsych.com/insight2005.html
6. In natural areas our thinking and feeling are attracted
to interlace with the natural attraction genius of nature's peace,
spirit and renewing
ways. This helps us recycle the garbage in our psyche that contaminates
our sensibilities. It enables us to transform that contamination into
the sensible happiness of mutually supportive natural attraction
relationships with the whole of the web of life, including humanity.
http://www.ecopsych.com/kechnscience.html
Section 7:
A key to the joy of living in balance: learn how to think like
nature's natural attraction perfection works.
Synopsis:
-The
world, including humanity, is held together in balance and beauty by
natural attractions and their self-correcting ways.
-To our loss, parts of
ourselves and society have learned to disconnect vital natural
attractions. This disconnection creates personal and environmental
disorders.
-Project NatureConnect
enables us to help separated natural attractions reunite
in and around us to increase personal, social and environmental
well-being.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michael J. Cohen, Ph.D.
Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA. USA
Nature-Connection
Training Grants Offered that Help Us Stop
Learning and Teaching Detrimental Excessiveness.
Benefit from a Natural
Attraction, Green Thinking and Feeling Process that Enables Us to
Reduce
Stress and Greed and Increase Personal, Social and Environmental Well-Being.
Promote a Change to the Rewarding Peace of
Responsible Global Citizenship, Economics and
Relationships
http://www.ecopsych.com/kechnrelease.html
Project NatureConnect
Institute of Global Education
P.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
www.ecopsych.com/
360-378-6313
nature@interisland.net
October
10, 2008, Friday Harbor,
WA - Michael J. Cohen, Ph.D., director of Project NatureConnect, today
announced a non-competitive grant program for individuals who have had
good experiences in nature. The program helps them further
green
their personal and professional relationships through online training
and degrees. They, in turn, help the
public reverse its destructive personal, social and environmental
disorders.
Cohen, author of The
Web Of Life
Imperative, and Reconnecting
With Nature, insists that the grant
program is essential because the prejudice against nature
that pervades
Industrial Society induces our thinking to excessively conquer and
exploit nature's beneficial ways, in and around us.
*
* *
Help
make sensible change.
The free
lapel button, below, is
available. You can wear it or use it to help yourself and others benefit from
nature-connecting activities associated with it.
.
.
.
"Thinking and Feeling With Nature"
A Mimbres culture design, circa 800 A.D., New Mexico
Participants' field reports that portray the process of
natural
attraction thinking and feeling in action:
"The concept of restoration through
reconnection in this chapter was particularly informative to me.
Connecting with nature activities enable us to reverse many
of our troubles because it effectively addresses their
source. Too frequently do we see people turning to
false hopes in an effort to fill a void within themselves.
'If only there was more money, more hours in the day, a
medication that would make me happy, and on and on.' In truth, these
materialistic things only mask our real troubles, rather than
addressing them. Embracing life with the courage to take each
day head-on is an invaluable strength, and one that I don't believe any
individual can possess until the have reached an equilibrium within
themselves, and with the world around them.
In a world that is obsessed with "quick fixes," we so frequently
neglect the healing power inherent within our connection to nature.
Stress, chemical dependencies, peace, support, healing and
wellness, and global intelligence are some examples used in The Web of
Life Imperative. If more people were to recognize and connect
with the healing power of nature, fewer prescriptions may be written,
fewer people may spend endless years and dollars in psychotherapy, and
there may just be a greater sense of peace among humanity. I
strive to leave my mark on this world by striving to help others make
this connection.
We continue to enhance our own knowledge and development by teaching
what we know to others. "If you want to personally and
globally come into balance, teach what you have read here: Thoughtful,
continuing, consensually shared, sensory reconnecting activity
attractions in natural areas bring into our consciousness the webstring
connections with Earth that help us build balanced organic
relationships." says Dr. Cohen. Through making room in our
lives for sensible education, we open ourselves to further development,
increased awareness, and strengthened relationships.
The most gratifying element of my sensory nature experience
was the feeling of being part of something greater than myself.
It served as a reminder that, although I sometimes lose track
of this fact, the world does not revolve around me.
The feeling of togetherness we experienced as a family served as a
reminder that even though this Earth is great and vast, through loving,
strong relationships, we do not need to tackle it in isolation.
We watched in awe, as the sky lit up with falling stars,
feeling the sensations of amazement, love, togetherness, hope, and
wonder. Though the noises of the city were abound, we did not
allow them to penetrate our connection. We felt small beneath
the sky above us, while simultaneously seeming as if we could reach up
and touch it. This natural sensory attraction was inherent
inside of us. We had never read a book, taken a class, or
gained another form of knowledge on the matter. This experience, though
years ago, directly influenced my decision to participate in Project
Nature Connect. That evening, I gained a developing yearn to
feel such a connection again; a desire that I refuse to allow anybody
or anything to steal from me.
The two keywords I would choose to summarize this experience are
"WONDER" and "GROWTH." Through our sense of wonder,
we continue to grow. In my own words, "I do not allow that
which does not contribute to my understanding of myself or my world
rent space in my head."
After gaining a night's sleep, I awoke feeling refreshed, empowered,
and eager to continue learning and growing. I woke up and
went running, noticing the sensory experiences in doing so. I
ran up to the top of a large hill, looked "down" at the mountains and
ocean in the distance, and felt like I was standing on the top of the
world!"
^^^
I did not have to hesitate before I knew which experience to write
about for this exercise. It is an experience that is so
deeply rooted in my heart and soul that it has become a part of me.
When I feel I need a "safe place" to retreat to, this is the
memory I seek out.
When I was about 16-years-old I was living in New York City with my
little brother and sister. We were having family problems,
and I was caring for them for safety reasons. A meteor shower
was schedule for around 8:30 p.m. one evening, and we were excited to
watch it. As time passed, and it was getting later and later
with no sign of a meteor shower, the kids finally went up to bed, quite
disappointed. They were four and five-years-old at the time.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. I was in the kitchen making the
kids their lunches for school the next day when I thought I saw
something in the sky. I walked out the front door to see the
most incredible thing happening in the sky. It was the meteor
shower!
I ran upstairs to wake the kids up so that they wouldn't miss it.
During a freezing cold New York Winter, the three of us laid
out on our 4X4 cement front lawn, cuddled up in a blanket, and watching
the most amazing thing happening above us. It was as if the
sky was pouring down on us. There was a sense of peace within
us that I had deeply been longing for. In that moment,
nothing mattered. It didn't matter that we were struggling
just to get by. It didn't matter that we were all exhausted
from my trying to work three jobs, raise two kids, and still go to high
school. The circumstances that landed us in that place did
not matter. All that mattered was that we were together, and
we were able to more deeply feel that connection through our connection
with nature.
"At night, I open the window and ask the moon to come and press its
face against mine, breathe into me. Close the language door
and open the love window. The moon won't use the door, only
the window." -Rumi
This quote speaks strongly to me. Prior to acknowledging my
internal need to reconnect with nature, I far too frequently tried to
use the door. When one door did not turn up what I was
looking for, or, more frequently, what I thought I was looking for, I
simply tried another. I changed homes, cities, states,
relationships, jobs, etc., all in search of something "more."
I could make logic of any situation, and even make sense in
doing so. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the
"thing" I had spent so long searching for existed within myself; I just
needed to reconnect with it. Now, I use that window.
"The
moment my inner attraction string for color touched the color
string of this woodland, I experienced a special joy."
-Raymond Sierra
This statement rings true to my own experience reconnecting with
nature. It was indeed a special joy. I had an
amazing opportunity before me, but worried I would not be successful.
It was scary, but exciting. It has been worth every
moment.
^^^
I thought this was a beautiful chapter and it was nice to have
something to do for each day. I am very
fond of the
opening quote:
"Sit
down before facts like a little child, and be
prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly to
wherever and whatever abyss Nature leads you, or you shall learn
nothing."
- T.H. Huxley
For each of these places I asked and received happily permission to be
there.
Friday. "I am attracted to sitting under the shed overhang
watching the rain because I can be with the rain and green colors and
all its beauty of color and sound and mist and wind and feel cozy and
peaceful and quiet."
"I am attracted to myself because I can be natural and down to earth
and also be cozy and peaceful and quiet."
Saturday. " I like the way the red colors touches the leaves
of the trees along the tops or tips of the branches so sweetly."
"I like myself because I carry things so sweetly."
Sunday. "I appreciate the simplicity and integrity of the wild lamb's
quarters herb with some rain drops on its multi branched form drooping
over in the mist and sunshine."
"I appreciate my simplicity and integrity as I go about my daily
progress in life with the elements."
Monday. " I see as worthwhile a little bit of blue
vetch in a cluster of green grasses, the worthiness of it shone clear
for me - something to do with respect for the land, recognizing the
beauty of land."
"I am worthwhile because I recognize the blue vetch and the green grass
are the respect and beauty of the land and myself."
Tuesday. "What is good is the air and the breathing of Earth
with its resting and mindfulness."
"I am good because I have breath and awareness of breath and can rest
with my breath."
Thursday. "What is right is that with the beautiful foliage, the
sunshine with clouds and raindrops, the birds and this wonderful big
patch of fragrant coriander, there is a sensation of contentment or
happiness of everything, a gentle fullness of the mind."
"I am right because with all the elements of NIAL around me, I sense
great happiness and gentle fullness of the mind."
Saturday. " I love the nameless intelligence of Nature that is aware of
what needs to be done and when to rest and so much more."
" I love my nameless intelligence of Nature that is aware of
what needs to be done and when to rest and so much more."
I learned that I have a tendency to underestimate
myself and I underestimate myself when I don't correlate
myself with Nature.
This is a wonderful exercise to expand our small selves
When I did these small searches every day, I was so happy to do each
one for nature is ready made to help us with good feelings about
ourselves. Nature always lends a sympathetic ear. I would be pretty
desolate without these exercises. I know my confidence level has gone
up like a rocket.
^^^
I sense and feel, therefore I am. I do trust my inborn senses and
feelings as much as I trust 2+2=4. However, I am learning that I've not
made much use of my inborn senses. I don't know much about nature. I
get freaked out by a harmless fly and I couldn't tell you the
difference between a maple tree and some other tree. Except for pine
trees, and that's only thanks to this course! Because I've been going
out of the office during breaks to sit under pine trees and look
straight up at them and see their skinny tall height, the tops of some
of them swaying a little in what must be a breeze up above even though
I don't feel a breeze down below.
I went to a clearing on the side of a small forest trail. The highway
was right beyond that but I tried not to hear the trucks. Instead I
looked at the blue sky and felt the warm sun on my back and head and
face. I sat on a trunk and got pine needle sap on my butt. When I tried
to wipe it off (no use there!) I got it on my fingers and it was so
sweet and pungent smelling! I thought, 'this is what I pay 12 bucks for
when I buy essential oil in the store! Here I am getting it for free!'
It smelled so good and fragrant. Even though it was almost November, I
heard some crickets in the clearing. And birds. And the wonderful
crunch sound of old pine needles and other organic material under my
feet as I took steps. The beautiful autumn trees showed me their green,
yellow and red leaves. A bee followed me for a little bit and I didn't
freak out. I felt nourished in this setting. And I remembered to ask
its consent.
I must have great potential to help myself and
others to learn to live in greater peace! Because I do trust the
sensory webstring truth that ecosystems convey to me. How could I not?
It's where we came from. I understand that intellectually but I need
lots and lots of experience in nature now to make use of my natural
senses. I grew up without seeing grass or dirt; I fell asleep listening
to busses drive past my building. But it's never too late to start.
Reading about sunsets makes me think - hey, that'd be nice to do -
watch a sunset. Live somewhere where I could see the sun set on the
horizon and not on buildings. But I absolutely believe that my love for
the sunset is as true or more true than math.
""...the authorities whose stories place meaning on the world can
determine how and what you perceive." Absolutely. I have a hard time
identifying Earth as a dead natural resource but I'm afraid there are
others who might as well see the planet that way since they so rarely
notice it. Video games, yes. A beautiful orange leaf that's fallen to
the ground, no. I want to notice these things and I want my son to
learn to also.
There is a nature trail near my office but I never see anybody on it.
And my office park has thousands of employees! What a shame. Nature is
there, willing to be shared and appreciated, but hardly anyone goes
into it. Instead it's rush rush rush to the car to get lunch
and then back to the compound to be indoors, where most of us have no
windows and the air is recycled. Of course I was one of these people
until recently! Now I go to the trail and sit under the pine trees and
look up. Identifying Earth as a wisely balanced living organism makes
me feel grateful to feel connected to the earth in my thoughts and
senses and it makes me happy that I can turn to nature to be nourished
and made calmer.
I discovered that perceptions change based on what we're told
"We often know ourselves better by our names and prejudices than by how
and what we think and feel." I also learned that pine sap
doesn't come out easily from clothing. I see how nature is
calling me to use my senses instead of how i've been living.
I can go outside into Nature and trust my inborn senses.
I can learn myself about our world by using my natural senses instead
of going by what others tell me.
^^^
To
begin this activity, I looked for a tree to sit under. I chose a
tree that I had not been in contact before, yet had admired from a
distance as I rushed from place to place, as I tend to do. It was
isolated in a park, yet it's noble presence was absorbed by the
surrounding environment. I asked permission to rest under the
tree for a moment, and since my webstrings felt warm and connected (and
the tree didn't fall down on me), I assumed my request had been
granted. I sat below the tree and simply breathed; breathed the
air available to me because of the very tree I was sitting under.
I decided that in my own life, I would like to stand as strong
and proud as this tree.
I walked around the tree for a while to
get a better feel for its functioning. It was completely still,
with the slight breeze touching the tips of its leaves. As I
slowly circled the tree, I thought of all the things it was doing that
I could not even see. At that moment, that tree was removing
enough carbon dioxide out of the air and ensuring that I would have
oxygen to breathe. It was gently offering a shaded place to sit,
while simultaneously cooling the Earth's temperature and helping to
reduce global warming. By providing a buffer between itself and
the ongoing traffic noise, this very tree helps to keep that park a
quiet refuge outside the hustle and bustle of the city.
How hard
this tree was actually working although this could not be viewed by the
external observer. This particular experience helped me to
reflect on the relationship between nature and humanity. If we
see somebody reading or writing in a park we might quickly assume that
they have time off to relax. We might even be secretly jealous
that they have "free time," while we are hurrying about to get a week's
worth of tasks completed in 12 hours. What we don't know, is that
this individual in the park may be writing or thinking about something
brilliant and life-changing; something that will outlive us all in
history. Much like the amazing capacities of nature, our brains
and hearts are fully portable; they are a part of us. If we
remove the distracting impurities from our bodies, spirits, and minds,
we may open ourselves up to an endless flourish of knowledge,
relationships and beautiful experiences.
I strayed away from the
tree, trusting nature and my senses to lead me to my next connection.
I paused when I saw a red jay. How delighted I was to sear
its beautiful song, especially during this cold, grey time of year.
I watched as the bird flew down to the small lake, grabbed an
insect with its beak, and flew back up to its nest to feed its
youngin'. A mother providing for and nourishing their small
offspring. Can you find a more beautiful, natural scenario?
I felt that the red jay had welcomed my presence from a distance
as I watched him earnestly go about completing his task, but I chose to
respect his space in nature, as well as his protective instincts for
his young one, and not move any closer.
As I stepped back and
watched the young bird happily accepting food from its mother, I
reflected on an experience I had with birds while doing some extensive
psychobiological research with bobwhite quail. I was measuring
the effects of external visual stimuli on incubation length and hatch
patterns. The majority of the research consisted of me spending
24 hour cycles in the laboratory at my university, recording the exact
time each egg hatched. Fun, right?! It actually really was
(well, most of the time). I remember when I heard the first egg
start to hatch. It was nearly 4:00 in the morning, and I was
fading. When I heard that little cracking noise, I rushed into
the incubation room to see what was going on. It was my little
overachiever, trying to beat the rest of the crew out of their eggs.
A little bit later (and by "a little bit" I mean six or seven
hours) another little bird was desperately trying to finish his
hatching experience, but couldn't quite get there. I could no
longer watch him suffer, so even though it was "against the rules" of
my experiment, I gently picked him up, and let him sit in the warmth of
my hand where he could feel another presence. With a bit more
gumption, he hatched out of his shell right there in my palm. It
was amazing. Wet, sticky, and amazing!
As I reflected on
these two experiences, I felt a sense of loss for the birds that were
part of my experiment. When I expressed this early on my
professor and lab attendant assured me that "they would never know the
difference," but I did not then, nor do not now agree with this.
The birds were all born happy and healthy. I attended to
their needs, fed them, and cared for them until they were old enough to
be released outdoors. I consulted with a local nature reserve to
find the location that would be most ideal for them to start their new
lives in the world. They were safe in my care, happy, and
healthy. However, I think of those moments of sweet innocence
that were deprived from both the birds and their mothers; the natural
connection, instinctual love, sense of security, and mid-afternoon
mouth-fed worms.
Finally, I selected a rock that was lying along
the path I was walking. I thought of how the tree I had been
looking at greatly outweighed this rock in stature, and thus likely
received more attention, but the distinct and individual beauty was
just as present in this rock as that massive tree. I sat with the
rock for a few moments before returning it to its place. As I
held the rock in my hand, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine its
journey. I allowed the texture of the stone to lead my story,
still appreciating that its texture, too, is ever changing. I
imagined where the rock had come from. Had it broken off of a
huge boulder somewhere in Colorado at one point, or did it arrive here
by hitching a ride on a river stream? Its path is likely far more
complicated than what I imagined, but it was nice to sit with the rock
and appreciate it for its presence and beauty, rather than being too
distracted by the more flamboyant acts of nature to notice the small
gifts. This rock possesses the knowledge and wisdom of more years
that we will see in our entire lifetime.
As I contemplate these
experiences, I am drawn to a lesson that my own pet taught me.
Whiskers came to me as a stray kitten, only a few weeks in age.
Wanting to take the best care of him possible, I remember feeling
worried. "He can't talk," I thought, "How will he tell me if he
needs something, or is hurt, or sad?" I was essentially pacified
by those around me, and told that I was "thinking too much," but I
continued to pay close attention to his needs, and remain open to any
communication he would offer me. I now see that my deep thirst
for natural connections has been a part of me for far longer than I
ever realized. Our relationship has been all the more
strengthened from this connection. Just like a mother can often
tell by her baby's cry what it is that they need or want from her, I
know by Whiskers' actions whether the food or water bowl need to be
refilled, he wants some time in the fresh air, it's time to clean the
litter box, or he just really wants some love and attention.
People tell me that they are amazed at the way he comes when I
call his name. They say, "only dog's do that." I believe
that we can connect with any living thing on varying levels, if we show
them that we will respect them and be true.
I have spent some
time through the weeks of this course thus far trying to solidify
several of the fragmented thoughts I have into coherent ideas on a
powerful way to give back to the Earth and thank it for all it has
provided. While I do have a bigger plan in the works (shhhh, it's
a secret--which is really my way of saying that I'm still pretty
clueless!), I have started out on a small level. I now spend the
extra buck to buy biodegradable goods for around the house. I
invested in a great environmentally friendly water bottle, rather than
going through hundreds of those small plastic ones a week. I pick
up litter on the ground, and if the culprit still appears to be
present, I might even give them a quick lecture while I'm at it.
I believe that many people making small steps for our environment
pays off. This particular experience was exceptionally fulfilling
and insightful for me. In appreciation, I would like to plant
another tree in that park. This week I will research the best type of
tree to use considering climatic factors, as well as when the most
beneficial time of year would be to do it. That plan sounds
lovely to me as I type this, and I will begin my research this weekend.
Webstring
attraction is an intelligence that people in industrial society seldom
learn to celebrate and too often deny or abuse. I think this is
sad, yet realistic, and my hope lies in my full dedication to learning
this material not only for myself, but also so that I may assist others
in truly experiencing the beauty I have found.
I believe
that nature is inherently intelligent and that people are part of
nature and vice versa. We, as human beings living in nature,
inherit nature's intelligence; it is biologically and psychologically
in us. Our civilization frequently conditions us to abusively
conquer nature in the environment and people, thus producing many
discontents. However, throughout history, in some people our
natural intelligence has survived this abuse and expressed itself.
It is my genuine hope for humanity that we continue to actively
connect with our webstrings, and seek to diminish the methods we may
have been programmed to use to isolate ourselves from nature.
For
example things I have read in postings throughout my class show how
frequently over the past couple of weeks have we varied in sharing our
particular moments where we felt something during the initial contact
with nature (or even at the thought of knowing the contact would be
made) that we weren't expecting? Sometimes we were able to work with
and through this, but other times it sent us off in search of a
location where we could better dedicate our full attention. I
will be bold and propose that while turning away does help to get the
assignment completed, and we do want to remain weary of respecting
nature rights and not impose on areas where we do not seem welcome,
maybe nature knows what we need at a given moment before even we do.
Maybe nature wants us to take those moments to put our work
aside, and take those moments by the waterfront that we need so badly
to be in touch with an underlying sadness, in a safe place, where we
may shed our tears right back into the great oceans. While we
have been programmed to say, "I need to get my work done," nature might
be gently whispering, "It's time for a break, dear" in your ear.
Nature does, after all, know what is best for us at each given
moment.
I chose to be outside for the entirety of this activity,
as I felt the need to be as enmeshed as possible with nature. My
walk through a park on a crisp Fall day was not only peaceful, but also
informative and insightful. I was very fortunate in that nature
provided me with ample opportunities to make connections along the path
I was following. I chose to listen to my inner wisdom, as well as
my attempts to access the creature's desire to interact with me, in
determining which products of nature I would be spending the most time
on. While there were several smaller interactions that I had
along the way, I chose to write about the three most influential to me,
as these experiences really enabled me to fully engage with nature,
take that interaction, reflect deeply on it, and apply it to my own
life and the world I live in.
When used sensibly and for
good, our web of life intelligence presents us with the opportunity to
take those lessons that nature is offering us, and use them to do good
and carry on the messages to others.
I found that I able to
connect with this activity on a level that is deeper than I have
before. I felt like the world was my classroom, and nature was my
teacher. In addition, I knew that my prior knowledge and senses
enabled me to better communicate with nature, and this collaboration
enhanced both my own self-worth, as well as my trustfulness of nature.
This
activity helped me to rediscover a part of myself that I had not tuned
in to for so long, it almost seemed as if it was missing. The
part of me, years ago, before life really kicked in to try to bring me
down, that genuinely wanted to connect with nature. I am so
grateful to have found this disconnected part of my childhood through
these exercises. Now I know that this is something I have always
wanted. I don't want to just live in nature. I want to be a part
of it.
^^^
Being near the water has been a trusting and
balancing sensory experience for me for as long as I can remember.
When I was eight-years-old, I lost my father to a drunk
driver. Because you do not have time to prepare for something
as sudden as a car accident, it seemed as if he had just left for work
one day and disappeared. I spent most of my childhood
wondering: "how could such a terrible thing happen to such a good
person?,"Will I see him again?," and most importantly, "What will I do
without him?"
I must say that I still do not have the answers to any of these
questions that I have been asking throughout my life.
However, thanks to the goodness of nature, I have found a way
to connect with my father. I have always been drawn to the
water, but didn't pay much attention to it. While working for
the mayor of a water front city as an undergraduate in college, I would
walk down to the lake every day for my lunch break. One day,
I just could not walk away. I felt pulled closer and closer
to the water. I felt my dad. I truly believe that through our
mutual love of the water and natural systems, my dad and I are able to
connect.
Do
not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do
not sleep.
I am a thousand winds
that blow.
I am the diamond
glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on
ripend grain.
I am the gentle
autumn's rain.
When you awaken to the
morning's hush,
I am the swift
uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in
circled flight.
I am the soft stars
that shine at night.
Do not stand at my
grave and cry;
I am not there. I did
not die.
So, I chose to "Create a moment that will let Earth teach" by the
waterfront, away from the
hustle and bustle of the city. Living in Seattle now, I had
what I consider Seattle's version of a water experience: it rained!
Not exactly what I had planned, but I embraced it.
I let the rain fall down on me, and really connected with the
process: how it felt (cold!), how it smelled, the changing patterns and
intensity of the rainfall. It made me realize how amazing
nature is, and how out of control (but also in control) I am in this
world. I could not stop the rain, but I was able to make the decision
to embrace it, rather than walk away and try again. This
experience encouraged me to not only embrace, but also trust nature to
guide me in my life.
I went for a walk through one of my favorite parks. As I let
my instincts lead my path, I began to collect leaves that stood out to
me. I sat on a bench, and created a bouquet of sorts with the
leaves I had collected. I began to imagine that each leaf
took on its own scent, much like a flower, and "gave" the leaves scents
that reminded me of special moments or things in my life.
After some time and imagining, I was able to smell these
scents within each corresponding leaf, and my mind began to stray to
the memories associated.
Identifying the Earth as a "wisely balanced living organism" encourages
me to incorporate its presence into my life more fully. As a
living organism, I desire to care for the Earth through means such a
recycling, planting trees and flowers, and picking up litter on the
ground. In thinking of the Earth as a living organism much
like myself, I feel a deeper connection to its presence, and strive to
be more "wisely balanced" myself through this connection.
I went back to the water again. I sat on a bench (It wasn't
raining at the moment!), closed my eyes, and imagined that I was
floating on a raft in the middle of the water. I could feel
the breeze from the wind blowing on my face as the raft rocked below
me. I could taste the salt in the water, even though I wasn't
sitting by salt water! I was able to live my story, so to
speak, and take a temporary retreat with nature, allowing the water to
take me as it wished.
The effect of repetition is something that I have noticed in my life
since moving to the West Coast. I love to go running every
morning. I like to go around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m., as this is my
favorite time of day: not quite dark, but not light yet either.
I feel at one with nature while running, especially because I
am one of the few people actually awake so I feel the world is all
mine! As Fall came, and thus did the rain, I noticed that I
was trying to excuse myself out of my morning run quite frequently.
I came up with a number of excuses, but I really didn't want
to be out in the cold rain. For this exercise, I embraced the
rain, and encouraged myself to go out and run despite the weather every
day for the week. Knowing that I worked with nature, rather
than against it, made my morning jog all the more gratifying.
^^^
I just want to say how much I am enjoying everyone's
thoughts and writings. My feelings of
appreciation run deep in relation to the many caring comments and
responses, and the many expressions of heartfelt desire to
connect -- it is amazing how much is being communicated on so many
many many different levels. Our emails really speak to me
about how connected we are on a deep molecular level.
There
is so much information here that I find it difficult at times to put
into words all I am feeling and sensing. It is a lot to
digest and integrate and communicate. I am learning so much from
all of you to pay attention more not only to our physical environment
but to our interconnectedness to build better and healthier
relationships with all living things.
My heart
is opening up more and more as we continue our activities and
in our readings and writings. I have been thinking too a lot about
hope and mindfulness and compassion.
Clouds, Ireland,
rats, squirrels, butterflies, birds are such lovely webs connecting
us. I am looking forward to what other webstrings and messages we
are going to discover together through the air waves.
^^^
"Do you trust your inborn senses and feelings as much as
you trust mathematics or definitions?" this question struck me
because my automatic answer was "no." now, i am trying to figure out
how i can have more faith in commonly accepted theory and standards,
than the truth of my own experiences. while
i have not unraveled this discrepancy, i keep going back to it.
I watched an autumn leaf during its departure from
the tree all the way to its soft landing on the ground.
i was the only human who witnessed this unique decline to earth, and
had no proof to offer other than my own representation
of this experience. i trust what i saw.
"Very little, if anything, is out of balance in healthy ecosystems."
While considering this quote, i was gazing upon a very
typical fall time scene of a garden past its summertime splendor:
withered plants, dry stems, and shades of brown, brown,
brown. when my eyes were drawn to a beautiful red flower, off
to the side. it was vibrant, healthy and bursting with color.
i realized i had misjudged the whole scene, the beauty of the flower
was only complemented by the contrast surrounding it.
Interpretation is so powerful and personal. true of a person,
or situation, or piece of art. temporarily stuck indoors one
day,
i gravitated toward a window and just watched the clouds
pass. ignoring, my usual assignment of shapes and familiar
animals and objects, i just let myself go, my breathing slowed, and for
a moment i felt as if i was floating in weightless
harmony. it was lovely.
Words really can serve to separate us from nature, and aide in
our destruction of it.
In quiet observation, assuming i was alone. i suddenly became
aware of all the animals around me, and it was only at their discretion
i even noticed them. for the crow and the cat and squirrel
had all been completely silent, and only revealed themselves to me by
choosing to make enough sound to be noticed. i felt like i
had been observing long enough, that maybe in that moment, they came to
trust me just a little. and i felt
a fool for thinking i had been alone.
We are a part of nature, by causing harm, we hurt ourselves, which is
an unhealthy cycle of behavior...
There is a particular stretch of road that i stroll this time
of year, and just gasp as the rich colors and the trees. i have worn
many hair colors, but none so vibrant as the reds, maroons, ambers,
rusts, oranges, golds and yellows that nature has created
and allows us to enjoy temporarily. a true
masterpiece!
^^^
Throughout this chapter I align or resonate with the essential notion
that each individual must realize through their own experience and
cannot simply be told. Further this chapter consistently asks
to guide the participant towards realization or awareness …
again essential. "Is what we're saying true … How do you know
that its true?" "If we can't trust ourselves who can we
trust?" This type of guidance reminds me of the books of the
Zen masters who through words and guidance can cause realization using
intentional speak and open questioning that takes form as lightening
within.
"It was as if nature was a vacuum cleaner" Oh sweet exchange
– balance in connection – Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide dancing … so many
connections that clear and balance. Just yesterday I was
laying on the earth and breathing with everything and when I sat up I
felt as if I had been 'vacuumed' .. conscious connections – I also feel
this alchemy when connecting with 'open hearted' people and myself on
either end of the alchemy – such as I have experienced in this group
and courses.
I had a lunch meeting in Oxford city and decided to treat myself to
walk in one of the University grounds that wildly follows the Thames …
here I followed my attraction as I was due back to work.
Further down the trail I saw a beautiful Romanian Gypsy an elder
perhaps 8o some in wisdoms age … She sat with green around her head and
upon her lap was a huge drawing of a tree … she said beautiful things
and I was so attracted to her I sat beside her on the bench.
She said "I talk to the trees and the trees talk to me," – that she
talks to all of the natural life and she wanted to reconnect people
with nature .. she had written many books that she only shared with her
friends wrapped in the finest shades of silk …. She told me that the
trees teach her spiritual lessons so as the essence of love .. and that
she meets with trees to talk about their medicinal properties and how
they release and work. She spoke and shared … but she was my
heart reflecting. Of course I expressed my affinity for her …
she told me I was from space at the very top of the tree … What a gift
a blessing …. And I thought of everyone and how gifted we are to
commune and share together … and for this course.
^^^
It was in 1980 when we uprooted from India and
immigrated to Canada with a dream of having it all. Along with
other Canadians, we too joined the rat race to nowhere. 20 years
later the realization settled in that no matter what was achieved,
gained or consumed, it will never be enough. It was in 1999
when I left my 6 figure corporate race and began searching for inner
fulfillment. After many courses, meditation camps, and thousands
of books, last year I came across Dr. Cohen’s website and his work has
been by far the most rewarding and a life saving experience. Dr.
Cohen’s work does not promise a quick get rich or a quick recovery
scheme. His work opens the door to freedom from our 5 senses
perceptual world we are trapped in. The activities he has
developed work on each of our 53 senses slowly and surely taking us to
our natural roots or rather our natural sense of self.
Based on his work, following is an activity that will bring us in touch with our natural senses.
Thankfully
gain consent to visit an attractive natural area. Once you sense
the natural attraction inviting you to be with the area, sit or be in
close proximity and notice any shifts that occur in the way you breathe
or sense. Do you feel any sensations or feelings that were not
there before you entered the attractive natural area. Now close
your eyes and take some deep breaths in and notice the shifts that
occur.
Breathing in fully, thank the natural area for the
exchange and walk around for 10 minutes with full awareness looking for
different attractions in the area. After 10 minutes return to the
initial attraction and redo the above activity and record your
discovery.
Now visit a car dealer or your favorite store in the mall
and try to create this natural connection with a car or an outfit and
what do you discover?
Is our society brain washed by an
overload of commercials broadcasting the unnatural ways to fulfill our
senses? What can you as the citizen of Mother Nature do to
correct our false perception and return our society to our natural
roots?
^^^
I don’t know where to begin…
Once
again I couldn’t wait to do the activity and did stop reading half ways
through the chapter. I went out to my favorite bush and she
immediately invited me to her space. Even before I went out, I
was filled with gratitude and in my mind I was thanking every contact
being made through my senses. As I stood near the bush, for the
first time I was beginning a sense of connection beyond connection…
hard to explain what I felt. I walked around in her presence
embracing every feeling I sensed with a magnitude of gratitude and as I
was about to walk back in, I noticed my dog Chester looking at me as
though he saw something different. I called him and he came
running to me and I took him out for a walk. We walked back in
and I was thinking to myself how ego destroys our sense of being…
We are nothing without the connection… Ego is an illusion that
keeps us from the connection… and as these thoughts were bubbling in my
mind, I picked up
where I had left off and began to read the
remaining chapter… little did I know that the next sentence was
about ego…. But this time around, I was not surprised at all… My
intelligence is so connected that it makes the connection before I even
attempt to pick the book…
And thus my learning was humbling and yet profound
Nature’s
intelligence is in me and I am in Nature’s intelligence… we are one…I
feel so content that my needs are dissolving… I am happy… I
am… or I am not… because Nature and I are one…. We are… we are
happy together… we are content together…
Last but not
least, today I re-connected with my pain in a profound way…. It
is beginning to dissolve as it is being acknowledged and heard.
^^^
I believe our view of nature stems from the
various influences we have around us. Direct sensory experiences are
the most meaningful links to our oneness with nature. Our cultural
backgrounds add to the excitement and the novelty of our personal
experiences with nature.
Just a couple of days ago, my
daughter and I decided to take the bus downtown in order to enjoy the
lakeview from the bus window. But to our disappointment, the lake was
nowhere to be seen, covered with snow. In a situation like this,
creative thinking makes all perceptions more interesting. Once again,
it is easy to look at the lake and simply say, "It's covered with
snow....sooner or later, it will melt when it gets warmer and when the
sun spreads its warmth over it once again...."Yes, the explanation
sounds logical and scientific, but it lacks a feeling of closeness to
the Earth. If I would be given a chance to talk about the amazingly
snow-covered Lake Michingan, I would say, "What a joy to see snow
settle down peacefully on the lake.I imagine myself as a snowflake
resting on calm water, hoping that one day, a ray of sun will shine on
me...and then I would rise up to evaporate and visit my friends up
above... when the right time comes, i will hug the
earth once more as a raindrop....and so the cycle goes on and on...."
More insights to come....more realizations......more creativity......
This is truly a wonderful, wonderful experience!
I
wanted to add that it is very heartwarming to realize that we are not
merely colleagues but a collaborative learning team. I would like to
let you all to know that I appreciate your sincerity and openness in
sharing your experiences and stories about yourselves (in our journey
to reconnect with nature).
Thank you for your active participation in our course!
Act
now.
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Organic Psychology by doing it.
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"Human
behavior is rooted most deeply in nature's intentions and desire. The
rhythms of nature underlie all of human interaction: religious
traditions, economic systems, cultural and political organization. When
these human forms betray the natural psychic pulse, people and
societies get sick, nature is exploited and entire species are
threatened."
-Stephen
Aizenstat
In
industrial society our excessively nature-separated lives mold us to
betray the natural psychic pulse. We learn to block from our thinking
over 98 percent of the wise sensory callings and fulfillments we
normally share with natural systems and their eons of experience. Our
subconscious hurt and frustration from the severed disconnection of
these senses underlies our greatest troubles.
-Michael
J. Cohen
..................................
Benefit
from learning to enhance the natural psychic pulse within and around
us. Add the sensory ecoscience of Organic Psychology to
your life and livelihood.
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"Scientific
research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is
determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action
of people."
.
"Truth
is what stands the
test of experience."
-
Albert Einstein
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