I believe the wilderness is our soul.
We are creatures born of the natural environment. Indeed, the separation of the natural world from the human world is a modern anomaly. We know this, but it's getting easier to intellectualize, and simultaneously more difficult to feel.
See, for longer than we can imagine, we relied on, and listened to the natural world. What we know now is that when we get it in bites and pieces (a hike here, a river swim there, a photograph on a mountain vista even), we feel reduced stress, greater mental clarity, and a soothed nervous system. Yet not many of us can or have the space to take the time to do more. It's almost as if we don't know how.
Less than 1% of our time as “humans” on earth throughout time has been spent with the modern conveniences we see as “needed” today: combustion, electricity, and yes, communication devices. Our disconnection from nature is an historical anomaly. To give some context, it's easy to point out that the Industrial Revolution peaked about 180 years ago. Automobiles arrived just a hundred fifty years ago, and the television is only one hundred years old. Not to mention the cell phone, in its smart version, likely half the age than most of us reading this. Put plainly, in just a fraction of humanity's time on earth, we've disrupted our connection to our natural world. This certain and acute distance of proximity to ourselves (our nature souls), asks us now... how can we access it again? How can we return, and even revision that relationship?
What was it like when we asked nature for support, communicated and read its language, and could understand the wind?
I believe that the rhythms of the earth and the voices of nature can teach us to reconnect to our soul. And we can do it by spending time - quiet and slow time - in its embrace.
See, the ground is living (billions upon billions of living beings exist in the top soil alone). It has witnessed thousands of years of human life as it interacts with non-human life. And all of that those humans and nonhumans left behind energetically, spiritually, and physically. If we can listen to this, we can reconnect to its wisdom. Nearly all of us simply lack the practice to do so, and that is what I urge us to engage in- the beginnings of this practice. Sure, a brisk run through the woods is healthy. Nothing wrong with that at all. But on another day maybe try walking slowly, alone and notice what happens.
There was a day that I practiced this very slowness. I spent an entire day at the feet of a coastal redwood. I gazed upon her with a heavy heart filled with grief as I heard the sound of chains saws and heavy equipment in the distance, the background score of nearby logging. This tree I was with had been logged herself- I was looking at a very large stump circled by the relatively new “sprouts” - her daughters. Many of these, too, had been cut, and I understand that the granddaughters were now about 75 years old based on their height and diameter.
And then it struck me: They are all connected to the same roots.
I was in the presence of a 3000 year old being. She was right here before me. Her roots spread over 100 feet in all directions. Soon, I became aware of the footsteps of those who may have walked on this very spot for thousands of years, all the people, fourleggeds, two legged, and winged ones. I turned to the ferns behind me and asked if there was a way I could participate with them. The answer was simple: Do whatever the f*** you want, just do it with Love.
Sounds so simple, yet its profundity makes it so hard.
This is what is needed: To let the forces of nature do their work: They know what to do. And if we are going to act, act in Love.
In the forest you might find rotting logs sprouting ferns, hollows just the right size, mushrooms that fruit for only a few days. In the desert you might find vast expanses of tiny plants covering every surface. You might notice a jackrabbit sitting up tall. You might encounter a spiky cactus, tender and juicy under the spikes. Each time we intentionally step into Presence with nature, we don’t know exactly what we might learn. What we do know is that when we pay attention, open our minds to listen, we open the possibility to find meaning, symbolism, and even answers within these connections.
Once embodied with the distillment of these encounters, we can act and gain that much more strength for the next step forward.
If you are curious about an experience that brings this level of wisdom and connection, I encourage you to connect with me to find the best path (no pun intended) to getting closer not just to nature, but to yourself.
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