Stephan Harding, author of the book “Animate Earth” and a professor I had, once told me that the best way to remember we are nature is by first simply taking the time to observe.
In the last centuries, our way of living has been mainly anthropomorphic (putting humans at the center). Therefore, we have forgotten that we are an integral part of the living web of nature. We are indeed all interconnected: humans, and what David Abram, author of “The Spell of the Sensuous”, would call the more-than-human world of animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and many others.
But what is the path to remember… to feel again that we are nature?
Well, of course there is no fixed recipe — after all, we are all unique beings, with a unique story and different experiences. Sometimes, it might take time to remember; other times, one single experience might be life changing. Confusing? Let me share two stories that have impacted me.
One day I met a man that shared with me how he had gone through a major life challenge. After the experience of nearly dying, he felt the call to be in nature. He didn’t understand why and what to do once there; he would just choose one beautiful natural place and would stay there for hours doing nothing, just observing. The day trips continued and week after week he just felt good, but nothing actually changed for him. Until one day, like a flip of a coin, he sensed something different. He started to feel he was changing and that he was part of that place as well.
While for this man it took many weeks to start remembering, for Aldo Leopold, once a North American hunter, something of this meaning came to his understanding the moment he saw a wolf die. During a hunt, he was having lunch with other hunters on top of a cliff when suddenly they saw a wolf and her pups down the river. Within a few seconds, Aldo Leopold and his friends grabbed their riffles and started shooting the wolves. They managed to get to where the mother wolf was, just in time to observe in her dying eyes a wild green fire that was extinguishing. At that moment, according to Aldo Leopold, he realized that there was something new that he observed in those eyes, something that only she — the wolf — and the mountain knew. Since then, something changed forever for him and after this experience, he became a great environmental activist.
In a Forest Therapy walk, one is invited to be in nature in a different way than we are used to when we are doing a hike or camping with friends. We are invited to slow down the pace and participants are invited to more fully experience a variety of sensory invitations. These invitations might involve observing plants, trees, animals, birds, air movement and temperature as well as the fragrances it might carry. In a 2-3 hour walk in the forest, people have a variety of experiences. It is very common to feel more relaxed and somehow more connected to nature. In many cases, participants have deeply transformational experiences, with simple invitations to just observe in the way that feels right for them.
Stephan Harding used to say that one can start by taking the time to stop to observe. The beautiful practice of observing nature can be done even in your daily routine. For example, you can simply begin by stopping to observe the birds that cross your path in the streets, when you are going to work or taking your son to school, for example.
Who knows when, and how, nature might surprise you?
To read more:
Aldo Leopold: “A Sand County Almanac”
Amos Clifford: “Your Guide to Forest Bathing”
David Abram: “The Spell of the Sensuous”
Stephan Harding: “Animate Earth”