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“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu
Are we, modern humans, losing touch with the nature of reality?
Humans are part of nature, but that’s easy to forget in this era of rapidly increasing technologies and systems that disconnect us from our natural human qualities and values. Distress, destruction and devastation occur when we disregard our connection to the environment, the ecosystem and each other.
The Nature’s Way process is about ‘re-membering’ our true nature; ‘re-minding’ us about the cyclic, impermanent and interconnected nature of reality; as well as ‘re-embodying’ our creativity, joy and flow of life. Through this process we experience nature as our guide and teacher.
It is widely understood that being in nature can be calming, grounding and healing. Immersing yourself mindfully in a natural environment promotes open awareness (OA). Connecting consciously with nature is like coming back to our roots, embedded in Earth and interdependent with all other beings – human and nonhuman. The Nature’s Way process may facilitate an expansion of your consciousness – from ego-consciousness to eco-consciousness – integrating your ‘eco-logical’ self – authentic, whole and interconnected.
Most human injustice and violence are due to people being disconnected from their authentic nature (Taylor, 2023). Chronic stress, emotional dysregulation, excessive consumption, co-dependency and addiction may all stem from disconnection, causing suffering at many levels (Davis & Canty, 2013). Conversely, human ‘goodness’ – including qualities like compassion, altruism and justice are related to our sense of connection (Taylor, 2023). The Nature’s Way process may support people in transcending their sense of separateness and attune to a deeper sense of connection. Restoring connection may foster the type of resourcefulness and resilience that motivates people to engage in healthy lifestyles, including more compassion toward themselves and others.
Although ‘transplanting’ yourself into nature through regularly spending uninterrupted time in an unpolluted natural environment is ideal, not everyone has unspoilt nature at their doorstep. Even those who are privileged to have access to wild/pure nature most likely don’t have all the elements of nature locally available, and many people aren’t physically able to enjoy the outdoors. Therefore, the Nature’s Way process involving imagery of almost all elements of nature with guidance for reflection, journalling and integration is a practical resource – and it’s free!
Register for our monthly Open Awareness Tips (see below), which incorporate the Nature’s Way process.
Each month’s Open Awareness Tip includes a photo collage of inspiring, evocative and calming elements of nature (see examples above) with guidance for you to directly experience the Nature’s Way process, including resources to support you in embodying your insights.
Most of the photos are taken by me in different countries where I practice jumi (judo-mind) in the wilderness and often experience profound states of awe. I try to capture these precious moments on camera, and as such, I have accumulated plenty photos of pristine nature. The original Nature’s Way process emerged many years ago through impactful experiences in nature with my clients and students, as well as online – using photos of nature scenes to help expand our perspectives and creativity. With inspiration from the natural world and feedback from hundreds of participants, these days there are numerous variations of the Nature’s Way process – suited to all types of people and contexts.
Let’s be in the world as nature and flourish together! Give Nature’s Way a try. Register in the website footer below.
References
Davis, J. V., & Canty, J. M. (2013) Ecopsychology and transpersonal psychology. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 597-611). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Taylor, S. (2023). DisConnected: The roots of human cruelty and how connection can heal the world. Iff Books
