Learning to Communicate with Nature

[Mika]

Although Avatar shows us, reminds us, of a way of life that is connected to Nature, and stirs within most of us, that longing to have that connection, once again, it does not take us into the deeper understanding of exactly ‘how’ to develop that relationship with Nature, in a way that not only allows us to be in harmony with Nature, but how to communicate and commune with Her as well!

During this last year I’ve had a lot of opportunities to be in much closer contact directly with Nature on an ongoing basis, both from travelling, as well as presently residing in rural countryside surrounded by wide open prairie, patches of wild lands, and woodlands. Combined with this has also been a foraying into a number of reading sources, many of which I have already posted elsewhere in various threads on the Forum. Almost of those sources speak to how to ‘get closer’ to Nature, not just in going out for walks and appreciating the beauty, but teachings that include learning to ‘see’ Nature, through Her eyes, sensing the ‘spirit’ of Nature in a way that can provide profound, even life-affirming, life-changing experiences and insights. This way of relating to Nature is not only filled with awe and reverence, but becomes a deeply personal intimate relationship where there is the feeling of being in the presence of the essence of a ‘being’ who seems to ‘speak’ to your heart, mind, body, and soul directly. Beyond just being ‘one’ and in harmony with Nature, it is this type of communion that most of us are seeking, and sense in the underneath currents that flow through the symbolism of Eywa, The Tree of Souls and all of Pandora.

So how do we re-establish our relationship with Nature? Although there are innumerable ways to do so, there are some very basic first steps that are nicely summarized from a book called Nature Speak! They may appear deceptively simple, but the accumulating ‘effect’ will have an overall impact, that will ‘heighten’ not only our awareness and attention to Nature, but our whole sense of ourselves as well.

1. Involve yourself with some aspect of Nature more personally.
We cannot expect to open communication with the natural world if we do not spend some quality time in it. Plant a garden, even a ‘window’ sill garden and some houseplants, are a reasonable start. If you have access to a yard, allow an area of your yard to grow ‘wild’ so that the wild can take up residence within it. Become an amateur naturalist. Do some bird watching, or ‘wild life’ watching, even if that wildlife are ‘city creatures’ of chipmunks and squirrels. Create a pond. Take night hikes. Take up herbology. Try to learn to identify trees.
If you have more time Volunteer and support nature centers, parks, and other environmental organizations.

If your closer to ‘countryside’ take regular walks in Nature. You will be surprised at what you will encounter and experience with walks around your neighbourhood or in parks. But there will be no chance of encountering any of them unless you get outside. And what you will encounter will change with each season!

2. Study Nature.
One of best things to do to open to the natural world is learn more about it. Study a different plant each week. In one year, you will learned a significant amount about 52 plants. Begin with plants found around your home or those that have always fascinated you. Keep a log on unusual and amazing facts about the. Go to the library get several books on plants. Learn to identify them. Look for what is unique about the plant. What is its growing cycle?
Has it any medicinal or folk-lore properties?

3. Meditate out in Nature.
Send thoughts and prayers out to Mother Nature, asking for signs and communications. Quiet the mind out in your backyard or a nearby park and pay attention to what you feel, smell, hear, and see. Feel yourself become one with Nature. Try and feel the heartbeat of Nature resonating through you and your own heart beating in rhythm with it.

Choose different environments for your meditation. Meditate under a tree or next to a pond. Sit quietly and contemplate the riverbed. Feel the warmth of the sun on a stone as you sit calmly. Lie back in the grass, breathe deeply the sweet air and fragrance. Feel your body on the Earth, balancing grounding and healing.

Perform walking meditations, especially at dawn and dusk. Feel the sacredness of the Earth and the softness of all life. With each step you will find yourself more attuned than ever before.

4. Be Vulnerable with Nature
Not included in the authors books, but from my own experiences, is allowing yourself moments or experiences of vulnerability with Nature. These can range from while out walking on ‘trails’ to going ‘offtrail’ into unexpected places. Taking forages off the beaten track. I am not talking about ‘risky’ adventures, such as trekking lets say into an area where there are ‘bear warnings’ or onto ‘private, keep off’ properties, or heading into a ‘hunting zones’ during hunting season.

I’m talking about those excursions that are reasonably to moderately safe, that don’t carry so much a ‘dangerous element’ as an unfamiliar quality. For example hiking in a National Park on one of the less popular or traveled trails, or skinny dipping (while not under the influence of any substance or alcohol) at dusk in a lake, or in secluded woodland, allowing yourself to experience Nature, au natural! These moments carry with them a sense of liberation and freedom that only comes from being open, and trusting of Nature but from the intimate exchange of being alone and vulnerable to the elements.

5. Listen for and acknowledge Nature’s daily greeting to you.
When you are outside, even when just stepping out for a few moments, try to pay attention to what stands out for you. It may be a crow cawing to you. It may be a fragrance from a tree. Nature usually greets us in some way every time we step outside through one of our senses.

The more you acknowledge it, the stronger the greetings become. If a bird speaks as you step out, mimic its greeting back to it. If a crow caws, caw back. If you are uncomfortable doing this, then just say something like, ‘Hello, friend crow.’ If the fragrance of a tree or flower catches your attention, greet it in return.

Some people are uncomfortable doing this, worried about what others might say or think. I (the author) usually operate under the assumption that most people think that I’m a little ‘weird’. If I am out walking and my neighbours see me saying ‘hello’ to a tree, they usually just roll their eyes, pull their kids inside and wait until I move on. But I (the author) don’t worry about their response. I am being courteous and answering the greeting.

6. Read Nature tales and myths from different traditions and countries.
In every society, there were individuals whose task it was to keep the ancient mysteries alive and to pass them on by word of mouth. These people were the storytellers. Through myths and tales, they guided individuals into new wonders and new possibilities. They parted the veils of mysteries.

Myths and tales touch us on many levels. They provide a tool for life direction and they nudge us to ever-greater exploration of life’s mysteries. They open us to possibilities. Through tales and myths of the natural world, we open more fully to the colors of the archetypes they represent in our life.
By reading the Nature tales and myths from different parts of the world, several things will happen. First, you will begin to recognize common teaching about the natural world. Second, you will begin to see some the of spiritual qualities and thoughtforms that are associated with the elements of Nature – the crystals, the plants, and animals.

continued in next post!