photo by J. Philipson

If you are like me you love trees. I feel so fortunate to live in an area where trees are abundant. My home is Thousand Oaks California, and it is not a coincidence that there are many, many oak trees (as well as other varieties) in our city. Since I have been here I have planted one tree, and I plan on planting more.

When I was younger I remember looking for an apartment that I could afford. The ones with a view of something green were few and far between. Who wants to look out the window at another stucco building, a trash can-lined alley or a busy street? Most of us would like a little glimpse of something that reminds us that we are creative beings.

Still not convinced? Here are 5 great reasons to get out there and start planting:

1. 10 average sized trees provide enough oxygen for the average sized person for his entire lifetime. If you haven’t planted your 10 trees yet, you are taking up somebody’s else’s air. If you have never planted a tree before, but would like to take the plunge, go to Tree Help.

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photo by, sohichix

Do you remember fireflies? Imagine stepping out on your porch on a warm July night. It’s about 8:oo, your dinner has settled, and it is pitch dark outside. But, wait, there in front of you – you see a small flashing light –then another – then another. Any thoughts you had of taking care of the dishes in the sink are gone.

Mesmerized by the dancing light you experience a lightness you have not felt since you were a child. Being in the present is easy because your attention is captured in the most natural way.

In the zen philosophy one is considered to be “on the right track” when one feels as if they are connected to whatever they are doing in the moment. Well, these magical fireflies have swept you up in their dance –so, I guess that makes this an officially zen-like experience.

As Zen philosopher Alan Watts so eloquently puts it, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”

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photo by, nicolas valentin

What does it really mean when someone says that they have faith? It’s such a “heavy” word with a kind of preachiness attached to it. At least that is what I used to think.

These days I have a little bit different perspective. The older I get I have begun to notice a pattern. When I was just a young thing I used to ride the ups and downs of life with less than a modicum of grace. When a challenging situation would present itself I felt like a scared animal on the defensive – my heart would start racing and my dander would stand on end.

Unlike the [intelligent] human, the animal does not have the complex brain that we have been fortunate enough to be born with. So many times a reaction is primal and immediate. Sounds just like me not too long ago. On top of being in reactive mode, my mind took off in a downward spiral – imagining the worst, fear, and panic. And of course all that wonderful self doubt and stress that goes along with that.

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photo by kagedfish

I love the rain. Growing in Phoenix, Arizona where it was common to experience 120 degree weather, I look to the heavens and express my thanks when I see the storm clouds rolling in. But something happens after about the third straight day…I miss the sun.

We have had an extremely wet 2008 here in Southern California. And this last string of rainy days really had me yearning for a little sunshine. As much as I love the lush landscape of Washington and Oregon, I know my spirit would inevitable be somehow “less than” in a climate where the sun did not make a more frequent appearance.

Yesterday as I took my morning walk with my husband and my 2 dogs, the sun kept us company. Like a dear friend that was away on a long vacation she joined us and lifted our mood. Everything seemed brighter – it was literally, of course. But the energy of the atmosphere was circulating in such a way that I could not help but be more aware of what was around me.

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photo by hellgah

Are you are city person or a country person?…not sure? Do you feel the need to go outside, walk among the trees, take your shoes off and stand in the grass, smell the wildflowers, lift your head up to the sky, and take a deep breath of gratitude. Or do you always find an excuse to stay home – feel more grounded in front of the computer than an open field? Do you like pounding the pavement or taking a cab – getting to where you need to be rather than enjoying the process of getting there?

When so-called city people experience boredom or a feeling of isolation it is most likely not their natural setting that it is the problem – it is the ability to face themselves. People that need help in facing their neurosis may do so in any number of ways-therapy, writing, meditation, painting, etc. I imagine if the practice of your choice does not involve some natural outlet of creativity, peace of mind would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

In the ancient practice of Shamanism, nature becomes the healer of what ails you-if you allow her to. Just as a good psychotherapist will try to guide you to your true nature, so does the wilderness. When you are able to leave yourself alone, and tune in to the natural forces of the great outdoors, answers come through your senses. Trust is needed to respond in an affirmative way to what you are experiencing.

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photo by gabriel_dcv

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the human-nature connection. On that day I covered three ways in which we humans are like nature: Our Desire To Communicate, Our Vulnerability, and Our Inner Purity.

I wanted to go further with this topic because the idea behind it is why I started this blog in the first place. I honestly believe the more we observe the ways of nature and allow ourselves the time to get lost in her mystery, the more peace and happiness will show up in our lives.

This way of thinking may sound a little pollyanaish, and I own that. I can be a real cornball at times. But, again, I’m okay with all that. I look at it this way – I’m sacrificing a little of that sexy edginess for a softness that allows unseen forces to penetrate…

With that in mind I will concentrate today ’s post on the contemplation of a single thought, and how we humans are like nature: We Change.

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photo by, mitwalter

There has been a lot of not-so-pleasant talk about how the country (and the world) is headed for a recession. Personally, I do not like to get caught up in depressing theories (the world coming you an end in 2012?) or negative thinking in general.

That is why I was pleased to come across a recent article on a UK website, 10 Ways Recession Can Help the Environment, by Fion MacCloud. Now I’m still not convinced we are in a recession, but if we were, it is good to know there is always a silver lining to any situation.

I have taken his headings and recapped what Mr. MacCloud came up with:

1.” Reduction in Landfills”

When folks have less money, they buy less stuff, so less crap gets disposed of. The United States (according to MacCloud) produces 25% of this waste even though we make up 5% of the world’s population. Capitalism can produce greedy ways.

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photo by, Lucian Badea

Naturalists and humanitarians have a respect for nature and humans, respectively – and, in most cases (I suspect), for each other. I was contemplating on all the ways in which nature and humans are alike, and decided to put them in a list. It becomes more difficult to take things for granted when you expose your deeper thoughts, and put them on paper (or on a computer screen). In the end the process evokes a genuine gratitude.

Once I started writing, more thoughts came. I could write a series of books on this subject. So below is a partial list (more to come) of the human-nature connection that I am sincerely grateful for:

Our Desire To Communicate

I read an article in the BBC magazine, Wildlife, about how certain plants communicate. It was discovered after a bit of observation that some plants (including strawberries and clover), communicate through a vegetable-based phone line. This living cable is created from these plants and grows and spreads over the ground in a neighborhood network. Messages can be spread about enemies in their mist. Their friends and relatives will be warned about intrusive insects, caterpillars, etc. – a natural alarm system at work.

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photo by, Simon T

Linus Pauling was an extraordinary man – his dualistic expression was admired by those who knew him. He was enthusiastic yet humble, simple and complex, and a gentle rebel.

Pauling was also known as a force of nature. A physicist/chemist/biologist, this brilliant scientist was not content with his research into the nature of the chemical bond (for which he won his first Nobel Prize in 1954).

Pauling then became fascinated in the movement of molecules. He was able to concoct enough experiments to reach the achievement of developing a substitute to blood plasma and then of understanding the living cell. Pretty heavy stuff…

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photo by, ifilmalaska

I recently saw a wonderful movie, Into The Wild. The movie follows a young man after he graduates with honors from college. He decides to cut himself off from capitalistic society – he burns his social security card, gives away all his money and makes a decision to end all communication with his friends and family.

The motivating force behind his action is anger at his parents. For anyone that has experienced a dysfunctional family (dare I say most of us), one can understand harboring ill will at those who screwed up our impressionable minds with lies, emotional abuse, and misguided actions.

Some may say the main character, Alexander, overreacts. My first thought was he did. However, I understood his anger and his cockiness – as obnoxious as he was, he was acting out of a pain that was fresh and impossible to escape.

Alexander sets off on an amazing journey to try (to escape). His goal is Alaska. He seems compelled to go to this place which is void of any hint of commercialism. In its place is what Alexander wants the most, “truth”. The character worships the wisdom Henry David Thoreau who puts truth above fame, money, and love.

Thoreau, himself, spent over two years living with nature at Walden Pond. This author’s experience led him to believe that if one were to live a truthful life it would require us to simplify our existence by shedding our lives of unnecessary attachments.

Alexander took Thoreau’s words to the extreme. He picked a much more severe natural setting. Alexander’s Walden Pond was a remote, harsh territory of Alaska. His home of several weeks was a dilapidated bus (not sure how it got there) in the middle of the wild. It became the place where he slept and wrote of his adventure. He read, and hunted, and lived the life he was sure would have made Thoreau proud.

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