Listening to the Land

There is something very powerful about connecting with the land.  When we allow ourselves to "listen" to the land, we do so with all of our senses.  I usually use the word "listen" because, to me, what I receive as feedback from the land feels like communication -- a conversation -- with varying degrees of interaction, depending on my receptivity.  

When I step into the forest, for example, I am aware of a shift that is not just a shift of my own consciousness.  The best way I can describe the experience is to say that I feel a "buzz" -- a vibration -- in my heart and in my mind. I experience this differently in varying places in Nature -- sometimes louder or more pronounced, sometimes quieter.  It is usually loudest, and also more familiar and comforting, in forests.  Thus I describe myself as a creature of the forest.

It may be surprising (or foreign) to some (adults) to consider that Nature would have something to say to us.  Children seem to be at ease conversing with butterflies, ants, slugs, trees, and so on.  Somewhere along the way, the natural language of connection is "unlearned" as children grow to adults (in the "western" society)...  It is possible to re-train ourselves to connect, feel, listen, understand and converse with Nature.  What is required is a willingness to use the instruments already present within us -- our body, our senses, our heart, and our dreaming mind.

The "buzz" that I feel and hear has been a part of my experience for as long as I can remember.  As a child, it was natural to "tune in" to whatever was being communicated.  The conversations were unforced, and fluid.  It was also common for me to have interactions with spirits.  These interactions happened on a completely different level, yet seemed equally "normal."

Somewhere in my mid teens to my early 20's, these experiences shifted and took on a different "flavour."  The natural flow of conversation and felt-language was no longer so natural, and no longer an easy flow, in large part to my own choice to close or narrow my ability to receive the communications (...a story for another time...).  However, the land and the spirits were persistent.  What I sense, in hindsight, is that they "externalized" experiences and made them "loud" or pronounced so that I could not ignore them.  

There was a point, in my mid-20's, where my mental well-being was at a precipice -- either tip over the edge toward going "crazy," or finally accept and integrate the ability to listen to the land and spirits and go "uncrazy."  It took a bit of work, and a lot of grace, to re-open my senses in a way that the flow of communication was natural once again.

It is my opinion, and my felt-sense, that human beings would be much healthier (in our society) if they were encouraged to keep and strengthen their inherent connection to Nature -- if they were encouraged to  communicate and "listen" to the land and unseen (yet felt) world around them.  It is also my opinion and felt-sense that the ensuing connection would engender a very different relationship to Nature, "resources", and Mati Zemleya (Mother Earth) -- one of respect, reciprocity, care, natural conservation, and greater self-sustenance.

The first step is curiosity and willingness to connect.  From there, experimenting with opening one's senses, imagination (dreaming mind) and heart (felt sense and emotions) as channels of communication when in Nature.  I usually suggest to start with a tree.  Approach the tree with an offering -- a bowl of water, some herbs, a feather, some resin, a pinch of salt, or a piece of food...  Place the offering at the roots or base of the tree.  Introduce yourself, either out loud or in your heart-mind.  Request the tree communicate with you in some way.  Let it know you are there to learn its language, if it is willing.  Touch the tree and close your eyes -- even lean your forehead against it... Or sit at its base and lean your back against it.  Hold this request in your heart, then be patient.  Feel your body.  Feel your heart.  Watch whatever images arise in your mind. Hear, "listen" with your senses.  Notice what you notice.  When you feel complete, thank the tree, even if you feel you did not hear or receive anything.  

Pay attention to your dreams that night.  And return another day.  It may take a few times for the tree to begin to trust you -- to open to you.  Imagine it like a friendship and realize that trust and communication may take time.  Demanding communication is not usually very useful with our friends and loved ones.  The same applies with other relationships, especially with Nature -- a relationship that requires a lot of healing between human-kind and itself.  

In earth blessings!!