Listening to Nature
5.10 Questions for Reflection and Practices to Consider
Nature Images and Emotions
- How would you characterize your relationship with nature?
- What images come to mind when you reflect on the word “nature” (e.g., Earth Mother, Gaia, Sky Father, Creator, elements of earth, air, fire, and water)?
- What emotions do you associate with nature (e.g., fear, uncertainty, and/or comfort, relaxation)?
- Consider where the nature images and emotions originate for you, and if there are anything you desire to change.
Biophilia
- How much do you love nature?
- What would you be willing to do for Her?
- Is there a particular environmental cause you resonate with?
- If so, how might you begin, renew, or continue to express your love for nature through this group or organization?
Supersensory Modalities
Revisit Cohen’s fifty-four sensory modalities on his website for a few minutes.
- Which sensory modalities resonate with you, and which seem more difficult to engage with?
- Are there any practices you might like to explore to develop your listening capacities in one or more of these new sensory modalities?
- If so, choose one, and arrange a time in the next twenty-four hours to explore listening in this new sensory modality.
Forest Bathing
- Have you ever considered bathing in a forest?
- This Japanese method of connecting and listening to nature may sound strange at first, but a similar practice of “strolling through the woods” is not uncommon.
- Can you identify a place in your locale that has a grove of trees (or other kinds of plants in a natural setting) that you could visit for an hour?
- Imagine what listening experiences might unfold as you “forest bathe” in such a place.
Perspectives on Listening to Nature
- How would you describe your knowledge and skills in listening to nature on a continuum–novice, intermediate, expert?
- Recall that listening to nature begins with keen observation of the landscape and the emotions elicited in the body.
- Farther on the continuum of listening to nature is reflecting on the symbolism of your experiences in nature and deriving personal meaning from them.
- Further still on the listening to nature continuum is listening for the mystical-spiritual dimensions of nature which typically arise from spending extended time contemplating nature.
- The next time you visit a nature setting (e.g., an area around the place you live, a playground, park, pond, beach, or a forested area), see how far you can expand your listening perspective by purposefully listening with each of the three listening perspectives in mind.
- What new insights come from intentionally engaging all three listening perspectives?
Plants
- Do you have a favorite plant?
- Perhaps it is a flower, or maybe something to eat?
- What is the history of your relationship with this plant?
- What other kinds of plants are kin to this one?
- How might you learn more about the properties of this plant?
- If you are not already cultivating this plant in your home or garden, is it possible to do so?
- What would you need to create the ideal environment for your favorite plant?
- How might you listen more deeply to the wisdom of this plant?
- Consider cultivating and tending to this plant throughout the seasons for one year.
- I find it particularly gratifying to watch leaves sprout on a berry bush, flower in spring, fruit in summer, and die back in fall . . . only to be pleasantly surprised by its rebirth the following spring.
Animals
- Do you have a companion animal that you take care of, or other living companion that you care for like a reptile, amphibian, fish, bird, spider, or insect?
- If so, what is the story of how this being came into your life?
- What is your relationship like?
- How might you practice listening more lovingly to this companion so that you can better meet its needs?
- What could the companion teach you?
- If you don’t have a companion, and you had the resources and time to care for it, what kind of companion would you want to take care of and why?
Elementals
- There are many practices that one can engage in to cultivate the ability to better listen to nature through the elementals.
- Looking back over the listening practices for the elementals (e.g., grounding, pranayama, fire starter, sun salutation, and water meditation), which of these would you like to explore further?
- Choose one of the practices and review some of the resources in the footnotes to learn more about the practice and then, if you feel comfortable, experiment with the practice, and note your listening observations, emotions, learnings, and mystical-spiritual insights.