Healing in Nature
Nature inspires personal growth and healing like no other teacher. We automatically slow down in nature. Our mind stills, our soul expands. Distractions and defenses fall away, and we can hear the voice of the divine and our higher self more easily. In this relaxed state, our energy can freely shift. When we consciously put ourselves in nature’s gentle healing energy for this purpose, we claim our birthright—the ability to heal and be in our wholeness.
Spending regular (or occasional) time in nature is a gift to your soul and a loving thing to do for yourself. It isn’t necessary to have special knowledge of the outdoors or any unusual athletic or physical skills. Nature walks for the purpose of healing aren’t about how far or how fast you go. They’re about how slowly and purposefully you go, and where you allow the journey to take you.
For your nature walk, choose a location that calls to you or maybe that you’ve been drawn to in the past without knowing why. Then take a moment and get clear about your intention for the walk. Say a short prayer or make a simple statement such as, “Spirit, I invite you to be with me on this time in nature and bring clarity about my career change.” Or, “Spirit, bring me healing around my relationship with my sister.”
Then start walking. Slowly. Take the time to notice and appreciate your surroundings. Open up your senses—smell deeply, bend down and look closely at a wildflower, pause and listen to a bird. Be in the moment. With your intention in mind, anything that you notice, anything that you experience, anything that crosses your mind is an answer to your prayer.
If you notice a particular animal, insect or bird, clear your mind and ask what message it has for you. An inchworm dangling from a tree and landing on your shirt might be a message to be patient and inch toward your goal one step at a time. You can often take cues from what the animal is doing. A rabbit munching on a blade of grass could be a message to add more greens to your diet. Trust what comes into your consciousness.
If a stone catches your attention, bend down and pick it up. Ask if it would be willing to work with you. If you receive an energetic yes, then pause for a moment and identify a heavy energy you wish to let go of. Bring that energy to mind, then blow it into the stone. The stone holds your energy and transmutes it over time. Intuitively pick a place to release the stone back into nature —maybe at the base of a tree or a large boulder or into a body of water. If you’re walking in a location without stones, you can use a pine cone, a twig or even a leaf.
Trees make great teachers. If a tree catches your attention on your walk, you can stop and share your intention with it and ask for wisdom. Slow your energy down to match the tree, then empty your mind and ask a question. Be still and wait for information or an impression to come to mind. This is a message from the tree. Trust what comes.
Remember to go slow on your walk. Notice, pay attention. Any thoughts which cross your mind are related to your intention. Find a rock to sit on. Meditate for awhile. Open up and ask the nature spirits of that place to do a healing for you. They may guide you to sit with your back against a tree, put your feet in a pond, or lay down in a meadow. Listen to them, and let your soul be soothed. Take a nap if you feel like it. You may have a dream or awake with a new awareness. Nature spirits eagerly share their wisdom and their healing energies.
When you are ready to end your nature walk, give gratitude to Spirit and to the birds and animals and flowers who worked with you. Gift the land or the tree or the rock where you were sitting with tobacco or cornmeal and say thank you.
Walk back out mindfully and notice the shift. Your energy will have lightened, and you’ll have more clarity and a sense of peacefulness. That’s the power and the beauty of giving yourself time in nature.
Debra Morrill, from Baraboo, frequently spends time in nature walking, meditating, communing. She has explored many spiritual traditions and practices on her path. For more info, call 608-279-4319 or email debramorrill@charter.net.
