THE HERO/INE’S JOURNEY & NATURE'S POWER #1

“Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye...

It also includes the inner pictures of the soul.” Edward Munch

Whether you are a nature lover or not, the archetypal Hero's Journey

was originally done in the Sacred Space of a natural environment.

That does not mean one has to venture into the wild outdoors to do it. Putting

oneself in a survival situation is counterproductive

to going inward and receiving the 'Grail' or anything else enlightening.

Whatever way you choose to be in Nature - it must be the

the right one for you - a spiritual retreat center, renting a cabin in the woods, on

a lake, on the ocean... Anywhere where one is exposed to Nature's

magic. Nature can meditate us.

"This song of the waters is audible to every ear but there is other

music in the hills ... sit quietly and listen and think hard of

everything you have seen and tried to understand ..." Aldo Leopold

For those more inclined to venture into the wild outdoors to Separate...

"Have you seen God in his splendor, heard the text that nature renders? (You'll

not hear it the family pew.) The simple things, the true things, the silent folk who do

 things, then listen to the wild its calling you ... They have cradled you in custom, they

 have pinned you with their preaching, they have soaked you in convention through and

 through. They have put you in a showcase, you're a credit to their teaching but can't you

 hear the wild its calling you."  Robert Service

Research has shown the restorative effects of Nature. Green and blue colors

are relaxing as are these colors in surgical scrubs. Architects are now well

aware of the Sick Building Syndrome and strive to correct it with their designs

which embrace concepts of light (which neutralizes Seasonal Affective Disorder)

as well as plants, nature paintings or images and fountains.

Research has shown that if patients can see nature out of their windows they recover

sooner. Prisoners who can see outside their cells and those working in gardens do betterWalking in nature can be more restorative that an urban walk.

A backpack trip creates more equanimity than a hike.

The longer we expose ourselves to a natural environment - especially

with a restorative intention - the more powerful it can be. 

Eco-psychologists are emphasizing the importance of the "Accessible Green." The easier it is for us to regularly connect with the Earth Mother,

the healthier and more balanced we feel. All the more so for the Hero's

Journey which must also be inward rather than outward bound.

"To experience the Still Beings (rocks, mountains, earth) we must touch them.

To experience the Growing Beings (plants, trees) we must listen to them.

To experience the Wild Being (and domestic who were once wild) we must dance with them.

And to experience the Talkings Beings we must feel with them.

"We do not go into the desert to escape people but to learn how to

 find them; we do not leave them in order to have nothing more to

 do with them, but to find out the way to do them the most good."

Thomas Merton

The Magic of the Extraordinary can be seen and heard in stunning wilderness but also in the 

Magic of the Ordinary with Nature that is all around us - a rainbow, a feather, a spider’s web, the flight of a butterfly or a hummingbird. Once we take

time out, preferably four days, Nature's signs begin to talk to us as metaphors for our lives.

Our intuitive powers and our dream worlds expand. 

With the right intention we do not have to be in pristine wilderness.

The “Magic of the Ordinary” can occur anywhere we find ourselves;

The stars and planets having a divine consciousness greater even than that of humans

and only slightly less than that of angels, as do stones, water, earth and air.

If you want to learn the language of rocks and trees you must first slow to their pace

which is different from animals and wild flowers.

Although they are soundless they are not silent, so listen long and deeply in order

to hear what hearing ears do not.

Fauna, flora, stones, planets, stars, sun and moon, waters and the earth are replete

with God’s creative intent.

And so do we also have the attributes of all the plants,

minerals and animals and the power of the winds and their directions within us.

We are all one though not the same.

"We Inter-Are." Thích Nhất Hạnh

who also believed that everything depends for its existence on everything else.

These wisdoms below help us to understand the danger of what we are in the process of 

losing. The Hero's journey can also facilitate our treating our Earth Mother more kindly.

“Earth is best understood as a single, self-regulating, Super-organism. the planet

is self-regulating through the interaction between living things and the inorganic

environment on earth. Gaia’s goal is to maintain a balance in the ecosystem

that allows Her to stay alive.” J. Lovelock and Magulis

When we immerse in Nature's power we become more committed to preserving her.

“The first rule of intelligent tinkering with world systems is to save all the parts.” Aldo Leopold 

“Wilderness holds the questions to answers we do not yet know how to ask.”

David Brower

 

Nature is part of God’s masterpiece on our tiny planet inside the

mysterious, magnificent, multiverse. For many, Nature, is the best place to connect

with the sacred geometry of Divine Intelligence. For those resistant to the concept

of God think then of; 'Field', or Infinite Intelligence.

 

Equanimity is believing that the Infinite One is present in everything we see and do and in

so believing, while it does not change what happens,

it does change how we feel about it. We do it with greater reverence,

gratitude and joy because we trust in and are aware of God’s presence.

 

The soul’s essence should lodge comfortably in the body.

From the sound of my sighing, has my essence (soul) cleaved onto my flesh (body.)  

David the Psalmist

Soul (Essence) and Body (Flesh) are meant to be in unison. When we are dysregulated

the Soul, which is pure will separate from the Body's impurities,

Nature has the potential to bring them back together again.

David was a shepherd and before he became king he was “Nature Bound.”

You can imagine him in pure wilderness, experiencing

the oneness or “sighing” or Wilderness Rapture that one can achieve

with prolonged exposure in nature. No doubt his songs and psalms

were facilitated by this immersion.

 

We need to empty ourselves of Narrow (Monkey) mind’s obsessions and venture into the

expanse of Spacious (Big) mind. 

The more we look for the Divine in all Creation the more we will encounter Him/Her. 

Nature is a room with many doors and windows to Spirit.

 “Search for Me and you will find Me, seek Me with all your heart and

will let you find Me.”  Jeremiah

 

The Creator (Jesus) wants a personal relationship with each of us. Kabbalah states

that the Great Spirit is playing “hide and seek” but no-one

wants to participate. Jeremiah is affirming God’s desire.

 

The Supreme Being is a persistent lover wooing us with many pleasures,

lavishing endless grace, wanting our delight, hoping for our trust.

We are all given a unique talent or destiny (mission, purpose) by the Great Spirit

in order to help the planet

and its Beings. The Hero's journey is aligned with finding and fulfilling

our special purpose. Nature is a preferred environment and a catalyst in whatever way

we find it.