At the beginning of a chakra dance meditation class, I usually pull an oracle card for everyone there. We might dance with the energies of the card or we might simply take it as a message we need and let that shape our movements in whatever way we need – or not at all! 

I pulled a card which told me to spend time in Nature. It’s interesting because usually I’m out every day walking my dog for at least an hour. But this week, he’s recovering from a minor op, so hasn’t been able to do his regular long walks. I’ve had a big project for a client so I’ve chosen to spend time writing instead of getting outside – and I’ve been suffering as a result. 

One of the interesting things about spiritual practices is that their effect tends to be subtle. While you can have dramatic experiences, most of the time spiritual growth manifests in greater feelings of contentment, inner peace, going with the flow. But that increase is gradual, so you don’t realise how much you’ve changed until you suddenly stop doing what you’ve been doing. 

And so it is with my walks. I have a one-year-old Bedlington lurcher who needs a lot more exercise than my other dogs, so I started making time for him. Rain or shine, we’d be out, strolling along the canal or climbing over the mountains. I discovered that even if the weather was awful, I loved being out in the elements. I do my best thinking on my walks. Some of my greatest inspirations have come while I’m out with my dog. However, this week I haven’t been walking and I’ve been feeling more stressed than usual, starting to feel a little overwhelmed by everything I’ve got on.

So when I got that card, I listened to the message and went out today. As I’ve mentioned before, everything I teach is from experience. I can’t tell people to listen to Oracle cards and then ignore them myself. I can’t rave about the benefits of being in nature and then hide away from it!

I couldn’t help but imagine that my guides were chuckling away when half way through my walk, the wind really picked up and I ended up being blown all over the path…

Connecting with Nature wherever you are

When I used to be active on discussion boards about Nature based spirituality, often people would debate over whether you could really connect with Nature if you lived in a city, as I did at the time. Now I live in the Welsh valleys, I’m surrounded by countryside, but just because you live in a town doesn’t mean you can’t connect with Nature. Nature’s all around, even in a concrete jungle! The sun still shines overhead, the rain still falls, plants still grow in the tiniest scrap of dirt…

If you’d like to build a closer bond with Nature but don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas that don’t involve taking regular day trips to the countryside:

• Grow a houseplant or window box. Growing kits are readily available from supermarkets and garden centres. Having your own little piece of nature which you have nurtured can help you feel connected, even if you can’t get outside. 
• Look up. You might like to start your day by spending five minutes contemplating the sky. This goes beyond wondering what the weather’s going to be like. You can watch the clouds and see what patterns you can make out. But you can also consider the fact that the stars are still in the sky, hidden by the sun. You can consider the expanse of the universe spreading out before you. You can consider the wonder of the fact that you can see for miles and miles by looking up. You can consider how the seasons change as the sun rises and sets at different times during the year. There’s a lot to be gained from simply looking up. 
• Be more conscious of the signs of nature around you. On your morning commute, see if you can spot three new things every day. It might be a blossom or a falling leaf. You might notice a plant you’ve never seen before. Observe how it changes on a daily basis. Nothing ever stays the same and opening yourself up to the subtle shifts in the world around you can really help you feel connected to something bigger. 

How do you connect with Nature? Let me know in the comments or drop me an email!