09/10/2024
Nature - and its natural ways - are what we were created from and how our bodies were intended to operate within.
We were once one with the land, stewards of its divine offerings, connected with nature, and we knew how to respect it. Our bodies breathed its fresh air, we woke with the sunrise and soaked in its nourishment through our skin, and we grounded ourselves in the earth. Each night, we sat around fires as we absorbed its natural red-light therapy, and danced and chanted songs, healing our nervous systems together as a community. We shared in each others' raising of babes, shouldering this ultimate responsibility together as a team with our chosen sisters and brothers. Our character was built through life lessons learned through our relationships with each other and mother nature alike.
We ate from the earth, using plants and animals filled with pure life force to fuel our bodies. We bathed in fresh, living water. We even used these byproducts to moisturize our skin (tallow) and protect us from the elements (leather).
Today, we live very much detached from this natural way:
๐นWe spend most of our time inside essential boxes, insulated with synthetic materials from the sun, wind, and earth, under artificial lights that confuse our brain's signals and alter our hormones.
๐นWe eat packaged foods derived from chemicals created in a lab that technically are edible, in the sense that they won't kill us on the spot. These foods are laden with byproducts of industrialization (food dyes, seed oils) that wreak havoc on our immune system.
๐นThe majority of "fresh" produce is barren of nutrients after being grown in soil that has been carefully deteriorated of its biodiversity, from seeds that have been genetically manipulated in the lab under the guise of "serving the masses"... Yet we still wonder why our society is so sick?
๐นWe struggle to be present with our babes and partners as we are constantly bombarded with all the many tasks we are responsible for in keeping a home and a job; we constantly feel as though we'll never be enough.
๐นDetached from our community, we scour our calendars weeks and often months in advance to plan "Connection".
๐นOur jobs require us to give 110% but our family lives suffer in the name of "financial security".
๐นWe zip around town to extracurriculars throughout the weeks and weekends "building character" in our children so that they learn the values of hard work and dedication, traits that we are sure will serve them in their future careers, yet many of our children are left to feel disconnected from us and conditioned to believe that their worth is based on performance.
๐นOur own personal passions, creative outlets, and soul desires get put aside indefinitely because there simply isn't. enough. time. for it... Yet we wonder why we're so stressed and unfulfilled?
๐นWe spend our mid-lives hustling to stay afloat and create a retirement fund so that "one day" we can harvest what we've sowed all these years.
๐นIf we're blessed to see the day of retirement, it's yet a throw of the dice whether we'll spend it in a hospital bed.
๐นWe look back and wonder what we were doing it all for as we witness our adult children hustling for the same.
In the midst of this frenzy, I've found that being in nature helps me to reconnect and refocus on what truly matters most to me inside. It provides a much-needed respite, allowing me to disconnect from the relentless demands of our results-driven society that has hijacked our inner lives. Nature reminds me of our roots, our true essence, and the simple joys that we often overlook in our pursuit of societal expectations. It's in these moments of connection with the natural world that I find clarity, peace, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Never have I ever regretted going outside to be with nature.
Beyond just spending time outdoors, I've discovered that embracing a low-tox lifestyle and nurturing a healthy relationship with food full of life force are powerful ways to maintain my connection with nature. By mindfully choosing what I put in and on my body, I'm not only honoring the natural world but also keeping my body in its most natural, regulated state โ just as nature intended.
Whether it's a quiet walk in the park, gardening, watching a sunset, or making a conscious food choice โ every moment counts. ๐
What's one simple way you've reconnected with nature recently?
