There’s profound and deep healing to be found in nature and her rhythms. There are easy ways to begin tapping into the cycles of nature. This post introduces you to 3 of those easy ways that you can connect to nature. Doing this empowers you.
As humans, we have seasons and cycles too and it’s a powerful process to tap into them. Aligning to these cycles (in nature and in yourself), allows you to manifest healing, transformation and growth in your life. When you connect to nature, you’re supporting yourself in creating a life you love filled with peace, flow and joy. What could be better than that?
As humans, we have seasons and cycles too. It’s a powerful process to tap into them.
Connect to Nature: Following the Path of our Ancestors
Connection to nature is something that many of our ancestors didn’t have to think about because they lived close to the land, and they were aligned with the seasons and cycles because of this way of life.
But as a society today, we’ve come to live in an increasingly artificial structure that separates us from those connections.
The seasons and cycles helped our ancestors know when to hunt, when to plant, when to harvest and when to prepare for the dark months of winter.
The cycles of the moon and the changing seasons were a part of their everyday life. Today, many of us feel more apart from it than a part of it.
To help you regain those lost connections, I’m going to introduce you to some simple ways that you can begin to tap into those cycles in nature once more.
Doing this works a little like modern day alchemy, taking the seemingly ordinary (which is the world around us that sometimes just goes largely unnoticed in our headlong rush through our busy days) and turning it into something extraordinary ( which is a pathway for our own healing).
I love simple, elegant solutions. Sometimes we’re fooled into thinking that they can’t really be the thing to help us.
We’re looking for something a bit bigger and maybe even a little sexier. Because doing the nuts-and-bolts work doesn’t feel very sexy, does it? It feels mundane, ordinary and like it can’t possibly be the thing to help us find joy, meaning and purpose in life. But that’s where we’re mistaken. It can. It does.
When we begin to focus on the small daily actions, we create all those things.
Connect to Nature for Manifesting Personal Healing – A Personal Viewpoint
I wear a lot of hats and acknowledge a lot of names, such as wise woman, crone, nature priestess, green witch, eclectic pagan, shamanic practitioner, animist, Reiki Master/Teacher, spiritual teacher, coach and guide.
My work here at ravynwood.com centers on empowerment, education and connection for the solitary green witch, but it’s also about reconnecting you to Mother Earth and your own soul. Specializing in creating sacred containers where women are heard, seen, supported, and inspired.
Using both the practical and the magickal to create transformation and results. Always favoring simple, elegant solutions.
Through all the programs I offer, it’s my goal to help women discover their authentic selves, identify what they truly want, let go of old programming that stands in their way, heal old wounds, listen to their inner voice and move forward in empowered ways to create lives filled with peace, flow, joy, meaning and purpose. Which I think many of us are missing in our lives right now. Nature can help us do that.
This work is important to me because I know what it’s like to struggle with these things.
The newest offering here is Ravynwylde – A Sacred Year Journey for the Solitary Green Witch. This program is a yearlong journey through the wheel of the year that cultivates ways to connect to nature and to nature’s rhythms. It was the program I needed on my own healing journey and couldn’t find, so I created it.
If you’d like to know more about any of the programs, you can find that here.
My Personal Journey
Manifesting personal healing through re-establishing connection to nature is a journey that I myself have taken.
There was a low point in my life when I hated my life so much. Everything was such a mess and there did not seem to be a way out. Depression led me to a place where suicide seemed to be the solution.
My own healing journey had many facets and spanned over years, but there were key pieces that really made a difference in how I now view the world and how I feel. These things helped shape my path forward.
Healing isn’t linear. It’s more like a spiral or a scribble, but it’s not linear.
We have days that feel like we’re really good and then days that make us feel like crawling into bed and staying there. That’s all a part of it. Some days will feel powerful and “on,” and others not so much.
Healing is usually multi-faceted too and for most of us, we need a bunch of different tools to support ourselves as we take these personal healing journeys. I’ve used coaching, Reiki, journaling, meditation, healing creativity, connecting to nature’s rhythms and seasons, and more.
Because these tools were so powerful and healing, they have become the very foundations of everything I offer through ravynwood.com.
Reconnecting myself to Mother Earth and her beings was a significant part of my healing and what I’m sharing with you here today are tools from my personal tool box. Things that I’ve used to connect with nature, with good results.
Connect to Nature: Begin by Setting Your Intention
So, before we dive into it, in all of my classes, I always encourage my students to set an intention for the class experience. You might want to take a moment now to just take a deep breath, let it out slowly and think about what you’d like to take away from this post.
Got it? Ok great.
The first thing that’s needed when using any tool to create healing or affect some type of shift in your life, is awareness.
Awareness of what you want to do and why you want to do it.
This step is important, because, without it, you have no way of knowing if what you’re doing is actually working.
Once you have that in place, here’s a simple exercise to begin your journey of connecting to Mother Earth and her beings.
Exercise #1 – Connect to Nature Through Awareness
I mentioned earlier that awareness is the first step to change.
Awareness is also the first step in your journey to connect with nature and Mother Earth. Becoming aware of her.
It’s a process that might take a little bit of time and practice to become automatic. We’re all conditioned to be in a hurry and not “look around” at what’s around us. We have things to do and places to be after all. We’ve been taught that being busy is a badge of honor.
It’s not, by the way.
You might need a little patience with this exercise if you’re new to observing the natural world around you. Carve out time in your schedule and treat this time like self-care, because that’s what healing is about. Taking care of you.
Begin by just going outside. Find a spot where you can just observe.
This might be in your own backyard or in a park. It’s best done where you’re surrounded by nature and her elements, but if you don’t have access to those types of environments, you can make do by looking at nature images (video or still images will do).
Your local public library is a good spot where you can find a book, and it’s sure to be quiet there and right for a bit of introspection. Think big coffee table type books here that are filled with images of wide-open spaces, wild places, and even animal habitats.
Once you’ve found a spot, set a timer on your phone, and just be. The timer is so that you don’t clock watch during this experience.
This part is sort of like meditation, but unlike traditional meditation, this one requires your attention.
Set your intention to have the experience that is perfect for you. You’re an observer.
Bring in a child-like wonder of seeing everything around you for the first time.
Notice what you see. What you feel. What you hear. What you sense. What you can smell. What does the air feel like? Notice the temperature. Is there a breeze? Does the breeze have a scent? Notice colors, textures, lines, contours, movement, and geometry.
If you’re working from images or video, you may have to engage your imagination a bit more for this part of the exercise.
Reflect on these things:
- What’s triggered within you by these things?
- Do you feel a sense of wonder or a sudden desire to travel?
- Do you feel like you’re visiting a place you’ve never been, or is there a familiarity?
There’s no wrong experience. Simply mentally note the things that you’re experiencing. Are you feeling any specific emotions? Joy, or a wave of sadness? Allow yourself to feel whatever comes up. Don’t judge it, and don’t try to modify it. Allow it.
Do you feel like there’s a message being shared with you now from the natural world around you? Again, there’s no right or wrong experience. Just allow it and trust that you’re receiving exactly what you need right now.
You might even want to journal about these things later. In fact, I encourage you to do just that. Journaling is one of the foundations of Ravynwood because of its powerful transformational ability. If you can, choose a handwritten journal over electronic versions. Writing has its own power, which increases the benefits and results you get from creating and maintaining a journaling practice.
Close your observance exercise with a prayer of gratitude or simply say “thank you” to Mother Earth and her beings. Do whatever feels right for you. I don’t believe in a one size fits all approach to anything so you can’t get this wrong.
This simple exercise of awareness gives you a chance to slow down, observe and to feel a part of the nature around you. It restores your sense of wonder as you begin to see things with fresh eyes.
It can be repeated as often as you’d like. It can be 5 minutes or 15 minutes. Whatever schedule you have, make it work for you. You can come back to this anytime you feel called to connect to nature.
I should also note that while this is a great beginner activity, it’s something that’s equally suited to those further along the path who feel a need to just tune in to the world around them and it’s a good way to raise your vibration for those times when you’re feeling low vibe.
Bonus activity: If there’s something from your observations in this exercise that really appealed to you – a tree or animal, flower or even a weed, do a bit of research. Find out all you can about this item and put your notes in your journal or create a separate one that’s dedicated just to this sort of thing. Doing this is a great way to deepen your knowledge and connect to nature at the same time.
Change it Up
Earlier, I mentioned that we often overlook the small actions and steps, thinking that it has to be so much more complex than that. But it really isn’t. This simple exercise focuses on small daily actions that support the connection we seek.
A variation of this exercise is to include walking or hiking in nature. I think this is my favorite way to take in the wonder of Mother Earth. I do as much hiking as I can. It’s just so good for my soul and a great way to connect to nature in every season. There’s even evidence to support that walking works wonders for health and well-being. Everything from improving fitness to reducing stress and anxiety.
But maybe my favorite thing is that those hikes improve imagination, provide inspiration, and give me time for my mind to wander. I can notice things, and just soak in all the tranquility of nature. You’ve heard folks say that they’re going for a walk to “clear their head”. It does that and so much more.
Exercise #2 – Connect to Nature by Decorating Your Space with Natural Elements
Connect to nature by decorating your space with natural elements, such as framed photos that you took yourself. None of this needs to be expensive.
You might choose figurines of the animals you feel drawn to.
(I have a bunch of the Red Rose Tea animal figurines. They can be found in thrift and antique markets. They’re small and can easily be placed on your desk or on an altar).
Include drawings you do yourself. Not only does this help you connect to nature, but it’s also a bit of healing creativity. It doesn’t matter how they turn out. Do them anyway. Museum quality isn’t the goal. Something meaningful is. Post them on your refrigerator or on a bulletin board. The idea is that you see them every day as a reminder of your connection to nature.
During my own journey, photographs became the way for me to observe nature and her beings, see the world differently, spend time connecting, and even get some healing creativity.
Now, I share all those photos of the images from the heart of my rural home over on Instagram. Someone recently described my feed as “her escape,” which I love. In that way, those images have become not only healing to me but for others too. Please stop by if that resonates with you. You can find me here: @ravynwood
When I go on hikes, I ask for gifts or surprises along the way and very often I am rewarded with feathers from songbirds or wild turkeys. I also find rocks with unusual shapes or branches that are perfect as wands. I might also find leaves that are unique in some way and once I was even gifted a barn owl pellet. Try it and see what turns up for you.
These things may seem small, but they’re a visual reminder of your effort to connect to nature and they help you remember to make time to connect to nature through these exercises.
Exercise #3 – Connect to Nature by Grounding Through Earthing
This exercise is simple, just like the previous two. Earthing, in its simplest form, is just putting your bare feet on the earth. This can be done in your own yard, at the beach, in the forest or a garden or even in a shallow stream. When your skin touches the earth, you bring the healing of Mother Earth into your life, helping you relax, feel more centered and in control by bringing you to the present moment.
As humans, we spend a lot of time ruminating about the past or thinking about the future and all the things we have to do. As a result, we don’t live in the here and now. That creates an imbalance in the body, mind, and spirit.
Earthing can help you create balance. You take off your shoes, put your feet on the earth, and suddenly, everything makes more sense.
Like earthing, another very healing and centering practice is to hug a tree. You can choose a tree in your yard, in a nearby park, or one on public land for this exercise.
I usually ask the tree for permission before I do this and wait until I intuitively receive a yes from the tree before proceeding. Then, I just hug the tree like it’s my best friend.
When you do this, just allow this contact to bring you calm. You can even imagine all your stress just flowing away, down into the earth, where it is neutralized. Just as with the other exercises in this post, this one is simple and portable, and you can repeat it any time you like. Each of these can help you bring in calm and balance, and make room for clarity and self-care.
Summary
Simple exercises combined with small daily actions support you in manifesting the healing, change, and transformation you need in your life. Now, there’s so much more that you can do beyond these things, but this gives you a great place to begin or to reawaken that connection if you feel like it’s been lost.
In my own healing and spiritual journeys, nature helped me reconnect, rediscover, realign, and recover. It supported me finding my voice, trusting my intuition, and becoming unapologetically myself, while also helping me walk away from things not meant for me and understanding who gets a seat at my table.
As I continued my own practices to connect to nature, I healed. No more depression, and medications haven’t been needed for quite a few years. Anxiety is still something that’s triggered within me, but it’s more manageable now. Through all this work to connect to nature, joy, peace, flow has become my default, and I love my life in a way that I never did before.
While we’ve only barely scratched the surface here of the depth of healing that connecting to nature can provide, I’d like to leave you with this takeaway: Working with Mother Earth, reconnecting to her seasons, cycles, and rhythms helps us better understand ourselves and our own seasons, cycles, and rhythms and supports us in our personal journeys of healing and transformation.
Bright blessings to you all.
Blessed Be.
If you love working with the seasons, moon and want to connect to nature, then you might love this course: Ravynwylde – A Sacred Year Journey for the Solitary Green Witch.
You might like this post too: How to Create Your Green Witch Book of Seasons
