Nature's Gifts for the Soul

At this time of year, we find ourselves being out of doors more... and this gives us an opportunity to connect with nature and all that she has to offer us!

There is an abundance of ways that nature helps us grow, heal, understand ourselves and evolve spiritually. We need only learn how to attune to our natural world in new ways during this time of energetic ascension!

When we think of “taking in nature”, it tends to bring to mind scenes of the natural wonders of our world: the grand mountains, vast waters, peaceful coves or beaches, flowers and trees in the spring as they bud and bloom, or in the autumn when the leaves change color. And while these are amazing places and times to be in nature, we can also expand by attuning to nature in our daily lives!

The word “attuning” means much more than simply seeing the beauty in the trees, flowers or sunset. Energetically, we can actually begin to attune or begin to resonate with the vibrations freely given in nature. Why would we want to do this? Because nature holds a certain energetic patterning that is rhythmic, balancing, and restorative, and when we ‘attune’ our energy to this, we are able to similarly and innately reawaken these qualities within our body, within our brain, and within our life actions. Imagine walking through life feeling restored and in a state of balance instead of tired, worried, and rushed!

We can begin to attune to nature in many ways fairly easily. The first way is simply to gaze at a scene of beauty and internally, hold a sense of gratitude for the experience. This alone, begins to expand our heart energy and raise our energetic vibration. And for an added boost, while you’re gazing and holding gratitude for the nature scene, a quick next step is to “breathe in” the beauty! That simply means, using your active imagination to imagine that you can breathe in the beauty that your eyes are already “taking in”! Then simply and consciously, take a few slow, deep breaths.

Now you are starting to bring in the essence, the energy of nature, in three ways –

• with the eyes as you first behold the beauty of nature
• with the mind-heart connection as you hold the experience of gratefulness
• with the breath, which begins to circulate it through your body! You will actually feel the energetic change – subtly or intensely, in your body!

If you have a little time and curiosity, you can go one step further! As you bring your awareness to the nature scene through the above steps, take a few extra moments and reflect on the characteristics or qualities the nature scene holds. For example, if it is a beautiful tree that your drawn to, contemplate its attributes...perhaps you recognize it is an old tree because of its size, contemplate the wisdom it has acquired over the years, its ability to survive the harsh environments. Using your active imagination, close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths and breathe in its wisdom, its strength to survive whatever came its way – holding the intention to breathe in the energy of those qualities…allow yourself to also feel the experience. Then ask yourself...how am I that...strong? wise? rooted? anchored in the earth? How do I branch out? Bloom? How do I stand out or fit in, with where I am planted? What have I weathered and yet stood strong? For these are all strengths/characteristics of the tree but also, these are the questions of spiritual growth! Nature abundantly offers each of us an opportunity to understand our deeper, inner selves in ways we do not regularly consider. The characteristics or attributes of the nature scene will come to you without thought…and they will be different for everyone! This is because this is an opportunity for Your Spirit to talk to YOU!! It is a personal, unique conversation, similar to how each person has their own unique experience in group meditation, although everyone hears the same guided meditation.

This can be done with anything you see in nature, anything that catches your attention does so for a reason! Perhaps it is the newly plowed field that catches your eye...breathe it in, connect with the attributes...what needs to be overturned in my life? What is needing to be planted...what do I want to grow in this season of my life? What do I, like the soil, need to nourish my new growth? Have fun with it! Play with any or all of these steps with various nature scenes throughout a week and see what you learn about yourself and your potential!!

Then be bold and go forth in new ways,vitalized by the energy you breathed in,expand your life in new and exciting ways!

Much Love and Many Blessings,Cheryl and Lynn