'DON'T FORGET YOU ARE ALSO A PERFECTLY GOOD ANIMAL.'

‘You’ve spent your whole life learning to be a good person. Don’t forget you are also a perfectly good animal.’ _{Rory Miller, Martial Artist and Writer.}

In game reserves in Africa, many Game Rangers have had the experience of suddenly, inexplicably, becoming aware of imminent danger in time to avoid it; or of being able to track an animal simply from a sense of knowing where the animal is in an area that could be several square miles in size. It’s not uncommon in these cases hear a Game Ranger explain what happened as an example of the ‘bush talking’ to them.  

This sort of experience is not confined to the wilds of Africa; it is available in any bit of wild countryside and even suburban parks large enough to have mature trees and some wild fauna.

But why would you want to let the natural world talk to you? I could say try it and see and I hope that somebody reading this will do just that. However in the so called 'developed world', too many of us are identified with the world we have constructed and alienated from where we originated. To put it another way, ‘You’ve spent your whole life learning to be a good person. Don’t forget you are also a perfectly good animal.’

This alienation has come at a high cost and the best way to evaluate that cost is to ‘let the bush talk to you’. Here’s how you do it:

Step One: Go out into the wild country side and go deep enough into it to feel you’re actually in it. You don’t want to be able to see the car park or a boundary onto a road or some developed area.

Step Two: Move your awareness to your heart and say to yourself the word ‘soften’. What you’re doing here is actually commanding your heart to soften.

Step Three: Pause when you’ve made the command and notice what it is you’re becoming aware of.

Step Four: Keep repeating steps three and four until you’ve had enough.

That’s it!

Notes: allow your mind to entertain anything in the moments of pause; resist the urge to interpret or explain what’s happening to you. Notice, when it seems that the ‘bush’ actually is ‘talking to you’, how that makes you feel.

            All comments and questions welcome and thanks for looking in,

Rex
(Picture found in public domain)

FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT

FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT

Eventually Rabbit always goes into a hole in the ground. This happens sooner rather than later if Rabbit feels threatened, for it is in the earth’s embrace that Rabbit feels safe.

Years of meditation and working to access higher conscious states can be a wonderful thing, however we also need to allow our awareness to sink into the earth and develop a conscious connection with what lies below the pavement. If we don’t, those lovely higher states become what we long for, become our new attachment and we miss the opportunity for real contentment in the earthly realm.

Real contentment is not just a powerfully soothing thing; it creates openness and surrender and allows the most subtle experiences of unity with all.

To call this ‘grounding’ puts us at risk of trivializing the importance and power of developing a connection to the Earth. It’s one half of the yin-yang of existence.

 Over the next few weeks I’m going to be exploring how to develop a relationship with this beautiful, giant orb we’re all riding through space. I’ll be offering some of the ways that have worked for me in developing and nurturing my own relationship. They’ll be simple, sometimes simpler than my original Hacks for Soothing. I also won’t be referring to them as hacks since they’re not just pre-digital and pre-industrial; they’re Prehistoric. I’ll be referring to them as Ways.

Today’s ‘Way’ for you to explore is this:

Step One: Find yourself a smooth barked tree, preferably with a small diameter trunk. I find a Birch tree is best, but even a mature Beech will do. Oaks, Sycamores and other rough barks are not great to start on.

Step Two: Place one of your hands, palm down on the trunk of the tree, exhale and put your attention on the sensation of physical contact with the tree.

Step Three: Stay like that for a few minutes and notice what comes into your awareness.

            That’s it.

Notes: Resist the urge to hug the tree. It’s important to keep the point of physical contact small when starting out; this will allow your awareness to be more sensitive. The first couple of times you try this ‘Way’ use your non-dominant hand.

 I’ve deliberately not spoken of what I experience or what I might think you would experience in trying this. I want your experience to be your own. However I’d love to hear anyone’s experiences so don’t hesitate to get in touch to share.

Thanks for looking in.

Rex.