5 Ways to Reconnect with Nature
Part of living in harmony is living in harmony with Nature. But while that sounds nice, how do we actually go about doing it in practice? The answer starts with practices to reconnect with nature. Only once we know about Nature deeply inside us can we start to really value it in our lives, feel connected to it, and start to find harmony.
In this post, we will explore 5 ways of reconnecting with nature. The underlying idea behind all of them is simple - learn to pay attention. Mindful observation of nature, of what’s going on around you in the natural world, of the changes taking place - this is the key to Nature Connection.
But how do we do that? It’s so easy to get inspired one day to do it and then forget from then on. We need rituals, rhythms, and habits to help us and that is what these practices provide. I encourage you to diarise time for each of them into your schedule.
1. The Sit Spot
A few years ago I came across this practice and decided to spend a 6-month period doing it (though I recommend doing this for at least a year and ideally longer). I learned so much about nature during that time and I believe it is the single best thing you can do to connect with nature. I have recently taken the practice up again.
The basic idea is that you find a spot that’s local to you, that you can go and sit for up 20 - 30 minutes at least once a week (even daily if that fits your schedule), and just observe what’s going on.
It needs to be a place that has Nature in abundance so it could be - a garden (especially if you’ve made it a wildlife-friendly one), a small plot of derelict land, a park, a woodland, a nature reserve, a riverside e.t.c. It should be outdoors not indoors, but also a place that’s easy to get to regularly as you’ll need to be going there at least once a week.
Once you’ve found your spot and scheduled a weekly time to go there, what do you do? Well first make sure you have appropriate clothing and then go to the place. You can choose to go at different times each week to see how things might be different at different times of day or you can choose to go at the same time every week.
When you arrive, find your place to sit. Turn off your mobile phone and get rid of any distractions. Then just sit and observe. Pay attention to what’s going on. Look at the small things around you in detail. Look at the large things around you in detail. Observe what the animals, birds, insects, trees, and flowers are doing right now. Think about what has changed since you last came to the sit spot.
Try not to move too much - this is because you want the wildlife around you to get used to you so you kind of “blend in” to the surroundings and then they will become more likely to get closer to you or come out of their hiding places and so you will see a lot more.
Once you have spent at least 20 - 30 minutes there, whisper a thank you to Nature, and head home. One thing you may also want to do is have a nature journal with you, something we will explore next, but don’t let it distract from your observation time.
2. Nature Journaling
It’s one thing to go and observe what’s happening in nature, but it’s also so easy to forget afterwards. Having a nature journal where you record what you see is a great tool for recording and remembering what has happened, and you can also go back to it a year later and see if the same things are happening at the same time or if things have changed (especially with the effects of climate change). Writing things down or drawing also helps to reinforce it in your mind/memory. It is also good for citizen science - much of the knowledge people have today about what nature was like in the past is the result of careful recordings made in people’s nature journals that were then passed down the generations.
Nature journaling is also great for developing artistic skills if you enjoy that - you can practice drawing things that you see and being really creative. It’s your journal so be as creative as you want and don’t worry about making mistakes. I’m not someone who enjoys drawing so I just tend to write down my observations.
It’s a very calming and therapeutic practice and you can write down more than just the things you see - what about the way you feel, the thoughts it triggers, the things you are learning about nature and how she works.
It is important not to use it as a distraction though - when you are meant to be observing, just observe, and then write things down afterwards.
So buy yourself a notebook and some colouring pencils and head out to your sit spot (or other places in nature). Write or draw what you observe. Don’t forget to also include the date, time of day, weather and the place you were for future reference and to spot patterns.
3. Bringing Nature Indoors
Technically this is several practices in one as there are a variety of ways you can bring nature indoors. We will explore two of them here - getting house plants and creating a nature altar.
There are lots of reasons to bring House Plants into your home - they look nice, they give a cosy feeling, they cleanse and freshen the air, and they help to connect us with nature. Watering them can also be a very meditative calming practice.
I have to be honest - I don’t have house plants in my home for two reasons - one is that I often forget to water them and so they die, and the other is that I have cats and they will try to eat them. I do dream of having herbs on my kitchen window sill one day but that will have to wait.
One thing I do like to do is bring flowers into my house. I like to go for ones that are in season at that time so it helps me connect with the season and reduces the environmental impact. I have a garden so growing them in the garden means I know they are in season and low impact. You can also buy cut ones at the shops and I do this sometimes, but again go for seasonal ones e.g. daffodils in March, tulips in April, roses in June etc.
The other thing you can do is create a Nature Altar. This is basically a shelf or table where you collect and display objects you find in the natural world that appeal to you. It can be a permanent display or you can refresh it each season with objects you find in that season e.g. for autumn you could display pumpkins, apples, fallen leaves, pinecones, acorns e.t.c. Any natural object can go on there - crystals, bones, antlers, leaves, seeds, shells, pebbles, stones, sticks, flowers, seasonal produce, feathers, and so on. You can also put representations on there of things like the four elements - earth, air, fire, and water. Or the different kingdoms of nature - plant, animal, insect, mineral e.t.c.
A Nature Altar is ideally placed somewhere you will see it every day such as a living room, office, or kitchen, so that you are reminded of nature often. It doesn’t need to be large. If you have pets or small children remember to keep it out of their reach, although it can also be a really nice activity to do with children too to encourage them to learn about and connect with nature.
So find a shelf and start to place objects on it that you gather when you go for a walk in nature or your garden. Set them out in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to you, and have fun. When the season changes consider switching up what you put on there next.
4. Practice Nature Gratitude
If we look at indigenous societies and those who lived close to the land, we see that a lot of how they set things up is with a practice of reciprocity - when they take, they give things back. This can be as simple as saying thank you or as elaborate as a full-on sacrificial rite. The key thing here is that they understand that Nature is not resources for them to take as they will, but is a gift that they are being given. And they understand that everything requires a balance to maintain it, a give and take, and not taking too much, in order to ensure the continuation of these gifts from Nature.
In our modern societies, we have forgotten this. We see Nature as just resources we can take as we want, that we can own, that are “ours”. But that has never been true. We are ultimately completely reliant on Nature for our survival even if we are shielded from that truth by modernity. Whenever we take something, we must give something back to maintain the balance.
Some easy ways to start practicing this are -
If you take an object from nature for your nature altar, leave behind an offering e.g. of some water
Stop and give thanks before every meal to the animals or plants who gave their lives that you might eat, and to those who got the food from the land to your plate.
Whenever you use water, again stop and give thanks for it.
It’s about seeing nature as something more than dead resources we can use as we wish. She is alive, and gives us many many gifts. It’s also about acknowledging our reliance on Nature and being humble at this fact.
A lovely practice to do to show gratitude to Nature is to create an eco-mandala. This is where you go to a place in nature and gather some natural items together such as sticks, rocks, seeds, leaves, flowers e.t.c and then display them in a decorative pattern. Usually, this is a circular pattern (hence mandala), as a way of saying thanks to Nature for this beautiful place. Just remember not to disturb the ecosystem in any way by picking plants you shouldn’t or bringing in outside things like seeds that shouldn’t be there. It needs to be completely bio-degradeable and environmentally friendly. Use completely natural materials from that area around you and make it as an expression of your thanks to Nature.
5. Celebrate the Seasonal Changes
About a decade ago I started celebrating what is called “The Wheel of the Year” in Pagan circles (although you don’t have to be Pagan to celebrate seasonal changes - it happens in almost all cultures). I found myself feeling much more in tune with what was happening in Nature by doing this practice. Then I stopped for a while and I felt that I wasn’t connecting as well with Nature as I have been. This taught me an important lesson - celebrating the seasonal changes is really important for feeling a sense of connection to Nature.
So how do you do this? Well, first you need to decide on how often you will celebrate and what are the key points of the year you want to do this. There are many options - for instance, in places like China and Japan they have festivals around the start of spring, the cherry blossoming and the autumn full moon. So you could choose to celebrate when a particular thing happens in nature like a particular tree blossoms or a particular bird returns from migration etc. In tropical areas they may have celebrations of certain times like the start of the rain/monsoon season. You could choose to celebrate the equinoxes and solstices which are traditionally the start of each season in some countries and would give you 4 set festivals a year. You could also base it around new or full moons too - each moon is often named after something happening in nature at that time.
I personally really like the Wheel of the Year because it gives you 8 festivals set roughly equally throughout the year to celebrate. Each one has particular themes related to what is going on in Nature at that time and it is just a lot of fun to do. The 8 festivals are the Imbolc (start of February), Spring Equinox, Beltane (start of May), Summer Solstice, Lammas (start of August), Autumn Equinox, Samhain (start of November), and Winter Solstice. These fit well with the British climate I live in and so they make sense for me.
It is really important that you don’t just adopt a calendar of festivals that is foreign to your own land and climate. That would make no sense because you are trying to connect with the seasons as you experience them rather than as someone else does. Therefore it is important to learn about the key changes in nature in your area (and the observations at your sit spot will help with this).
Think about - When do the seasons change for you? Are the solstices and equinox’s important aspects of the seasons in your area? What are your own spiritual beliefs and do they have festivals at the same time as certain changes occur in nature? Do you have any folklore and historic practices from your area that could provide ideas of times or practices? If you are unsure how to start, I would recommend beginning with the equinoxes and solstices and then gradually add more if you feel you need it and in line with your learnings from your sit spot observations. The key thing here is to develop a cycle of regular celebrations that connect you to nature and it’s rhythm of changes.
But once you’ve decided on the celebrations, what do you actually do to celebrate them? I have a few recommendations here…
a) Have a meal of seasonal foods. Find out what is in season in your area at that particular time (or what’s growing in your garden if you have one) and base a meal around those ingredients. Maybe you could hold a potluck with friends too.
b) Take a walk in Nature and observe what is going on. What is happening now? What has changed since the last season? Is there anything you can gather for your nature altar? Maybe have an extra long session at your sit spot on this occasion.
c) Decorate for the season - At the start of each season you could decorate your home and nature altar with items that remind you of the season.
d) Hold a ceremony. If you follow a particular religion or spiritual practice you could incorporate a special ceremony from that to celebrate it. A seasonal celebration is a great time to stop, reflect, think, and plan. It is a great time to connect with ourselves and Nature. It is a regular reminder to bring our focus back to what is important. You’ll want your ceremony to be based around these things - it can be as simple or elaborate as you like - even just sitting alone in silence, lighting a candle, pulling out a journal and reflecting on the past season and the season to come, and then ending by expressing gratitude for all that Nature gives you and the good things in your life.
Conclusion
There are many more ways to connect with nature which we will explore in future blog posts but for now these are five great ways to start and, if you do these things, you will experience a profound sense of connection to Nature in your life.
Just remember to schedule them in, and where necessary you could combine them e.g. sit spot + nature journaling + collecting items for your nature altar, or celebrating the season + making an eco shrine in gratitude to nature. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the journey.