Nature Awareness

I’ve always had a deep love of the outdoors, and like many people it was my introduction to the spiritual realm. The natural world has long been used as a venue for discovering a fuller physical and spiritual relationship with yourself, others and the earth. I am always interested in sharing my deep love of the outdoors, using nature to learn to live from a true balance of mind, body and spirit, connected to the earth and thus universal energy. Much of the outdoor education and recreation world focuses on physical survival skills, the intellectual understanding of natural ecosystems, and enjoyment of our miraculous world. I have always been much more interested in learning to be really present in the natural world, deepening my connection with the earth and all animal and plant life, and developing awareness and sensitivity to the spiritual realm.

I learned a lot from living and working outdoors, and my many adventures in the great Canadian wilderness. I also learned from Tom Brown Jr. and his Tracker School in New Jersey (www.trackerschool.com). Tom was taught by a Native elder, an Apache who he called Grandfather, throughout his childhood and teens. These teachings are profound, universal and fascinating, working on both physical and spiritual levels, blending the wisdom of many ancient traditions and lifestyles. To me nature awareness involves learning to be in wilderness mind, that balance between the physical and spiritual, in harmony with oneself and the natural world, perceiving information from both. It means learning to listen to the language of the heart, becoming aware with senses beyond the physical five, deepening one’s connection with the earth. The natural world, its rhythms and energy unaltered by human technology, becomes a crucible for stepping out of thinking and head dominance into a true balance between body, mind and spirit. This is always a deeper, more personally fulfilling, truer way of being, as well as allowing you to be a more effective vehicle for developing human consciousness.