There’s a new type of therapy. It’s called Nature Therapy and is prescribed to help those with anxiety and depression, as well as those with physical problems. It involves spending time out in nature.
I had to laugh when I heard about this. In my generation (no wisecracks, please), that’s what kids did. We went outside and played. We hated to be cooped up inside. All summer long we rode bikes, swam in the lake, and the boys made dams in the woods. (We must have a beaver ancestor.) This kept my mother sane.
I come from farmer stock and farmers spent a lot of time outside working the soil, tending the livestock. I could go on and on, but you catch the drift and have your own stories.
The earth is our big mother and everything we have comes from her, just as the sky is our father, that yang energy pouring down over us from above. The earth’s here to nurture and help us, and she loves us every bit as much as her other creations: trees, animals, insects, plants, rocks, minerals, rivers, waterfalls, etc.
We’ve lost that idea in modern life, hurtling through our days with rocket-like speed. We’re so distracted by the million and one thoughts and activities of the day.
I’m sitting here on the porch connecting with nature, really looking and listening instead of thinking about what I have to do. The attention span’s not the best, but I see clouds drifting across the sky, hear birds twittering and flapping to a new perch, a neighbor dog barking. There’s a different tempo out here apart from the world of man, a much slower pace. My workaholic self has trouble just being here and listening to what Big Mama has to say. Because she will send you messages and signs if you ask for them.
Messages come in different ways: a cloud shaped like a dolphin, a feather on the ground, a beautiful hawk or raven that appears to you. Unless you’re paying attention, you’ll miss the signs, It’s like magic and oh so precious to me. Ask a question, read the sign when it comes.
You can soak up the healing energy the earth and sky are sending you: sunlight on your skin and face, the sound of the wind rustling the leaves, light dancing on the lake. Just as trees breathe in our exhaled carbon dioxide and send us oxygen, they also can clear our energy fields. You can sit under a tree you admire and either sense or imagine you feel its healing and love raining down around you. It’s real. (Don’t forget to send thanks.)
Even if you don’t have a big health challenge now, think about taking a few minutes each day to touch base with Mother Nature. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn. Big Mama’s waiting to hear from you and has so much love for you, more than you ever dreamed possible.
For an excellent article on Nature Therapy published in Psychology Today, written by psychiatrist Emily Deans, MD, click here.
Cathy Corn’s mission involves teaching herself and others about the mystery and majesty of the natural world. You can check out her novels on her website at www.CathyACorn.com. She speaks and teaches about the faeries and elementals after a busy healing career as an RN, Reiki Master, craniosacral therapist, and licensed massage therapist.