We are Nature

I have been consciously trying for most of this year to reconnect with nature and the natural cycles of life.

From eating a more plant based diet to charting my monthly cycle with the moon, I have been reaching towards nature after a period of ill health. I believe nature has the power to heal us, if only we would listen to our natural rhythms more and learn to allow ourselves to be guided by nature, rather than us forcing ourselves down an artificial path.

In my university dissertation of 2005, I wrote about how many of us in the West are estranged from the natural world, each other, and ultimately ourselves. I used references from ancient wisdom and eastern traditions to show that many of these cultures view nature as part of their larger self. There is no distinction between self and other for them - other people, the trees, animals, and plants are all part of a greater whole, and by disconnecting from this we disconnect from the natural flow of life itself.

Natural life is interdependent, and organic. We can learn a huge amount from nature and its cycles by simply taking the time to pay our natural world the respect it deserves. We rely heavily on this beautiful planet for our resources, but in our desire for more and our impatience to rely on nature's slow, organic cycles, we genetically modify and artificially construct quick replicas of nature in order to feed our insatiable desires.

One thing I have learned about nature recently is that it is slow. It does not follow the fast pace of time like we do in today's modern society. It takes its time. A plant slowly grows, after gentle amounts of sun, air, and water. It needs the right conditions to thrive.

We live like we are apart from nature, separate in some way - but we ourselves are organic beings. I believe we will be a lot happier and healthier as a species if we focus on what can be cultivated organically in our own lives - whether that is our health, relationships, careers, or simply our life itself.

Don't rush. Take your time. Let things unfold naturally. Appreciate both the sun and the rain, the light and the shade. These are all things we learn from nature but because of the modern world with all its demands, we can too easily forget.

We are nature, let's enjoy living slowly.