an-other ingredient of soul making

WORKING TO CREATE THE FOUNDATION FOR A WORLD WHERE WE ALL BELONG

Hosted By: Leah Black, PgD

iRewild Institute Thought Leader

15 minutes

Do you long for more conversations touching upon the existential?

We invite you to join us in an atmosphere where you leave feeling inspired and moved.

Explore our publications

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, I'm Leah Black, one of the iRewild Thought Leaders. I'm an eco-coach and a wildlife conservationist, with a passion for human and nature connection, as well as the personal development of people from all across the world, especially young people, but also adults alike. I always ask myself the question, "How can we connect deeper to nature?” And then, rewind back a little bit. Because, when we ask such a big question that can be quite new to us, one of the best places to start is to look at what we have already. How do we best communicate with other people? And for me, if you really think of deep relationships, and deep communication and connection with people, it's through empathy.

So, for me, to connect with nature on a much deeper level, this is a process of nature connected empathy. And empathy isn't the easiest thing for people. We learn throughout our life how to be more empathetic. I'm hoping that this may be the beginning of a journey for you to become more empathetic. Not only with other people around you, but with nature. The Collins Dictionary defines empathy as the ability to share another person's feelings and emotions as if they were your own. I'm going to swap ‘person’s’ and change it to ‘being’s’. Empathy is the ability to share another being’s feelings and emotions as if they were your own. Empathy is feeling with an animal, a tree, a rock, not for . . . this can sometimes get mixed up with sympathy, because sympathy, for example, is feeling sorry for something, sad for something, upset for something. And then compassion is feeling love for something, feeling care for something. Whereas empathy goes beyond that. Empathy is feeling with something, there's a real oneness, a togetherness. Is it really possible to be empathetic, to share the feelings and emotions, your feelings and emotions, as well as the feelings and emotions of nature? I believe it is, I really do. Why? Because you, too, are nature. Yes, you heard that . . . You are nature. With curiosity, you can see likeness and similarities between you and an animal, a bird, an insect, a bush, a flowering plant. It'll take time, and you need to seek to understand. It's good to look for likeness and similarities in that being.  

But it is possible to start and continue. I would say one of the most powerful tools that you can use for nature connected empathy is your imagination. Your imagination can help you to imagine what it really would be like to see yourself, for example, from the perspective of a wolf, or the perspective of a deer that might be feeling extreme fear in that moment when it’s spooked by your presence. Maybe you, too, are feeling the primary emotion of fear. And then the two of you have this energy of fear between you.

There is within that a sharing of an emotion with the animal, with nature. I really believe imagination is closely linked to empathy. It can be made stronger if you look for the similarities. Maybe you're looking at a mountain peak and see a human shape. Or you may be looking at an animal and then realize, “Well, we've both got eyes, arms, and legs, and we communicate in different ways, but we do, and we have to eat and we drink water.” So, it's to explore that in your mind's eye, or in person, if possible. To seek to understand will help bring you closer to that empathetic connection with nature. But without judgment. Empathy doesn't carry judgment, it doesn't carry our points of view. We're not empathizing with a person if, for example, we're imposing views or beliefs that we've gathered throughout a lifetime. For example, 'flies are dirty’. Look at that statement through the senses, the eyes of the fly. Maybe it thinks, “These humans are a little bit dirty, because I get my food from them. And then they think I am.” It's really exploring, through your imagination, the possibilities.

What I'd like you to do now is to look out of your window. Literally, look out your window, and find a natural being. Just to explore a little bit further for a moment. And I'd like you to imagine what has that being been through in his past? What experiences it may have had throughout its life to be where it is now? What challenges? What successes? What may have been really hard for it? What may it love? Who may it have connected with? What stories may this being have that it could share with you? And you alike, what stories do you have that you could share with this being? What does it look like right now? Use your senses.

In fact, after this video, if you can, go out and connect deeply with your senses. What does it smell like? Sound like? Feel like? Look like? Close up, really explore it. Touch it if possible. If that's not possible, then try your hardest to use whichever senses that you can, and your inner sense as well. The sense deep inside you that may have been forgotten through time. The energy that we may have. The ability to communicate with nature that may be lost.

And look at this being and think of its future potential, just to try to seek to understand it more. Also, how do you feel with this being? How do you think it may feel with you watching it? This is where this nature connected empathy can begin. And I truly believe as a coach, as many other coaches do, that you have the ability, the answer within you, of how to connect with nature on an empathetic level.

We are nature. We are one with nature. The human is nature. In fact, the word human derives from the Latin humanus, which is a combination of two words. Homo meaning man, and humus, meaning earth. You are rooted deeply within the soil. You are literally from the soil. You're connected to nature. Somewhere, we've forgotten all of this, or tucked it away deep inside us.

Your nature connection is waiting there . . . inside of you. Literally, it's waiting for you to find it, to wake it up from its torpor. Remember who you are. Remember what you're made of, inside your body, outside your body, beyond your body, your heart, your soul, your senses, and so on.

If you can, go outside to meet with the being you saw from your window, then open your heart, mind, and inner senses to feel with this being as if you are one.

Explore what it’s experiencing with you, in your presence. If you can touch it or get close, safely, then feel its energy flow with your own. Who knows? Maybe, in this moment, the natural being feels with you, too!

Through your senses, imagination, and curiosity, I invite you to explore feelings and emotions arising within you as you journey through the following images and videos of nature in Asturias, Northern Spain.

Notice your thoughts and emotions, and where you feel them in your body.

[Nature video and slides]

If we're ever going to be able to connect to nature and empathize with this wonderful world around us, and all the plants, animals, insects, trees, rocks, rivers, mountain peaks, fields, and ecosystems around us, we first must understand our own. Many people go through their entire life not knowing who they are, not knowing their values, not knowing their beliefs, the good ones, the bad ones that are holding them back, the ones that have been imposed on them throughout life. Many people go through life without understanding their own emotions, and the emotions of other people. To be able to empathize. To be able to be emotionally intelligent. If you can first begin to understand who you are, and you can do that in nature, there is no better place learning about who you are than in nature. What a wonderful, silent, tranquil world to step into. Out of our homes, out of our offices, out of our heads.

. . . Then you can connect with nature and experience the beauty of nature connected empathy.

Nature asks: Who are you?