We need to go back to the bird and the blowing wind – when we were brothers. To trek into wilderness and look into our own souls and regain the spiritual connection with the Earth. Dr Ian Player

A nature experience provides wonderful opportunities to restore calm and well-being amidst the pressures of modern life. Out in nature, we are encouraged to touch the earth and connect the dots to the stars in a wider universe, to rise with the call of the birds and, with wide arms and an open heart, celebrate the coming of another day. It is to seek the rainbows of the sun reflected in a dewdrop, or to listen for an owl calling from the filigree shadows at dusk, casting our imagination across the full-moon plain where a porcupine returns to its burrow before the rising of the sun.

To connect with this world is to be silent here, to choose a path that is centered within the present moment, rather than dwelling within the gateways of the mind so that we return repeatedly to yesterday or hasten towards a new tomorrow. For it is in this moment, this prism in time which is our time, our footfall on the trail of life, that we connect more meaningfully with the call of life itself, and it is through the senses that we follow the path leading to this inter-connected world of others.

Through feeling the crunch of autumn leaves beneath our feet, smelling the damp soil after the rains, or observing the circling of a raptor as it seeks the thermals of the sun, we experience a profound sense of oneness, of being a vital, inter-related thread within the web of life.

A FEW ECO TIPS FOR EARTH-FRIENDLY LIVING

Since the beginning of the human journey, we have been physically involved in the process of living life. In the course of my own life, I have found that actively engaging in leading a simpler life brings immense personal satisfaction, whilst subliminally connecting us with a vast and growing network of people around the world who are all searching for the down-to-earth simplicity of yesteryear.

To begin on the path towards living a more simple, meaningful life, here are a few easy tips -

RECYCLE | all our glass, plastic, tins & paper and help conserve precious natural resources
COMPOST | for organic kitchen waste and help reduce the impacts on local landfills
WATER | is a vital resource so let’s be mindful of where it comes from and where it eventually ends up
LIGHTING CANDLES | creates a soft atmosphere that will help conserve energy and bring warmth to the home
NON-CHEMICAL | home & personal products feels good as it is about making a personal choice for health
FREE-RANGE | chicken and meat is about working to minimise the suffering of farm birds and animals

Info on green living | http://www.greenhome.co.za

“If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beast, soon happens to man. All things are connected.” I often contemplate this famous quote by Chief Seattle, wondering whether in this mad-paced world of getting and spending, we are able to stand back for a moment without distraction, so that we can reflect on the implications of his words, and what it would mean for us, if most of the animals truly were gone one day?

I sense that the whole concept of wildlife and habitat destruction is so abstract to most of us that it is almost impossible to comprehend its greater significance within a personal perspective, let alone to all mankind. And so for many of us, it is easier and more comfortable just not thinking about it, believing that the scale of the problem is too vast, too complex for us to assimilate or do anything about. And as it is, as a consequence of our fenced-in gardens and the growing pressures of urban life, many of us are now so separate from nature that the very notion of wildlife preservation is seldom foremost on our minds, if in our consciousness at all.

Yet I cannot help wondering what life will be like one day if we can no longer hear baboons barking deep in the mountains, or the loud snuffling of a porcupine as it goes about its nocturnal foraging, or perhaps the high-pitched yelp of a jackal calling out from the shadows at dusk. How will future generations, hemmed in by the concrete façade of our towns and cities, ever be able to imagine a life surrounded by the bountifulness and diversity of nature’s abundance, if most of the animals are gone one day? I genuinely believe that we will suffer a great and lasting loneliness of spirit, if we stand back and allow this to happen, believing that the problems are too complex, too over-whelming to be challenged.

More thoughts at | In the realm of nature