Nature’s Healing Way

By Kathryn Holl

The healing force of nature is extremely powerful. Many medicines are derived from herbs of this earth both in pharmaceuticals and in natural medicines. Psychologically, emotionally and spiritually nature acts as a soothing and inspirational agent. Imagine the peace one finds by simply stepping into a glade of trees with the sunlight dancing upon the leaves, or the vision of potted flowers along the city sidewalks, or the first snowfall; it all brings an inner smile.

Our unique individual connection with nature has its roots in childhood. In my case, I was fortunate to be in Northern Michigan and on the Great Lakes for all of my young summers. The opportunity to be a part of the seasonal natural cycle made a powerful impact on my soul that lives on today. Whenever I walk in a pine forest, be it in Michigan or some other state or country in the world, I am transported back to my childhood. I am fortunate that this is a positive experience. I believe that most people who respect and find nature comforting had positive experiences as a young person.

A child who is offered opportunities to participate in the cycles of the seasons and the unending mystery of the natural world understands there is a higher aspect to all of life. It is through nature that children learn the true character of life and death. As for all living things, when a seed is nourished it grows. Most plants need light, water and nutrients to support their healthy development. Some plants necessitate more care than others do. All seeds need the right conditions, just as we do, to flourish.

The plant grows from seedling to bud, bud to blossom and then the flower fades. In the process of fading, new seeds of life are formed to carry on when the old passes forth. Nature provides the microcosm of what is great in all of life as it cycles through the year.

It is healing to plant seeds, tend to them and watch them grow. It is healing to walk on the same path through the seasons, and then to see, smell and sometimes taste the changes happening around us. It is easy to experience the cyclical changes here in Northern Michigan. Dramatic milestones mark the seasons clearly. It is easy to notice the smiles as spring begins to approach after a long winter. The joy of being outside, enjoying our natural resources and living close to nature is abundant here. Yet, it is not to be taken for granted.

Although we live in a naturally beautiful place we still are faced with stresses that drain our inner resources. We have different issues than those who live in a very urban location and yet we too have a need for the solace of the natural world. Taking time to be in a garden, take a walk, a ski or a swim after a hard day at work is rejuvenating. If one cannot get out in an active way it is beneficial to surround oneself with beautiful, healthy plants and other living things.

I remember when a friend had a stroke and all she wanted to do was be near her favorite lake. That was not yet a possibility so I brought the lake to her in a bucket. She loved feeling the sand, the rocks and the coolness of the water. The vast difference of a bucket of lake-water and the real thing did not matter in that moment. My friend was delighted; she kept the bucket near her for the entirety of the day, reaching in to feel the textures and coolness. I saw renewal ripple through her whole being.

There is a wonderful children’s garden at the Traverse City library. One of the plots is for the children in Munson Hospice’s Art Therapy program. The children find working in the earth, planting and tending the garden to be healing. It is there that they have the possibility to transform their unspoken grief through tending the garden. The earth and the elements are healing.

The earth itself is a great living, breathing organism. It has its times of sleeping and awakening. Imagine summer as the sleepy, dreamy time of the year. Everything is blooming, growing green, red, yellow, magenta and orange as the fruits of summer burst forth. As fall approaches, the air is cooler, the fruits crisper and leaves begin to loosen their hold. The forces of nature shift down the trunks of trees, shrubs and perennials.

The annuals and dying matter give way to compost in order to nourish the up-coming life. It looks as though the earth is asleep in winter as all settles into an outwardly visible rest. However, deep inside the roots, bulbs and hidden seeds there is a tremendous force at work. Forces are being stored for the time of renewal.

Our relationship to these cycles is important for our entire being. Time is needed to be active, to sleep, to dream, and to renew our forces. A beneficent relationship to the living world is essential for our health as Howard Clinebell states in Ecotherapy: Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth: “Most of us Westerners suffer from some degree of alienation from our deep rootedness in nature. This alienation impacts the total body-mind-spirit organism in wholeness-diminishing ways.”

Allow yourself the time to smell the roses, listen to the wind, watch a bird learn to fly or just be present in nature. Take a walk with a companion, young or old, admiring the multitude of colors, patterns, sights and smells; mystery and beauty is with you everywhere. And if your friend is unable to go out-of-doors, maybe you can bring him the lake.

Kathryn Holl, a Waldorf educator and counselor with over 12 years experience is currently in private practice at SoulWorks in Traverse City. Please call (231) 933-7010 for a free 15 minute consultation on a variety of life issues.