Subject: Horicultural Education: Counseling with nature

From: Mike Cohen <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 Apr 1995 14:11:00 GMT

The Greening of Critical Thinking

Although we are part of nature, in its natural state and in nature-
centered cultures, nature does not suffer from today's problems, our 
runaway garbage, environmental degradation, wars, mental illness and 
medical disorders.  Obviously, Western Civilization's problems result 
because we learn to disconnect from the ways of the natural world.  
Why don't we reconnect with nature instead?    

We and nature rarely reconnect because nature sustains itself 
through non-language attraction relationships, while we
build our relationships through spoken and written language.  
**We think in language.**  We remain disconnected from nature 
because we can't teach nature to speak, read, write or think in 
English.  

Fortunately, all people inherit natureﾕs ability to communicate non 
verbally.   That ability lies in our inner nature that some call our 
inner child, our natural loves and spirit.  Therein lies hope. 

There are now 107 published nature reconnecting activities that 
scientifically empower our inner nature to non-verbally reconnect 
with the natural world.  The activities enable us to hear and relate to 
the world through not just 5, but through 53 natural senses that we 
biologically inherit.  In addition, the activities teach us to speak from 
our natural sensory connections after we make them, to beneficially 
translate our connections with nature into understandable language 
and thereby  modern consciousness.  Anybody can use and teach 
these activities, even by E-mail or telephone.  When they do, the 
record clearly shows that problems dissolve. 

To our cost, our civilization teaches us to fear nature, to refrain from 
obtaining fulfillment by reconnecting with the natural world.  Our 
18,000 required hours of indoor K-12 classroom education alone 
teach us that lesson well.  The result? We spend an average of less 
than one day per lifetime in tune with nature, less than 17 minutes 
per year, 1/3 of a second per day.  

As long as we refrain from fulfillingly connecting with nature's 
wisdom, we want, and when we want there is never enough.  The 
stress of our frustrated natural wants creates and fuels our runaway 
violence, greed and dependencies along with environmental 
degradation, medical disorders and costly budgets.  

To responsibly satisfy our natural wants, people can learn and teach 
activities that thoughtfully reconnect us with nature, in backyards or 
back country.  The process is described in the applied 
ecopsychology research article ﾒCounseling and Natureﾓ in the 
March edition of the Interpsych Newsletter.  **The article is 
available 

by Email by contacting:   [email-masked]
 
or by FTP to:   ftp.igc.apc.org /pub/MISC/globaledu/counseling-article 

Time permitting, I intend to honor and respond to questions and 
comments about this subject in the alt.co-evolution newsgroup.

Mike Cohen  [email-masked]

 A

---

From: [email-masked] (White Horse)
Date: 6 Apr 95 18:51:11 GMT

>Why don't we reconnect with nature instead?    

Hello,

I have participated in the courses several times and in the project too.
I was the very first one to get involved!  I'm happy to share a little
history with you and my experiences.  Feel free to contact me.  

Cheers,
Claudia
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (White Horse)
Date: 6 Apr 95 18:51:11 GMT

Hello,

Cheers,
Claudia

---

From: [email-masked] (White Horse)
Date: 6 Apr 95 18:51:11 GMT

Hello,

Cheers,
Claudia