Copyright 2002
Wilderness Drum, Inc.
All rights reserved

Closer to the Earth
Steve Beyer

Introduction Before you leave home Fears and prohibitions Beliefs Your senses Asking permission Sensory powers Camera walk Being something else Changing perspective "Artist Unknown" Thinking about nature On not naming things Gratitude Gifts from the wilderness Writing about nature Getting close Watching quietly One creature Decomposers Wilderness symphony Competency

Changing Perspective

We have all developed our own ways of looking at things. In many cases, these ways of perceiving have become automatic: we work from our standard perspectives most of the time, and most of the time they work pretty well. But it can be helpful to develop new perspectives, especially when we want to immerse ourselves in new experiences of the natural world. Here are some hints for things you can do to loosen up your perceptions of nature.

Change your vantage point. Lie down on the ground and look at things as a beetle might. Get really close to something. Stand on your head and look at things upside down. Face in different directions, toward and away from the sun, the wind, the rain.

Take off your clothes to increase physical contact. Crawl or roll or float instead of walk. Roll down an embankment. Find dramatic places to perch. Pet and hug and kiss things. Go out in unusual hours and conditions. Lean over and become aware of gravity. Let an insect walk across your hand. Walk a path through the wilderness during the day; then walk it again at night, without a flashlight.

Imagine that this is the last day of your life. Imagine that this is the first day of your life.

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