Copyright 2002
Wilderness Drum, Inc.
All rights reserved Closer to the Earth
Steve Beyer Watching Quietly Learning to sit still can be difficult, yet it is one of the primary requisites for getting close to nature. To the creatures around us, humans are noisy, fidgety, unpredictable, dangerous, and smelly, and they can find it uncomfortable to be around us. Yet it is amazing how quickly, really, those creatures will forget about our presence, and carry on their lives, if we just sit quietly for a while.  Find a tree or stump to lean up against. Get really comfortable. Stretch out your legs, put your hands on your lap, tense and release each muscle one at a time – whatever it takes to sit easily. Take a few deep breaths and let them out slowly. Relax and settle into motionlessness. Try not to move at all. Relax and let the natural world sweep over you and engulf you.
Get comfortable, as above. Sit as still as possible, until the things around you start returning to their normal activity. Watch how the wind moves the plants. Watch how the birds fly or roost. Watch how the insects hover or dart. Watch the small animals. Just watch.
Get comfortable and watch, as above. Don't impose thoughts or labels. Don't identify or name anything. Just experience the natural world as if you were a tree, or a rock, or a tortoise who had lived a thousand years.
Get comfortable and watch, as above. Think about how all the plants and animals are interrelated. What relationships can you observe? How does everything fit together, like pieces in a puzzle? What are the predator-prey relationships? Which creatures cooperate and which compete? What is the flow of energy through the system? How are nutrients recycled? How did the ecosystem reach its current state? Is the current ecosystem stable and mature or is it still in the process of change? < Previous Next > | 
