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

One Creature

Sometimes it is enjoyable just to sit very quietly and closely observe a single animal or plant. It is remarkable how much you can learn about an environment – large or small – just by watching one creature act out its part.

Pick a creature – a plant, insect, animal, or bird. What does it eat? Does it eat a lot of different things or only a few special foods? How does it find food and water? How does it keep from getting too warm or too cold? If it makes a shelter, what is it like? If it is a plant, how does it protect itself? Does it have any special adaptations? Does it live alone or in groups? What are its predators? How does it protect itself against predation? If it is a predator, how does it protect itself against injury or death? How is it adapted to be a predator? What is its prey? How does it fit into its community?

Pick a creature – a plant, insect, animal, or bird. Keep a log of its activities, but do not use adjectives or adverbs. Make a record of bare observations, free of judgments or values.

Pick a creature – a plant, insect, animal, or bird. What is its character? Is it brave or timid? Thoughtful or heedless? Brutal or caring? Industrious or carefree? Patient or impetuous? Joyful or sad? Solitary or gregarious? What special things does it know?

Pick a creature – a plant, insect, animal, or bird. Assume it has a secret to tell you. Ask it, "Will you be my teacher?" If it agrees, listen and observe carefully. What is it teaching you by its behavior? What is it teaching you by its character? It is giving you a gift. What is it?

Sit down, with mental stillness, beside a plant. Observe the plant, its way of life, its character. What is the plant teaching you? Now, suddenly, sitting beside you, is yourself as a child. What is the child feeling? Let the child observe the plant and speak to it. What does the plant teach the child? Is it different from what the plant taught you as an adult?

< Previous       Next >

Back to the top
Return to Writings Page