Reconnecting with Nature
Nature is a structuring system which can take any direction – never confined, never predictable, never wrong. It is the underlying substance and mode of operation of this universe. Reconnecting with Nature means being Nature outwards as much as within. It means for humanity to switch from harming the planet to living in alignment with all beings, as a part of life, t means acknowledging the mutual relationship we have with everything that lives, including the planet itself. Then, and only then habitat destruction will be reversed, humanity will unfold to full potential, life’s innate abundance will be infinite. Nature’s values are the values which we genuinely perceive as right, life-enhancing, supportive of our communities. Being actually out in nature goes a long way towards hearing, seeing and feeling who we are once more. The material below is meant to provide a deeper sense of what Nature is and what it means to be Nature, for the mere purpose of triggering a memory of who you are within you, showing you what you already know, connecting you more deeply with your internal sun. If it resonates, check out our related blog posts Community – Genuinely feeling life and Trusting nature.
The Natural Navigator
England, UK
A natural navigator who deeply knows & teaches how to read the sky, weather, land, sea, plants and animals based on a profound embodiment of nature – his unique books are an invitation to strengthen our connection with and confidence as nature, and remember forgotten knowledge; natural navigation is not a survival skill but a means to understand the world around us and our place in it: be human – be nature.
Animal Trust Technique
England, UK
A method which connects & heals animals & humans, highlighting the value of trust and mutual understanding, recognising the importance of the animal-human relationship in personal & global change.
Braiding Sweetgrass – Robin Wall Kimmerer
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Deep indigenous wisdom about our connection with nature, the role of gifting versus purchasing embodied by everything that is part of nature, a language which includes all of nature, justice of the land and much more; Robin is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology in Syracuse, New York.
Utah Diné Bikéyah
“The people’s sacred lands” Navajo Nation, USA
Healing people & Earth by supporting Indigenous communities & protecting ancestral lands. Healing is only possible when we are connected with the Earth: its lands & waters. Strengthening ties to ancestral land – practicing nature-embedded native cultures, languages, mutual respect & support creates & strengthens that connection. Amplifying voices of indigenous communities & grassroots organisations. Connecting people – forming relationships & networks. Passing on indigenous knowledge, beliefs, histories & stories. Culture sensitivity trainings & social media consultations. Longstanding legacy of transparent leadership.
Gaarú – African Earth Jurisprudence (EJ) Collective
Pan-African
Incredible movement restoring healthy relationships between Africa’s peoples & with Earth after centuries of colonial harm. Restoring indigenous rights, cultural diversity, ecosystems & traditional methods of farming, medicine, seed storing, ritual, sharing & relationship with food, animals, water & land. Combination with adopted holistic methods incl. eco-cultural mapping, silence practices & community dialogue esp. with African elders. Reestablishing sovereignty & confidence, re-learning who we are.
Deeper info:
Tshaukuesh Elizabeth Penashue
Innu Nation, Labrador, Canada
Innu elder, cultural & environmental activist, author of ‘Nitinikiau Innusi: I Keep the Land Alive’, based on her diary in Innu-aimun language of daily experiences, reflections on court appearances, interviews with reporters, trad. & modern Innu life. Led Innu campaign against NATO’s low-level flying & bomb testing on Innu land during 1980s/90s. Led walks & canoe trips in nutshimit: “on the land” for years, to teach people about Innu culture & knowledge. Recipient of National Aboriginal Achievement Award & honorary doctorate from Memorial University of NL. Website not up to date, but anyway:
Agnès Le Moigne
France & Mexico
Photography for vibratory artistic healing – supporting reconnection with nature inside & out. Facilitating intimate connection with plants & animals through images. Life-time photographer & trained herbalist living her passion ever more strongly after overcoming serious illness through natural ways and her own self-healing ability. Donation-based work. Music & other collaborations.
Lyla June
USA
Indigenous musician, human ecologist, pedagogist, activist & community leader bringing forward traditional ways of land stewardship & food abundance, youth support & trauma healing. Hiphop, films, writings, speeches. Recognising the value of human-Earth interrelations & our place on this planet. Breaking through indigenous vs white dichotomy.
Incredible interview:
Anna Breytenbach
South Africa & international
Animal communicator – towards interspecies understanding & respect. Teaching how to connect more deeply with other life forms. Consultations, public talks, workshops, nature retreats. Collaboration with research & conservation projects & community programs for reconnecting with Earth.
Till the Coast is Clear
England, UK
Clearing shorelines of plastic pollution with recyclable boats & kayaks made from recycled fishing nets. Volunteer-run, community-centred. Connecting people to the outdoors to improve physical & mental health. All recovered material is up cycled, recycled or used for waste to energy production. Educating about plastic pollution in schools, businesses etc. Rooted in genuine recognition of ocean plastic pollution worldwide. > 12 tons of plastic & other waste removed from South Devon coast.
OutdoorGearLab
USA
Freely given, objective, honest, in-depth testing & rating of a large variety of outdoor gear. No paid endorsements or free evaluation units from manufacturers. Combined comparative side-by-side field & lab testing by experienced outdoor guides, enthusiasts, instructors etc. Transparency. Funded by readers only.
Tree Sisters
UK & international
FLOS
Morocco & UK
Sanctuary for previous work animals (camels, donkeys, horse) & stray cats & dogs. Re-establishing true animal husbandry free of violence via example & education. Connected to hotel/retreat place → 10% booking payments go directly to FLOS. Prioritising local culture, long-term collaboration & traditional craftsmanship.
Sabrina Page
California, USA
Self-discovery teacher, facilitator for movement & embodiment, dance teacher – expressing freely through the body. Fully connect with yourself & all beings through somatic inquiry, meditation, nature immersion, sound, dance, archetypal astrology. Meeting you where you are at. Improving range of motion & coordination.
On Substack:
Sea Change Project
South Africa
Telling stories which depict the uniqueness & intelligence of nature based on very personal experience & inspire people to be part of re-building this planet. Merging film-making, writing, science & indigenous knowledge. Rooted in long, close contact with the Great African Seaforest. Breaking through the human-nature divide.
We Are Nature Campaign
UK
Campaign towards changing all dictionaries across the country such that the definition of ‘Nature’ includes human beings – impacting court cases, legislation & education. Led by Lawyers for Nature & House of Hackney. Based on growing scientific evidence & broad consensus that humans are part of Nature & Earth ecosystems.
Natural Leadership
Quebec, Canada & Spain
Forest baths – multisensory nature immersion. Focus on team building – connecting to others by connecting to oneself. Health, creativity & leadership rooted in Nature. Enhancing performance. Experience & science-based. Multidisciplinary team.
Cooper Creek Wilderness
Queensland, Australia
Worlds oldest rainforest, family-owned & protected, but open to everyone – decisively making human beings part of ecosystem. Stewardship & educational tourism based on indigenous knowledge & skills, exchange with specialists & guests, personal research & experience, passion & deep rainforest immersion. Eco-tourism-funded. Pioneering conservation management. World Heritage site.
Eric Lenoir
France
Landscape architect, nurseryman, author & punk gardener specialized in wild & aquatic environments, urban ecology & traditional gardens. Focus on careful observation of environmental conditions, simple, inexpensive, low-intervention principles, resilience & high biodiversity. Showcasing how lack of resources is no hindrance for landscape creation & gardening (website in French).
Transcaucasian Trail Association
Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan & USA
3000+ km hiking trails across Caucasus, connecting diverse communities & landscapes. Maintaining historic trail heritage & supporting responsible tourism in culturally & naturally diverse mountains. Local & international volunteer & training programs on environm. leadership, trail building, wilderness medicine etc.
Napirze
Georgia
Community-led restoration of Rustavi floodplain via research, afforestation, urban gardens, re-attracting otters, addressing poaching, water & soil pollution. Reconnecting the Mtkvari river with its people & revitalising river cultures through education, trail network development, artist collaborations etc.
Earthfire Institute
Idaho, USA
Wildlife sanctuary & rehabilitation centre & Reconnection Ecology® centre – taking relationship between humans & animals to the right level: community rooted in equity of all living beings. Facilitating intimate connections with animals via retreats, stories, film, workshops even in most urban environments. Wildland conservation work – restoring wildlife corridors. Incredible pioneers.
Our donation model
We envision a change towards gift economies rooted in the very same ways in which nature operates. Our donation model is based on these principles. If you like this website which is a gift from us to you, fueled by endless hours of connecting with people, businesses and initiatives, please take a look at our Donation page to find out how you can reciprocate, or pass on that gift. Or, if you already know our model and would like to be part of it in a monetary way, you can go straight to Donate below. Thank you!
Two Worlds
White snow, an icy rock
All I am hearing is a gentle knock
Perhaps a bird on the roof
Or a neighbour aloof
In the midst of silence
That silence this is me
An everlasting sun
Sharing my presence with a tree
Roaring in stillness, so much fun
It’s loud and it’s now
Like a gust of wind
Taking over the world
Without noise, without hint
To those who are sleeping
Can’t see and won’t hear
Life is fading
An empty blast of fear
For those who are silent and feel the roar
It’s all excitement – they take off and soar
A new life, a new planet built by us
Between the worlds a large crevasse
What a mess, such chaos
So much love in the snow
We are almost there
With the rivers we flow
Poem by Carina Ramm
