Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit

Moving toward a radical simplicity in these things is an act of bringing forth a more intentionally congruent life, a creative life beyond overt cultural narratives and expectations of society and family, in solidarity with all humans, all beings, and in reciprocity with the dreaming earth.

As John O’Donohue puts it, “Trees, mountains, fields, and faces are released from the prison of shape and the burden of exposure. Each thing creeps back into its own nature within the shelter of dark.”

Jon Young, cofounder of the Wilderness Awareness School, focuses on what he calls the “sit spot” as a core routine in nature connection, the root of all others. Choose a spot outdoors—as close to food, shelter, and water for wildlife as possible.

In Wanderlust, Rebecca Solnit writes of her suspicion that “the mind, like the feet, works at about three miles an hour. If this is so, then modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought, or thoughtfulness.” Wandering brings mind and movement into a healing congruity.

“Find one place in your natural world that you visit all the time and get to know it as your best friend. Let this be a place where you learn to sit still—alone, often, and quietly.… This will become your place of intimate connection with nature.”

Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever!—

Biomechanists and exercise scientists demonstrate that walking shoeless on varied outdoor terrain strengthens muscles, corrects bunions, and increases grace and ease in movement of all kinds—a physical intelligence accessed from the ground up.

Rebecca Solnit writes in her essay “Our Storied Future” that “as citizens engaged in the daily task of remaking the world, we get to choose our stories—the stories that divide and conquer or those that tie things together with possibility.”

Our work is to allow this passion to affect our existence, to let the inner ecology of our lives come to touch the outer ecology of the earth.