In the coming months, eyes4earth.org will publish photos of meaningful nature experiences which have been encountered during the past three years of carrying out this research. Most images and stories will be personal, some will be from others who have shared the experiences at one time or another.

Naturally, the meaning is made in the mind. The photos themselves cannot recount that full story or convey the personal meaning. So where appropriate some explanatory text will be added to provide the context – that should not be judged as a desperate attempt to justify why the experience was important.

You may ask: “If you have experienced these moments yourself, does this not bias your research with layers of personal subjectivity which may seek to reconfirm personal beliefs or seek certain outcomes?”  Yes… and no. I am using a phenomenological analysis which acknowledges upfront that all our experience is embedded in – and clouded with – subjectivity.  The approach therefore is to transparently “suspend” or “bracket” out those prior experiences or beliefs before commencing a study. One also then critically reflects on how they may influence analyses and conclusions. In any case, for most research questions, this research does not primarily seek causal explanations; rather it will attempt to dip down and describe the lived experience of these profound encounters, to explore the depth of meaning, the inter-subjectivity and the emerging essence as it appears for individual to individual.

These weekly images serve as precursor for that.

People are then free to draw their own causal inferences. But no doubt, I’m sure I’ll have a few words to say about it all along the way… :)

Text: Matthew Zylstra

Following on from the previous news post about presentations given at the ICCB,  it is now possible to download a pdf version of the oral presentation I delivered at the conference.  The talk outlined the rationale for investigating meaningful nature experiences, preliminary results from the online and street-based questionnaires,  common themes emerging from stories, and potential implications for how we conceptualization education for sustainability.   I have added a couple of additional slides as well as one or two amendments from that which was presented at the ICCB.  Trust you find this to be of interest and use.  Feedback welcome.

In other news, the write up results continued with an aim to have thesis completed by July 2012 (pending supervisor and examiner approval).  There are some novel ideas in the pipeline for more socially engaging dissemination of results; but this is unlikely to be released until end 2012/early 2013.   Just make sure you tell the Mayans to wait until I am done.

Download ICCB Presentation (PDF – 6.8MB)

Text: Matthew Zylstra

The 25th International Congress on Conservation Biology (ICCB) in Auckland (NZ) ran with the theme “Engaging Society with Conservation.” Matthew Zylstra delivered an oral and poster presentation about his ongoing doctoral research (linked to eyes4earth.org) which critically examined how meaningful nature experiences might inform education aimed at achieving this theme. The audience was invited to question, firstly, whether we should also be thinking more in terms of engaging conservation with society (rather than only vice versa), and secondly, in response to Matt’s preliminary research results, the need to open up dialogue on conservation education’s role in reconnecting society with nature, particularly when there is little consensus or even scientific discussion on what “reconnecting” implies in practice.

Matt fielded a number of questions both after his oral presentation and during the poster presentation session.  Audience questions covered topics of implications of meaningful nature experiences across diverse age and cultural groups, the role of traditional knowledge and value systems, the shortcomings of modern tertiary conservation education to include sufficient field-based learning, and a call for fellow conservation practitioners to share their own meaningful nature experiences – as a source of inspiration for what may well have gotten us walking this path of planetary passion in the first place.

The poster presentation covered the “science, art and action” of eyes4earth.org.  Its novel feature was the launch of eyes4earth audio (“vibes4earth”) – mp3 soundtracks which creatively mix interviewee’s meaningful nature experiences (stories as retold by them) with inspirational ambient grooves.  Thanks to Andrew Zylstra for music composition and production.

Stay tuned for the public release of these audio tracks in 2012.

eyes4earth.org newsletter previewing preliminary research insights on meaningful nature experiences as well as a summary of recent news, weblog posts and upcoming events. Enjoy!

» Read online here!

During the course of seeking out meaningful nature experiences, a few individuals have rightfully expressed concerns about the implications of belief systems which hold that certain animals may act as a ‘sign’ or ‘omen’  for certain events. In other words, the appearance of a creature at a particularly moment is perceived to carry a meaningful message for the perceiver.

This idea is quite prevalent amongst indigenous and non-Western cultures. I guess I was first exposed to its potency when spending time with Aboriginal Australians a few years back. Or at least it was something I was forced to reflect on more seriously than I had done before.

Visitations by certain birds were said to carry importance (and, as featured on eyes4earth.org last year, research is now underway within indigenous Australian communities to document such knowledge.) I’ve since read about Native American worldviews, saw similar interpretations in India and experienced firsthand such beliefs in South Africa with the Khomani San and Xhosa peoples. It seems pretty universal.

That this exists amongst more traditional cultures is not overly surprising – much has been written in anthropological literature and there are plenty of explanations floating around including:  the close link and dependency on nature for survival; the idea that Man has his/her archetypal symbols; or to human’s innate need for projecting meaning into or onto nature and seeking association with characteristic of animals…be it out of fear-based domination or love-based kinship.

But I was intrigued as to whether: 1. These beliefs are evolving or dissolving as traditional cultures become more Western influenced and diluted? And 2. Whether Western white Caucasians still share similar perceptions somewhere in their collective unconscious?

Well, from what I’ve seen it appears to be ‘yes’ and ‘yes’.  Yes, traditional cultures still foster such beliefs but in many cases knowledge is becoming lost or misinterpreted, misunderstood or simply misused to justify actions which border more on fear-based superstition than respect and reverence.  And, yes, such beliefs were integral to former European cultures (e.g. pagan and Celtic beliefs, Greek mythology) and it is no surprise that many animals have become iconic in meaning-making (e.g. ‘omens’) even in our modern society. Many ‘new age’ or less mainstream (yet often revealing) texts explore this phenomenon and seek to offer pointers for how us sacred-starving humans can use such ‘totems’ to support our own personal development. (South African author Andrea Wansbury provide just one example with her interesting book: “Birds: Divine Messengers”, see: http://andreawansbury.com )

But should this subjective knowledge – or perhaps perceptual delusion – be given (scientific) legitimacy? What are the implications?  What are the societal and conservation benefits for giving weight to such worldviews or ‘ways of knowing’?

When presenting my research proposal some time ago, one prominent South African ecologist confronted me with the very sobering reality of the multitudes (pick any number and add three to five ‘zeros’) of animals  – particularly birds and reptiles – that are killed each year in South Africa due to this very fact of ‘meaning’ being attributed to animals. This person was mainly referring to killings done out of fear or superstition. But animal killings may also be done for traditional medicine (i.e. ‘muti’) or for ritualistic and ceremonial purposes (e.g. wild cat skins).

My mind instantly raced back to images of my first visit to Kruger National Park. There at Sabi Sabi restaurant (I think it was there) was a display of the sad plight of the owls in South Africa. With less-than-pleasant images, a conservation-minded information stand decried their large-scale massacre across many parts of the rural areas of the country. These owls are traditionally perceived (predominantly by Bantu peoples) as bringers of bad luck.   It is said that if an owl is to land on the roof of your house then, sadly, someone will soon die. Even in the Baviaanskloof region, I’ve found both some of the Coloured & Xhosa folk share similar interpretations. It bothered me. Does attributing such a label automatically imply slaughter?

I asked a Xhosa man I know – a local Christian minister and now recently also a ‘sangoma’, i.e. traditional healer (I love this co-existence of traditions by the way).  He said that animals take on different meaning for different people in a community depending on what ‘their’ particular animal is. Should that animal cross their path, yes, some people do seek to kill it. But that’s not how it was meant to be. What then?

I asked another Xhosa chap  – a park ranger  – who whilst not a sangoma himself, comes from a family with a strong lineage of tradition healers and diviners. Sitting in his empty peaceful empty field office, he explains:

“Some of the people they are associated with the elephant. Some of the people are associated with the leopard. Some people interact with animals, and some people are associated with certain snakes. Some certain snakes, they can come and visit. They can come around the house and go and you are not supposed to kill it. Should you kill it, you are supposed to make a ceremony for asking forgiveness.  It is a visit from the ancestors. On my other side, I am also associated with the bees. Because the bees, they are also my family. So there are times when they can visit our home. Last time, it was last year, they visited home, and they gathered and I made some honey. And I am not supposed to chase them. I have to make a traditional beer and talk with them and call some other elders, they will talk with them. And after some time they will go. So it is a visit. After that visit, there will be much pleasure and liking everything.”

That all sounded pretty nice and in support of conservation but what about the owls? Aren’t they supposed to be bad?

“Ja, they are associated with the bad evils. There are different deaths. Deaths that are caused by evil. And also there is death, which is in nature, you see. Those evil things that are associated with the owls, they will be a calling that something is going to be happening in the family. So the family is in that bad luck. So those things should not be happening, and eventually somebody is going to die. So those things are very bad luck and death will continue and continue. There are some deaths, which cannot be stopped, you see. It will happen.”

So this was becoming a little clearer to me. And it was also intriguing to see the intercultural similarities. Owls have always been the subject of superstition or symbolism. Many cultures have associated them with either death or wisdom – attributes which can even be found in the folklore of the Mayan peoples of Central America. In ancient Greece, the owl was held sacred to the virgin-goddess Athena whose supreme attribute was divine wisdom.

But I still needed some more opinions on the South African perceptions.

I asked both a Coloured bossiedoktor (bush boctor) and a Xhosa-Khoi ‘sanusi’ (uppermost sangoma). Yes, owls on roof-tops, snakes by the river or water spirits in the pond all carry a powerful message. And do you go out and kill them? No of course not, that would mean trouble…

I asked a lecturer in anthropology who is also inducted into the Zulu sangoma tradition. Same story. In fact, she said killing the animal in question may have greater repercussions with the ‘ancestors’ who were often associated with (or embodied in) the appearance of that animal.

I asked a Coloured friend of mine. He didn’t really believe in all that stuff the older people believed until he was out with some fellow community members and they experienced an incident when a bird foretold a certain negative incident which came true within a matter of minutes. This changed his perception.  So, I said, “Should we kill these birds then?”. His answer was resounding and, in his delightful Coloured accent, it went something like this:

“No man. That bird is just the messenger. If that bad thing is going to happen, it is going to happen anyway. It’s not the birds fault. He is just giving you a warning. He is actually helping you, you see… you don’t kill the messenger!”

So the problem is not necessarily the meaning-making or the interpretation. The problem is a breakdown of traditional knowledge transmission, a problem where the processes and deeper connections are no longer understood, no longer explained and where the values which were embodied and implicit in the stories and traditions have been corrupted, misinterpreted or forgotten. The solution is education – but not just to throw that overused word out there like we usually do…but to understand what that education means in terms of the specific cultural context, e.g. utilizing existing elders or accepted mentors to pass on cultural knowledge complete with the stories and values therein. Mission impossible? Possibly…

If cultures evolve and stories are no longer ‘real’ or relevant, so be it. But then we need new stories which embody the core values and norms which the former beliefs embodied. Whether the icons of sacred forest or the knowing owl are replaced with modern-day signs and omens of malfunctioning cell phones or empty KFC outlets then ok – but can they be tailored to deliver both a respect for nature and fellow human… the interconnectedness of human-nature?

Credo Mutwa, South Africa’s most famous shaman, may have understood it best. This Zulu sanusi expresses the old African belief system quite matter-of-factly:

“We used to believe that in every one of us there lay a spiritual animal, bird and fish with which we should keep contact at all times, to anchor our family upon the shifting surface of this often troubled planet.”*

The Zulus call their great Earth Mother Nomkhubulwane, a name which means ‘she who chooses the state of an animal’* of what we might more commonly refer to as ‘shape-shifter’. Credo Mutwa continues:

“The great Earth Mother is capable of changing her shape into beautiful and gentle birds, animals and reptiles. She is capable of assuming the shape of an animal such as springbok, an eland, an impala, a lizard, or a python…We are taught that the reason that our forefathers told us that our gods and goddesses were capable of changing shape…is that they wanted to instil in the minds of their descendents the oneness of the human being, the animal and the Deity. By making us believe that the highest gods were part animal and part human being, we were taught to look upon animals with great reverence, love and respect.”

So maybe the Earth Mother or African ancestors would still prefer to make their presence known through the owl, snake, monitor lizard, mantis, eland or bird. Maybe they know that that way – more than any other – can deliver a felt understanding of interconnectedness with all life on earth.

Or are we now content to kill off all our messengers?

[Funnily enough, after I completed the first draft of this story and went to bed, I heard the unmistakeable haunting ‘hoo-hoooo’ of an owl nearby. It carried on for a couple of hours. I was in central Stellenbosch at the time – and have never heard an owl in all the times staying there... ]

*Mutwa, C. (1996). Isilwane: The Animal. Tales and Fables of Africa. Struik Publishers. Cape Town.  

Text: Matthew Zylstra

Photo: The owl photo was taken by Lea C. at TerraPi and re-worked by Matt Z.  All other photos by Matt Z.

Sadly, the gathering had a bit of sombre mood due to a recent and tragic death in a nearby community, and some Group members were therefore understandably unable to attend. But for those who could make it, the meeting proved positive, fruitful – and lifted spirits somewhat.

The Group, which had received micro-grant funding from the Table Mountain Fund earlier this year, has enlisted the mentorship of experienced wilderness guide Bruce Dell. In this role, Bruce has generously agreed to share his time and knowledge to provide relevant skills and training in the context of the Baviaanskloof Nature Awareness Groups’ current priorities – primarily tourism guiding and youth environmental education. In the coming months, the group will head out into the bush with Bruce a couple of times to immerse themselves in nature connection and learning.

The occasion was also a perfect chance to present the Group with a number of fantastic field guides which Bruce had sourced. In addition, Matt was grateful to be able to gift the group a pre-loved laptop computer generously donated by friend Marion Attal. The laptop means the Group now has a place to store the field pictures which they have been accumulating with their previously donated digital camera as well as providing an accessible storage point for all the photos and videos taken during the Group’s previous outings together over the past 14 months.

Small steps…but steps forward nevertheless.

The continued support of the emerging Baviaanskloof Nature Awareness Group is a primary outreach component of Matthew Zylstra’s transdisciplinary doctoral research on meaningful nature experience and its implications for education. 

The 4^th World Conference of Ecological Restoration recently took place in Merida, Mexico.  Tucked away in a dark remote corner of the Holiday Inn Hotel venue late late in the afternoon and scheduled between two Spanish speaking presentations in a session otherwise totally irrelevant to my particular research focus, I delivered a presentation which may indeed reverberate through history as being pivotal in illuminating our experience of alien contact.

Ha! Hope you didn’t easily fall for that codswallop. Well it was all true except for reverberating through history pivotal blah bit.

Anyway, I did present some of my research so far – this one was focused specifically on the work done with respect to the public’s perception and experience of alien invasive species (particularly my Aussie collaborators, Black Wattle and Port Jackson – otherwise known as ‘Blacko & Jacko’ to their mates).

Download the presentation here - PDF 2.5MB

So there was the obligatory presentation outline, research questions, methods and faff but after that fanfare was over, it was then straight into the juicy stuff – like the relevance of meaningful nature experience to pro-environmental behaviour, personal transformation and as motivator for engaging in restoration activity. I spoke a bit about how Blacko, Jacko & Co may affect not only our meaningful nature experiences but the biocultural diversity which is tightly woven into the cultural identity of South Africa (SA). My first realization of this came from seeing how the cane toad (aka ‘Bufo’) was fully ripping into Yolngu Aboringal cultural values. Disconcerting stuff.

And the thing is, with Blacko & Jacko getting into South Africa’s rivers and spreading like tinea between the toes (or is that just me?), it would seem that our potential to have meaningful nature experiences could soon take a battering.  Or not?  I bowled a bit of wrong’un (that’s a ‘googly’ to the northern hemisphere cricketers) to the audience in showing that, for some, the novelty, beauty and charisma of the likes of Blacko & Jacko may be all too endearing (well, you got to admit they are Aussies afterall). But it must be said that the majority of SA respondents surveyed had distaste for their dominance, abundance and the fact that they didn’t belong in SA… and an underlying theme was this idea of valuing ‘diversity’ – something we say we value so much and yet our everyday actions do everything possible to undermine.

We then moved onto the more woolly ‘wooo’ experiences involving alien invasives – and the different types of ‘characters’ we play out in our reactions to invasives. I feel a bit of an affinity for our Embattled Environmentalist who, after fighting the war on invasives as well as every other ecological crisis, has become weary, bitter and cynical – and is subsequently no longer invited to Friday drinks with old school friends.

There were other participants in this research who had the very Zen ‘as it is’ approach to the whole issue. “Yo man, it’s cool, you know –this is where humanity is meant to be at this point in time…everything for a reason, man ”.  They know the universe knows but who knows if they know?

We also saw how people may have a profound meaningful nature experience which actually involves Blacko & Jacko – and they can get like this total oneness feeling and lovey-dubby about them and all. And does it end there? Hell no – these people then come to see these trees as their kin, like the brother, sisters and cousins you just want to go up and give a good ‘ol rough and ready hug to at family reunions and those kind of shebangs. And then they want them in their lives around forever – “cos, you know, they may not be perfect, but they are my family.”

In the eyes of ecologists, this may be like a Nightmare on Pine Street but such emotive kinship views may not be all totally ‘bad’. Not at all. There is also profound learning in that kind of connection too. And paradoxically, for some those views actually encouraged some people to get down, get dirty and support restoration – but with a different kind of mindset: maybe even a more wholesome one.

And that’s where this presentation ended up – looking at what this means for education, especially that which is focused on invasives and restoration. Given these diverse values, this plurality of experiences (hang in there, just a pulling out a few big intellectual words for the finale) how do we educate in a way which fosters respect for Blacko, Jacko & Co but at the same time is incisive in enriching our understanding of interconnectedness and their threat to the balance of the social-ecological system?

Pffhooou, bit heavy, eh.

But at least you’ve just been a part of pivotal history.

Download the presentation here - PDF 2.5MB

[Note: Not all these slides were presented at the conference – would’ve gotten the big fat gong had I prattled on for that long.]

Text: Matthew Zylstra…though do I honestly want my name to this?

Is nature connection really only possible when embedded in the fabric of healthy community?  The recent Art of Mentoring course in the Santa Cruz Mountains simulated this path and process of re-discovering of the things that connect us to ourselves, community and nature.

I have to say I’m glad I’m not a journalist. They must do it tough. I’m just here behind my laptop now wondering how to summarize the 8 Shield Institute’s Art of Mentoring Course I attended with 100+ other participants in the Santa Cruz Mountains between 14th – 19th August. I’m thinking, right, if I was a journalist who attended this course, what would I write about? Would it be about the course itself, the topics covered… or would it be my own experience of the course in terms of what I got out of it? Or would it be a blend? Would I be critical of the course or would I praise it? Ideally, I would like to just say: Take the course yourself to experience it. And then I’d be done with it. No need to write much more.

Because it was that kind of week, really.  Since completing the course, friends and colleagues have asked me: What was it about? What did you do? Did you enjoy it?  And I’ve been answering their questions each time though I’m not sure if I’ve given the right answers.

Did the course meet my expectations? Am still unsure but I don’t think so.  But that probably is a really good thing. Because I went in with fairly narrow kind of expectations – I was keen to enhance and explore my own nature connection, to cultivate my own meaningful nature experiences and somehow emerge – after just one week – as this maverick tuned-in wilderness man could now intuitively track and then bare-back ride a buffalo binded and blind-folded. So that didn’t happen. Though I haven’t met any buffalo since. And I also hoped we would deeply explore all the juicy theory behind some of this nature connection in intimate learning circles. But, whilst we covered some intellectual snacks (like brain patterning and neurological research), we didn’t really gorge ourselves with a 4-course meal of information indulgence. This is a good thing – because that would be contrary to nature connection.  Jon Young said it himself, “facts get in the way of learning …” 

The course was as experiential as it was a simulation. It brought together 100 +of the most real grounded people with real humour and real talents (especially musically) that I have come across in a long time. And I’d like to think I’ve got a fairly got a good gauge on the global spectrum of human character. So talk about hope for the human race.

The simulation side aimed to create what a nature-connected community would look like in practice. So whilst the nature connection activities were covered,  the core theme here was that nature connection is only as good as – or even only possible when – there is a community container in which it is embedded… or a cultural fabric through which this connection can be woven . All very poetic. But alas not very journalistic.

I’ve got a wad of notes I jotted down  from the week. But what I remember most now, if you asked me to tell you straight up, is the people I met. But it felt like more than that – in some cases a soul connection and in other cases just bizarre cases of like, ‘what are the odds of meeting you’. It is easy to open up with this kind of crowd, the type of people where ego tends to fade way into the background and where talk of synchronicity – be it with nature or in life in general – is naturally commonplace without being hippy. In fact, the course itself touched on synchronicity as being a ‘change agent’ with respect to our relationship with nature.

The activities we engaged in as a ‘community’ were equally memorable:  when was the last time I could jump and roll around in the grass and not feel guilty? And at the same time defend it by saying I am doing it in the name of scientific research?  And finally, the music and songs which were shared. I’ve had them stuck in my head ever since.  But my overall and fully unexpected meaningful moment was the “men’s circle” on the fourth day.  Feels a bit weird admitting that as a man’s man, but it was fully powerful and fully engaging. And all it took was getting all the blokes together in a circle and opening up over some critical questions of our time.  Now I know why we are naturally drawn to barbies / braais and beers.  That’s the setting but we just usually avoid talking the real meaty stuff.

The week was about exploring the things that connect: to ourselves (self), to each other and to nature.  This is what real community fosters. And we in the West have long lost that kind of community fabric.  So the next task for humanity is cultural repair – a re-designing process which can only come through having it firmly founded in nature connection.  But where are our elders? Where our mentors? Where our rites of passage into adulthood? Where are our community roles and responsibilities? Where are our random acts of kindness? Where is our selfless giving for the service and growth of community? Our inner-work? Our rituals? Our honouring? Our commitments?

This is the task which lies ahead. And this is journey which Art of Mentoring prepares its participants and demands of its graduates.

Further information about Art of Mentoring: http://8shields.com

Further reading:  Young, J., Haas, E. and McGown, E. (2010) Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature. 2nd Edition. pp548. Owlink Media Corporation, Washington.

On a picture perfect day in the Santa Cruz Mountains (California, USA), I was feeling fortunate to have been invited to attend a half-day seminar (Sunday 14th August) hosted by Nancy Rowe and Adam Heifetz titled: Nature Writing as Wilderness: Cultivating Wonder, Awe and Presence. The seminar formed part of a week-long seminar series for students enrolled in the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP). This particular session promised to reveal how intentional engagement with nature can help us to cultivate qualities of wonder, awe and presence in our daily lives. In addition, it aimed to explore how intimacy with the natural world attunes us to our own wildness and increases our feelings of aliveness.

The workshop was aptly set amongst towering redwoods  – a scene which immediately grounded me in the fact that I was in the USA for the first time. Workshop hosts Nancy and Adam gently guided the group into the realm of intimate nature connection with readings from well-known nature writers/poets as well as introducing us to their own backgrounds. Interestingly, Adam is embarking on a PhD which sets to explore the profound experiences once has when in nature for long periods of time alone. Among many endeavours, Nancy has been doing cross-cultural and cross-ecosystem research to gain better insight into what it actually means to be in spiritual connection with nature.

The seminar began with looking at the distinction between “ordinary” vs “non-ordinary” experiences and suggested that in society we tend to divide our life between the two.  I found myself reflecting on my own research on meaningful nature experiences and was challenged in answering the question posed by Nancy and Adam about peak experiences: “Is it because we are so disconnected that when we have experiences which are kind of non-ordinary that they become peak experiences?”  Something to ponder…  And the activities in this seminar aimed to bring out the realization that, in their words, “The beautiful is not as uncommon as it may seem.”

The seminar continued with practical group exercises of working with natural objects and ‘tuning in’ with external senses and inner intuition to their beauty and relevance to our own respective lives – sort of like unpacking and co-creating the non-ordinary meaning from the ordinary object.  Nancy alluded to her experience that the more one takes time to tune into earth, listen, and sense how the earth speaks to us, the more synchronicity we are likely to experience in our lives.

There were many other insights to emerge from this few hours and it struck me how quick and simply, one can drop into a space of meaning. It comes with focused attention and a conscious slowing down to be aware of human-nature reciprocity and intimacy. Gratitude as an emotion and cultivating certain “qualities of being” may well amplify the process.

Naturally, we can’t say we ‘know’ all of this for sure in scientific terms. We can only begin to slowly accumulate a growing collection of personal and inter-subjective lived experiences. But travel the world over, read books from all traditions, delve into neuroscience, psychology and holistic medicine literature and the same trends emerge over and over: sensory awareness, curiosity, wonder, awe, gratitude, reverence, respect, compassion and empathy are just some of the core qualities of being. But, as Adam also suggested, maybe we should get out of this compulsion of “needing to know” – it may well be that being open to the mystery of not-knowing, the potential for unexpected emergence , could be one of most critical qualities to cultivate.

These are all aspects which good nature writers are able to embody in their writing – a natural flow which captures they mystery of our interactions with the natural world: the sense of letting emerge what needs to emerge and enriching that with first-hand experience and continued reflection.

This was a glimpse of the seminar as I experienced it. The informal but inspirational dialogue with Nancy and Adam afterwards over lunch allowed me to dip into even deeper connections and understandings with them and with this topic. Synchronicity played its part.  It was a special morning.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Reconnecting with Nature Contest. Admittedly, we were not swamped with entries, but given the detail and quality of those we did receive, it may have been for the best! So we are grateful that those who did manage to send us their opinions – their time and efforts provide valuable added insight.  It appears we are only really just scratching the surface on this critical topic.

The final decision went as follows:

QUESTION 1: Tie – winner’s prize split between entrants Sally Hofmeyr and John Roff.

QUESTION 2: Winner – Sally Hofmeyr.

Below you can read the winning responses for both the contest questions. This is followed by some text from the handbook Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature (Young et al 2010) which provides added insight into what connecting with nature could mean and how we can assess it.

Sincere thanks to Alice Ashwell (EnviroEds), Bruce Dell (Wilderness Guide) and Mark Ogilvie (Cape Town Environmental Education Trust) who kindly helped judge the contest and provide helpful feedback.

Contest responses are as follows:

QUESTION 1:  What do you understand by the phrase ‘(re)connecting with nature’?
a) What the experience of being (re)connected with nature looks/feels like (i.e. the what);
b) What you think people need to do to (re)connect with nature (i.e. the ‘how’);

~ Response to Question 1 by Sally Hofmeyr
(Re)connecting with nature is the process of letting nature back into our lives, of remembering that we humans are just as much a part of the entire community of life as the trees, grass, birds, bees, soil and water around us are.  And in remembering this, it is the process of allowing ourselves to imagine what it might be like to be another type of being – to empathise with other members of the living community and to reawaken our sense of participation in the drama of life as a whole (as opposed to the life of humans only).  It is a humbling but also enlivening, joyful, comforting, inspiring experience – as if finally coming home, after years of wandering.  As far as I can see, the only way to do this is to slow down – or take time out anyway – to be quiet and spend time with non-human beings, allowing oneself to be as open as possible to the experience.  Watch, listen, observe, feel, taste, touch – allow all experience in!  Although spending time in wild places is probably the most powerful way to reconnect with nature, even just spending time in a garden or park or appreciating the birds and trees and other wild things in a suburban area can lead one back to reconnecting.

~ Response to Question 1 by John Roff
The phrase ‘(re)connecting with nature’ implies that there is something ‘out there’ called nature that conceptually or physically, needs (re)connecting with. This is unhelpful, since we (humanity) are as much an integral part of the planet’s ecological systems as any other part. So the initial question is flawed, because it assumes and thus perpetuates a human/nature divide, which is at the root of the problem we are trying to solve. That being said, I have spent the last 22 years trying to bridge the perceived gap between people and the rest of creation, and I believe there are few more important tasks. I like to think of my work as:

a) unveiling the connections and unity which are already there,

b) removing the blinkers to our understandings & perceptions of the richness of fully living on Earth,

c) and pointing people towards wonder.

This work includes:

1.  Direct experiences of, in and with wild and beautiful places and creatures. These experiences may be mediated by a facilitator/teacher/guide, or they may be had without such a person. Both have their place.

2.  Using the arts in their many forms – music, photography, painting, drama, poetry etc. as a platform for engaging with all of creation, thus facilitating and encouraging deep emotional connection between people and place, which is often more powerful than intellectual understanding by itself.

I have seen many different kinds of change in people during my time as an environmental educator, from apparently simple learning of facts and behavioural change to profound acknowledgement and realisation (almost revelation) of our place in the great scheme of things, the wonder and beauty of that, and the responsibility which accompanies it.

QUESTION 2:  What criteria or indicators can we use to know if we are (re)connected with nature?
(i.e. How do you think we can ‘measure’ or gauge your or anyone’s level of connectedness with nature?)

~ Response to Question 2 by Sally Hofmeyr
Gauging someone’s level of connectedness with nature is probably easier with yourself than with others, because I would say a big part of it is inside – not necessarily easy to see or measure.  I would say that one factor that can be used is how much time they spend in nature; and if they are spending time outdoors and in natural areas, what are they doing?  Are they zooming around in 4x4s, quad bikes or speed boats, or are they travelling quietly and slowly, taking time to listen, watch and absorb all that is around them?  Do they notice the small things, or are they only out to see the big five, tick rare birds or catch the biggest fish?  In other words, do they participate in nature, or try to dominate it? Another factor could be how much a person considers the rest of the community of life in their everyday thinking, activities, shopping, decision-making.  Do they think about where their food comes from and how it was grown and processed, or is it simply a commodity to be purchased from a shop?  Are they aware of the connections between all the aspects of our lives and the resources we use and the larger world?  Does it bother them that natural areas are being destroyed to make way for development?  Do they think about whether to poison the insects that bother them in their houses or to try and find another way to deal with the problem?  Do they find inspiration in beautiful sunsets, majestic trees, tiny butterflies?  Or do they spend their free time plugged into headphones / computer games / clubbing and getting drunk / etc.?     None of these are absolutes – I am sure a dedicated fisherman or twitcher also experiences some level of connection with nature, and it is certainly possible that someone who enjoys playing computer games can also enjoy the outdoors – but these are probably all on a continuum of sorts – I would guess that the more connected a person is with nature, the less likely they are to pursue these sorts of activities, and the more likely they are to simply want to be outside and allow the natural world to be itself, and experience it for what it is on its own terms.

One individual and his affiliated organizations who have been very focused on the ‘nature connection’ question already for many years is Jon Young (USA). His stunning co-authored handbook Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature provides some authentic experiential insight into what connecting with nature could really mean.

In relation to our contest’s questions, we provide an extract from the book which might provide some added insight:

Extract from Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature (by Jon Young, Ellen Haas & Evan McGown, 2010)

 What is reconnecting with nature?
“Simply put, we aim to create meaningful bonds between people and the rest of nature. When we say connection, we mean a familiarity, a sense of kinship, just as we all experience with our human family. The goal includes knowledge and skills, but ultimately relationships restore our bond to nature. Building this foundational connection with nature is like an relationship – it takes time to form really true bonds. Therefore, mentoring people in nature connection requires a long-term practice. Every outdoor event adds to the accumulated knowledge we strive for… But a longer-term and slower-growing mentoring relationship is far more effective for the powerful development of the individual’s awareness and connection to nature.”   (Young et al 2010: pg. 30)

What criteria or indicators can we use for nature connection?
“Coyote Mentoring awakens people to be alive in their connection with the natural world. Our Field of Learning includes:

-      Awakening Sensory Awareness;

-      Cultivating Knowledge of Place; and

-      Restoring the Bond between People & Nature.

This all involves primary learning, learning that uses our “mammalian brain”, the one underneath the neocortex, the one responsible for sensory awareness, emotion and relationship. Our foundational goal is to awaken and hone this native wilderness awareness, our birthright or “naturalist intelligence”. While we teach measurable skills… – such as scientific identification of flora & fauna, critical thinking, wildlife biology, tracking techniques, and the ability to glean field guides with pertinent information – we emphasize the healthy roots at the foundation of these measurable skills. These roots are qualities of being that lead to productive doing. For instance, the quality of Inquisitive Focus gives learners a powerful edge for life-long learning in all disciplines, academic, vocational, social, and spiritual. Standards for learning within the nature education movement must honor not only knowledge, but also the learners’ expressed happiness and energy as individuals, and the qualities of their relationships with their natural world. So, our criteria for success expressed by these Indicators of Awareness may seem more qualitative than quantitative….”Sometimes evaluation of students’ success is spiritual and intuitive; the most important learning can’t be measured in numbers.

The Indicators of Awareness are both  symptoms of successful learning and learning goals. Here, we’ll organize them through association with the directions of the Natural Cycle [cardinal points]:   

East: Common Sense ;

Southeast: Aliveness & Agility;  

South: Inquisitive Focus; 

Southwest: Caring & Tending;  

West: Service to the Community;  

Northwest: Awe & Reverence;  

North: Self-Sufficiency; 

Northeast: Quiet Mind.   

These Indicators of Awareness offer the final layer of intention for you to be conscious of for guiding your people back into their most natural and powerful selves connected with their place.”   (Young et al 2010: pg. 257-279)

Whilst the cash reward is now past, it is never too late to drop us a line at info@eyes4earth.org and let us know if you have any feedback on your own path in reconnecting with nature.