As an Earth-centered psychotherapist, writer, and Nature lover, I’m often asked about writing in nature. It occurred to me that this question is another perfect opportunity to shift our thinking about our relationship with the other beings we refer to as nature. Many people experience the benefits of being out-of-doors when they write. The natural world has a cadence that helps our nervous systems optimize, our minds relax, and creativity often flows more easily. However, this way of thinking supports a relationship where Nature is used as a tool for the writer’s benefit. It’s my hope that we as a species begin to realign our thinking back to a relational paradigm. My hope is that we begin to experience ourselves as Nature and begin to attune to the intelligence of the other-than-human beings around us. From this relational premise, we can partner with the rest of nature rather than use it and give back as well as receive. With that in mind, I’d like to explore not how to write in nature but how to write with nature. Here are some thoughts about how to connect with one or more other-than-human beings as your writing partner.
1. Take a “place inventory.” Pay attention to your emotions and your body state. Are there places where you feel happy—a particular park, beach, hill, or mountain—and when you are there, you simply feel good? That’s a sign that the land welcomes you. This land may already know you and be happy to see you again, or it may be a new area that is open to spending time with you.
2. Take your writing and sit. Once at your chosen place, sit (or stand) with relaxed stillness. Notice if there’s a certain being you feel called to — a tree, a boulder, a flower, an insect, or an animal — some other-than-human being that you feel drawn to. Allow yourself to trust that this being is inviting you into a conversation. Remember what you felt like as a child, filled with wonder, and allow yourself to become curious about this being.
3. Talk as you would with a person. Be respectful and polite. Approach as if this is a potential new friendship. Be gentle and curious about who this being is. You could start a simple conversation. It may help to speak out loud. For example, I might say, “Hi, my name is Julie. It’s nice to meet you. I love this place, and I’ve noticed you.” Perhaps you just sit in silence, simply noticing aspects of this being. Or you may want to bring a question, for example, “I’m working on this piece of writing, and I’m wondering what you think. Would you be willing to have a conversation about it? Maybe you have some wisdom or insight that will help me.” Or “My plot feels clunky in the middle; what do you think?”
4. Then listen. Be patient. Remember, you’re learning to hear this being’s intelligence. You may get an answer in a surprising, non-verbal way. You may “hear” a reply, or you may not get an answer at all. Rather than being discouraged, continue the conversation on another day or many days. What this being wants to share with you may come over time. As Lao Tzu said, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Part of the benefit of being in a relationship with an other-than-human is that it allows us to slow down to our own natural pace. Recognize that elder beings, like boulders and soil, have a much different sense of time. Similarly, new beings like grass or blossoms have yet another perspective. Again, you are creating a real partnership. Follow what feels right. Capture whatever you feel you’ve received. Trust your intuition.
5. Express your gratitude and offer something in return. This is the most essential part of creating this relationship and healing our thinking about the rest of nature. Just as you would with a person, find a way to say thank you to your Nature partner. You can speak your appreciation out loud; perhaps you can touch or hug this being, and you can give an offering —water, herbs, food—whatever seems appropriate given which being you’ve partnered with. You can even ask this being what it would like from you. Perhaps it’s something you will return with next time. Let yourself be surprised.
These suggestions are what we call “Invitations” in Forest Therapy. An invitation means that you may take these suggestions as your starting point. You’re free to discover even more possibilities as you begin to trust your relationship with the other-than-human beings. Trust that they will invite you to connect in their own ways. What may seem awkward or strange initially can become so familiar that you might not want to go without your Nature writing partners ever again. If we as writers open our hearts and minds and return to a way of being with Nature as kin, there is so much wisdom, comfort, and joy we can receive all around us at any time. And in return, there is so much comfort, care and joy we can give back to the more-than-human world.
Julie’s new book, The Nature Embedded Mind: How the Way We Think Can Heal Our Planet and Ourselves, will be out in Winter 2024 from CollectiveInk Books.
Julie Brams, MA, LMFT is an Earth-centered psychotherapist, certified Forest Therapy guide, meditation practitioner/teacher, and writer in Los Angeles for 30 years. Her psychotherapy practice integrates traditional therapy, ecopsychology practices, meditation and the latest advances in the field of energy psychology. Certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy she leads nature immersion experiences and workshops taking people into the woods as a way to reciprocally heal themselves and the rest of nature. She has presented on the topic of ecopsychology and the neuroscience of nature for the treatment of anxiety, depression and optimal mind-body health at California State University Northridge, The American Public Health Association, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, as well as many churches and synagogues. She is dedicated to social change and environmental sustainability through re-establishing our intimate connectedness with the rest of nature.
