GREEN NEWS & VIEWS
Write Like a Tree: Mindful Creativity as Connection with Nature
BY CAROL BURBANK
We Americans are reluctant to learn a foreign language of our own species, let alone another species. But imagine the possi - bilities. Imagine the access we would have to different per - spectives, the things we might see through other eyes, the wisdom that surrounds us…. There are intelligences oth- er than our own, teachers all around us. Imagine how much less lonely the world would be. ―Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass Writing is Connection There are many ways of learning a new language. One of them is by truly exploring creative imagination to expand the limits of the ways we write
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and speak! Here, I want to suggest that mindful writing can create a powerful ecopsychological bridge that uses that creativity to learn new languages and connections with nature. Writing has power because mindful language opens a space for awakening. If we write mindfully, the process of discovery becomes deep and expansive, transforming our innate human capacity for naming and storytelling into an organic bridge with the world. In other words, it’s time to write like a tree! Writing is a quiet process of growth, not unlike the life cycle of a tree. Over time, writing feeds our souls as naturally as a tree’s leaves convert sunlight into food and oxygen, as methodically as a tree’s roots transform water and minerals into energy for growth. As we write, we name our experiences and nurture our stories. As we are nurtured, like the tree, we give back to the world, communicating from the root and sharing our insights like clean air. In this simple mindful writing journey, you’ll build a bridge between yourself and a specific tree. It will work whether you think of yourself as a writer or simply love to explore words and ideas by journaling. Your journey can be as short or as long as you desire, and of course, you can adapt the process to fit your unique style and gifts. I hope you will embrace this opportunity to do the imaginative equivalent of forest bathing, that remarkable Japanese therapeutic technique of immersing yourself in nature, using all five senses to boost health, reduce stress, and connect with the forest. As we connect with our cousins in nature. we commune with the pulsing sentience of interconnected, non-human life. The forest calls. Grab your notebook and a pen. Let’s go! FIRST… Join the Conversation There is an ancient conversation going on between moss- es and rocks, poetry to be sure. About light and shadow and
Susan Lynne Using the Laws of Attraction Psychic, Medium, Spiritual Consultant
301-906-2203 Susanlynne@Mediumlink.com Fb.me/SusanLynneMedium
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PATHWAYS—Summer 26—55
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