Nature's Wisdom Spring 2005            Vol. 4 Issue 3 “Ecopsychology is not just about using nature to help us feel better and overcome the stresses of Western civilization. It’s about learning from nature how to shift our lifestyles and values away from the root causes of our stress toward a truly sustainable alternative.”  Dave Ewoldt. From Whence the Joy of Spring? by Sarah Anne Edwards     My heart leaps with joy! The Jays have begun building a nest in our rafters once again. I hear them flutter by the window with scraps and twigs that dangle now from over the ledge. Momma Jay sits and fluffs herself where the Spring Wildflowers in Bloom nest will be, trying it out for size, I guess. Papa brings more stuff. Back and forth he flies. Together they poke and tweak and tuck what we would call weeds into intricate trails of twine.    The lilac bushes are adorned, not in a full array of leaves, but in half leaves. Leaves in becoming. Their branches bob and bounce in the gentle breeze.   Meanwhile the mallards strut in the meadow on their bright orange feet. The male’s glistening green heads are resplendent in the sun. The soft brown females blend into the brush beside their mates. Somewhere in the marsh they too are making a nest.     Startled, I awaken one morning to a new fallen snow. Jonquils peak from beneath stark white drifts. All is silent, nothing moves, awaiting the sun. Quickly Winter’s last remnants melt into the ground and the forest springs to life again.    From whence comes the joy of Spring? Perhaps from knowing we can start again. That we can peak from beneath the snow, sit where the nest will be, and wait for the sun. Know it will come and that soon even the desert will be in bloom.              Earth Day Revelations: What Nature Needs from Us Is What We Need for Ourselves    Many of our clients don’t know where to begin to live more naturally. They just know they need a change. I understand that feeling completely. It’s exactly how I felt when the doctor told me my 24/7 job was making me ill and could kill me if I didn’t make a change. I had no idea what I was going to do. How could I earn a living, enjoy my work and still have a healthy life outside of work?      This past Earth Day 2005, I had the opportunity to reflect on that moment so long ago, and to realize how everything I’ve needed to do to make my life healthier, less stressful and more fulfilling is exactly what nature needs from me.     I got several e-mail messages on Earth Day asking “What have you done for the Earth today?” My first thought was “What does the Earth need from me, other than perhaps to leave it be?” Nature here in this mountain forest where I live seems to be doing just fine on its own. But the more I thought about it I realized that what the Earth needs from me is, and has always been, exactly what I need for me.     I needed to get out of long, congested, smoggy daily commutes. I needed to be home to see my son and my husband at times other than when I was exhausted after work and on weekends jam-packed with the errands that had piled up during the week. When these conditions became unbearable, I found a way to change. I began working from home. No more daily commutes. One car less pollution Monday through Friday. No one telling me when I have to work or what I have to do.      That change was good for me. That change was good for the Earth.    In the process of getting well, I discovered I needed to eat more healthfully. I was overweight. I had lots of aches and pains. So again I found a way to make a change. I learned to eat natural, organic whole foods. No more processed junk food, sugar, fats and salty snacks. No more pesticides, hormones or chemicals in my food.     That change was good for me. That change was good for the Earth.     Later I realized that even working from home for myself, the high cost of living in Los Angeles presented a lot of pressure. It meant undertaking a heavy load of speaking assignments and exhausting airline trips across the country that left little time for community and friends. Again I got ill. Again the doctor told me I needed to make a change. Again I found a way. We moved to a small mountain community where the cost of living is less and the pace of life is slower. No more hectic trips to the airport. No more smoggy days and noisy, starless, city-light nights. Lots of time for community and friends.     That change was good for me. That change was good for the Earth.    Now, to continue to live in this pleasant mountain community life, I need to cut my escalating utilities bills. I need to cut my gasoline bills. I need to spend less and have less to maintain and take care. And again I’m finding a way. We're learning about alternative energy. We're learning about conservation. We’re beginning to work with others in the community to setup tool loan pools, shopping coops and an             Desert Wildflowers  online free service exchange.                               These changes will be good for me. These changes will be good for the Earth.     So, time and again, what I need and what the Earth needs from me are a glove fit. Fortunately I no longer need to get ill to recognize this. As long as I no longer buy into thinking that working harder and making more money is the way to feel better and live longer, as long as I listen carefully to what I really need, I can discover how to find it. As I do, it will be good for me and it will be good for the Earth.  Imagining Sustainable Living Cites Four Possible Scenarios      It doesn’t take much time in nature to realize that an hour walk in the park or even a week-long vacation, as refreshing and uplifting as they are, aren’t enough to keep us stress-free and at peace for long after we return to our hectic lifestyle. As psychologist Robert Greenway points out from his wilderness studies, the wonderful feelings of being in nature dissipate rather quickly once we return to our 24/7, high-pressure, long-commute, urban lives.      But obviously we can’t all live in remote wilderness areas. There’s just too many of us and not enough remaining wilderness. Most of us wouldn’t want to live in the wilds anyway. Nor would we want to give up the technology and physical comforts associated with modern life. So what would living a more natural lifestyle look like in this 21st century? Several scenarios have been presented.    How attractive might one of these scenarios be to you?    Scenario One - Richard Heinberg, author of PowerDown and The Party’s Over, sums up his perspective quite simply. “We have known for a long time that the status quo - a society that is machine-oriented, globalized, monocultural and corporate-dominated - is deadening to the human spirit and unsustainable,” says Heinberg. He believes that what’s needed in a new infrastructure. “It has been clear for at least 30 years,” he asserts, “what characteristics this should have - organic, small-scale, local, convivial, cooperative, slower paced, human-oriented rather than machine-oriented, agrarian, diverse, democratic, culturally rich and ecologically sustainable.”     Scenario Two - In his book Eco-Cities, Richard Register proposes a quite different possibility. He proposes bringing nature back into our cities and compacting them into to ever more dense, multi-story, urban neighborhoods with “walkable centers and transit villages” that rise over wildlife corridors or tunnel beneath them with agricultural areas close to the center.    Register proposes concentrating on tall buildings around public spaces with large trees floating high over the city in rooftop arboretums supported by pillars built into high-rise apartment and office buildings. He see these structures linked with by pedestrian passageways and adorned with moveable greenhouses perched a dozen or two dozen stories above the streets with fruit trees, flowers and berry bushes everywhere along the streets, in window boxes and on rooftops.     Scenario Three - David Korten, author of The Post-Corporate World, proposes village and neighborhood clusters of “modest row houses of varied design, ... clustered around courtyards, with lawns, playgrounds, and flowerbeds. Spaces between housing units are used for small gardens, composting, and raising small animals, such as chickens and goats for food.” Housing clusters would bring together from all generations, he explains, with older folks helping with house work, gardening and child care, and families sharing in turn with elder care.     Basic food and convenience items would be available from local shops owned and operated by local residents.  All this, including a medical facility, schools, library and entertainment would be in easy walking distance and adjacent to green spaces and agricultural enterprises.     Scenario Four:  Richard Manning, author of Against the Grain, believes there are changes we can make and steps we can take to live more naturally, but claims the last place we should look for what these changes should be is to the establishment. He suggests what could be considered a fourth scenario and perhaps the most feasible, as least for you and me: defining and creating natural lifestyles and communities in our own ways as they feel most natural to us.    In this scenario, there is be no one way to live more naturally determined by urban or regional planners, but many ways that would be determined by those of us who compose the communities in which we live. We already find dozens of people carving out such personally interesting paths to their own natural lifestyles.    Manning’s own way is certainly as unique as any we might expect to create. He and his wife have built a log cabin in the Montana wilderness where he hunts and fishes for his food.    But Dave and Allison Ewoldt live in the heart of downtown Bellingham where they can walk to most services they need. They’re restoring a comfy old house with recycled and environmentally safe materials and replanting it’s degraded lot with native plants, fruit trees and a garden. They also recycle and participate in a free community exchange board, a 'time dollars' currency system based on mutual support and reciprocity.    Looking for what she considered a radical change of scenery and pace, Laura Jackson enrolled in a Practical Farm Training Program and exchanged her Philadelphia home and career in documentary filmmaking for a farm in rural Massachusetts. “I want to live more simply the rest of my life,” she e-mailed USA Today.    Linda Buzzell and Larry Satlzman live in the seaside micropolitan area of Santa Barbara, CA, where they are using permaculture techniques to grow most of their own food from squash and watermelon to beans and strawberries, all in their backyard. “The more time you invest in providing for yourself,” Linda explains, “the less time you have to spend earning money to pay others to do it for you.” They’ve been surprised, though, that it takes only about an hour and half a week to plant, maintain and harvest their urban homestead.    Paul and I moved to what we call a “nearby faraway place.” Only an hour from Los Angeles in one direction and Bakersfield, CA, in the other, we live in a village of 2800 people in the Los Padres National Forest. With others in the community we’re working to create volunteer coops and shopping pools to cut costs, commute less to the city and develop and support local services.     What would a more natural life look life for you?       If you’re already living your version of a natural life, we’d love to hear from you and to tell others about what you’re doing. If not, why wait? Why not begin creating it now? If you need ideas or a place to start, e-mail us. Is Money Making You Miserable? Standing in the Way of Living Your Dream? A Book Review: The High Price of Materialism   Which of these lists best reflects your thoughts and beliefs: List One           __ I admire people who own expensive homes, cars, and clothes.           __ The things I own say a lot about how well I’m doing.           __ I like to own things that impress people.           __ Buying things give me a lot of pleasure.           __ I like a lot of luxury in my life.           __ My life would be better if I owned certain things I don’t have.           __ I would be happier if I owned nicer things.           __ It sometimes bothers me quite a bit that I can’t afford to buy all the things               I’d like.                                 List Two   __ I don’t place much emphasis on the amount of material objects a person      owns as a sign of success __ I usually only buy the things I need. __ I try to keep my life simple, as far as possessions are concerned. __ I put less emphasis on owning things than most people I know. __ I have all the things I really need to enjoy life. __ The things I own aren’t all that important to me. __ I wouldn’t be happier if I owned nicer things. __ I don’t pay much attention to the material objects other people own.     We get many conflicting messages about money. On the one hand, we hear it’s the root of all evil, but on the other hand, research shows that children believe having plenty of money when they grow up it is the most important goal in life. Where might they have reached such a conclusion except from their families and the culture at large? Admittedly money is involved in some way with just about everything we do. But in his book, The High Cost of Materialism, psychologist Tim Kasser reveals rather shocking findings about the relationship between money and happiness.       The above lists are from Richins and Dawson’s Materialism Scale, one of a number of surveys Kasser describes in his book. List One reflects materialistic values common to our consumer culture. List Two reflects values that are less common in our culture because of the emphasis we put upon materialism.       Kasser's conclusions from reviewing or conducting dozens of studies using scales like these explain a lot about why we are a perpetually dissatisfied people and why no matter how hard many of us try, happiness seems so ephemeral; a flash in the pan rather than a state of being.      Here’s a summary of few of the findings that hold true regardless of age and wealth:  ·   Materialistic values are associated with low-well being. ·   Compared with those with non-materialistic values, those with a strong materialist orientation reported less satisfaction overall with their lives, including their family, their income and their relationship with friends, as well as how much fun they have.   ·   The more materialistic values are at the center of our lives, the more our quality of life is diminished. Those with high materialistic values are more insecure, have lower self-esteem, and a lessened sense of autonomy.  ·   Not only do people with a focus on money and possessions less psychological well-being, but their physical health is worse as well. They also experience more depression, alcohol abuse, anxiety, and addictions and have less vitality.  ·   Teens with a strong orientation to materialistic values are more likely to have difficulties with attention, exhibit unusual thoughts and behaviors, isolate themselves socially, believe other have malevolent intentions, have difficulties with emotional expression and controlling impulses, be avoidant or overly dependent on other people, attempt to over-control may aspects of their environment, and relate to people in a passive-aggressive manner.  ·   Materialistic values are symptoms or signs that one of more of one’s basic human needs are unfulfilled. Yet they cause people to organize their lives in ways that do a poor job of satisfying basic needs, and thus contribute even more to their misery.      "Desires to have more and more material goods drive us into an ever more frantic pace of life,” Kasser explains. “Not only must we work harder, but once possessing the goods, we have to maintain, upgrade, replace insure, and constantly manage them. Thus, in the journey of life, materialists end up carrying an every-heavier load, one that expends energy necessary for living, loving and learning - the really satisfying aspects of that journey.”       In other words, although promising happiness, materialism actually creates strain and stress and deprive us of the time and energy to connect with the things we would naturally value and seek in life: security, competency, belonging and autonomy – all things that occur spontaneously in nature.    To escape from the drive to earn and consume more and reconnect instead with natural desires that will nourish, empower and fulfill you, do the following Nature Activity, based on one from Well Mind, Well Earth by organic psychologist Dr. Michael J. Cohen.   Nature Activity Connecting with Natural Desires  ·   Go to an attractive natural area and respectfully ascertain that it is safe and comfortable both for you and the area that you be there to do this activity. ·   Take an inventory of how you are feeling, physically and emotionally. ·   Using a full range of your senses, spend some time noticing what is taking place there. What is happening? What are the various elements of this natural community? How are they relating to each other and to their community as a whole? How is this area fulfilling and sustaining itself and its elements? How does it respond too you? How do you respond to being there? Where do you fit? ·   Now notice how each of these same things is also taking place in yourself and affecting you, and visa versa.  For example: The clouds change; I change                   The wind moves; I move                   All aspects of the forest are connected to each; all of us are                        connected to each other.                   The plants soak up the sun; I soak up the sun.                   The branches bend in response to changes in the wind; I bend in                         response to change in my life.                        The birds seek to find a perch; I seek to find my perch.                   The squirrels communicate with each other: I communicate with                         others.                   Everything here is watching and listening; I am watching and                         listening. ·   When you feel complete, take an inventory of how you are feeling, physically and emotionally. What changes have you noticed?   "Most people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." Will Rogers l Q & A: Trying to Live a More Natural Life, but ..  Q: I want to live more naturally, but I have to admit I get a real rush when I can buy something new. I have way more of everything than I need and yet I still look forward to owning something new. What’s wrong with me? How can I get my feelings in line with my values?                                                                                                   A: From the time we are born, we learn that getting new things is special. We are given toys and treats. We see the eyes of our parents, family and friends light up in delight, and we hear the joy in their voices, when they give us new things. Even though we might prefer their time and attention, we nonetheless connect their love to these things they give us and we see how they relish or pine for things they want to get.      So it’s understandable if we have a special rush of positive feelings when we get something new. In fact, advertisers spend billions every year to assure that we continue to get that special rush. Every day we’re bombarded with advertising messages that tell us how happy, competent, loved and secure we will be if we buy their shiny new things.    But there is no inborn human need to accumulate things. We have inborn needs to be secure, to belong, to develop our competence through new experiences and autonomy. Things cannot substitute for these real needs. Getting something new provides a rush of good feelings, but since it doesn’t meet our real needs, the good feelings don’t last. Our excitement evaporates quickly, because we’re still hungry. So we want yet something else new, and will continue to, until we bring what will be truly satisfying into our lives.       Thus there’s clearly no need for you to feel badly about yourself, but since you say you would like to live more naturally, I would suggest spending more time in nature, either on your own and with others who enjoy being in nature. Here’s some of the affects others have found from doing reconnecting with nature activities and what they suggest we all might do to disconnect from our shop ‘til you drop addiction:      “Spending so much time in nature with friends, I find I’ve lost my interest in shopping. In fact, I feel tired and weary now when I get home from shopping, but when I get back from a hike with my friends and our many canines I feel invigorated and alive.”       “I often found myself heading off to the shopping malls and finally realized I was doing it primarily for the stimulation of people, colors, sounds, aromas, etc.  Lately, however, in visiting natural areas and doing nature activities, I find that I get the same stimulation and more from connecting to nature.”      “I now prefer being to having. I haven’t bought anything 'new' for myself to speak of in years. What I do is simply ‘make my eyes happy.’ I enjoy the attractive aspects of life in the moment. I take a mental picture so I can enjoy the memory whenever I want to, and then I let it go. I remind myself that attachment to 'things' (as well as to ideas and others) is the source of so much of our unhappiness. It keeps us from being free to simply BE. The enjoyment of the moment, combined with the sense of freedom I feel from not binding myself to objects, replaces the temporary thrill of ownership.”  Try This Activity from Dr. Theresa Sweeney, Artist and Organic Psychologist    “We try to fill that sensory-starved hole inside us with ‘stuff,’” says Dr. Sweeney. “That’s where our culture teaches us the answer lies. But a great many things don't need to be owned to be enjoyed.”    Sweeney has found the following activity helps us experience for ourselves the false promises if owning ‘stuff.’ We can remember this experience the next time we’re tempted to buy something.  Instead she suggests:  ·   Make a list of everything new you’ve bought in the last month, even gather it all into a pile in your living room if you’d like. ·   Ask if you feel feels any better because of it. Does it make you feel whole? Note how you feel looking at the pile. ·   Then go outside and relate to the natural attraction there. Note how you feel      then. Where do you feel most satisfied?  To learn more about how to reconnect with nature, contact us about online nature courses. Doing It Their Way C  Christina Brittain   Eco-Place at Quinn Mountain     Christina Brittain and L. W. 'Bud' Quinn  live in the famed Columbia   River Gorge National Scenic Area in Washington state about 35 miles   northeast of Portland Oregon. Taken by the beauty of their lush   surroundings, Christina was inspired to transform their home into    EcoPlace at Quinn Mountain, a B&B and nature retreat.    Working together, Christina and Bud readied EcoPlace at Quinn Mountain for guests. Their many construction projects included an intimate private spa, a hidden teahouse in the forest, raised herb and vegetable beds, a restful Koi pond and stream, gardens filled with native plants, and a soon-to-be operational G-scale garden railroad. Doing almost all the work themselves made for many long and challenging, but rewarding, days at their woodland homestead.    "We decided to create two B&B suites on the lower level of our log home to generate income," Christina explains, "but also to enjoy the rewarding, interesting, and stimulating company of others without having to leave our beautiful place in nature."    After putting so much time and money into creating a welcoming, nurturing getaway for overnight guests, they decided to offer other services as well. Both Christina and Bud are non-denominational ministers, and most enjoy conducting weddings and other ceremonies with Nature as the honored guest.     As an ecosychologist, Christina offers sessions for reconnecting with nature called Nature Visioning (Copyright 2003), a process she created that is highly effective in helping people discover what they genuinely want and need for enhancing both professional and personal wellness and joy. She also satisfies her belief in the value of helping children reconnect with nature's wisdom and guidance through her "I Am Nature's Shining STAR!" program, which includes a unique adventure kit containing a nature-based story and activities.    Visitors can discover that dining at EcoPlace at Quinn Mountains extends far beyond taste and smell. They learn a new way of dining that stimulates many of their 53 or more innate senses by savoring a specially prepared gourmet journey that awakens amazing dormant sensory territory within.    Adventurous souls who follow the woodland path to the Quinn Mountain tea house can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Gorge while the enchantment of Chinese anemone tea blossoms steeping in stemmed glass goblets magically unfold before their eyes.    Explore more about EcoPlace at Quinn Mountain at www.quinnmountain.com  Their address is 812 Canyon Creek Road, Washougal WA 9867. Email: QuinnMountain@aol.com. Phone: 360-837-3711. Eileen Parzek, Creative Director Work at Home Apparel           Ten years ago, Eileen Parzek of Albany, NY, bailed out of a civil service job when she was told: ·      They would never pay her for work outside her official title because she did those things out of love and would do them regardless of what they paid her. ·      The World Wide Web, where she had already started moonlighting, was “a fad.”     Dumbfounded, she flew into her boss’s office and resigned without a plan or a clue a out what she would do for a living. At home without her job, she began working out of the walk-in-closet at the foot of her bed, doing web designs for people she met through the Internet on an international basis. “I'm a graphic designer with an inner geek,” she explains.     Now she tells people she’s come out of the closet! She realized she’d started a business without intending to and set out to learn more about it. That led her to the first of many of our books. “It didn't take me long,” she recalls, “to get just how much I love the home office lifestyle. I’ve been a passionate and vocal advocate of it ever since. I could never work in an office or for anyone else ever again.” Eileen has since designed hundreds of web sites - quite something for a fad!   Eileen’s latest venture combines two of our fondest loves: working from home and ecology. As she approached her 10th year anniversary as a home business, she wanted to buy something she could wear to celebrate her home office lifestyle. When she couldn't find anything much available online, her intuition told her "Hey! Create what you’re looking for. Do it yourself!"     After securing the web address www.homebizwear.com, Eileen began designing a line of casual clothing and accessories that promote the earth-friendly nature of working from home. Using her own ideas and clipart she licensed, she set up shop online. “I was off and running within a week,” she confides, “and nothing much else got done for a while.”     Except, of course, on weekends when she still heads for the hills. “I grew up in a log cabin, so the country girl in me runs deep.”    You’ll find Eileen’s line of tee-shirts, mugs, buttons, tote bags and more at www.homebizwear.com.  Acknowledgments: A special thanks to Allison and Dave Elwoldt of Attraction Retreat, Theresa Sweeney, Dan Shelton of Naturskills, John Scull and Susan Wells for their ideas. To nature artist Peter Gullerude for his sketches of Possible Futures. Visit his online gallery. And thanks also to Katherine King for her photographs of desert wildflowers on the Carizzo plains which is just northwest of Pine Mountain.         Coming Up: Would you be interested in a Blog on Living More Naturally? We’re thinking of shifting from our newsletter format to a Blog that will cover issues and ideas for addressing daily personal issues as well as community and political challenges involved in living more naturally. Let us know your thoughts.                                                                                                      Home  Continuing Education  Newsletter  Books  Contact Us