In a world that seems to be moving faster and faster all the time, it's easy to get caught up, and sped up, in the whirlwind. Now more than ever, it's vital to find ways to slow down, disengage from it all and connect to things of one's own choosing. In this video Teresa Sullivan talks about ways that she has found to slow down and connect through her love of Nature.
I'm here to talk about something I'm passionate about, which is Nature, spending time in Nature. That's something I've loved to do, since I was a little girl. And I find in these times, it's really helpful for slowing down, when things, when it seems like things are going at a really fast pace, faster than I'm able to handle. And one of the ways that I start with the sort of time-in-nature-slowing-down process is by finding something that catches me. That might be the color of a flower, or a bright crimson red. Or the way a bird swoops, and sort of circles around overhead. A seashell on the beach, or the way a branch is hanging off on a tree, or how sturdy the trunk of a tree looks, or a nice place to sit under a tree. So many things. It's just that one thing that catches you on that day, can open up the world to slowing down.
And, I find sometimes, by collecting things... If I take a walk in the woods, some days I'm drawn to pebbles, other days, sticks, or other days, if it's a fall day, all the different fallen leaves, and the different colors. Once you find that first, something that draws you, you find yourself standing still or walking very slowly. And feeling just the systems within you switching on. We have so many senses - sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, feeling. We also have our brain. Our gut, you know, we have instincts about things. And then we have our habits, which sometimes... Did you ever come to a fork in the road in the woods and you really... Being a Gemini, I tend to always want to do both of them, but you do have to eventually decide. And, you know, maybe you've always taken the left-leaning path, but something on one particular day draws you to the right. And that could be the most soul-settling journey you've taken ever. Sometimes when you do things different to what's routine for you, it can open up such magic.
I can remember one time, I had been told, it was suggested to me that if I placed my hand on a tree before I entered the woods, and announced myself and that I come in peace, that was a great way to let the trees know that you mean well. And perhaps you would be accepted more readily. So I've, I've tried this over the years, and on one particular occasion I did place my right hand on the tree and I had this sort of inner voice come to me, speak to me, and say "Put your hand a little lower". And I did and... you know sometimes trees will have a big, unusual looking lump. It almost looks like it would have had an offshoot there, but somehow it didn't grow. So I placed my hand on that and um, I felt very, kind of connected with the tree. It was very special, almost as if having a hug on the inside. And that was one of the early days of truly falling in love with the forests and all that they offer. And I've continued with that practice and I find you can go further and sort of announce who you are to the whole forest at once. Because trees have a connectivity between them. Scientists have discovered that they communicate through the underground fungi.
So that's interesting because there was always this sense that they were one, but it's also proven by what they do underground. So anyway, you can place your hand on one tree and sort of say to the whole forest "Hello, I'm Teresa. I come in peace. I wish you all well" and kind of wait a bit. And you might find that if you are quiet, that there is this sense of welcome. And then you just... connect. And it's like... they call it a forest bath, some places. It can be like being with your other family.
This is just a beginning. It's a lot... it could be a much larger, longer conversation. But perhaps that's just a taste. Opening up Nature and all its glory. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you.
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