This issue
celebrates nature and the millions of different species with whom we
share the planet. Writing about our relationship with animals and
the earth is a subject close to my heart, as it is to many whose
articles appear between these pages. In fact, Alaska Wellness
columnist Ellen Vande Visse has just published her first book about
this very subject.
Ask Mother Nature:
A Conscious Gardener’s Guide (featured in a special review this
issue) details Ellen’s experiences working with plants, animals,
nature devas and even the soil in her pursuit of conscious
gardening.
I also have
a book that is being published as a re-edition this spring.
Animal Voices, Animal Guides
is a compendium of different ways to tune in and reconnect with the
world at large. It is a collection of stories, techniques and
conversations that remind us of how we can all deepen our
relationship with animals, nature, spirit, and—perhaps most
importantly—ourselves.
One of the
most important things in any successful attempt to connect with
others—be it plants or nature devas, animals or other humans—is the
ability to listen. Indeed, ‘talking’ with dogs or trees, mountains
or clouds is the easy part, for talking comes naturally to us
humans, who generally love to share our opinions about most
anything.
To truly
converse, however, we need to listen. And that’s where it gets
tricky.
Real
listening requires that we deepen ourselves, that we openly and
genuinely take in what another being (be it dog or husband, child or
flower) is sharing with us. This is not the superficial “yeah, uh
huh, I hear you” kind of thing; rather, it’s deep down listening, an
open-hearted sharing of who we really are.
I maintain
that it is by listening deeply—or being listened to—that we engage
the energy of healing. We feel understood when others listen to us
attentively, without judgment. In such a space, we are free to share
parts of ourselves that we may not even have been aware of before.
It is as if we are finding ourselves anew, unfolding ourselves,
expanding in an exhilarating, healing way. In listening deeply, we
open to another and are opened in return. This is how we begin to
heal and awaken the world.
Dawn Brunke is the editor of Alaska Wellness and the author
of Animal Voices, Awakening to Animal Voices, Shapeshifting with Our
Animal Companions, and the newly released Animal Voices, Animal
Guides. See
www.animalvoices.net for more.
