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Alex Douglas-Kane shares her experiences and understanding of Discover Nature Awareness


Sunday 13 December 2009

How did I discover Nature Awareness?

In truth it has always been in me as I believe it is in everyone, we are all connected and we all have a relationship and deep connection to nature and Mother Earth.


However, I discovered the language for what I had always felt inside sometime after I had left the army. At that time I was wondering what to do with my life, I knew I was a good teacher and that I loved the survival course that I did while in the army, so I decided that’s what I would do, teach survival skills.


So, I set out on a fact finding mission, before I could teach it I needed to know did I have the ability to run a business and if so what shape would it take. I booked on several courses offering bushcraft and survival skills the first one I did was in Wales run by an ex- SAS guy and while I enjoyed the course and learnt some important lessons about myself and how I judge people, I came away knowing full well in my heart this was not the way I wanted to teach or run my courses, I did that while in the army. I am not saying their methods were wrong no, because I still use a lot of the teaching skills the army taught me even today, it has stood me well, it was just not for me. I wanted something else but I did not know what at the time.


Then I saw an advert in a magazine called Kindred Spirit, the school was called Trackways run by Thomas Schorr-Kon who is now a very dear friend of mine, and from this statement you guessed it I went no further with my fact finding mission. Why, well I found Thomas was using a language that I understood inside, one of caring for nature one of taking reasonability and one of a deeper understanding well beyond the nuts and bolts of here is a bow drill and this is how to use it, which is of course a very good way to start out.


Thomas got you to explore your relationship with the bow drill and what is it teaching you about yourself, what a way to go. I found by day two of the course I opened up to him, trusting that he would understand where I was coming from and I was right and to this day he stills supports me in what I am trying to do and that is a belief that I also held while teaching in the army, you do not just teach someone how to do, you continue to be a part of their process and yours for as long as it is necessary.


I remember teaching a young man on one my early courses and thinking to myself one day I will be attending his classes and learning from him, wow that would be just so good. Nature Awareness for me is never ending since the early days I have been able to expand on it because of having this relationship with myself in nature and with others you in turn have become my teachers such as the addicts that I have had the real pleasure and privilege to work with, and to this day them lessons keep coming. That is the power of Nature and Mother Earth and ultimately my Creator.


In fact I could talk about this subject all day because it fires me with passion, so I would like to just finish by saying thank you, to all my teachers and to GOD.


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