Working with Energy

I recently had the opportunity to work with a young man taking him through the process of self-awareness out in nature, it was great because he was open to expanding his experiences of life, and this allowed me to move him further along with his awareness.

I used two items to help illustrate to him that there is more to experience than people realise. Without him actually knowing I first placed a stone in his path which he had to walk towards. He was instructed to stop when he felt it was right to do so. This he did, stopping right on top of where the stone was placed.

In the next exercise we worked with a stick, which I had marked with a knife and again without him seeing where I had placed it, he was asked to walk towards me and again to stop when he felt it was right to do so.

The interesting thing about this exercise was that he did stop, but on the spot where I had first marked the stick with my knife. I asked him to carry on; he then stopped some twenty feet further on. I asked him to stand still while I reached down to the front of his feet and pulled a stick out from the ground which I had buried there, it was of course the stick I had marked. While seeming far-fetched this is not the case, it is something we can all do, if we but open ourselves up to it. 

Sensing energy can help us in many ways, for example:

Working with addictions
Helping to find someone who may be lost
Helping us to sense danger

The main thing is that by becoming aware of greater events taking place around us, we become open to other possibilities. Here is what the young man had to say about his experience of Nature Awareness and his awareness of himself in nature.

“I think it has made me realise that you can be in tune with yourself and nature and that the idea of doing so isn't actually that absurd as many people think today. I think if I applied the concept of what we were doing to everyday life I could be a better person whose awareness is heightened thus for example enabling me to see situations as they are.

The skills you taught me are very valuable and could save my life Geoff, and I'm grateful for the times we had. One thing that you ‘opened my eyes to’ was that many people are closed off from the natural world and I think that if you are someone who enjoys nature and respects it then in ways you are rewarded in life, like having a peace of mind and being able to deal with situations in a positive way.”

When asked how he felt about the exercise this was his response...

“I still remember that purely, just because of the sheer bizarreness of the situation. You really freaked me out that day and opened my eyes when you hid the stick and did that thing with the stone. Huh...
I was just so freaked out like, no... That did not just happen. You know what I mean! Pretty cool stuff!”

This is a video I did called 'Spot the Thread' using some thread to demonstrate energy tracking.

The fox cub learns to hunt through play

There is research on the experiences of disaffected adolescents, and on how not being in nature affects our children however, there appears to be none on the experiences of adults.

Many consider nature a facilitator for change; without doubt it’s an integral part of our development in building relationships both as children and adults. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs the first line reads; shelter, fire, water and food, this is about our innate relationship with nature. In relation to our growth play is important because it gives us positive and negative experiences, the latter ultimately being positive if we learn from them.

In play we learn about our boundaries and capabilities, it builds lasting social bonds and attachments. Young animals put in place behaviours needed to survive as adults through play i.e. ‘Predator Avoidance Strategies’. I am wondering we play in nature at an early age, would our strategies be put in place?

In nature nothing moves without affecting everything else, all things are connected just like a spider is with its web; when something gets caught in it, it is not just aware of the vibrations, it can pin point where the disturbance is on its web. These vibrations are sent out like concentric-rings, much like dropping a stone into a still pond; first there is a splash then the waves created spread until they fill the entire pond, and upon reaching the edge, the ripples start back. You only have to look at the concentric-rings to know where the disturbance occurred.

Children are very creative; a work colleague told me he bought his grandson a Tonka truck for Christmas, his grandson played with it for a short while, but for the rest of the holidays he played with the box, it was a racing car, a plane in fact it was anything he wanted it to be but, the Tonka toy will always be a Tonka toy. I expect you remember finding creative ways to play in nature, with your family and friends.

Here’s a game I use in my work. Collect free sample paint cards, with your children cut them out and place them into a container. Now go to your local woods. Ask your children to pick a card. Just like the playful fox cub go hunting for the colours in nature; once you have found them; encourage them to talk about where they found it, how it felt, what happened on the journey to finding their colour. Did they see any animals or birds? And what effect did their concentric-ring have on the web of life? Try it; write in and tell us how you got on.