3. Direct experiences

3.1 On ecological spirituality

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Seeing yourself as part of nature. That is one outcome of spending time alone in nature. Listen to John P. Milton talking about ecological spirituality.

Then read his 12 principles for the Way of Nature. I am especially fond of the first principle: "All forms are interconnected, constantly change and continuously arise from and return to primordial source".

3.2 Try a blind walk

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In step 1 and 2 you brought enthusiasm to your group and focused their attention as a preparation for a direct experience in nature. As sight is the most dominant of our five senses, adding a blind walking exercise to your 3-hour recipe for nature experiences, might be a good idea. A blind walking exercise you can vary depending on season, location and participants. All that is needed is a thin rope of about 100 meters and a blindfold. Set up a track where participants pass through different natural environments, ask them to hold the rope with their left hand and walk slowly.

Set up a blind walk and try it. Let us know what you did and how it worked out. Leave a comment.

3.3 Sharing nature awareness exercises

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Can you come up with a variant of the Blind Walk exercise introduced above? Do you know of other sensing exercises you want to share? ? For inspiration, visit the web-site of Sharing Nature and click here for some examples, like "Interview with nature" or "Sound map". Can you find other examples on the internet? Leave a comment on your findings.

3.4 Prepare a 9-hour Solo

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John P. Milton has organized Solo since the 1950s. Solo, to be alone in nature, have been shown to have beneficial effects. Not only does it reduce the stress level and increases creativity, but also leads to a more centered and harmonious presence. John P. Milton Solo extends over 7 days. With three weeks of preparatory training, the next step is 28 days. I myself have done a 48-hour in the Stockholm archipelago and a 4-day in the mountains up north, organized by Naturakademin. I can tell you, it was an unforgettable experience.

Try to find time in your calendar and a nice place to visit for your solo. Make an appointment with yourself. Most likely, you have already hade some experience of being in nature by yourself. This time the instruction is to not take anything with you other than the clothes you have on you, water and something easy to eat as nuts. Stay in one place within a radio of 100 meters. And stick to the same place in 9 hours. Do not talk in your mobile phone. Write nothing. Do not listen to the radio. Do not cook food. Anything that distracts you. Let thoughts come and go, but try not to let them take over. Use Tai-Chi exercises you practised last week in "2. Focus attention".

The movie "Into the Wild" is a similar exercise with far more dramatic consequences. A strong film based on a true story, I heartily recommend.

3.5 Just do it!

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Do your own Solo, even if it´s only for 30 minutes to get a feel for it and reconnect with your memories of being alone in nature. When was the last time you did this? Add a comment below on your experiences.

To not have any expectations when going out there helped me a lot. Just let it come and be in the moment, which is easier said than done. Are you interested in carrying out a Solo under the direction of John P. Milton himself? Contact Goran Gennvi at Naturakademin.

3.6 Add a picture to your blog

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A blog post becomes more alive if it includes a relevant picture. One way is to link an image from Google directly into your blog. Do this:

Enter your keywords on Google
Click on "Pictures" in the upper left corner.
Click on the picture of your choice.
Click on "See the big picture" at the top of the page.
Copy the http address.
Make a new entry on your blog. Click on the picture icon in the menu bar.
Copy the URL of your image in the new window that appears.
Click "Upload picture". Redo it to change picture size if you want to.

In this way you refer directly to the source on the Internet, without stealing it. Why not give it a go?