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| Multidisciplinary Nature Connections for Diverse People |
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At Connecting with the Land workshops, people with different backgrounds and experience levels come together to learn new ways to enhance their lives through engagement with nature. The workshops employ many ways of knowing (i.e., empiricism, contemplation, meditation, art, faith, scholarship, science, etc.). These workshops feature activities that allow people of diverse cultures, ethnicities, religions, genders, economic situations, vocational backgrounds, and other aspects of identity to enhance their relationships with nature by using techniques that resonate with them. In the Connecting with the Land Series workshops, we discuss and demonstrate nature connection techniques that are used across traditions and celebrate the uniqueness of techniques that are used in only one or two traditions. The kinds of techniques that are used include observations, immersion exercises (e.g., forest bathing), art, song, gardening, energy work, meditation, movement and dance, postures, invocation, metaphor, magical association, shamanic journey, and various others. People from many different ethnicities and walks of life benefit from the multidisciplinary workshop approach as many of the techniques discussed and demonstrated can be customized to fit individual lifestyles. Healing, transformation, peace, tranquility, renewal, serenity, and enhanced creativity are all possible through these workshops. If you would like more information about benefits of interacting with nature, check out the article "Health and Fulfillment Through Nature Connections". All backgrounds and walks of life are welcome at events of the Connecting with the Land Workshop Series! We come together in respect and reverence for nature and each other. Attendees of the workshops come from many walks of life: engineers, scientists, artists, musicians, social workers, teachers, computer professionals, health care professionals, first responders, writers, naturalists, ecotourists, and more. And the workshops attract people with a wide variety of professed religious backgrounds: christians, atheists, druids, those with native American belief systems, buddhists, agnostics, hindus, taoists, wiccans, eclectic folks, deists, shamans, new agers, and more. Many of the workshops are quite eclectic, and workshops can be very enlivening when they are culturally, ethnically, religiously, and vocationally diverse. And workshops that end up being composed of folks with similar backgrounds can be very rewarding as well. While the activities do tend to cater to adults, children sometimes make important contributions to the group energy. In cases where the kids don't resonate well with our work, parents may feel called to pull away from the group to work with their kid(s), and there are still ways to include the parents in the work, or at least get them a technique they can apply later. The primary facilitator of the workshop series, Adam Davis, strives to respect each unique participant. He uses multiple teaching styles and methods to best serve the workshop participants. Adam is an experienced teacher that has worked with many different groups of students. He is committed to working with the differences in learning styles of people from diverse backgrounds. He enjoys finding the set of techniques that will reach as many of the students of each class and workshop as possible. To do this, he updates his tools, works on his teaching tradecraft, includes lots of sharing circles, and seeks feedback. Co-facilitators and facilitators of linked events are similarly devoted to customizing the experience to meet the diverse desires of the participants. Each event of the series is both a workshop and a ceremony, and participants can be activated and enlivened in many ways. During our work, awareness and connectivity increase and powerful spiritual experiences can ensue. Due to the personal and powerful nature of the events, efforts are made to create a safe environment for doing deep environmental connection work. Sacred trust is an important principle of the series. Celebrants are encouraged to keep sacred the personal revelations and sharings of other celebrants, avoiding discussing them in later conversations after having left the sacred space of the workshop. Celebrants are given reminders and tools for keeping an eye on what kinds of activities are appropriate for them, so that they only do what is sustainable and holistic. Personal responsibility, respect, and civil discourse are key principles of the series. We come together in respect, learn how each other connects with nature, and learn new methods together. If you wish to connect with nature energies, learn and experiment with diverse techniques for doing so, and build relationships with nature allies, a Connecting with the Land Series workshop may work well for you. Also, the book "Connecting with the Land: Nature Relationships in Multiple Dimensions" discusses many nature connection techniques as well as ways to bring nature relationships into your life. Links to other relevant resources are included on the deep ecology links page. May you have rich and enlivening journeys through the natural world. |
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News about upcoming workshops is available at the Connecting with the Land Facebook Page |
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A general handout that includes goals of the series and categories of nature connection techniques is available: CWTL_workshop_handout.pdf |
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The book "Connecting with the Land: Nature Relationships in Multiple Dimensions" contains workshop accounts and discussion of techniques that we work with in the workshops. The book is available via Amazon and its Facebook page |
| Check out "Nature Spirituality and Deep Ecology Resources" for diverse perspectives regarding our sacred Earth and for a rich selection of ways to work with nature entities and energies |
