10 Ways to Find Trust & Wholeness

Sep 10 2021

Almost two years into this global pandemic, sometimes I don’t even recognize the world that I inhabit. The changes in how we “socialize” and connect to one another are far-reaching and for many of us, painful and threatening to mental health.

This month, I personally came down with COVID and had to navigate this very challenging health crisis. My experience with COVID has been a “dark night of the soul”, in that it has made me question many things about my essential nature and “who I am” as a person. The biochemical reality of COVID for me has meant that I literally find myself thinking and behaving differently.

In moments like this, when the very ground that I stand on feels shaky and uncertain, I have been turning even more consistently to my connection with Nature, as a manifestation of the mysteries of the Divine, even though in this state of mind, the notion of the “Divine” seems far away at best.

Here’s a list of 10 simple “practices”, all of which I have used over these past couple of weeks, to find my inner compass, and to reassure myself about my connection to something bigger than myself.

For all of these practices, I recommend setting a timer for 10 minutes (or whatever time frame feels good to you). Because for those of us with overactive “yang” tendencies, having the frame work of a timer can help us to relax into the present moment more fully.

1. Take a walk outside with the intention of opening your heart wider than your eyes.
2. Touch every plant that you see.
3. Find a place to sit outside and imagine that you are the size of an ant, and consider your surroundings from that point of view.
4. Lay down and watch the clouds as if they were characters on your favorite show.
5. Gather sticks, stones and leaves and create a pattern as a gift to the nature spirits around you.
6. Close your eyes and listen as if your ears were your eyes.
7. Sit with a tree and have a conversation with her about what she senses and knows.
8. Find a dead worm, insect or other creature and host a memorial service for it.
9. Assume that that land is communicating directly with your intuition, and intentionally expand your availability for this connection. Don’t worry if nothing enters your conscious mind.
10. Give ten plants, animals and/or rocks a name that represents something about their essence and how you experience them.

I hope this little list serves your process today, and that maybe there is something on here that would be soothing and reassuring for you, and bring you a little more wholeness, trust and relaxation.