Resilience Through Nature

Ideas and assignments for every day

This blog states the opinion of the author only. MOVIT and all EU institutions are not responsible for the information contained in this blog.

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Photo +++Gratitude and remembering that life is a gift+++ Moving towards the end of a year of different workshops, the last activity was a symbolical one: Appreciating where we came from, acknowledging the ancestors that came before us to make a path which we may now walk upon, being aware of the many stories they lived through, and seeing how they all culminate in this present moment in which we are here now and look back at all that was before.

We celebrated and shared gratitude with an altar of harvested goods from around our farm, but also with stories from the past, and being grateful for all that was. In going forward, may we never forget where we came from.

+++ Assignment 14 +++ Honoring our ancestors

Start a booklet collecting stories about those who came before you. For example, you can interview all living members of your family to gather anecdotes, life events, and other miscellaneous tidbits about the members of your family. If you are feeling inspired, you can even visit municipal archives and research the family tree further upwards, making your way through birth and marriage certificates and reconstructing the life paths in different ways. See how understanding your past can help form your future, and appreciate how all that came before you now enables this path forward to exist in the first place.

Photo +++Our soul's mission+++ What is the quest of your soul? The longing of your heart? The journey that calls you, sometimes more loudly, sometimes in almost a whisper? We all hold in us untold dreams and unlived possibilities, and uncovering them lies at the heart of the Hero’s Journey. Appreciating the strands that underlie the grand sagas and big tales of those who set out in pursuit of something bigger, something sometimes unknowable, something worth risking it all for, the Hero’s Journey, as explored by teachings of Joseph Campbell, was the topic of our workshop this weekend.

Together, we lived through experiences for the senses, for the mind, for the heart and for the soul, tapping into what lets us feel present and connected to our purpose. In pairs and small groups, but also the entire circle, we reflected themes with each other and supported one another in taking hurdles on the path. We nudged each other and also called each other to be gentle and patient with ourselves. While the Hero’s Journey is a quest of each soul, we can find reassurance and courage in knowing that nonetheless, we are all on this journey of our soul, the journey back home, and we can be there for each other as we all find our path through the myth that is ours.

+++ Assignment 13 +++ Listen to the call of your heart

Take some time for yourself, have a notebook and pen at the ready and find a comfortable position. Then, simply start writing in a stream-of-consciousness-style what calls you, what you are alive for, what you crave and long for. Give yourself plenty of time to simply be with what arises for you, and allow yourself to write freely, without holding back.

After a while, and once you have expressed what you wanted to, take a pause and go for a short walk, a breath of fresh air, or something else that lets you change the scenery for a few moments. With your writing fresh in your mind, simply form one sentence that encapsulates your reason for being: What calls you in life? What are you here for, truly?

+++ A space like no other +++ Photo In living with the land, we inevitably ask how much we can live in harmony with nature, and where we can transition into more natural ways of being. In that sense, exploring the world of natural building came very intuitively. Having built several spaces around our farm in this manner, from compost toilets to an outdoor kitchen, we deeply appreciate the possibilities that work with natural materials, such as wood and cob, bring to us all.

+++ Assignment 12 +++ Build your own pizza oven There is nothing like a fresh pizza, straight from the oven, topped with sauce of sun-ripened tomatoes, self-grown basil and oregano, and delicious cheese from a regional farm. Depending on the material you wish to use, and the space you can work with, many different layouts and procedures are possible. Check for yourself: What are your wishes towards the space you would like to create? Which material do you want to work with? How much time can you invest? Combining all answers, find a building plan that suits you well, invite over a few friends, and start creating a memorable day or weekend together – one that you will certainly appreciate for years, with every shared pizza!

Photo +++ So much more than just a “walk in the park” +++ None of us can deny the pleasant feelings that hikes in nature bring with them, from the deep sense of relaxation we feel in nature, to the stillness that allows us to refocus, and the lush greenery that invigorates us. Nowadays, forest bathing has even become a science onto itself. Whether your closest nature space is a forest or a park, being able to connect with a scenery of green seems undeniably good for the soul.

We've spent some time doing a mindful hike with some visitors of the space: from focusing on our breath as we walk, to being mindful of specific patterns and sounds as we move forward, we consciously shift and center our attention, being fully present with our experience. And the beauty is that we can return to these mindful practices at any time, diving right back into the peaceful state we've anchored within earlier.

+++ Assignment 11 +++ Allow yourself to immerse into a mindful nature experience. Ideally, visit a forest nearby, or nature that is as untouched as you can find. Bit by bit, as you walk, shift your attention to each of your senses:

  • Sight: Which color spectrum can you witness? Which patterns do you observe? Where can you find the light, and how does it visually play with the spaces it meets?

  • Scent: Which scents meet you as you walk through the space? Spend some moments consciously taking in the fragrance of the plants and elements you meet on your hike, from flowers to moss to tree sap.

  • Touch: Explore what all your fingers can feel, touch the plants and ground wherever it calls you, connect with your surroundings haptically. Appreciate each texture you can experience, observing how it lets you feel and how unique it is to you.

  • Taste: If you know a few wild herbs (with certainty!), savor them as you place them in your mouth and take in the texture, the aromas.

  • Sound: Let yourself be pampered by the soundbath that comes with the forest. Close your eyes and witness the sounds from all around. Which are most present for you? Which do you hear only faintly or in the distance? Which attract you, call you?

Photo +++Flavor to go+++ Who doesn't love the invigorating taste of fresh herbs spicing up our dishes and meals, providing intensity in teas, and simply just being a delight to look at? We were inspired to share the joys of herbs more widely, and organized a workshop of creating an herb garden at our local school. Filled with a variety of herbs, pupils can now snack on different flavors as they go about their school days, and get casually acquainted with a great diversity of different plants.

+++ Assignment 10 +++ The herbal garden of your dreams

Which herbs would you include in an herbal garden? Which spices delight you every time? Which space can you work with, and beautify with some lush greenery of herbs?

Make a list of all herbs that you would like to grow, and designate a space – even if it's the kitchen windowsill, that will be a start! Check about their ideal growing conditions, and ensure them as far as possible. If you have outdoor space to work with, even better! You can get creative with shapes and sizes... for example, how about making an herb spiral?

Finally, find the plants in your local gardening store and welcome them into your surroundings. With a bit of good care and appreciation, they can delight you for years to come.

Photo +++Nature is a feast+++ On many meadows, we can find an abundance of edible wild herbs, chock full of vitamins, and growing in ideal conditions to thrive. Many of us know of dandelion, clover and nettle, but did you also know that you can eat the young tips of fir trees, or that you can pick a band-aid to go (an herb with helpful properties – plantago longifolia) on a meadow, should you ever need it?

Bottom line, nature is pretty much packed with plants big and small that can be fantastic helpers for us, if we only know of it. In many ways, they are already incorporated in our food and medicine, even if we are not aware of it. For example, aspirin is derived from willow bark, while thyme is often used to clear mucus when sick. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

+++ Assignment 09 +++ Let's get wildly educated!

Take an afternoon to explore the wild herbs in your surroundings. Consulting a book, video, or similar guide, make yourself familiar with the very specific look and feel of each plant, and start with just a few. There's enough time for more ambition later. Remember, it's key to be fully certain that the plant you are picking is exactly what you think it is! To start, choose five plants that you are already perhaps vaguely familiar with, or that you have already spotted in your vicinity. From there on, you can work your way forward with time.

Experiment with the many different uses of your findings as well. For example, we love eating yarrow in scrambled egg, or drying yarrow for tea. It's also a fantastic treat (or gift!) to make your very own herbal pesto in Spring. So... which five herbs will you start with?

Photo +++Sharing is caring+++ Nowadays, while not only florists and gardening stores, but also many supermarkets offer seeds, it is easier and easier to find plants to grow. At the same time, the charm of finding a kind or variety that is rare and special, or that your neighbor simply swears upon, is worth so much.

This inspired us to organize a seed exchange, inviting all passionate gardeners to bring their favorite seeds, share about their experience with growing different plants, and finding some new additions to their garden. We traded seeds and seedlings, tips and experiences, and, last but not least, delicious food on a shared table and many, many smiles.

+++ Assignment 08 +++ How about organizing a seed exchange in your neighborhood? Gather some gardening friends, share about your intentions in your municipality and beyond, make posters and post about it on social media... and then enjoy the abundant diversity of seeds and seedlings!

Here are a few tips for getting started: – Contact your local, regional and national gardening/permaculture/nature etc. associations and ask to share your event on their channels. – Post about your event on social media and share it with your friends. – Invite everyone to bring snacks for the shared table. – Ideally, choose a day with expected sun, and prepare picnic style blankets around the garden for a cozy atmosphere. – Enjoy yourself! It's all good fun, and beyond finding some lovely seeds, what will probably remain most memorable about the day are the great connections and conversations emerging all around.

Photo +++Nourishing our skin+++ What greater luxury can there be for our skin than blending a cream that specifically uses the ingredients we love most? Pampering ourselves with an own mixture of plant actives and vitamins is an astonishingly simple and easy step we can take to becoming more self-sufficient in our consumption habits. At the same time, we are using ingredients that are of higher value than we would get if purchasing a cream off the shelf. For us, it has been some months and years of looking at different ingredients and mixtures, and finding the ones our skin loves the most. We warmly encourage you to play with different recipes to find something you really love, and that you can use yourself... and gift to friends and family, too!

+++ Assignment 07 +++ Make your very own nourishing and rich balm to pamper yourself. This recipe can be used for the face (especially at night), lips and hands, as it is quite rich. We love mixing in different vitamins and their precursors, from niacinamide to panthenol, and experimenting with different plant oils and other actives as well, from urea and Co-Q-10 to allantoin, and from marula oil to squalane. This is the basic recipe which you can experiment with:

Ingredients: – 60g oil (e.g. olive oil) – 20g beeswax – 20g hydrolate/water component (careful, if using actual water, only used distilled water, never tap water) – Container for storage (e.g. glass): Have a container on hand that has been thoroughly cleaned and sterilized.

Instructions: If using any other additions, such as vitamins and active ingredients, mix them into the according substance that can dissolve them. After that, proceed as follows: 1. Slowly heat the beeswax at a low temperature, ensuring that it does not overheat or bubble. You can check the temperature with a thermometer, ensuring that it does not go over 60 degrees. 2. Put the oil and water component in a pot together and gently heat them. Make sure they are around 40 degrees, so that all components will be in a similar temperature range. 3. Pour the melted beeswax into the heated oil and water and blend with a mixer for approximately three to five minutes, checking that the consistency becomes somewhat firmer and creamier. Then, pour into the container and let the mixture cool. 4. Enjoy!

Art +++Taking time to conclude+++ As the year draws to a close, we feel drawn inside, drawn to the warmth and quietude that make these long winter evenings special. When we come to peace and find silence within, we may also find flashbacks and memories of this year that is slowly concluding.

To acknowledge all we have experienced, learned from, developed through, understood, celebrated, struggled with, breathed through, come to peace with, and ultimately, cherished, we spent a cozy winter afternoon together, in the company of each other and abundant creative materials. We reflected and we looked back, we created and we looked ahead. While every moment can hold the power of coming to terms with how much we already have been able to live through and learn from, the year's end is one of the most intuitive times to make conscious space for reflecting. More so, it can be a regular, annual ritual to close the frame of what a year of our life holds. When do you take time to reflect? Which intervals do you take for yourself?

+++ Assignment 06 +++ Set aside some time for yourself, be it an hour in the early morning, watching the sun slowly illuminate the landscape, a relaxed afternoon period, between the activities that frame your day, or a cozy evening, as you settle down. Take a notebook and pen, and put on music you love. Then, have a look at the different themes that accompanied you this year, and see which role they played in your life:

JOY AND PASSIONS When has your heart sung this year? When did you feel most alive? What were your favorite moments?

RELATIONSHIPS Who were the most important people in your life this year? What was the balance of time you spent on relationships with different individuals (partner, friends, family, yourself) and how do you feel about it?

HOME AND ENVIRONMENT What has made you feel at home this year? How much did you feel at home where you were staying? What do you need in your environment to feel at home?

ACTIVITIES What were your main activities this year? What activities did you enjoy the most? Which areas of life have you been most active in?

CHALLENGE What was your biggest challenge this year? What did you need to deal with it successfully? What did you gain through it?

INSIGHTS Three lessons you've learned this year are... What course/course/workshop could teach others lessons from the experience of the year?

INSPIRATION What have you forgotten this year? What moments do you want more of in the future? Who would you want to be next year?