Nature as a Force for Healing

Nature as a Force for Healing

We have a soft spot for the Adirondacks given how many years of summer fun we’ve had in the region. From soft serve ice cream cones, clam bakes, skiing on lakes of glass at sunrise and roasted hot dogs on a campfire to leisurely Sundays on swinging hammocks, sailing and blueberry picking, we did them all. Now that we’re older, picture perfect memories remain, but above and beyond all else, its her mountains, her lakes and her colored leaves in October that win our hearts over.

You see, as the wisdom sets in, it’s obvious how healing nature really is whether you’re physically or emotionally ill or not. Simply put, nature brings you home to the heart, home to the soul and from this place, your Higher Self can hear, see, feel, and most importantly, breathe. Of course our childhoods were spent hiking in her woods, climbing her peaks and swimming in her waters, but the appreciation and gratitude for the raw natural beauty that the Adirondacks delivered wasn’t what it is today with wiser eyes & hearts.

There’s an inner sanctuary among her mountain tops and baked inside a lazy canoe ride on one of her hundreds of lakes. Does that serenity and peace come from the Mohawk Indians of yesteryear? The Hudson River with her long history and roots? Or, does it come from the pine trees? Perhaps it’s the loons who wake you up in the morning and sooth your weary soul as the sun sets after a long day’s work.

We rarely get back to the Adirondacks for a myriad of reasons. The place brings with it some sadness as it does joy for many of the same reasons that Richard Russo writes about in Elsewhere, also his old stomping ground. It was once a thriving area like so many New England and Mid-Western small towns and villages once were. Inevitably the industries which once made them thrive were taken over by corporations and the small cafes and mom-and-pop shops were replaced by WalMart and McDonalds, thrown together like bricks in a box now most commonly known as America’s ugly Strip Malls.

Deep down, we recognize that Russo’s truth resonates with many we know in the area, even if they never dare say so. It’s too painful to “dare say so.” As we get older, we take the approach we take with everything in our lives: speak up about what matters in the most authentic way possible. It goes a bit like this: if there’s something positive you can take from a person, place, experience or thing, embrace what works and integrate it into your life. If it doesn’t, learn what the blockage was or why and simply let it go. Letting go is so hard isn’t it? Hard, but oh so necessary if we want to move forward in our lives and…heal.  

Forward is the path to healing. When we don’t continue to push ourselves forward to learn and grow, we stagnant and we die inside, little by little. For those who were blessed enough to grow up in a rural America surrounded by woods, lakes, rivers and ponds, you know just how healing nature can be, especially when you’re hit by something devastating in your life, like a lost job, the death of a child or a divorce. Like Thoreau who was healed by Walden Pond’s waters, the nature we know best heals our deepest wounds if we only allow it to do so.

We love nature for all of her lush awe-inspiring magic. For, within Mother Earth’s natural beauty, there’s no pain, resentment, pity, misunderstanding, frustration, jealousy or all the things we get hit with from external forces, like so many of us do. She dishes us nothing but pure joy and frankly, don’t we all need a friend like that?

We may all have someone — a family member, a friend or a boss — who make us feel as if “we’re not good enough or simply enough”. It’s that other parallel universe and all the negative voices in it that we need less of in our lives, not more. Make positive choices that serve you in your life as you march on, not hurt you or hold you back from a purer and happier destiny….

Nature doesn’t have an ax to grind or something to settle. The lakes don’t tell us we should have done something else, become someone else, lived somewhere else or married someone else. It simply is. And while we’ve been witness to some of the most stunning natural settings across four continents in the last couple of years, there’s nothing like your childhood soil. And, this is ours…..

Above shots, all taken in and around Caroga Lake, Pecks Lake & Sacandaga Lake

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Above photos taken on Caroga Lake which is inside Adirondack Park

Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes

Lake George and the legendary Minnie Ha-Ha

View from Kane Mountain, a relatively easy hike just off the main road near Canada Lake.

Upstate New York

The Great Sacandaga

upstate New York

The Red Barn in Northville New York

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View from a hike taken in Canada Lake

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Melody Lodge in Speculator New York

Johnstown New York

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Mirror Lake at Dawn

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Lake Placid New York taken while on a paddleboard

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Lake Placid New York

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Mirror Lake at Dusk

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The Adirondacks in the heart of summer

 

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The Catskills

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In the heart of the Finger Lakes

Gaia’s embrace and late night campfire stories kept the child alive in us. Native American spirits reminded us of their presence during walks in the woods, in our dreams and through their whispering voices in the wind. Don’t forget your innocent beauty they’d sometimes say. Stay grounded they’d say and they still do.

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Beacon New York

Next time you have an opportunity to sit by a lake, a lagoon, a pond or a river, listen to the water’s pulse at dawn and dusk.  What lies between you and land is nothing but a fish who jumps up to the surface for a mere few seconds to say  hello, and a loon with her beckoning calls, so hypnotic you fall asleep and forget about the world for awhile.

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The Adirondacks

Below, the Adirondacks in October.

Riparius Bridge over the Hudson River.

 

 

Don’t ever forget that we are all Gaia‘s spirits and her children. Don’t ever forget that her energy runs deep within us all. Like those deeply-rooted Native American and Spirit Animal calls in the night, nature will teach you about magic and it will heal you like no other. Let nature guide you back to your Soul’s Purpose and then let the real journey will begin!!

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By |2022-10-17T18:02:27+00:00May 18th, 2019|Featured, Health & Well-Being, Mind/Body Balance, Spiritual Health|Comments Off on Nature as a Force for Healing

About the Author:

Renee Blodgett is the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, Blue Soul Circles and Blue Soul Travel. She leads Blue Soul Circles with her twin flame Anthony Compagnone to bring the Spiritual Realm’s wisdom and messages to those on their life path. She is passionate about igniting global consciousness, helping those on their life path and awakening others to their true potential. Most at home in nature, with gemstones and crystals and with her Canon 7D on her arm, she is an avid traveler, writer and photographer. Renee’s 25 years of marketing and communications as founder of Magic Sauce Media are now directed to helping individuals and consciousness-based businesses who lead with purpose and heart. Renee is also founder of We Blog the World, an online magazine dedicated to Transformative Travel. She has been ranked as a top digital media influencer by both Forbes & the United Nations, has published five photo books and is also co-curator of TEDxBerkeley, one of the largest TEDx events in the country.