The Nature Remedy

Faith Douglas

Copyright

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

Text Copyright © Faith Douglas 2020

Faith Douglas asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN: 978-0-00-833197-9

eBook ISBN: 978-0-00-833198-6

Page design and type setting by Emily Voller.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Note to Readers

This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings:

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 Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008331979

To my children:

Owen, Freya, Elliot and Lilith

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

Introduction

1 The Sky & the Earth

2 Trees

3 Seasons & Weather

4 Plants

5 Birds, Animals & Insects

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Notes

Photography

About the Publisher

Introduction

Over many years, my work has convinced me of one fundamental truth: without nature we wouldn’t survive, yet without us nature would thrive. This belief has become my mantra and it’s an approach that I think everyone should take the time to consider deeply. Today, the importance of our human connection to nature is my driving passion and it’s what keeps me sane in this chaotic, complicated world of ours. After all, nature quite literally saved my life.

MY STORY

I began my career in nursing, but thirteen years of caring for people in a medical environment eventually took its toll on me. I often took my work home, emotionally, which had a knock-on effect on my physical and mental health. However, I was lucky enough to live within walking distance of the countryside and I often found solace in the local woodlands. I also loved spending time in my garden and became particularly interested in growing herbs for their healing benefits.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I was encouraged by friends and family to change my career. However, I had small children at the time and I struggled to believe that I could do anything other than what I did. Somehow I plucked up the confidence to enrol in college to study horticulture and afterwards landed a job as an instructor for a wonderful charity called Horticap. It offered me a role that was the perfect combination of my nursing experience and knowledge of plants.

In 2009, my family and I moved to live in a rural environment that just so happened to have an arboretum on its doorstep – an incredible botanical garden devoted to a collection of trees that were gathered from all around the world. At the time, I didn’t really know what an arboretum was, so I suppose you could say this is where fate stepped in. When I was out walking my dogs over nearby fields, I happened to bump into a fellow dog walker. We got chatting and he asked me what I did. When I explained, he mentioned that his father owned the arboretum and said I should drop off my CV. Now, I must tell you that at the time I was pregnant with my youngest son and in a job that I absolutely loved, so I really wasn’t looking for a change, so I promptly forgot about the conversation.

But the universe was insistent.

Fast forward a couple of months and I was up to my neck in dust from sanding the nursery floor, when there was a knock at the front door. I opened it to see a man who introduced himself with a smile, and who I later learned was Sir John Ropner, owner of the Thorp Perrow Arboretum and Bird of Prey & Mammal Centre. He told me he had heard I was good at my job, then promptly walked me down the street to meet his wife, who was bravely lying flat in the back of the Land Rover, having broken her knee the day before. I will never, ever forget that moment as long as I live, it was so surreal!

When they asked me if I would come to the arboretum to discuss a job vacancy that had come up, I found myself agreeing. A week after knocking at the door of Thorp Perrow, I was offered the role of Curator of the Arboretum. I haven’t looked back since. It marked the start of my personal journey into how humans can gain support, boost their health and improve their quality of life through their connection with nature. It has been life-changing.

DISCOVERING THE HEALING POWER OF NATURE

Somewhere along the way, I found myself going through a very difficult time. I was trying to manage my professional life and my family life, and at the same time I was experiencing domestic abuse. I didn’t really realise it was domestic abuse at first, or that it could be happening to me, but it did happen and it can happen to anyone. The most important thing is that I got out, I survived – and I feel I have the natural world to thank for my resilience and recovery.

After ending the relationship, I was continually stalked and terrorised for a number of months. Eventually, with help from the police and IDAS (Independent Domestic Abuse Services), my abuser was imprisoned and protections were put in place to keep me safe. However, the fear had been incredibly real and overwhelming. I was also working with the charity Help for Heroes at the time and this experience, combined with my nursing background, meant I was all too aware of the signs that I had developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I knew what I needed to do. I threw myself into my work and took sanctuary in my home and the surrounding countryside. I practised mindfulness and experienced first-hand the benefits that a natural environment can have on somebody’s emotional, mental and physical health.

At some point during this time, the term ‘forest bathing’ appeared in my life. There was little information available about this practice back then, which had roots in Japan, so I started to do some research into it. The practice made sense and came naturally to me. It clearly worked and the great thing was that science backed up everything I was experiencing.

I started to share the benefits of forest bathing with other people. I set up forestbathing.uk as there was nothing else like it at the time in Britain, and I wanted to show people just how easy and obvious this stuff was, and to enable people to take responsibility for their own wellbeing. I now run retreats, workshops and walks for people from many different backgrounds, young and old, all around the country. Everyone can improve their lives using nature – it’s fun, it’s free and it’s easy. You can read more on forest bathing here.

NATURAL PRECEPTS TO LIVE BY

The more people I meet, the more individuals I come across who are crying out for a connection with the natural world. Today, society is in many ways dangerously disconnected – people are separate both from each other and their surroundings. Mental health problems and stress are on the rise for children and adults. We need nature; we are part of it and the sooner we embrace the natural element in our lives, the sooner balance will be restored in our lives. Ultimately, I believe this will lead to balance in the environment itself.

Today, I live by a number of precepts, which have given my own life calm and meaning. Why not bring these into your life, too, and see what magic happens?

GO OUT INTO NATURE EVERY DAY

This could be a walk in the park or the walk to work; it could just mean stepping outside your front door or opening your window to breathe. Simply allow yourself to ‘be’ in nature.

EVERY DAY BE MINDFUL IN NATURE

Switch on your senses, listen and look at your surroundings. Let everything else melt away and feel that relief – even if just for a moment.

EVERY DAY SAY THANK YOU TO NATURE

To have gratitude for something to which we are so deeply connected brings an appreciation for all life like no other.

HAVE FAITH IN NATURE AND MAKE NATURE A HABIT

THE NATURE OF THIS BOOK

This book builds upon these key precepts in five chapters. The subject in each chapter is enormous in scope and could potentially fill whole libraries, so I’ve focused on topics that I hope will tickle your curiosity and encourage you to find out more about those areas that interest you.

Throughout these pages you will find tips, exercises, journaling prompts and suggestions for ways to enjoy an urban detox that will enhance your connection with the natural world. Feel free to experiment: what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another; nature is fluid, changing effortlessly and accepting what is without judgement, so if you follow this approach you won’t go far wrong.

If you read The Nature Remedy from cover to cover many times over, something different could resonate with you when it is most needed, or you could simply dip into it any time you need a reminder of your connection with nature or some respite from your daily worries. Lend it to a friend and pass it around: to share is to care.

21 DAYS OF NATURE

Why not make nature a healthy habit? We spend so much of our lives developing habits and behaviours by repeatedly carrying out the same tasks, day in and day out. Keep a note of your connection in nature for twenty-one days and see what happens – see how quickly it becomes a natural part of your everyday life.

JOURNALING

Journaling is an ancient technique that is probably as old as handwriting itself. The ancient Japanese journaled some 2,000 years ago. Today, many people continue to find journaling immensely therapeutic. It’s a process that allows you to express all your thoughts and feelings without judgement and can provide a great sense of release.

Journaling has so many benefits, it:

 Encourages a state of mindfulness;

 Is a great stress-reliever;

 Can help you to achieve your goals;

 Boosts confidence and memory;

 Encourages creativity.

Throughout this book you will come across journal prompts and I would strongly encourage you to write down your thoughts, views and feelings in response to them. Buy or make a beautiful nature journal. Doodle and draw or stick things in it; make it your own personal journey through the wonders of the natural world – and see where it takes you …

REMEDY

A NATURAL REMINDER

Many years ago, I cut a ribbon from a book to wear on my wrist as a reminder of the importance of calm. When the ribbon wore thin, I replaced it with another, then another – and, along with keeping the copy of that book on my shelves, I still wear a ribbon reminder on my wrist today.

While there is no ribbon in this volume, it’s easy to make a bookmark of your own. Then, when you reach the end of this book, you can either tie it around your wrist as a daily reminder of your connection to nature or place it in a picture frame and hang it where you will see it every day.

Gather at least eight long blades of fresh grass (the sturdy kind that grow in hedgerows or ornamentally are good options) and soak them in warm water to make the grass easier to work with.

Gather the blades together and tie a knot to secure them at one end.

Placing the knot at the top, secure the knot with a pin in a cork board or something similar to make it easier to weave.

Divide the blades into four sections, with two blades in each section.

Pick up the first section on the left, weave it up and over towards the right, until this section becomes the last section on the right.

Repeat with each section on the left, weaving it over to the right, and feeding in more grass as necessary, tightening it into place, until the bookmark is the desired length.

Check the finished result fits around your wrist, then tie the end to the initial knot to create a loop for your wrist. Or simply tie a knot in the end to create one long woven bookmark. You can trim any loose ends with scissors or attach a wooden bead to finish, securing with a knot.

HOW AWARE ARE YOU OF NATURE IN YOUR LIFE?

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND OUTDOORS?

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD AND WHERE DOES IT SIT IN YOUR LIFE?

WHAT IS YOUR HABITAT?

1
The Sky & the Earth

The natural world is truly amazing: it supports our very existence. Our connection to it is quite simple, really, starting with the sky above our heads and the Earth beneath our feet. It can be all too easy to miss the wonder that surrounds us.

‘The sky is the source of light in nature – and governs everything.’

JOHN CONSTABLE, ARTIST

THE SKY

I sometimes wonder how often people actually look up or take in more than what’s right in front of their eyes. Even in the arboretum where I work, there are visitors who walk around with their heads down and their faces lit up by the screens of their phones. During my tours and talks, I find myself saying ‘look up’ a lot of the time, until it’s almost become my personal mantra. You see, I think there is so much that can be missed above our heads, especially in an arboretum teeming with wildlife, interesting foliage, fruits, cones and berries: there’s a whole other world going on up there.

THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

If just for a moment we were able to expand our view, to look further than the branches of the trees, and rise up and up to where the birds fly high and balloons disappear, we would enter a realm we only usually experience through the window of an aeroplane (or when skydiving, if you’re brave enough). The atmosphere that surrounds our planet consists of thin layers or blankets, each made up of gases that enable life on Earth. The atmosphere protects the Earth from the Sun’s rays, allows the rain to fall and holds the oxygen we need to breathe. In short, the atmosphere enables life on our planet to exist.

If you were to jump into your car, set the cruise control to 70 mph and travel upwards for about an hour in a straight line you would be through the Earth’s atmosphere and into space.

THIS ATMOSPHERE IS MADE UP OF THE FOLLOWING MAIN LAYERS:

IONOSPHERE

This changeable layer overlaps the Mesosphere, the Thermosphere and the Exosphere. It gets larger and smaller depending on how much energy it has absorbed from the Sun. This is the layer where auroras are formed; particles from the Sun and atoms from this layer collide to create the stunning rivers of coloured light in the sky that are visible near the North and South Poles.

EXOSPHERE

This outermost layer is about as wide as the Earth itself. While not much is known about this mysterious layer, the air here is very thin and temperatures can vary wildly from extremely hot to extremely cold. However, although the air may be very hot, it doesn’t transmit much heat because it is so thin.

THERMOSPHERE

As there are relatively few molecules and atoms in this layer, absorbing even small amounts of solar energy can significantly increase the air temperature here, making the thermosphere the hottest layer in the atmosphere, where temperatures can reach 4,500 F, which is about 2,500 C. This layer is also home to the International Space Station that orbits our planet.

MESOSPHERE

In this middle layer, the temperature decreases to around -90°C. This is where meteors burn up due to friction caused by gases.

STRATOSPHERE

This vital layer is where the ozone sits, which absorbs the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and protects us here on Earth.

TROPOSPHERE

We live in this lowest layer. ‘Tropos’ is Greek for change, and this layer gets its name from the ever-changing weather systems that sit here. It contains the air we need to breathe, which is formed of 21 per cent oxygen, 78 per cent nitrogen and a 1 per cent blend of gases such as argon and carbon dioxide. It’s nitrogen that creates the perfect conditions for life to form: this colourless gas is the building block for DNA and the proteins that both animals and plants require to grow, reproduce and survive. This layer also holds the water that creates clouds, rain and snow.

THE HEALING BREATH

For humans, the most important ingredient in the wondrous mixture of air is, of course, life-giving oxygen, which enters the body with each breath we take. With around thirty trillion cells in our body needing oxygen, our breath really is our life.

While we often take breathing for granted, I know from personal experience as an asthma sufferer what it’s like not to be able to breathe. Some of my earliest memories are of the panic of struggling to take in as much oxygen as possible – and it’s exhausting. As the mother of two premature babies, I have also experienced sitting for hours and watching my children fight for each breath they took. I have held my own breath as my babies struggled to take theirs. Since discovering meditation and mindfulness, I have learned how to be aware of and control my breathing, which has had a huge and positive effect on my life.

Many meditation practices encourage us to breathe consciously through the nose, whose hairs and mucus act as a filter against pollutants, bacteria and disease. The nose also produces nasal nitric oxide, which is vital for the relaxation of the inner muscles of our blood vessels, which in turn increases blood flow, aids circulation and decreases blood pressure.

Breathing has an enormous effect on our entire nervous system and when we breathe correctly – relaxed and steadily through the nose, all the way down into our abdomen and our diaphragm – we trigger our vagus nerve, which connects the rest of our body to our brain. This in turn triggers our parasympathetic nervous system, which is the body’s rest and digest, feel-good system. In this response, serotonins, those wonderful happy chemicals, are released into the body. However, when we fail to breathe correctly, such as too rapidly or shallowly, we activate a stress response: our thoughts will be cluttered, our bodies become tense and stressed, and our immune system is lowered, which is an open invitation for illness and disease.

ABSORBING LIFE ENERGY

According to ancient traditions, breathing correctly generates life energy. In Indian culture, this energy is known as prana, while the Chinese call it qi or chi.1 Ancient Indian culture also used to measure the human lifespan in breaths rather than years. On average we take ten million breaths a year (which would make me about 420 million breaths old – I am not sure if I’m fascinated or horrified by how old that makes me sound!)

The breath remains a major focus for many types of meditation, and can be used as a way to control thoughts, emotions, discomfort and pain. Certain emotions cause certain types of breathing; for example, when we experience grief, our breath is short and shallow. Anger causes erratic breathing when we are more likely to breathe through our mouths, while anxiety causes us to breathe in a fast, short, shallow motion with our breath sitting high up in the lungs.

In contrast, deep, slow breathing into the abdomen will bring about calm, happy, relaxed feelings and help break the cycle of stress. Meditation and mindfulness can bring about this breathing response and with practice this quickly becomes a healthy, beneficial habit.

You see, our breath is amazing: we breathe on average between 20,000 and 30,000 times per day. However, most of us are unaware of our breath and have a tendency to breathe shallowly from high up in our chest, which means we only actually breathe to about 75 per cent of our full capacity. This can easily be increased with exercise and breathing techniques.

REMEDY

BELLY BREATHING

How many breaths have you been aware of today? Belly breathing is a great way to become more aware of your breath and increase your lung capacity.

Start by sitting comfortably. Allow yourself to relax with your hands placed on your stomach.

Take some slow, deep breaths in through your nose. See if you can fill your hands with your expanding stomach.

Now breathe out through your nose, emptying your lungs.

Next, slow your in-breath by inhaling for a count of five. Hold the breath for a couple of counts before exhaling fully for a count of five if possible. To complete the cycle, hold your breath again for a count of two when your lungs are empty.

Repeat this process several times.

BLUE SKY THOUGHTS

As well as breathing deeply and slowly, simply watching the sky can be relaxing. I often find myself contemplating the big questions in life while gazing up above me, taking in life-giving air. Maybe it’s because of the pure expanse of the space above, maybe it’s the tranquillity and peace that sky gazing gives me.

While my head’s in the clouds, I like to marvel at the colour of the sky above. On a bright day, it’s the most beautiful blue, which makes me feel alive, warm and happy (actually, it’s the same colour as my kitchen walls – I like to bring the outside world in).

When the light from the Sun reaches our Earth’s atmosphere, it’s scattered in all directions by the particles and gases in the air. Blue light is scattered further than other colours as it travels in shorter and smaller waves than they do. This explains why we see those wonderful blue-coloured skies on cloud-free days.

While we can see blue in the middle of the day, the reds, oranges and purples of a stunning gorgeous sunrise or sunset are created when the Sun is lower in the sky, which means that the Sun’s light passes through much more of the atmosphere. Even more blue light is scattered, which allows the reds, yellows and oranges to pass through so we can see them.

Or can we? According to science, everybody’s colour vision could vary and some research has gone so far as to suggest that one person’s blue could be another person’s red.2

REMEDY

BLUE SKY MEDITATION

There is a Tibetan meditation practice called blue sky gazing, which comes from the Dzogchen Buddhist tradition of teachings. These focus on discovering and continuing in the natural primordial state of being. It is believed that by gazing into the clear blue sky our minds will become clear and open, just like the sky above us. In the same way that the sky is unaffected by the passing weather, it is said that our minds too can be unaffected by our passing thoughts or feelings if we can reach this higher path.

1 Lie on your back outside, ideally with an expanse of clear sky overhead.

2 Take a few moments to calm your mind by taking some slow, deep breaths.

3 Gaze softly at the sky.

4 Each time your mind wanders, gently focus back on the in-breath and the out-breath.

5 See your thoughts as passing clouds, and let them drift past.

6 Notice your in-breath and how it dissolves into the space inside you.

7 Each time you follow the breath out, notice how it dissolves into the space outside you.

8 Keep following the in-breath and out-breath as they dissolve in the inner space and the outer space as part of the same cycle.

9 Notice how the inner space of the mind and the outer space of your being are exactly the same: the inner space is at one with the outer space.

CLOUD GAZING

While I appreciate the beauty of a clear blue sky, I also enjoy gazing upon skies full of fluffy white clouds. Even as an adult, I like to spend time cloud gazing, and I love listening to my children’s wild imaginations when they join me, spotting the different fluffy shapes in the sky, watching how they move and change into different forms and shapes as if by magic.

Clouds are made up from water droplets or ice crystals and form when moist, cold air rises. At the point that the air cannot hold all of the water vapour in it, small light droplets or crystals create cloud. According to the World Meteorological Organisation’s International Cloud Atlas, there are over a hundred different types of cloud. These can be grouped into ten basic types depending on their shape and where they sit in the sky:

1 CUMULUS These white fluffy clouds develop on a clear sunny day and bob around in blue sky like The Simpsons’ clouds.

2 STRATUS These line the sky on dull, overcast days. They usually come with drizzle and fog – and that gloomy feeling.

3 STRATOCUMULUS Formed when cumulus join together to create a patchwork of cloud in the sky; these can be white or grey in colour.

4 ALTOCUMULUS Often mistaken for stratocumulus, these clouds sit higher up in the atmosphere. To tell the difference, place your hand up to the sky towards the cloud: if it’s thumb-sized, it’s altocumulus; if it’s more of a fist size, it’s stratocumulus.

5 NIMBOSTRATUS Dark grey in colour and usually blocking out the Sun, these are rain clouds.

6 ALTOSTRATUS This forms a sheet of cloud that covers the sky but which is thin enough to see the Sun through. These usually form ahead of a warm day.

7 CIRRUS The little fluffy, wispy clouds that you see on a fine warm day.

8 CIRROCUMULUS What we call in our family ‘bits and bats’ cloud, these small patches of cloud form high up and are ‘cloudlets’.

9 CIRROSTRATUS A thin veil that appears when the atmosphere is full of moisture, these clouds can create a halo effect around the Sun or the Moon.

10 CUMULONIMBUS These huge clouds are generally darker at the bottom and they rise up high. These are thunderstorm clouds and generally a sign of severe weather. (These clouds generate a huge amount of excitement and energy within our family, with the thought of a good dramatic storm approaching.)

REMEDY

CLOUD APPRECIATION

While cloud gazing is a popular pastime in our family, so is cloud spotting, which led me to discover the Cloud Appreciation Society. This society was formed in 2005 by Gavin Pretor-Pinney to spread appreciation for these cotton-wool wonders, and now has over 46,000 members worldwide.3 Their interesting website features a cloud of the month and a range of amazing cloud photos, poems and artwork.

Why not make cloud appreciation part of your life, too? On the first and last days of every month, and whenever you spot a spectacular sunrise or sunset, take a photograph of the clouds in the sky until you have captured the whole year.

THE SUN

I love sitting in my garden when the Sun is shining, regardless of the temperature – if it’s a cool autumnal day I’ll still sit outside, but with a few more layers on than normal. Even on a working day, I’ve been known to take my laptop outside to soak up every bit of sunshine possible, and though I often find myself battling with the sunlight on the screen in front of me, I think it’s worth it.

The Sun is around 4.6 billion years old and sits at the heart of our solar system. Unlike Earth and the other large celestial bodies that form our solar system, the Sun isn’t actually a planet; it’s a star – a huge hot burning ball of hydrogen and helium. About a million Earths could fit inside the Sun as it’s so vast, while the temperature of the part of the Sun that we can see is 5,500°C. The ultraviolet radiation that the Sun gives off is harmful to all living things and it’s what causes us sunburn. However, solar heat is necessary for life to survive on Earth, while sunlight itself is a source of vitamin D.

HEALTH-GIVING SUNLIGHT

Vitamin D is essential for keeping our bones and teeth healthy, supporting the function of our heart and lungs and the health of our brain, nervous system and immune system. As humans, we can get some of our vitamin D from our diet, but the most natural and effective way is from the Sun through our bare skin. While there are a number of factors that affect the amount of vitamin D that the human body makes from sunlight – such as location in the world, time of day, skin colour and how much skin is exposed – you don’t need to risk getting sunburnt to acquire vitamin D, as it can take as little as 15 minutes outside for a fair-skinned person to make the necessary amount.

There has been an increase in people suffering from vitamin D deficiency in recent years and I do wonder if this is an effect of this technological age of ours; with people spending much more time indoors and less time outside, it’s little surprise that it’s affecting our health. During my last pregnancy I was surprised to find that it was expected that I would take vitamin D supplements as a matter of course. I declined, as I spend a great deal of my life outside and I am now very aware of how much time my youngest children spend outdoors too.

After a day at school or nursery, we often walk the dogs through the woods or we make time for a ride on our bikes. Our family weekends are spent mostly outside regardless of the weather, be it by the side of a rugby pitch cheering on the team, chopping wood, doing chores or going on an adventure somewhere new. Even when my youngest, Lilith, was a tiny baby she had many of her naps outside in the garden either in my arms or wrapped in a blanket and laid on the grass. In Scandinavian countries, it’s a tradition to leave babies outside to nap as this is believed to aid the child’s sleep patterns and promote good health.4 These infants are wrapped up in appropriate clothing and doze quite happily in sub-freezing temperatures.

Given the Sun’s life-giving properties, it is little wonder that humans have worshipped the Sun from the dawn of time itself.

THE SACRED SUN

Cultures all over the world have traditionally worshipped the Sun, with the summer solstice often being revered as a peak time of the year for growth and abundance. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice takes place on around 21 June, marking the time of the year when the Sun is at its highest point in the sky. The word ‘solstice’ is taken from the Latin sol meaning ‘sun’, and sistere, meaning ‘to stand still’.

In the UK, the summer solstice is one of the best times to visit Stonehenge. This stone circle was built around 3100 BCE, and while the reasons behind its construction remain largely unknown, the astronomer Sir Norman Lockyer pointed out that the north east axis aligns with the sunrise at summer solstice, which led to conjecture that the builders of the henge were perhaps Sun worshippers.5 Today Stonehenge is still the focal point for many modern-day druids and pagans at important seasonal festivals such as the two annual solstices.

Elsewhere in the world, the ancient Egyptians aligned the great pyramids with the Sun and worshipped the Sun god Ra, who was said to be the ruler of the heavens and the bringer of light. Ancient Greeks similarly worshipped the Sun god Helios, who was said to ride a giant golden chariot pulled by winged horses across the skies, with which he towed the Sun. In Native American traditions, a sun dance was often performed not only to honour the Sun but also to bring about healing for the tribe and visions for the dancers. A sun dance could last for a number of days and was a test of a young warrior’s endurance: a tree would be felled, decorated and painted and stood up at the site of the dance, the tribe would then paint their bodies and dance around the pole to sacred chanting and drum beats.

Today, I suppose the deckchairs you see lining the beach or around a pool could be seen as a form of Sun worship, too!

SKY LORE

Given how important the weather is to us, it’s perhaps no surprise that there are popular folk sayings about the Sun and sky. One that we often quote in our family is still used by many others today:

‘Red sky at night,

shepherd’s delight.

Red sky in the morning,

shepherd’s warning.’

Another variation is:

‘Pink sky at night,

sailor’s delight.

Pink sky in the morning,

sailors take warning.’

However, the oldest version of this phrase is found in the Bible, Matthew 16:2–3

‘When it is evening, you say,

“It will be fair weather;

for the sky is red.”

And in the morning,

“It will be stormy today;

for the sky is red and threatening.”’

COLOUR THERAPY

From the blues of clear skies to the golden colours of the Sun and the greens of the landscape, our natural world is ablaze with colour. When we slow down and take the time to really look, we might be surprised at just how much colour there is; the more you look, the more you notice. I often tell my groups at the arboretum that the grass isn’t just green; we need to linger longer to notice all the different shades in it.

Going back through history, many cultures have used colour as a form of healing treatment. In fact, ancient Egyptian scrolls dating back to 1550 BCE were found to contain evidence of colour being used to heal ailments, while ancient Chinese texts also reveal that colour was used as a cure.

If we look at the colours of our natural world, we can apply them to a holistic therapy called chromotherapy which works with the effects that colour has on our minds and bodies:

THE BLUE OF THE SKY AND THE SEA

This colour brings about calm and serenity, is relaxing for the body and mind and lowers blood pressure and heart rate.

THE GREEN OF THE LANDSCAPE

Green is about comfort; also important for growth and renewal, it is said to be beneficial for our heart, lungs and circulation.

THE YELLOW OF THE SUN

This colour promotes happiness, can stimulate our minds and have a detoxing effect.

THE RED AND ORANGE OF THE SUNRISE AND SUNSET

Red is a passionate and warm colour that energises us, while orange also radiates warmth and promotes happiness.

THE NIGHT SKY

What about the sky at night? I don’t know anyone who isn’t impressed by the sight of a Full Moon. In the parkland where I live there is little light pollution and it can be pitch black at night at times, but during a Full Moon on a clear night, everything is lit up and we love going out – be it to walk the dogs, pop the chickens to bed or simply to look up and marvel at our wonderful skies.

The Moon and our Earth exist in perfect sync with each other, so much so that we can only ever see the same side of the Moon from Earth and we need to use a spacecraft to observe its dark side.

PHASES OF THE MOON

The Moon has eight different phases, which have influenced human behaviour for thousands of years. A great example of this is our calendar, in which a month is roughly equal to a Moon cycle of 28 days The phases are as follows:

HOWLING AT THE MOON

We have all seen a movie or heard stories about people turning into werewolves and howling at the sight of a Full Moon.

Well, yes, wolves have been known to howl at a Full Moon, but they howl at a black sky with no Moon too.

These phases are still used today in lunar gardening and have been acknowledged as long as agriculture itself has existed.6 While some may see this approach as being based in mere superstition, there is some solid science to back it up.

The Moon and the Sun affect the Earth’s gravitational pull. With a gravitational pull of its own, the Moon has an impact on the Earth’s seas and causes rises and falls in sea levels that we know as tides. As the Moon pulls at the tides, it also pulls on the moisture content in the Earth and this in turn encourages growth. Scientific tests have shown that seeds planted at the Full Moon soak up greater amounts of water than during other phases. It’s also been found that the Full Moon is good for root growth, while the Waxing Moon is the ideal time to cut lawns and to harvest, prune and fertilise crops.

LUNAR LORE

The Moon is unsurprisingly the centre of many mysteries, magic and superstitions. It is, for instance, thought to be lucky to expose a newborn baby to a Waxing Moon and lucky if a Full Moon falls upon a Moon day or Monday. However, it is said to be unlucky to see a Full Moon on a Sunday and unlucky to sleep exposed to the light of the Full Moon.

That said, I have also heard that it’s energising to sleep in the light of a Full Moon, so I often sleep with the curtains open during a this lunar phase to test this theory. While I’m not really sure of the impact, I do know I love the sight of the Full Moon shining through our windows, as its brightness lights up the whole room.

‘It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.’

GALILEO GALILEI, NATURAL PHILOSOPHER

The Moon features in many myths – both classical and urban. In Greek mythology, Selene was the Moon goddess who rode her Silver Moon chariot across the skies, while in Roman mythology the Moon goddess was called Luna. ‘Luna’ is the Latin word for Moon from which our word lunatic is taken, and was originally used to describe someone who was believed to go crazy at the different phases of the Moon.

The Moon has long been blamed for the behaviour of both people and animals, and although there is no scientific evidence to support this theory, I have to say that during my nursing career we did witness changes of behaviour among patients at the Full Moon. We often found that people’s sleep was poor during this phase and, of course, they were more likely to be agitated when sleep deprived.

A sleep study was carried out in which the participants slept in windowless rooms and they were still found to have sleepless nights during a Full Moon, so moonlight wasn’t an explanation to this unsolved mystery. Humans are made up of 60 per cent water and we already know that the Moon affects the water in our seas, perhaps the Moon does have some kind of effect on us after all.

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR

On clear nights, my family and I often stargaze. We have spent many an evening dragging blankets and rugs outside with us, and lying on them until we get too cold or too sleepy, just to watch the stars under our massive parkland sky. If you don’t have to worry about getting children to bed early, it’s best to go out when the night is at its darkest between midnight and 4 a.m. Then it’s usually a bit of a competition to see who can spot the most shooting stars. It’s never long before we see the first one and the excitement builds from there.

There are a number of meteor showers that make their way annually through Earth’s atmosphere, which give us a great opportunity to spot shooting stars. Our family favourite is the Perseids meteor shower, which takes place around 11 August each year, when the evenings are usually warm and pleasant.

One of my fondest memories is of our first night on a camping trip to the Lizard Peninsula, in Cornwall, when my family sat outside our tent with my youngest son, Elliot, who was then aged nine. There was clear sky above us, next to no light pollution, and the stars that night were quite literally out of this world. We sat for a long time together and spotted many shooting stars and Elliot’s excitement each time he witnessed one was utterly contagious.

My family and I also like to see if we can identify the difference between planets and stars. Generally, the planets seem to be much brighter and don’t twinkle, whereas the stars do. This can often trigger much debate as to whether there is actual twinkling occurring or not.

We once experienced great excitement in our back garden, sat around our fire pit, when we witnessed a long line of travelling lights. Had it not been early summer we would’ve been sure it was Santa on his sleigh. As it was, we were convinced we had witnessed a UFO of some description. The next day I decided to google the event and sure enough, our ‘Santa’ was all over the internet. There had been a launch of sixty satellites the day before, and our excitement turned to disappointment, then to a sense of sadness, with the realisation that even the space above our heads isn’t free from humans and all our stuff.

THE ANCIENT ART OF ASTRONOMY

The evidence suggests that astronomy is the oldest natural science. Dating to c. 1600 BCE and discovered in modern-day Germany, the Nebra sky disk is made of bronze inlaid with images of the Moon, Sun and stars. It is believed that as well as being a religious object, this archaeological discovery may be an astronomical instrument. Native-American rock drawings dating from the same period have similarly been found to contain images of the skies above.

The Greeks and Romans were responsible for identifying most of the star constellations that we know today and naming them after mythological characters. The roots of much of their knowledge lay in the teachings of the ancient Babylonians, who not only created a calendar based on the Sun and the Moon phases but also devised zodiac or star signs in an age when astronomy was not seen as separate from astrology.

Our relationship with the stars goes back much further than this, though, with the discovery that we humans are essentially made up of star dust. Scientifically speaking, most of the elements that make up the human body were formed in stars billions of years ago. The six main elements that support our life – oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, sulphur and phosphorus – are found abundantly throughout the Milky Way. So we really are the stuff of stars.7

STARS AS NAVIGATION TOOLS

Stars have been used throughout history as natural navigational aids. While sailors could follow the coast line when close to land and refer to the directions of the eastern sunrise and western sunset during the daylight hours, night navigation was different. This was when they used the night sky like a huge map.

This is something that you can try for yourself by finding the North Star, also known as Polaris, which will always signpost you to the north. Start by looking for the constellation known as Ursa Major, also called the Plough or the Big Dipper. Some people even call it the Saucepan as it is an easily identified group of seven stars in the shape of a pan. Next, look for the pointer stars: if it were a real saucepan and you were about to pour it, the two pointer stars are on the side where the contents would come out. The North Star is exactly five times the distance between these two stars in the direction leading up and away from the pan. True north is the point just below the North Star.

REMEDY

GIVE A GIFT OF THE SKY

A night sky map makes a wonderful gift for a special occasion. I bought one for my other half to mark the time when we first met. It’s a beautiful picture of the night sky as it appeared over our heads on that exact day. Whatever the reason – a birth, wedding or other memorable event – a night sky chart makes a special memento, capturing the heavens themselves.8

THE EARTH

Let’s take our head out of the clouds now and bring our gaze back down to the ground beneath our feet. Have you ever thought about the Earth as being any more significant than the ground you’re standing on? It is so much more than just a surface for us to stick to. It’s our land, our planet, our spacecraft in our solar system, our home.

Scientists believe that leftover gases from the nebula that created the Sun formed our Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. The wonderful green and blue globe that we are lucky enough to share with millions of other different species of life hasn’t always been able to support life. To begin with, the Earth was molten due to extreme volcanic activity. Over time, its surface cooled and hardened, and condensed water formed clouds and rain – then the oceans were created. Over hundreds of millions of years, the Earth’s surface changed and land formed, creating a huge supercontinent which then split in two and again broke up and shifted to create what we now know as our continents today.

There are nearly nine million different species living on Earth at the moment and around seven billion people make up just one of those species. Given we are supposed to be the most intelligent life form on the planet, you would think we would recognise that we need to take care of the wonderful world we live on. But I often think that many people have forgotten just how connected we are to our life-giving planet.

I sometimes consider humans to be the biggest pest on Earth and wonder if without us here the planet would heal, nature would thrive and balance would be restored. However, I don’t think anyone could say what would actually happen, given the damage we’ve done. But I like to think that nature knows the answers.

Many cultures, both ancient and modern, have referred to our planet as Mother Earth. The ancient Greeks knew Mother Earth as Gaea, who both represented the Earth and was the mother of the whole universe. In Greek mythology, she gave birth to gods and humans. Native North American cultures have a wonderful saying that I love: ‘Beneath the clouds lives the Earth Mother from whom is derived the water of life, who at her bosom feeds plants, animals and humans.’

Everything we need to survive and thrive is given to us by the Earth, by Mother Nature. Although the rise of industry and technology is increasingly distancing us from the natural world, the basics of life – food, water, medicine and shelter – are provided free of charge in nature.

REMEDY

CELEBRATE EARTH HOUR

Founded in 2007, Earth Hour is a wonderful event during which communities worldwide come together to pledge their support to our planet, our Earth, simply by switching off lights.9

It’s very easy to take part, and you can participate in Earth Hour in your own way. We as a family show our support by spending the hour in candlelight with absolutely everything, not just the lights, switched off.

How about getting your local community together and plunging the street you live in into magical candlelight for an hour? Or involve your local school, which will combine a little bit of excitement at the event with an important message of giving something back to our planet.

THE NATURE OF THE EARTH

The Earth has multiple layers. At its very centre, its core consists of two parts that are mostly made up of iron. The inner core is solid while the outer core is molten with a temperature to rival the Sun’s surface. The next layer is the Earth’s mantle, a thick layer of silicate rock that divides the core and the crust. The crust is the Earth’s thinnest layer and could be likened to the skin of an apple in comparison to the other layers, being only about 3 to 5 miles thick under the oceans and around 25 miles thick under land, where it is deepest in mountainous regions.

The outer layer of the Earth’s land crust is made up of sedimentary rock consisting of crushed particles made from stone, dead plants and animals. Over time this layer will eventually include our own remains, which really does tell us just how much of a part we play in the make up of this planet.

OUR PRECIOUS OCEANS

With 70 per cent of the Earth’s crust being covered in water at an average depth of around 2.5 miles, it’s no wonder that we have only managed to explore 5 per cent of the ocean floor. In fact, we’ve managed to map more of the Moon, Venus and Mars than we have of these areas.

So much about the oceans remains a mystery to us, although we do know that these vast expanses of water are vital ecosystems. Not only are they life-givers to marine creatures but oceans are essentially the heart and lungs of the planet, providing us with half of the oxygen we breathe.

However, the oceans are showing signs of ill health caused by high levels of greenhouse gases, over-fishing, pollution and destruction in habitats. Symptoms including warming up, acidifying, changes in water circulation and huge dead zones lead in turn to major changes in marine ecosystems that result in less-abundant coral reefs, fewer small fish, breakdowns in food chains and more frequent pests and diseases. It’s cause for concern.

Given all this water on our planet and in our oceans, it’s eye-opening to discover that 97 per cent of the water is unusable, with fresh water being quite scarce. Fresh water makes up only about 2.5 per cent of water on the planet, most of which is found in ice caps and glaciers, while the rest is ground water.

Water is a precious commodity, and even if we don’t live by the ocean we can help to preserve it by changing our daily habits.

REMEDY

EVERYDAY BEACH CLEAN

The water we drink has been around in some form or another for millions of years and is continuously recycled. Given that most of us in the West can turn our taps on and water flows freely, I suspect most people don’t really give much thought to it.

However, the global plastic crisis tells us that around twelve million tonnes of plastic now enter our oceans each year. Thankfully, it seems that many people today are taking our global plastic crisis seriously and there are lots of different workplaces and organisations that have gone plastic-free to try to make a difference.

This is something that you can also begin to do by, for example:

Switching from liquid shower gels and hand wash to solid soap bars in the bathroom.

Replacing kitchen roll with reusable dish cloths in the kitchen, and using recyclable glass jars for storage.

Using biodegradable plant pots rather than plastic in the garden.

Why not take a bit of time each month to research other ways to go plastic-free, and keep a note of any ideas in your journal, so that they begin to become a way of life?

THE HIDDEN MESSAGES OF WATER

The late Japanese scientist Dr Masaru Emoto is the author of the book The Hidden Messages in Water. In it, he argues that ‘water is the blueprint of our reality’ and proposes that emotional vibrations and energies can actually change the structure of water.

He found a way to photograph microscopic frozen water particles and his experiments revealed physical changes in the way a water particle appears after being exposed to certain types of conditions.10 One of Dr Emoto’s experiments was conducted with a class of school children, who were given three glasses of water. The rules were simple: they were to ignore one glass, speak kindly to another and be cruel to the last one.

His photographs of the water crystals after this experiment are amazing. The water crystals in the glass that was ignored formed an indistinct smudge-like image when photographed; the crystals in the glass that was told it was beautiful formed incredible snow-flake-like patterns; while the crystals in the glass that was called unkind things looked ugly.

REMEDY

DR EMOTO’S RICE EXPERIMENT

Dr Emoto’s rice experiment can be easily replicated at home:

Take three identical clean jars.

Add equal amounts of cooked rice to each jar.

Measure and add equal amounts of water into each jar – just enough to cover the rice.

Put a sticker on one jar saying:

‘I love you.’

Put a sticker on another jar saying:

‘I hate you.’

Leave the remaining jar blank.

Every day for thirty days, do the following:

Hold the jar that says ‘I love you’ on it and tell the jar and its contents just how much you love it.

Hold the jar that says ‘I hate you’ on it and tell this one just how much you hate it.

Completely ignore the jar with no sticker; in fact turn your back on it.

Why not give this simple experiment a go and see what your findings are?

If we were able to take pictures of the water particles in our bodies in the way that Dr Emoto did, what would they look like? Given we are mostly made up of water, could we be impacting on our own water particles with negative talk and harmful thought patterns? Some of the things we say to ourselves in our heads we wouldn’t dream of saying to another person but for some reason we think it’s all right to do so to ourselves.

What would you want your water particles to look like? I know I would like mine to form the most beautiful snowflake pattern – just like the one in the classroom experiment.

I have told Dr Emoto’s story to my own children to encourage self-love as well as kindness to other living things. Occasionally this comes back to bite me when I am accused of damaging their water particles when they have to do something they may not necessarily want to do, like tidying a bedroom!

THE HEALING PROPERTIES OF WATERFALLS AND MOUNTAINS

One body of water that I am completely in awe of is the waterfall: I love the cascading, crashing water and the crisp, fresh spray in the air; there’s something dream-like about them. Waterfalls are so much more than water purifiers; they are important for whole ecosystems, and have a positive impact on human health as well. Waterfalls release negative ions; these atoms and molecules occur naturally in air that has been charged with electricity and can have a direct effect on our wellbeing, helping us to feel calm. They also help to reduce stress and depression, and to purify our blood, improve cell metabolism and boost our immune system.

Negative ions do this by having a direct effect on the cells in our own bodies. Our cells are made up of atoms, which contain both negative and positive charges depending on the number of electrons or protons they carry. Most healthy atoms have a negative charge because they contain more electrons, but sometimes these healthy atoms can have electrons taken from them, leaving them in a damaged state. In this state, they are known as free radicals and can have a detrimental effect on our cells, which causes our health to decline, and we become susceptible to illness and disease. Our health can then decline, and we become susceptible to illness and disease. To help stop this destructive process, we can give ourselves large free doses of negative electrons from simple exposure to nature.

If we climb to the top of a waterfall and keep going high up into the mountains, we will reach the majestic peaks that were formed when pieces of the Earth’s crust, called plates, crashed together and pushed the crust up into mountainous forms. The Himalayas were formed some fifty-five million years ago, and include thirty of the world’s highest mountains, among them Mount Everest, with its summit being the highest point on Earth, at 8,850 metres.

While it’s a dream of mine, I’ve never visited the Himalayas, although I have visited mountain ranges in the UK, Norway, Switzerland and North Africa. No matter how harsh the conditions I have experienced in these places, there is a special quality of peace to be found in a mountain range. It could be the achievement of getting there, the sprawling views if the weather allows it, or the buzz of adrenaline… but I think it’s something more.

A mountain has a special solidness about it; its mighty stillness is breathtaking and the air, well, it’s just unbelievable. Mountain air is so fresh and so pure, it even smells healthy. There is little pollution up in the mountains and I think our bodies know this. In fact, studies tell us that spending time around mountains is good for our health – our heart and respiratory systems are healthier and our stress levels decrease. It’s been suggested that living in mountain ranges can increase our lifespan.11

FROM MOUNTAINS TO MUD

The Earth beneath our feet matters, from the highest mountain right down to the seemingly simple soil. I’m a horticulturalist by trade and I know how vital soil, is not just for plant life but for our own lives as well.

Healthy, fertile soil provides the nutrients for plants to grow, which in turn provide us with the oxygen we need to breathe. More than this, healthy soil recycles organic matter, purifies water and contains microbes that are good for us.

Today, our society’s motto is often ‘don’t touch’ – don’t get dirty. But did you know that a little bit of mud under the fingernails is good for you? Research shows that soil contains antidepressant microbes. These wonderful microscopic bacteria are called Mycobacterium vaccae and have been found to have the same effect on our brains as antidepressant drugs do, but without the unpleasant side-effects. But it’s not just about making skin contact from the soil; we also inhale these bacteria when we potter in our gardens, which raises our serotonin levels and makes us feel well and happy.12

‘Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.’

THICH NHAT HANH, BUDDHIST MONK AND PEACE ACTIVIST

EARTHING

Most of us live our lives with a constant barrier between us and the Earth, be that through flooring, transport or simply shoes. Yet a physical connection with our planet is important for our wellbeing. Going barefoot is thankfully an increasingly popular trend – and a healthy one.

I often lead barefoot walks with groups and I love being barefoot myself. However, many people can think it’s a bit ‘weird’, and the sight of someone walking along barefoot may even raise questions of sanity in the West. But I ask you which is stranger – barefoot or stilettos? I know which I can walk in and which I can’t.

We were born barefoot, and if you watch a child who’s never worn shoes, the way in which they use their feet is amazing. My daughter Lilith was walking when she was one year old, however, as she had been a premature baby, her feet were tiny. We weren’t able to get shoes small enough for her, so Lilith went barefoot for many months. It amazed me how she was never fazed by the surface underfoot and how she used her feet as so much more than merely a means to keep herself upright.

A study of children at a school in New Zealand, where they were barefoot 50 per cent of the time, both indoors and outdoors, found that their feet behaved differently; the big toe was often further apart from the rest of the toes to give support and aid balance (unlike our shoed feet where our toes are often squashed up together).13 They walk differently; their gait is more organic and the movement more fluid as they use their hips much more freely.

There are wonderful health benefits to going barefoot. Like waterfalls, the Earth gives off negative ions, which we can soak up through skin contact like sponges. Grounding, or earthing as it is sometimes called, gives us a huge boost of antioxidants free of charge. It not only boosts our immune system but has been found to help us sleep better, help with pain and discomfort and balance cortisol levels, which in turn affects our stress response.

Often on the walks I lead, people are surprised at how warm the ground is and how refreshing contact with the damp ground can be. We not only walk through grass but through streams and in woodland to experience different textures. And I always like to show off a little by picking up pine cones with my toes and throwing them around!

I find the reactions from these groups amazing, and have watched people from all walks of life, who wouldn’t usually dream of getting their feet dirty, be reduced to giggles as they tiptoe in almost a childlike manner around a woodland. It’s a surprisingly mindful activity and when you put your shoes and socks back on afterwards you have the most amazingly fresh-footed feeling – it’s almost as if your feet are shouting at you to remind you of the importance of that much-needed connection with our healing Earth.

REMEDY

GROUNDING

When was the last time you removed your shoes and socks and had a good old paddle around barefoot?

Perhaps it was on a sunny beach holiday.

How about giving grounding a go in your everyday life, either in a woodland, park or even in your own back garden?

Wherever there is grass, sand or soil, simply remove your shoes (socks are optional if the weather is a little chilly, as you will still get some benefits), and go for a wander. A recommended dose is thirty minutes a day to kickstart the body’s natural healing process.

Experiment with different textures, play with your balance and give throwing a pine cone with your toes a go. If you want to make this a social activity, look at joining a guided barefoot walk or group.

There are other ways you can experience grounding:

Wear natural leather-soled shoes

Lie on the ground

Go wild swimming

Garden with your bare hands

Sit against a tree

HOW DO YOU BREATHE? DEEPLY, SHALLOWLY? QUICK OR SLOW? HOW DOES YOUR BREATH AFFECT YOUR EMOTIONS, OR CHANGE ACCORDING TO HOW YOU FEEL?

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AFTER SKY GAZING AND CLOUD GAZING?

WHAT ARE YOUR FINDINGS IN THE RICE EXPERIMENT?

HOW GROUNDED ARE YOU?

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