As cultural philosopher Thomas Berry once said, “What happens to the outer world happens to the inner world…our inner being will die if we continue to transform natural beauty into the soul-deadening, concrete-laden, box-store landscapes of a consumer society.” And it’s our inner being that is so fragile and vulnerable too.
It’s only when stepping into the ‘other’ world that I truly realise the sanctity, nourishment, sense of wonder and perspective that the natural environment provides – and the importance of our relationship with it.
So, as we bade farewell to a blissfully mild and dry winter, and the daffodils of spring begin to congregate in their sunny pockets, maybe it’s time to give thought as to how we nurture and nourish ourselves. How and where we choose to spend our time. The quality of that time. How we play, how we relax, how we relate and how we create.
As Goldsworthy says, he feels most alive when “shaking hands with a place”. Maybe it’s time to do so too – to take a pause, find that full-stop, that rock, and let the Wild inside.
Bridget Jackson is passionate about the environment and issues that inspire positive social benefit and change. Born and raised on the edge of England’s beautiful Lake District, she eventually settled in Australia where she calls the Blue Mountains home. Here, much of her time is spent absorbed in this ancient wilderness, sharing the endless wonders of it with her young son and husband, being challenged by new adventures and exploring creative possibilities for a more conscious way of living.
Photography: Melissa Letham – Little Moon Birth Photography
