Nature's Wisdom for a Better Life

Listen to Nature:

In this era of increasingly busy, disconnected living, it's easy to forget that nature has always been the greatest teacher of all. Animals, plants, and the rhythms of the natural world were ripe for emulation well before science had strategies for separating what's good for us from all the rest. In the silent wayward habits of animals and the logic of the natural world are held secrets of health, peace, and balance. Sometimes the wisest advice is the oldest, passed down through generations, witnessed in silence.

Drink from brooks watered by flocks and herds. It is an ill horse that will not drink good water.

There's something primeval and wise about animals. Horses are really interesting because they are attuned to their environment. If they close-quote turn down water, there's a reason.'' Trust that. It's a reminder for us, too, to learn to trust our senses, slow down, and watch. Clear water is not only a necessity but sacred. If we care about ourselves, we should care equally about others.

Take your bed where the cat takes a nap. Jackdaw won't sleep where it is not silent.

Cats have a knack for seeking out the coziest, most tranquil spaces. If you want a good night's sleep, take a page from their playbook. Keep your rest space quiet, warm, and uncluttered. Allow your body to heal in silence. Rest is not a luxury, it's a matter of survival.

Eat worm-infested fruits. Deadly, the fruit that the worms do not puncture.

This may sound counterintuitive at first, but the lesson is obvious: If nature takes it, it's probably safe. The blemished, imperfect apple may be infinitely healthier than its shiny, chemical-laden brother. Worms don't lie. Animals and insects frequently let us know what is safe and natural, if only we would listen.

Eat mushrooms where flies are sitting. No insect perches on poison fungi.

Once again, we are reminded that nature has a sense of checks and balances. Insects are cautious. There have been answers to this question, including the observation that when they are swarming toward something, the object of their focus is probably not harmful. We get all scared, so much of the time, because we are disconnected from the earth, not knowing how to read its signs.

If rabbits dig holes, plant a willow tree. It's the perfect place for it.

Animals remember the land better than we do. Rabbits prefer soft, fertile soil and avoid flooding. If they dig there, it's a good spot to grow life. Observe. Learn. Let them guide your choices. The land itself has a voice.

Make thee a cistern where birds can be cool.''

Where birds come together, peace and life follow. Birds don't linger in danger. They search for peace, an escape from the heat, and to be safe.'' If you can create a world in which birds feel safe, well, you've made something great.

It was in bed at birdbed time, and it was out of bed at birdbreak. It will be a very good day for you.

Nature's internal cadence is wiser than any alarm clock. Getting up and resting with the sun doesn't just bring us in line with our ancestors, it brings us in line with our biology. The chorus of birds will greet you when you rise, and you will be given that much more clarity, that much more joy.

Eat more natural food. With legs of iron and a heart of steel, thou wilt fare forth.

Our bodies are formed from the earth. When we eat close to nature, we nourish not only our strength but our courage. Non-food foods make the spirit sluggish. Natural food gives it energy.

Get in the water as much as you can. Even when you walk around on land, you’ll feel like a fish.

Water is medicine. It heals. It restores. And just a few minutes of floating or swimming can wash stress away from the body and the soul. It's an indication of where we have come from. It returns us to ourselves.

Look at the sky more often. Light and understanding will be read in your mind.

We spend too much time looking down at screens, at our feet, at things we've dropped, at problems. Look up. The sky is a canvas for aspirations. It is a grand thing that makes us feel so small, and so big at the same time.

Shut up a little, talk a little. Silence just pours into your heart. Peaceful will ever be your spirit.

We listen, and what we hear is all that we have been missing. Thoughts settle. Peace returns. Learn to sit with it. Let silence be your teacher.

Give priority to agriculture. The nation will not be ruined.

We save the land, we save the future. No country lasts for very long without food, without farmers, without soil. It is more than a profession, but a promise to future generations.