In the acknowledgments for my new book, ‘Nature Connection: Remembering Wholeness‘, I wrote:
“Many of the exercises—and most of the ideas—arose from my time in nature. Thank you to the more-than-human world: my inspiration, my refuge, and my first love”.
Although I drew on established research for the book, the core lessons came from the more-than-human world. The book is structured around the Three Keys to Nature Connection: slow down, get curious, and use all your senses. These Three Keys came to me on a nature walk, arriving complete as if dropped into my mind by another intelligence.
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking”.
Nietzsche
I write about the importance of storytelling: “A story forms an invisible thread connecting past to present, and present to future.” I illustrate this through stories woven into the text, notably glimpses into prehistoric life. These tales reveal moments in the lives of Nu and Fa, parents of two children. Several chapters feature the family; in most cases, I had a clear purpose in mind. For the ‘Use All Your Senses’ chapter, my idea felt thin. Inspiration came during a quiet walk in the woods. Standing still, I listened, and all my senses awoke: I heard silence, felt the breeze, and smelled the subtle scent of the trees. This is how it was for our ancestors, free from the barrage of sensory noise we face. Without sensory overload, they honed their senses to a sharpness we can only imagine. Nature gave me an insight into my imaginary family’s world, which I’ve tried to share on the page.

The book contains over 60 exercises, most of which are directly inspired by experiences in nature. Typically, I am inspired by my engagement with the non-human world, and then I consider how to help others have similar experiences. Sometimes a ‘conversation’ with the spirit of place guides this process. I know the human perspective well—and the spirit of place reveals the deeper reality we often overlook. It might say, through symbol, feeling, or inspiration, ‘It’s like this.’
Have I managed to translate the wisdom of the more-than-human world into words? I hope so.