This past week I went away to the wilderness on a backpacking trip. My first in many years. I had the most potent connection with nature that I’ve experienced.
As I walked along the rocks, I felt the healing of using my feet to balance. It strengthened my feet, my ankles and all the ligaments in my knees as I was going from one the the next. Leaning against an old giant cedar, I felt the healing power of wood. Especially the ancient tree so much older than anyone alive today.
In Chinese medicine, each organ is ruled by an element in nature. The kidneys are ruled by water, the liver by wood, the heart by fire, the spleen by earth, and the lungs by metal (which is really rocks and ores).
As I thought about this while I was sitting on a rock in the stream, I decided to lower my body into the water, and let it heal my kidneys. Boy was that cold!! But it took away the fatigue and acheyness in my low back after carrying a 30 pound pack.
We all know how healing it is to be near the ocean with the waves going in and out and the release of negative ions. Its equally healing to be high up in the mountains by a rushing stream with fresh, beautiful, clear water running over our wounds.
In our modern world we get so busy with our daily lives that we forget our connection to nature. I certainly have. Any opportunity to spend time outdoors is much more than just getting some vitamin D from the sun. Its a whole symphony of healing.
