Imprinted by Nature
Intention From an early age we are 'imprinted,' shaped, and formed by the land, by geography, climate, and the seasons. This practice is a simple experiment with the intention of helping us notice the early impact of place and ecology on our formation. We will notice how, in the process of this formation, nature imprints herself within us with a particular landscape or ecology that stays with us into adulthood and calls us with a longing and a sense of home.
"Practice In today's modern culture, most of us move from one place to another with some regularity. Between the time we are born and the time we die, most of us move at least once or twice; some people move from location to location around the world many times.
• "Remember an early memory of place that makes a particular ecology feel most 'natural' to you today, an environment and ecology where you would feel most at home. How old were you when you resided in this location? What kind of things did you do there that gave you pleasure? Think of geography, climate, plant and animal life, water, smells, and vistas — the sky and the contour of the earth. This is an ecology 'imprinted' on your body, mind, and spirit.
• "As you imagine yourself in this place, where would you most like to be and what would you most like to do?
• "Now look around at the environment and ecology where you live now. If it is a new place (as for most of us it most likely is), how do you experience the new place in terms of your connection to nature? Compared to your memories and reflections of the first location, do you experience this newer geography and environment more as a loss, a gain, or an enhancement?
• "A second part to this simple experiment is to ask these same questions of a friend, listening carefully to her responses. Let that person recall and reminisce about her experiences and recollection of place from her youth.
• "Next, just as you did for yourself, invite your friend to reflect on the environment and ecology where she lives now. Watch her closely. As she reflects on her new location, notice whether she appears more or less animated than when she reflected on her earlier location, more or less emotionally involved, more or less connected and at home. Ask her to make the comparison herself.
• "Most people will show a marked emotional and spiritual preference for the imprint of an earlier environment and location."
