Episode 20: Cycles of Life and Death
In Episode 20 of the Nature Therapy Online podcast, I take a walk in a local graveyard and woodlands here in Midlothian, Scotland. I talk about the joy that can be found in noticing and accepting Nature’s natural cycles of life and death. Click on the slim black player above to listen.
In this week’s ecotherapy radio show, I take on a big topic: death. This theme was suggested to me by Deirdre in Long Island, New York, and I thought it was a great idea for a show. Thanks Deirdre.
It’s not an easy topic for any of us. There remains such a great unknown around death; a lot of fear, and a lot of denial. However, death is absolutely everywhere in nature, and it can be a great and powerful teacher if we open our eyes to it.
For me, my life began to improve greatly when I started to spend a little moment or two each day acknowledging that one day I will die, and that this life I am living right now is not forever. In part, this was a lesson which nature taught me. Noticing the changing cycles of life and death in nature can remind us—especially at times when our minds are full of petty worries and concerns—that what goes on in our heads is not always reflecting real life. Honestly, how ridiculous so many of my thoughts seem when I notice an old skull of an animal and realise that right here, right now, I have an amazing gift of life.
It’s a hard topic indeed. It is a practise that I invite you to gently try—but only if you feel in a good strong place mentally to take on the topic at this time in your life. It can be a life-changer. Imagine how liberating it can be to feel okay with the fact you are going to die. Am I okay with it? Probably not. Am I a lot more comfortable with it than I used to be? And does it bring me moments of joy? Absolutely and frequently, yes.
I hope you find this week’s nature podcast inspiring, my friends.
Sending you lots of warm nature smiles,
Stephen x
