Note: This is a sampling from last semester.
The current class schedule can be found on our Canvas site.
Readings
Why are we assigning this? The following readings are an invitation to enter a different relationship with the earth, one that is marked by reverence and a sense of kinship. The authors both call for transformation by inviting us to listen to something that is more intuitive in our being than what we are typically taught. There are cultures and religions, past and present, that help humans intentionally cultivate an embodied sense of the sacred within their own being and within the environment around them. These wisdom traditions, in both the past and the present, give people stories, practices and sometimes rules to cultivate a sacred connection to the world.
Penniman’s writings reveal a hard-wired inborn capacity to connect with nature – a birth right that belongs to us all. There are wisdom holders and knowledge keepers that are among us who help us to deepen and expand our human need to know ourselves as part of nature, and they present in a myriad of ways – as farmers, scientists, mystics, musicians, storytellers, teachers, spiritual leaders and more. We will be hearing some of their voices this semester while maintaining a deep trust in each person’s capacity to create understanding through experience. As you are reading these chapters, please note what resonates for you.
Sacred Nature, Introduction, Karen Armstrong (pp 4-19)
Black Earth Wisdom, Introduction, Leah Penniman (pp xv-xx)
Blog Post (general guidance for blogging assignment)
Introduce yourself (name; pronouns, if you'd like; year; major/minor, if declared) and your reasons for joining the class. Feel free to reuse parts of what you shared with us when you applied for the course.
Describe a nature connection practice you enjoy and what you revere in nature. Consider the The Tree of Nature Connection Practices, graphic for inspiration.
Share an insight from each of the two readings you may want to discuss with classmates during the first class.
Survey
3 question pre-class survey
Learning Objectives
Identify values and practices that are foundational for connecting with nature
Describe your experience intentionally connecting to nature.
Readings
Why are we assigning these readings? The experience of being in a beautiful natural space parallels the experience of finding belonging in a supportive community of people. In both cases, we experience the release of the hormone oxytocin, making us more attuned to the emotions, intuitions, and cognitions in ourselves and in others. The readings and practices invite you to show up with reverence for your own stories and for those shared by the sentient beings in your life -- human and nonhuman.
Story Stewardship, Brené Brown
Holding spaces, Heather Plett
Savoring practice (read both "How to Do It" and "Why to Try It")
Become aware of nature as a space of nurturance, restoration, and freedom to be your true self with whatever needs, emotions, and longings you currently hold.
Savoring Take a savoring walk as described in the reading. Ask a loved one about their experiences connecting deeply with nature and share your own experience with the walk. 1. What does nature connection mean to them? 2. What stands out to you as you engage in savoring?
Holding Spaces Find a space in nearby nature that you experience as a “holding space.” (Holding spaces are typically created in human-to -human interaction but may also exist in human interaction with Earth Entities, such as streams, trees, and birds.)
Blog Post (general guidance for blogging assignment)
September 3 - Whole Brain Narrative due
September 5- Blog post due
Readings
Why are we assigning these? The readings will support you in crafting your Whole Brain Narrative (see below) and reflecting on the social, cultural, economic and cognitive influences that have shaped your familial relationship with nature. The Armstrong and Solnit/Halifax readings will make you more conscious of cultural myths you have been exposed to in a Western society. We invite you to reflect on how these myths shape our cognitive frames, as described in the Andrews reading.
Sacred Nature, Karen Armstrong, Chapter 1
Actions, (pp. 22- 28)
The Climate Crisis and Storytelling, interview with Rebecca Solnit and Roshi Joan Halifax
How Cognitive Frames about Nature May Affect Felt Sense of Nature Connectedness, Nadine Andrews (spend 20 minutes to understand the main concepts and each cognitive frame including also a vivid example that resonnates)
Practice: Meet with your listening in your holding spaces and engage in the practice of uninterrupted listening for 10-15 minutes each taking notes for each other as you reflect on the prompts for the Whole Brain Narrative.
Blog:
What can we learn from Indigenous teachers and ancient wisdom traditions from around the world?
Reading
Why are we assigning these? Basil Johnston's book Honour Earth Mother offers us an opportunity to learn about and get inspired by a mythos that expresses a culture's deep rootedness in the knowledge that everything is sacred. As an Anishinaabe Indigenous teacher, Basil Johnston shares the wisdom of the earth-based culture of his childhood. He preserved his cultural identity despite the abusive indoctrination of Canadian boarding schools -- an inspiring example of reclaiming wisdom and traditional ways of knowing. Now deceased, Basil Johnston continues to be honored for his literary and storytelling skills. The reading beautifully expresses kinship with the earth and both the scientific and spiritual wisdom of the Anishinaabe people.
Honour Earth Mother, Intro and Preface, Basil Johnston
Sky Woman, Robin Wall Kimmerer
Blog Post (general guidance for blogging assignment)