The Spiritual Woman Forum Welcome! and sugegstion for g..

Hello, everyone... I wanted to let you know that I started writing again in 2008 because I was interested in trying to publish a book of short stories that demonstrated women's connections to nature. While I have temporarily abandoned that stream of thought, the theme has carried over greatly into my pieces for the year.   I go out into nature when I need direction, healing, solace, or sometimes a kick in the seat of my pants. I resolve my tough issues while meditating and lying on rocks, or in fields, or in the snow.               So my suggested theme for the first discussion... what is your connection to nature? Do you have one? Do you cultivate it? Has it shaped your beliefs at all? I have posted two of my pieces exploring this conenction for myself, and would love to see yours!   Welcome to the group, and thanks for reading!   Marie

I very often find my inspiration in nature. I find my peace there, too. I only began writing a little over three years ago . . . thanks for the invite to the group!

My Garden, My Friend
    I, too, am inspired by nature.  I knew it all along I guess, but it really came to the fore front after my best friend of 34 years passed away last summer.  She had the greenest thumb of anyone I ever knew!  She nurtured her children like she nurtured her garden.  I never was a very good 'farmer', my friend said I had a black thumb!
    I decided to spruce up a 5 foot square of garden area under a scraggly lilac bush where the kids used to dig for worms.  I planted some ground cover: clover, mint and ivy, surrounded by rocks she'd picked up while on vacation to Arkansas.  I ruthlessly clipped back the bush, added some picket fencing, a bird bath and a ceramic turtle to the scene.  It's right outside the window from my computer desk and is a frequent reminder of my best friend's presence.  I truly miss you Judy.

I love nature but I am often not that comfortable outdoors.  The extremes of living in New England make Fall and Spring the only really tolerable seasons for me to spend any length of time outside, but I have an incredible backyard with my living room in back and the view includes a 3+ story pine tree, birds, lilac trees (my favorite flower) and no other houses as far as the eye can see.  I often wish I was living in the middle of a vast expanse of land, like frontier women did, and use oil lamps and fireplaces for cooking, etc. 
I have to admit I am not a person who feels especially "connected" to anything.  My spirituality has taken a huge hit this past year which I am sure has contributed to this feeling of disconnect in general.

Is the ocean nature? As a girl who grew up with the beach as her playground and backyard, that is where I find my healing. The sheer grandness of waters and it's ability to roll, wave, churn so resembles our lives. As soon as my feet touch the sand it is as if the granuales on my feet absorb all of my troubles. The intake of the clean air soothes my mind.. Yes, I can lay in the company of the ocean for days on end..  

Interesting thing about the ocean... especially the North Atlantic. I always feel as though it has seen so much human misery and struggle, it can accept mine readily. When I feel overwhelmed, I make a pilgrimage to the New England coast, and give my troubles, one at a time, to the rolling, crashing waves, and let them be ground to bits upon the rocks. It is always a humbling and cathartic experience for me.             I am the opposite of most people- LJW's post made me think of this. For me, I get edgy when I have been indoors too long. I will put down a thermal pad in snow on a work night to sleep under the stars and rejuvenate my spirit if that's what it takes. I am always more at home in the woods than on a city street. Every living thing connects me, it feels, to something else, and artifice just does't compare, for me. I wonder if it is our upbringing or something more fundamental that makes us so different in our approaches?   I have to say, LJW, that you are one of the 3 female writers on WC whose writing I respect the most, even though our views are so radically different.