Nature Spirits Want to Talk With Us: Listening Journeys in the More-Than-Human World

If we cannot see them, how can we communicate with nature spirits? Those of us who love nature find a sense of wonder and peace in our favorite places. Forest, river, meadow, ocean, mountain, desert—these places call to us to come back, again and again. Coleen Douglas, trained as a scientist, began learning to listen to the more-than-human world and was surprised when she started receiving messages from the trees: “Once when I was called to lie on the forest floor, redwood tree sent a message to me through her roots and her network. Hands pressed against bare earth, I felt a tingling in my fingers, and this word appeared—Flow.” Deeply curious, she decided to interview experienced nature communicators and share their wisdom. Coleen provides a step-by-step way to connect with nature and to open ourselves to receive messages. She offers 8 Timeless Principles for communicating with nature spirits, and experiential ways to put them into practice in our lives. What if we all consciously allied ourselves with nature? Nature spirits want to talk with us because we have a lot to do together to restore the natural world devastated by our human actions. Our collaboration with nature spirits is key as we, together, bring forth a new earth—one built upon respect and love for all, seen and unseen. _____________________________ Numerous studies show that spending time in nature can have long-ranging positive effects on our mental health—including improving mood, decreasing anxiety, and restoring our sense of connection and sense of purpose. Coleen Douglas invites us to collaborate with nature and offers this guide as a bridge to the wisdom of nature spirits, for the benefit of ourselves and our world. –Deborah Helms, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Coleen’s warm and wise words guide us to open all our senses to a deeper relationship with the natural world. –Jennifer Kirk, Naturalist