Connecting with Nature

Spiritual Parenting Thought for the Month (SM)

Brought to you by Mimi Doe

July, 2007

V9 #6

Connecting With Nature

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This newsletter is my gift to you in the hopes of empowering children and parents everywhere live more joyful, connected lives.

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LOVE FOR OUR WORLD

- Welcome From Mimi

- All Life Is Connected And Has Meaning

- Lovin' the World

- Supporting Your Child

- Check-In Questions, Conversation Starts

- What's New

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July Greetings!

Summer bounty is all around us and it’s hard with this warmth and light not to feel connected to nature. This month’s newsletter is all about helping your kids find that connection and how doing so will add richness and depth to their lives.

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SPIRITUAL PARENTING COMMUNITY

EXCITING NEWS:

I have heard from hundreds of parents recently who want, now more than ever, to gather in real time as well as online with other like minded parents who wish to raise kind children who remain connected to their spirits and their families. They want support, advice, and the wisdom of each other to empower their children to unfold into who they were put on this planet to become. They also want to delight in the joy of this parenting journey.

As you know, Spiritual Parenting Groups have been springing up around the world as a result of my books, website, and workshops on parenting. These groups are always free and open to all faiths. I have been posting the contact info for the groups on my website, SpiritualParenting.com, but have wanted to do more to facilitate parents connecting with one another. This wish is now a reality!!

SpiritualParenting.com has joined forces with MomJunction.com (a new social networking site for parents) to host these groups virtually. What that means is that there will now be a Spiritual Parenting Community with lots of bells and whistles for:

*Existing SP Groups
*Parents who want to find or form a group in their town
*Those parents who would like support and spiritual parenting ideas online

If you are already in a Spiritual Parenting Group you can join the Spiritual Parenting Community to keep members updated on meetings, etc. If you want to find a group in your area to join, head over to the SP Community.If you’d like to find support and ideas and be part of a group online, this is also your spot.

So, let me know how you like this wonderful new resource. I'll be popping in and out with posts and my thoughts.
As always, light and love sent from my heart to yours,

Mimi Doe Founder, SpiritualParenting.com

p.s. Existing members of MomJunction.com can use the same username and password from that site to access the Spiritual Parenting Community. Simply click here to enter the Spiritual Parenting Welcome Group.

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"The deeper we look into nature the more we recognize that it is full of life, and the more profoundly we know that all life is a secret, and we are all united to all this life."

--Albert Schweitzer

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ALL LIFE IS CONNECTED AND HAS MEANING

"Being out in nature got me through the awkward teenage years. I chose to be close to trees and plants rather than the always shifting social realm. I did sports and excelled in academics but, finding myself, my true self, was always in nature."

--Matt, Age 33

"When I read Tuck Everlasting I finally got the 'circle of life' thing. One of the characters says 'You can’t have living if you don’t have dying.'"

--Ellen, Age 13

If our sons and daughters are going to survive and thrive, they must know that their lives have deep meaning and great worth. Teens in particular, hunger to feel a part of something. Their need for acceptance runs deep and is often assuaged by peer groups, affiliation with a certain school, team, style of music, or club. Many teens, however, still feel a lingering sense of longing. I believe this is a spiritual yearning to feel connected - to their Creator and to all of creation.

Adolescents need opportunities to recognize that they are never alone; no matter how different they may feel. They, like us, crave experiences of plugging into the ultimate oneness that includes every living thing on earth. We can help them, and ourselves, find and strengthen this connectedness in relationships with people - and with nature itself.

We are intimately connected to everything we can see—and all that is beyond our immediate vision, too. We are bundles of atoms and molecules, made of the same elements that our world is made of. Many teens, however, don't see the intrinsic value of nature. To them, shopping malls are more valuable than open space. Intimacy with the natural world has often been replaced by intimacy with the electronic world in the lives of our sons and daughters.

I believe that linking with the power of nature can quite literally save kid’s lives. Teenagers are social creatures. If they feel socially isolated, and studies reveal that millions do, the results can be devastating. Nature, however, never rejects them. Nature’s predictable cycle centers teens when their world seems rocked by daily ups and downs.

My brother, Mark Walch, is a wilderness therapist who has worked with kids for over 20 years. In wilderness therapy, teens experience group living, individual and group therapy, physical challenges, and skill mastery, like fire-making and backcountry travel. Mark believes strongly that the benefits of teens connecting with nature fall into a number of categories. For one, the alternative lifestyle associated with caring about nature appeals to teens. Being a "tree-hugger" can help them work out the developmentally appropriate urge to be different.

The earth and natural systems also give teens something to feel part of. Nature unconditionally accepts people, but it also imposes rules from a larger system than teens can fight, which gives them reassurance about boundaries and personal limits. Nature allows them to belong to something without having to conform.

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LOVIN' THE WORLD

The degree and ways in which our teens reap these benefits when they connect with the natural world is shaped, in part, by their spirituality. Experience with particular religious traditions impacts them in certain ways. Some environmentalists suggest that the Judeo-Christian tradition, for instance, believes in a world created solely for the benefit of man. And yet, might we humans have twisted sacred teachings for our own benefit? In the Harper Collins Study Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:19 states: "For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity."

In Judaism, the Torah outlines a series of ethical environmental obligations. The Torah says: "When God created Adam, he showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: 'See my works, how lovely they are, how fine they are. All I have created, I created for you. Take care not to corrupt and destroy my universe, for if you destroy it, no one will come after you to put it right'"

--(Ecclesiastes, Rabbah 7).

In other religious traditions, humans are seen as part of, rather than ruling, nature. Followers of Hinduism, for example, believe that certain rivers and mountains are sacred, as they give and sustain life, and that all plants and animals have souls.

New alliances are being forged to link religion and nature, spirituality and environmental consciousness. Teens by the thousands are drawn to this union. They resonate with the principles of Deep Ecology, the concept that there are no superior or inferior things. They are passionate about caring for the environment and the future of the planet. It gives meaning to their lives. They are also attuned to the idea of good and evil, and the ethics of Deep Ecology call them to identify how this fragile planet is being damaged, who the culprits are, as well how to be accountable in their own lives.

Religious beliefs and traditions influence a teen’s attitude toward the natural environment; so do family values. The decisions we make about such seemingly innocuous matters as lawn care send messages to our children. In many parts of the United States, where water is often at a premium during the summer months, for example, do we insist on maintaining a broad expanse of dark green grass during hot, dry weather or do we allow our lawns to go dormant? Few teens grouse about the greatly reduced mowing needs of a brown backyard, by the way!

Talk with your kids about topics such as local land use and environmental issues. In many areas, preserving native species means restricting human activities. Trusting that all life has meaning requires that, as a family, we must ask ourselves other tough questions, such as:

- Do humans have any ethical obligations with respect to the natural world?

- Do we have a responsibility to be good stewards over the Earth?

- Do other species have an intrinsic right to exist?

- What does our religion have to say about humanity's relationship to the rest of the living world? What do other religions have to say?

- How can we as a family honor our earth?

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"Teach your children what we have taught our children - that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the children of the earth… the earth is precious to God, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator."

--(Chief Seattle, 1854)

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SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD

To support your child in developing a deeper connection with the natural world, you could:

- Support and join environmental and nature preservation groups.

- Expand family recycling activities. If your community doesn’t offer curbside recycling, a teen with a driver’s license can deliver paper, cans, glass, and other items to the nearest recycle center.

- Give your child a tree on his birthday. Plant it near his bedroom window or near his school or a place that has special meaning for him. It will help remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere as well as always stand as a reminder for how he valued nature at this particular age. The scrawny weeping willow tree planted for my brother’s 10th birthday is now a towering graceful guardian of the land on which it sits. My brother Tim is 41 and still recalls with fondness the day his tree was planted.

- Consider a family camping trip, even if it’s been awhile since you’ve all slept in a tent. Adolescents can gain a deeper clarity when they experience a clearer, simpler life. They focus on the inner rather than the outer, on a qualitative rather than a quantitative life. When I was 13, I was invited to a friend’s cabin in the woods. We spent evenings sitting in front of a fire, no distractions. I remember being hypnotized by the flames, and captivated by sitting in silence with only the light of the fire. It was a revelation for me. I heard my inner voice. I began to write poetry, terrible poetry, but the muse was unleashed in the stillness.

-Reach my book, “10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting” as it’s filled with easy, fun, simple ways to connect young children with nature.

- The National Wildlife Federation has a web page devoted to specific events and situations to which teens can become involved. Send your teenagers a link to the site, www.nwf.org, and encourage them to decide how they can become involved -– whether it is by making their high school campus greener or simply writing to Congress about cleaner water.

Parents’ Check-In Questions

Do I live in harmony with nature? How so?
Does being in nature sustain my spirituality?
How do I feel about the animals in my life?
How might I make our home more earth-friendly?

Conversation Starters

When did you feel as if you really belonged?
Have you ever felt that sense of belonging and connection in nature?
How can we bring more nature into our home?

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"Each day God fills up your heart with love to give to people." (Age 6)

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~*~WHAT'S NEW~*~

Some of our favorite resources for nurturing YOUR own spirits include:

Make ALL your dreams come true with the Dream Manifesto!

For YEARS I have been creating vision boards or treasure maps using poster boards and images of what

I would like to manifest in my life...Literally for about 24 years...

Up until now...

Now, since I'm on my computer so much of the time...I've installed this easy to use software, literally I had it up and running in less than 5 minutes, and my images are scheduled to appear with sound...that I've created...every hour...reminding me of what I wish to focus upon...

It's crazy cool!

Visit our New Soulful Baby Boutique

Safe, natural, beautiful products for your baby!

Dimple Dolls

These soft, natural, safe little babies are cozy in their blankets and baskets. I love these for all kids from babies to teens. No kidding, tuck one in the pocket of even the most sophisticated 16 year old girl and watch her melt.

Send Your Nurturing Products for Review to:

SpiritualParenting.com
c/o Mimi Doe
109 Baker Ave.
Concord, MA 01742

We are happy to send your product to our SpiritualParenting team and designated mom experts for their review.

SOULFUL MOVIES

If you're as tired of the commercial movies available as I am you'll be thrilled to hear of a new alternative: Spiritual Cinema Circle.

Chicken Soup for the Soul author Jack Canfield says:"It's not often you can combine entertainment with personal growth but that is exactly what The Spiritual Cinema Circle offers. These engaging films provide important messages about life, love and the world we live in"

Each month you will receive a DVD with 3-5 high quality spiritual film selections to keep. You can watch these films with your children or after they are safely tucked in bed. Spiritual Cinema examines who we are and why we are here, and illuminates the human condition through stories and images that inspire us to reach our best human potential. For more information and to sign up, click on the little pool of water above.

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Concord, Massachusetts 01742

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Spiritual Parenting Thought for the Month (SM) is written and produced by Mimi Doe and Karen Adolphson. If you have any stories to share, questions or comments, please send them to: Editor@SpiritualParenting.com. We'd love to hear from you!

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Mimi Doe, Author of:
"Nurturing Your Teenager's Soul"
"Busy But Balanced"
"10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting"
"Drawing Angels Near"

http://www.SpiritualParenting.com