Let nature be your teacher
“It’s quite possible to leave your home for a walk in the early morning air and return a different person - beguiled, enchanted.”
- Mary Chase
A Medicine Walk is a conscious time for diving deep into a specific question, to enter a state of deep listening and to be in touch with nature as a powerful mirror.
It is a walk, prompted by a question or an intention, into your inner nature in the mirror of the outer nature. During this time of profound self-awareness we are invited to see new facets of ourselves and to listen without distraction to what lies hidden within us. A medicine walk can inspire and even gift you with deep wisdom. You may return home with crystal clear answers, breakthroughs, or a sense of meaning that is gradually setting in.
To go on this ‘mini vision quest’, all you need is yourself, and the nature that sounds you (which can be found in the city, too!). You go out, crossing the threshold, and come back after a defined number of hours. It helps to go on a medicine walk under the guidance of someone like me, who is trained in initiating this kinds of processes, holding the space, and also deepening the reflection upon your return, but once you know the method you can also do this for yourself, if you wish. In our ateliers, when you return, you do so with a story of what you experienced, which you can then share with the group. You have the option of being giften a mirroring, which may anchor some insights more deeply, celebrate what you learned, or uncover yet another layer.
This seemingly simple ritual unfolds its magic at the latest when all the stories are shared. Nature always has medicine ready for us, and so does community. Medicine walks are something that you can do time and time again, whenever a new phase of life begins, a new season, or a new question emerges. The power of nature, once you learn to tap into it, is always available for you. If this resonates, it would be a joy to welcome you in an upcoming medicine walk!
What is a medicine walk?
A Medicine Walk is a conscious time for diving deep into a specific question, to enter a state of deep listening and to be in touch with nature as a powerful mirror.
Process guide
How?
The Medicine Walk is a process with a definite beginning and ending. These two points should be marked with a form of ceremonies. The ceremonies will express your willingness to make the most of this experience and your respect for the power of this form. They will focus your attention on the present.
Beginning: With a question, set intentionally we step over the threshold. This can be a line you draw in the grass or sand, a stone or wood that you see, or even an imaginable threshold. With that you mark that you have entered the Medicine Walk, entering a slight different way of perceiving and being in dialogue with your surroundings and use it consciously as your mirror.
During: While being on the Medicine Walk practice being in silence - meaning not engaging with other human beings in conversations.Other than that, just walk, wonder and wander. Pay attention to what you pay attention to you, which elements speak to you.
Returning: Step again over the same threshold when coming back to mark that you end your journey for now. After your return from the Medicine Walk, there is ideally a space prepared with other to share your story and be listened to. This is an important factor as you going on the Medicine Walk of course for yourself but also for the system you are part of. Being listened to and witnessed, even just by one person, is a powerful support of what has happened “out there”.
Especially for people work in the fields of social change and transformation, going on a Medicine Walk can be a way of realigning purpose and action, replenish the inner wells and sharpen the focus and intention of the work in the outer. Doing it regularly - once to several times a year - can be a beautiful form of personal caretaking.
Where?
Choose an area where you can wander safely without concern for getting lost or disturbed. Heavily wooded areas, steep mountain slopes, or areas with many cliffs are to be used only with caution due to the risks of getting lost or falling. If you are relatively new to walking alone in natural areas, stay close to prominent landmarks and don’t get off the marked hiking paths.
Background of this process
Australian aborigines go on walkabout, Thai monks conduct prayer walks through the jungle, Native Americans fast on vision quests, and the ancient Celts walked the hills, staff in hand. Around the world, pilgrimage is profound practice. People from all these different cultures found guidance, healing, inspiration, and connection with spirit on their walks.
Medicine Walks are practiced in different tribes and indigiounous groups across the world and for some they also use the medicine wheel (South, West, North, East) as a way of deeper inquiry and orientation of what nature - tangible and subtle - is speaking and offering as medicine/information.
The medicine wheel, its directions and colors have differently been interpreted in different tribes and corners of the world. We suggest you use the one that resonates most with you if that's a way that feels supportive to you. Here a few examples.
Time and materials:
A Medicine Walk can take different lengths depending on the depths you want to reach. It can be from 1.5h up to 12h - for example from Sunrise to Sunset - or longer.
Dress according to weather and area you are in.
Some people like to fast in this time. If you do decide to bring food, keep it simple, such as a piece of fruit. In any case, be sure to drink plenty of water.
You can take a notebook with you if writing is your medium to generate clarity.
It can be supportive if you have people or someone that says good-bye to you as well as welcomes you when you come back and listens to your story. That is because often when telling our story to someone we trust other layers of clarity can emerge. And if it feel appropriate for all, this person or circle of people can also give you a gentle feedback of what they heard.
Sources and further reading:
The Gifts of the 4 Directions - North American Tribes
Parts of this blogpost where originally published on the collaboratio helvetica blog
Medicine Wheel Adapted from Vickers by Sheila Cote-Meek and Nancy Lynn Young.
For more in depth explanation of the Medicine Walk please read here
https://ganondagan.org/Visit/Hiking-Trails/Self-Guided-Medicine-Walk
