Finding Peace In Your Natural State

While doing a nature hike the other day, the thought occurred to me that we all come from nature, and we eventually also return to nature. This may be why we tend to feel so calm and peaceful when we are out in nature. When we smell a flower, hug a tree, or put our feet in the dirt, it reconnects us to our natural state and brings us back into balance.

It has been scientifically proven that we essentially consist of ‘stardust.’ Our physical body is made of elements that were formed in the stars over the course of billions of years. Our bodies have about 97 percent of the same kind of atoms as that found in the galaxy. As the rock band Kansas so aptly proclaims, “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky. It slips away and all your money won’t another minute buy. Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind.”

When you look up at the stars in a clear night sky, especially if you’re in a place where the air is clean and at a higher altitude, one can sometimes see the milky way. In such a moment of awe and wonder, it seems to me as if all time stands still. One’s everyday worries seem miniscule and trivial in comparison to the magnificent vastness and endless beauty of the cosmos.

Our connection to nature further brings to mind the classical elements of earth, water, air, fire, and aether that is still observed in various spiritual traditions, such as Ayurveda, Wicca and Gnosticism. Our existence in this life is essentially a magical alchemy of these elements.

In today’s world we tend to focus so much on how things should be, instead of how they actually are. Maybe much of our modern discontent stems from straying so far away from our natural state of being?

You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here ~ Alan Watts

During my hike it also occurred to me that much of our time is spent worrying about whether another person likes us, or what others think of us. What if we stopped looking for approval from others, and instead looked within ourselves to find it? Why is our own approval not enough? I find it preposterous that we can become so concerned with seeking the approval of others. In nature, a flower blooms regardless of how another flower beside it may be doing, or what it looks like.

I think one of the keys to letting go of the need to seek the approval of others is to realign with and pivot back to our natural state of inner balance and harmony. We can achieve this by reconnecting to the truth of our being.

Whenever I feel unloved or rejected by others, I find self-affirming affirmations to be very helpful in shifting my energy focus. I repeat affirmations like, “I love me for who I am; I am enough; I am a flawless child of Mother Nature.”

I say it repeatedly, until I feel it has sunken in entirely and a renewed wholeness begins to flood my entire being. Then I feel calm, centered, and grounded again and I no longer worry about who likes me or not. I also tend to find myself having a lot more love to give out to others, even those who may not like me very much!

 And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair ~ Kahlil Gibran

Another technique I use is to talk to myself. I simply have a conversation with myself about how I feel and why I feel this way. Speaking your mind out loud really does do something. My favorite time to do this is when I’m driving. Prior to Bluetooth technology, people must have thought I was crazy when they saw me talking to myself while driving! Besides even if someone does give me a weird look, I take it as an opportunity to practice even more self-love, by not being so concerned about what they might think.

Find ways to realign with your natural state. There are a myriad of ways to achieve this, so find what works best for you.