PROJECT NATURECONNECT Greenwich University Applied Ecopsycology/Integrated Ecology ORIENTATION COURSE ©Copyright 1996 Michael J. Cohen

Elements of Global Citizenship: The Science of Connecting With the Web of Life The Art of Thinking With Nature     Part One:   EXPERIENCES ARE FACTS

.. ............................A STARTING POINT   Experiences are facts This course engages you in the Natural Systems Thinking Process and its nature-connected, psychological science. It has a distinct rationale and methodology that respects and reinforces your ability to think and feel. Living by the laws of nature is not a completely new way of thinking. As the quotes that are used throughout the course will demonstrate, it has been around as long as people have been thinking. Since this can be a new way of thinking for some people, or maybe just a slightly different twist, it makes good sense for you to try this suggestion. Open up a new, fortressed, empty room somewhere in your mentality; in the place you daydream; on your screen of consciousness. Into that uncontaminated space carefully place the reasonable experiences, thoughts and feelings the course helps you discover. They are often 9-leg ways of knowing. There, they can remain intact and strong for your use at will. When you need them, simply open the door to the room and avail yourself of the attractive, reasonable integrity it will contain because you protected it. Otherwise, like the environment, that integrity becomes polluted by the nature-disconnected way of life and thinking that fuels so many of our problems. In time, you will begin to notice that words are written on the door to the room. They say: "The Natural Systems Thinking Process: in Nature within and about us, attractiveness is real, intelligent, healing, and conscious of itself." NOTE: Thinking with the contents of this room is the key to success of students in the IGE Degree programs.     INSTRUCTIONS Proceed below only after you have completed and posted to your interact group, your B, C, and F paragraphs from the prerequsite material. Participants should be familiar with the difference between 4-leg and 5-leg thinking before starting this part of the course. To accomplish this, please read the Introduction to The Web of Life Imperative if you have not already done so   PART ONE Nature connecting activities Nature activities must be done with authentic nature. Like reading a book about driving a car, if you actually want to get someplace, you must get in the car and drive. The main idea here is to let nature's intelligence show your mind that it is reasonable to enjoy and benefit from nature connected thinking. It is attractive and sensible in and of itself. When connected to nature's intelligent and guiding ways, the activities enable your 5-leg verbal, reasoning mind to reconnect with your 4-leg feeling, sensory mind ­ your sensuous and spiritual mind. You remember how to fully think in the way that nature works The more natural the area you visit, the better. Just about anywhere can be very effective, whether it is a wilderness area or nature preserve, a vacant lot, a national or city park, a backyard, a potted plant, another person's inner nature, or a goldfish. Just as long as it's not a nature video or even this nature book. The following is our first example of reconnecting with Nature, in this case with your own inner nature, the natural systems in you. Almost all of the activities are best done in the most natural or wild area that you can access. You are a part of Nature's intelligent and sustaining ways. In the grand scheme of things, your inner nature is as important ­ but not more important ­ as any other part of the natural universe. We are equal in the world in that we hold in common the seamless continuum of natural systems that build and sustain relationships around and within us. So, we'll start this journey of remembering with this very important part of you ­the natural systems within you.       1.The Experience: Thoughtful Contemplation Think about a good prior experience you have had in nature, where you were, how you felt, if you would want to repeat it. 2. Ask yourself these questions: What was feelingly enjoyable or rewarding about the experience? What sensory attractions were involved in the experience? Were you taught to have this good experience in a class? from a book? a person? or was it your natural sensory attraction connections to the natural area that provided the rewards? Do you recognize from this experience that there are intact, inborn parts of you that inherently have the ability to register and retain attractive sensory contacts with nature?   SUMMARY Q: Because I am a sensory being, in this activity sensory contact with the attractions in the natural area provided most of the rewards I obtained from my good experience in nature. OPTIONAL: On a piece of paper, record the SUMMARY letter above (Q) along with the number (below) that indicates your agreement with the summary statement. 1..........2..........3..........4..........5...........6.........7..........8..........9.........10. disagree..........................so partially agree...........................fffully agree   Supportive Reading: 1. Carefully read the Insight Article and consider the questions it raises. 2. Please determine what name/label you feel most comfortable with for the sensory webstring attractions and submit that name to your interact group. See if the group wishes to decide upon a name you all agree upon for the "strings" and use it for the remainder of the course. "Webstrings" is fine and most commonly used, "webloves" recently won a contest for the best synonym for the webstrings. People have been signing letters with "Webloves."   3.BOOK OPTION: If you have the book Reconnecting With Nature, read Chapter 3 for a stronger understanding about the Reconnecting With Nature process.   4. Thoughtful verbalization: Start your post to the group with the Subject (GROUP NAME OR NUMBER)_________: PART 1, YOUR NAME, so that other course members and readers can identify it, read it, and share their thoughts and feelings about your experiences with this page and vice versa. Submit your attraction experiences, thoughts and feelings from the material on this page to your support group or journal along with the following Twelve Interact Catalysts: 1) a general description of how you did the activity and what happened, along with quotes you like from the readings and how they added meaning to the experience. 2) the three most important things you learned from the chapter and webstring connections; 3) how would you feel about having the webstring attractions you experienced in the activity taken away from you? 4) whether or not the activity enhanced your sense of self-worth and your trustfulness of nature; 5) the part of you, if any, the activity identified or re-educated inside or outside of you; 6) your reactions to what you found attractive in the postings you read from the other group members. Be sure to save the interact postings of yourself and others that are attractive to you so that you can refer to them and quote them in the final paper for this course. 7) What value, if any, was there to doing the Summary Option (If you did it.) 8) Write one or two keywords that convey what important thing you learned from this assignment. 9) Write one or more complete, single, short, power sentence "quotes" that convey a significant contribution that this assignment makes to improving our relationships. 10) Integrating Dream Time: get at least one night's sleep before doing the next activity. While your 5-leg mind sleeps, your 4-leg mind rides the inroads to consciousness made by the activity and reading. Note, upon awakening, whether any changes have occurred with respect to your outlook or the way you feel. 11) Conclude by identifying what things you have put into the trustable, uncontaminated, thought and feeling room/space you built into your psyche during Part/Chapter One. The use of these eleven Interact Catalysts will enhance your learning experience and that of the others in the course as well. 12) Remember: You will increase your learning from this activity by 75% if you teach this activity to another person. You may ask your interact group for help if you need it.   NOTE upon completion of Part One (above), even before posting it on the appointed day, you may proceed to Part Two and start doing it. This way you may enjoy having extra time to do the fascinating activities in Part Two. NEXT STEP: Take me to the Orientation Course PART TWO   Lost? Return to the INDEX BASE CAMP or use the link sequence below.   Sequence Links: *INDEX BASE CAMP* PREREQUISITES | INSTRUCTIONS | PRE-POSTING REMINDER PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX | PART SEVEN | PART EIGHT | PART NINE | PART TEN | RESOURCES       Project NatureConnect Website Links:

What you can do: The Orientation Course, below, responds to 32 critical life relationship questions. They are answered by enabling you to enjoy and then share online ten authentic, sensory, Nature connected attraction experiences over a 12 day to 5-week period. Sign the Earth Day Petition for Peace on Earth Through Peace With Earth and put to use the Earth Day Activity   THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY AND TEACH SELF-EVIDENT ATTRACTION EXPERIENCES IS THE NATURAL SYSTEMS THINKING PROCESS:   ORIENTATION COURSE: Psychological Elements of Global Citizenship The Science of Connecting With the Web of Life The Art of Thinking With Nature An exciting, inexpensive ($35) blend of shared, online activity, information and training with credit optional. Learn by doing. Become a practitioner anywhere. This is a free course if it meets your needs, a transferable prerequisite for additional courses, degrees and participation. The course is our best, most complete and useful way to help nature restore the good nature of humanity in contemporary society. It opens new vistas in academics, counseling, careers, spirit and wellness, vistas that recycle and purify destructive thinking. Optional Credit $42.00   READ AND TEACH THIS ANTIDOTE FOR APATHY Einstein's World: Natural Attractions, Intelligences and Sanity A non-fiction, metaphor, book and reading course. It helps you reverse nature disconnection disorders from your home. You can take it, teach it and be paid, too. Book $15.00, Course $20.00. Optional Credit $42.00   EXPLORE THE PROCESS FREE: Our Exploratory Course online enables you to sample the Natural Systems Thinking Process to learn, first hand, its thrust and benefits. INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL EDUCATION Special NGO consultant United Nations Economic and Social Council   PROJECT NATURECONNECT Readily available online tools for the health of person, planet and spirit P.O. Box 1605 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 360-378-6313 www.ecopsych.com APPLIED ECOPSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION The Natural Systems Thinking Process Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Director send email nature@interisland.net     Nature Connected Education and Counseling Courses and Degrees Online Too often we suffer and feel helpless because the deterioration of humanity and the environment hurts us and we are unaware of its cause. Research demonstrates that the stress arising from our extreme sensory separation from our nurturing origins in Nature underlies most of our unsolvable personal, social, and global problems. In a democracy, to reach our hopes and dreams the knowledge we discover must be accompanied by a readily available educational process that motivates and enables the public to apply the knowledge. With respect to our destructive disconnection from nature, the web page links, below, empower you to use and teach an effective rehabilitating process that will help you improve most settings and relationships. . Experience first hand the benefits of the process via our Orientation Course   RATIONALE  ORIENTATION DEGREES or CERTIFICATION COURSES RESULTS  ACTIVITIES FAQ WORKSHOPS ARTICLES  ECO-IQ TEST BOOKS INTERNSHIPS JOB/CAREER  EARTH DAY PEACE PLAN FREE COURSE WEBSITE HOME PAGE  VALIDATION NEWSLETTER DISCUSSION EARTH DAY PETITION LINKS . PLEASE NOTE: All links to http://www.pacificrim.net/~nature/-name-.html have been moved to http://www.ecopsych.com/-name-.html. If a pacificrim page link is not working, kindly change its domain address from pacificrim.net to ecopsych.com .   A GIFT FOR YOU Thank you for your interest in our program. As a gift from us for visiting this page you may build your own free website SELECT HERE     For previous pages use BACK or GO of your browser Please SCROLL UP to return to the top of this page. . . ... ...