A WALK THROUGH NATURE AS A SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

I consciously allow myself a set time to walk through nature.

I allow my thinking and judging capacity to have rest. I allow myself to be AWARE.

I befriend my capacity to SEE. ( hills, valleys, fields, sky, clouds, farmsteads ... )

I befriend my capacity to HEAR ( birds singing, sheep bleating, water flowing, cars
travelling, people speaking ... )

I befriend my capacity to SMELL ( the scent of flowers, the smells of farm animals,
of exhaust fumes, of fermenting leaves...)

I befriend my capacity to TOUCH ( stones, earth, the bark of fides ... )

I befriend my capacity to SENSE / TASTE ( the warmth of the fun, the wet rain,
the blowing of the wind, the cold of winter, the mild air of spring, the heat is
summer...)

I allow myself simply to be AWARE ... without evaluating or judging what I

perceive through my senses.

I allow myself to deepen THE PRACTICE OF AWARENESS by:

• Choosing one object (e.g. a tree, a flower, or running Water)/ and perceiving
it with alt my senses
• Focusing on one sense at a time (e.g. just seeing, just touching) and finding
joy in the activity of just hearing, tasting, smelling
• Listening to the gentlest sound, perceiving what lies most hidden.

When I finish I allow myself time to relax. I savour what has most touched me.

Where did my attention most easily rest?

Where did I find it difficult to dwell? What image has most spoken to me
about God?

How do I see myself relating to this experience?

What words of scripture or of something else that I have read come to

mind?

How do they speak to me?

What are my feelings? Do I feel joy, sadness, peace, anger ... ?

I conclude this exercise with a short prayer of thanksgiving.