Asking Nature to Heal Me

Tonight I asked for the support of every leaf, ever tree, every blade of grass, every insect.

Over the next month, I am sharing drawings from my book, I AM ALIVE - Creating Resilience and Healing Trauma Through Art. This drawing was a plea to Mother Nature to support me in my healing.

Today is day 1 of 21 days.

As a child, I remember the awe I would feel when I observed the natural world reflected within a dew drop on a leaf. This was a profound experience of interconnectedness, an understanding I had always felt intuitively, growing up. When I was with Nature, I felt the presence of the Divine in everything.

As a teenager, when I learnt that the Australian Aboriginal culture saw the earth as Mother, it completely resonated with me. Then, when I went to do my post grad studies in Kyoto, Japan I would often skip classes and cycle to the temples where a particular festival was taking place. Here, I saw the exquisite worship of Nature through Shinto and Zen Buddhist ritual. My intuitive experience of Nature as sacred was reflected in these rituals. Although culturally, it was a very foreign land, my soul understood deeply. Although it looked nothing like home, my soul felt at home in a land which worshipped nature.

In 2005, I found another “home” in South India, a place where Narayani, Mother Nature is worshipped. From the rooftop of the guest house, I could also see the Kailash Giri Hills, a sacred mountain range where sages (also known as Siddhars) have meditated and prayed for centuries. I would gaze at the Kailash Giri Hills and I knew I had arrived to my spiritual home.

Fast forward 5 years, I was in the process of my recovery of radiation treatment, surgically induced menopause, depression and PTSD. I was now living in the very same guest house and had installed a hammock on its rooftop where I could see the sacred Kailash Giri hills.

One afternoon, I was feeling particularly down and I prayed to Narayani / Mother Nature, asking for support. I was very specific in my request as I wanted support from every aspect of Nature around me: I asked every leaf, every tree, every blade of grass to support my recovery. I soaked up the sensation of Narayani / Mother Nature holding me and bringing life to this body that was feeling so heavy and stuck in trauma and depression. Later that night, I got out my pastels and created the above drawing.