How pleasure can save the planet

When I burned out several years ago, I gained a lot of perspectives on the way society is set up to disconnect us from our bodies and precious animal selves. Later, my herbalism training taught me a lot about how the rhythms and cycles of nature can help us heal and harness our own energy. Most recently, my coach training has given me a ton of amazing tools to help people live intentionally and make their life what they want it to be.

While I was in training for herbalism and coaching, I began to see so many points of overlap. I realized that I could marry these two modalities to help people in a truly holistic way to have more energy, feel more peace, make meaningful change in their lives, and be more fulfilled.

At the same time I, like so many others, have been wanting to do more about climate change. Studying herbs cracked my connection to nature wide open and led me to develop a very deep relationship with Mother Nature and the incredible ways she helps us heal and thrive. Tuning into her cycles and rhythms, and those rhythms within myself, helped me get my life back. It helped me get myself back.

I started to think, what if everyone had this connection to nature? What if people in positions of influence made decisions based on a deep love of nature, rather than the idea that nature is separate from humans (and therefore can be either ignored or destroyed). We are nature. We are animals. We need oxygen and clean water and food grown in soil with nutrients and microbes. And obviously we as a species have a pretty enormous impact on the environment.

It started to seem like the missing piece in the “fight” to solve climate change was love. A deep love of nature. Our current conversation about climate change is so much about sacrifice and battles. But people are more motivated by pleasure and love than sacrifice, even for a good cause. When we love things, we can’t abide their abuse and destruction. When you’re in battle, destruction is inevitable.

And how lucky, then, that we don’t have to sacrifice anything in order to tap into that love. All we have to do is remember. Loving and feeling deeply connected to nature is in our DNA. It is integral to who we are as a species. There is a reason why being in natural settings is good for our health, lowers stress, lifts mood, and improves cognition. It gives us pleasure and makes us happy. It just feels good.

Think back to the last time you were in nature. How did you feel? Calmer? Happier? More at peace? Most of us feel this way. And the reason is that the natural world is where we belong. That is where we thrive.

Am I calling for us to give up our current lives and become hunter-gatherers? No. (Though if you are called to do that, you’re awesome and more power to you.) If you’re like me, you like some central air and Netflix. Again, we are not going to solve climate change and build a new paradigm by scaring people into giving up all modern conveniences. But you just might by tapping into our innate love of nature.

So we need ways to bridge the world of nature and the world of humans, to help humans reconnect with the sacredness of the Earth that gives us everything, while still living normal lives.

This is the direction I am taking my business: Helping people reconnect with nature, to improve their lives and save the planet. If this speaks to you, I would love you to join me.

Much love,

Caitlin