When you seek solitude, peace and comfort in nature and pulled into its surroundings sometimes it might feel rejecting, uncomfortable and not what one would expect. It is easy to project our own dissatisfaction with experience onto trees, weather, ground and woods’ inhabitants even, such as insects or birds. We project even then just like one would do with people and relationships as when something feels uncomfortable it is often natural to direct it into something or someone else. This is an unconscious but a common reaction. However, when we stop and look at what is happening we will see that what is needed is simply staying with emotion in any given moment without throwing it at what is nearest to us. This can happen in nature this process of blaming and dissatisfaction and when this occurs it is a sign there is resistance to being with ourselves. What is it within us that we are afraid to look at? What is it we look to nature to soothe within us? Nature is there to reflect back to us what needs attention. It is there to heal, but also if anything feels particularly yukky it will focus your attention on that very thing and it will manifest in either your projecting out or quickly running back home.

Instead of seeking to escape and hiding I would invite you to stay with it, observe what happens to you in the moment of friction between something within you and something on outside. Observe, feel deep into it and sit with it for as long as needed. Nature will certainly facilitate that process for us with love and attention, with its holding energy of the Earth. Allow it, bleed it out and what better place to do it than amongst trees, birds’ song and stillness of the forest.