14 NATURE-BASED EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY
or high arctic snow, old growth tree or delicate flower petal, we
receive these shapes—with a deep bow—as gifts from the more than
human powers. Only then do we bring the playfulness of nature
forward, adding our little piece of inspiration and ingenuity, watered
by our emotions. It should not come as a surprise that aligning
our imagination with the imagination of the world can bring deep
healing to a dis-eased human and that bringing our thanks, offerings
and creative genius in a respectful way may bring healing to diseased
nature. This is the emerging logic of the twenty-first century, just as
it has been the dominant logic in most of humanity’s long history.
Nature-based expressive arts—as described in this brilliant book
by my dear friends Sally and Melia—aren’t just good for our clients.
If done in a mutually respectful way, they are ultimately good for
the Earth too. Our current environmental crises aren’t just out there.
They’re equally a crisis of mind, emotion and imagination. Our
Western cultural neurosis has dominated for a couple of centuries,
mostly a short bleep in the deep Earth time. As suggested in this
book, by realigning ourselves in a sensitive way to the shapes
and expressive forms of more than human nature, we unlearn our
destructive dualistic habits. Moreover, we relearn in a practical way
to align with the presence and processes of the Earth itself. Through
this work both humans and nature may find some healing from our
current afflictions.
The only way to play with the powder power on skis is to trust
the snow to help in making the bends, to risk losing balance, to
risk falling at high speed and to allow the snow to bend, hold and
raise us up in time for the next bend. Likewise, Sally and Melia
encourage us to trust the materials of nature, wherever and whatever
we find, to help shape the curves and movements of a mutually
informed dance of expression. When our bodies let go and yield to
the unique characteristics of the materials, the heaviness of stones, the
stiffness of wood, the softness of snow, we are raised up to meet
the challenges of our time. The resistance and counter-balancing that
nature’s materials offer invite surprise in our work with human and