Perception Exercise in Nature

Ich nähere mich dem, was mir nahe geht... 

  • I go outside into nature — into the forest, the garden, or onto a quiet street — even if the weather does not particularly invite me.

  • After a few minutes of walking, I slow down and begin to notice (sensing, hearing, seeing, smelling…).

  • I approach the place or object that draws me. There I pause.

  • I linger, take in, savor…

  • I notice whether something from God comes toward me in this experience…

  • When the moment has been fully tasted, I move on — open to what comes next.

  • When the time comes to an end, I turn back.

  • On the way home, I may tell God what lies on my heart.

  • Back home: How was it for me? What was important? I write down a thought or perception.

If you have tried the exercise once, you can deepen it in the following way:

  • Before going outside, choose a clear starting point. For example, set a timer for 20 minutes. This makes it clear: “I am practicing staying with my perception for 20 minutes.” It will then be easier to return to awareness when you get distracted.

  • Spüre beim Gehen bewusst den Boden unter deinen Füßen, den Wind auf deiner Haut, die Wärme der Sonne... Vom Deutlichen hin zum Leichten...

  • Höre bewusst auf die Geräusche, die dich umgeben. (Autos, das Zwitschern der Vögel, das Rauschen des Windes...) Vom Lauten hin zum Leisen...

  • Nimm Dinge in die Hand und betaste sie, z.B. einen Stein, die Rinde eines Baumes, einen Zweig. Vom Groben hin zum Feinen...

  • Look at what surrounds you as if for the first time. Notice details: a flower, a leaf, the colors and shapes that speak to you and resonate in your body.

  • Smell the air around you. If you like, smell trees or other things you might not normally bring close to your nose.

  • Wenn ich ins Grübeln komme, ins Analysieren (z.B. „Das ist eine Buche, das eine Eiche...), lasse ich die Gedanken ziehen und kehre in die Wahrnehmung zurück. Wenn Gefühle auftauchen, nehme ich diese kurz wahr, ohne sie zu werten, und kehre in die Wahrnehmung zurück.

I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
where I left them, asleep like cattle.

Then what is afraid of me comes
and lives a while in my sight.
What it fears in me leaves me,
and the fear of me leaves it.
It sings, and I hear its song.

Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
and the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.

After days of labor,
mute in my consternations,
I hear my song at last,
and I sing it. As we sing,
the day turns, the trees move.

Wendell Berry

“I go among trees and sit still.” from This Day: Collected and New Sabbath Poems 1979-2012. Copyright © 1979 by Wendell Berry.
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Counterpoint Press, counterpointpress.com.