{"id":8153,"date":"2013-06-01T01:10:49","date_gmt":"2013-06-01T06:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=8437"},"modified":"2013-05-29T23:05:22","modified_gmt":"2013-05-30T04:05:22","slug":"connecting-with-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2013\/06\/01\/connecting-with-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting with Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring Renewal<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After the long winter months, the quiet has finally lifted. Nature has woke and with it a fury of activity. Branches become lush with new leaves, the birds sing for a mate, flowers spring up from the earth and the insects are buzzing. It\u2019s a time for the emergence of animals from hibernation and the birth of new ones. The lengthening days of spring stimulate growth hormones in many animals. In male deer these hormones stimulate the growth of antlers in the spring and early summer. This is the time of year where everything is fresh and new again. Where we can release that which is weighing us down and begin anew.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Warm sunny days are broken up by periods of refreshing rain. Rain is essential for new growth and provides a sense of cleansing the earth after winter. Rain carries nutrients through the soil to the plants where they use them as food for new growth. As the rain drips through the canopy of trees, it runs down the stems to pick up and carry with it even more nutrients. Nutrients are deposited on stems and leaves as dust. The rain picks up the nutrients and transports them to the ground where they can be absorbed by the plants. This rainfall is richer in nutrients than rain falling in the open. We know that soon the rain will subside, giving way to the heat of summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As spring soon blends into summer we enjoy longer days and increasing temperatures. The warm sun on my skin is invigorating and I can breathe easier. After being indoors for months to escape the cold and sometimes harsh weather of winter, I seek to renew and strengthen my connection with nature. Now is the time to tend to the yard, plants flowers, hike, camp and spend whatever time we can outdoors. For me, being in nature, away from the bustle of town, allows me to escape the chaos of everyday life. On a trail with no one else around and all you can hear are the birds and the trickle of a creek nearby. I can quiet my mind, think clearer and feel at peace. No matter what\u2019s going on in the outside world, here, in this sanctuary, everything will be okay.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar.” ~Helen Hayes<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring Renewal   After the long winter months, the quiet has finally lifted. Nature has woke and with it a fury of activity. Branches become lush with new leaves, the birds sing for a mate, flowers spring up from the earth and the insects are buzzing. It\u2019s a time for the emergence of animals from hibernation and the birth of new ones. The lengthening days of spring stimulate growth hormones in many animals. In male deer these hormones stimulate the growth of antlers in the spring and early summer. This is the time of year where everything is fresh and new again. Where we can release that which is weighing us down and begin anew.     Warm sunny days are broken up by periods of refreshing rain. Rain is essential for new growth and provides a sense of cleansing the earth after winter. Rain carries nutrients through the soil to the plants where they use them as food for new growth. As the rain drips through the canopy of trees, it runs down the stems to pick up and carry with it even more nutrients. Nutrients are deposited on stems and leaves as dust. The rain picks up the nutrients and transports them to the ground where they can be absorbed by the plants. This rainfall is richer in nutrients than rain falling in the open. We know that soon the rain will subside, giving way to the heat of summer.     As spring soon blends into summer we enjoy longer days and increasing temperatures. The warm sun on my skin is invigorating and I can breathe easier. After being indoors for months to escape the cold and sometimes harsh weather of winter, I seek to renew and strengthen my connection with nature. Now is the time to tend to the yard, plants flowers, hike, camp and spend whatever time we can outdoors. For me, being in nature, away from the bustle of town, allows me to escape the chaos of everyday life. On a trail with no one else around and all you can hear are the birds and the trickle of a creek nearby. I can quiet my mind, think clearer and feel at peace. No matter what\u2019s going on in the outside world, here, in this sanctuary, everything will be okay.       “All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar.” ~Helen Hayes        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8153\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}