Skyclad, naked, nude, in the buff, starkers all words that we use in the UK to describe what to me is a natural state.

This morning I was featured in the Guardian newspaper and the first photo to introduce the article was this.

It was taken in the woods above my house and as you can see it was the most wonderful Autumn day. So you may ask why was I naked? The motivation was to attempt to show how I am just part of the matrix that makes up this wonderful world.

So this raises the question, do you have to be naked to connect or to be a druid? The answer is an unequivocal NO.

Nakedness is how I connect.

To try to explain the difference I need to resort to analogy; that is of wearing glasses. When I’m out walking, clothed and wearing shoes then its as though I have forgotten to wear my spectacles, everthing is out of focus and blurry. But if I am naked then the opposite is true, sense impressions swamp me and the world comes into sharp focus. This is a huge oversimplification but the best I can do to try to convey my experience. There is a term for this, its called opening the gates of perception. If you want to read more about this then this link will take you to a book that covers the concept in detail. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plant-Intelligence-Imaginal-Realm-Perception/dp/1591431352?asin=1591431352&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1

So what stops us being naked in appropriate situations? Clearly there are times when nudity is not an option but there are other times when it is perfectly reasonable. I was speaking to a friend a week or so back and she confided that she had never bathed without a costume, but I could sense that there was something in her that actually was attracted to the idea. So what stops us?

Society places so many restrictions on the way we respond and with nudity there’s the sexual element. So much is now made of this aspect it is seen as immoral, naughty, shameful and then other is the expectation that we meet some sort of arbitary aesthetic. When in truth we are just expressing ourselves as part of the natural world.

This tree, just up the hill from my house, fell over possibly a hundred years ago and continued to grow into the form we see here. It in no way conforms to the ideal picture of an oak tree and yet when you are in its presence you cannot help but be in awe of its majesty and beauty.

This is just another nature picture, nature lying back into nature. Its really as simple as that.

Today I was asked; is there a way to connect with nature without running around starkers in the woods or plunging into icy scottish burns? Of course there is, what works and is appropriate for me will not suit most people reading this.

We are warm blooded mammals and always try to retain what is called homeostasis, we want to be constantly comfortable. But how about taking off your shoes and socks on a cold day and spending a while wandering around on soft muddy soil barefoot. Your initial impression is likely to be aversion but just relax with it, you’ll soon start connecting to nature. The other less obvious way is to go out without a coat on a cold or even possibly rainy day. The mind will say Noooooo, but do it anyway, be open and see what happens. Maybe you’ll simply end up cold, wet and muddy, but persevere.

I’ve been on this journey to “Meet Nature on Nature’s Terms” for seven years now. Its not a quick one, so settle in for the long term and enjoy the ride.