The intelligence of nature

I heard a wonderful radio interview recently with a woman who runs a large farm here in the UK. She was describing how she had taken the decision to stop traditional farming methods to cultivate part of her land and, instead, turn it over to nature.

Much to the consternation of her neighbours, the land became quickly overrun by thistles, which spread and spread. Just as she was seriously questioning her decision, and finding it hard not to intervene, the most amazing thing happened. She woke up one morning to see thousands of butterflies feeding off the thistles and doing their thing.

This so reminded me of the amazing intelligence of nature, and the capacity for something beautiful to be created out of nowhere.

Living from that same intelligence

So often I think we can see ourselves as not being part of that same intelligence, almost like nature is somehow separate from us. When in fact, I’ve come to see, the exact opposite.

That when we too are coming from our true nature, we can tap into that same innate capacity for intelligence or wisdom, which is in all of us. For me that manifests as that ‘knowing’ feeling, beyond the intellect, when something just comes to you, often out of the blue, which is just right for whatever situation or circumstance you’re living through.

But, so often we get in our own way in our impatience to speed things up, or desire to be in control or have certainty. And much like this woman who so nearly interfered in nature taking its course on her land, we interfere through overthinking, worrying, stressing or endlessly debating what we perceive as being an issue or problem.

So, my Friday nudge is if you’re experiencing any kind of struggle or situation that’s causing you stress (and let’s face it in a week off an election here in the UK, I know a fair few people who have concerns …) then just stop for a moment and let your mind settle down. Turn over your thinking to your innate intelligence, and in that quieter space, see what new insights occur.

In my experience, we are naturally designed for new insight, and when we look more in the direction of our true nature and the unknown, versus what we already know and our intellect, much like those butterflies, amazing things come about.

Have a lovely weekend.

PS I’ve written a short book with some big insights into how we can live more from this intelligence. I’ll be launching a virtual book club to share it in the New Year! So if kicking off a new decade free of busyness and stress sounds good, then look out for more info to follow!