Out of the woods we came, and to the woods we must return, at frequent intervals, if we are to redeem ourselves from the vanities of civilization.
- Paul Jamison, Preface, The Adirondack Reader, 2^nd Edition, 1994.

In the remote heart of the forests of the Town of Saranac, in the hills rising from the Saranac River valley to Lyon Mountain, just inside the northern edge of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, the Saranac New Land Trust (NLT) consists of something far more than a land conservation project.

NLT is a 501c not-for-profit corporation run by local naturalists working hard to make NLT’s 280-acre forest available and highly accessible to the public for educational, recreational, and soulful enrichment. This membership-based organization is enjoying a revival of interest and participation as it undergoes shifts from its 1978 founders’ efforts to those of “new blood,” including those “young” friends who introduced me to it, Stuart and Jennifer Douglas (Hyland Design). “Young,” I say, only because they are about half my age, but wise beyond their years in endearing ways.

These ambassadors of NLT raised my awareness not merely through modern forms of pamphleteering, not just through email or phone calls or referrals to their web site, not just through gab and hype. They put their boots to the ground and helped arrange, publicize and host a free and open-to-the-public event similar to a favorite Balsamean activity: a Full Moon Bonfire Gathering, on December 13, 2008.

NLT is people, not just land. Yep, seriously: of the people, by the people, for the people; that is, for the underlying purpose of enriching the relationships between “the people” and “the land,” which should be inseparably integral to each other’s lives.

NLT seeks new members to help sustain the organization and move it into a more active role in the community. Recent developments include a new board of directors, extensive improvements to the network of trails, including mapping and signage, a web site overhaul, newsletters, property access and building improvements. They expect to offer programs and projects for community groups and individuals interested in shared participation in the cultivation of this expansive community forest resource. As with any member-based outfit, your participation is needed to help advance community interests in eco-centric, sustainable co-existence with Nature, with the great advantage of existing and evolving NLT resources. Or, just enjoy the use of a forest free of molestation by “the vanities of civilization.”

Watch the NLT web site for new information, activity and event announcements, newsletters, and membership opportunities: www.newlandtrust.org.

The Saranac New Land Trust is certified Balsamea-compatible! So says:

- The Balsamean

And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.
– William Shakespeare, in As You Like It

The groves were God’s first temples.
– William Cullen Bryant, in A Forest Hymn

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There is no book like that written into the heart by the voice of the forest. Human nature, if allowed, can be the tablet on which the forest writes her instructions, songs, and inspirations.

Aranyaka is a Sanskrit term referring to trees, forest or wilderness (ara, aran, aranya) and scripture. It can be loosely translated “The Wilderness Books.” It may also connote forest monks or their writings. The Aranyaka is part of the ancient Hindu texts contained in the Vedas. The Princeton University lexical database WordNet defines it as “a treatise resembling a Brahmana but to be read or expounded by anchorites in the quiet of the forest.” For more information, see the Wikipedia article about the Aranyaka. There is also a Hindu scripture known as the Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (“great forest book”), regarded as one of the oldest texts of the Upanishads.

(For more about the Aranyaka, see this search listing at sacred-texts.com, or go to www.sacred-texts.com and click on Search.)

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Did you ever come upon a place and felt that there was “something special” about it, but you could not say specifically why you felt that way?

This is how the owner of Balsamea Forest Refuge felt about a certain stretch of land many times while driving by it. After about two years of being only generally familiar with it as viewed from the road, an opportunity arose to purchase a piece of that land. That piece is now called Balsamea, or Balsamea Forest Refuge.

What does this have to do with Aranyaka? Actually, nothing, except in our imaginative pleasure with finding words for what we feel at Balsamea. We chose the name “Aranyaka” as a way to refer to the spiritual enrichment of communing with the forest. More specifically, it is the name we gave to a special location within the Balsamea Forest Refuge, located in the heart of its denser balsam fir and spruce stand, at the feet of three giant pines (two white and one red) that are among the oldest on the property. We are slowly, carefully developing that spot into something like a natural chapel, as a hub of special refuge, with trails extending out from it in four directions. It is just one of those spots in the forest that somehow “speaks to you,” if you happen to be someone susceptible to hearing its particular voice.

Because they are primeval, because they outlive us, because they are fixed, trees seem to emanate a sense of permanence. And though rooted in earth, they seem to touch the sky. For these reasons it is natural to feel we might learn wisdom from them, to haunt about them with the idea that if we could only read their silent riddle rightly we should learn some secret vital to our own lives; or even, more specifically, some secret vital to our real, our lasting and spiritual existence.
– Kim Taplin, Tongues in Trees, 1989, p. 14.

One day after meditating on the pine needle laden floor of this special three-pine Aranyaka natural chapel, the Balsamean took a notion to remove some trees to make space for sharing it with friends. He walked slowly amidst the open spaces under the three great pines, carefully considering which to cut down of the smaller trees growing densely around the perimeter, and how they might be used to make things for the Aranyaka natural chapel, or just stacked as firewood.

For an unknown reason he looked up into a tree as he stood thinking on the east side of the three-pine Aranyaka chapel site. He found a small owl quietly watching him from a balsam fir branch only about two feet above his head. They studied each other intently until the Balsamean slowly stepped away. The owl did not move.

“Okay,” said the Balsamean, “I will not cut down your trees.”

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In the sense that aranya means “belonging to the wilderness” or forest, we enjoy the feeling of belonging, of being truly “home,” of being solidly grounded and safe in the forest, among friends, even while “alone” in terms of having any human company. Our reverent feelings for the forest make us never lonely there.

We don’t quite think of the forest, our aranya, as something to worship, but as a community of peaceful fellowship with the nature of things as they are. Although we do not institutionalize this sense of reverence in any specifically religious way (though friends among us may, and can if they wish), for all Friends of Balsamea the forest — at Balsamea and everywhere — does involve some degree of recognition of Nature as sacred.

Balsamea is our Aranyaka because we find written in its nature, and arising from our immersion in that nature, a kind of “scripture” or “writing” or teaching. It is the ineffable soul of Nature inspiring the souls, hearts and minds of people.

Lead Us From the Unreal To Real,
Lead Us From Darkness To Light,
Lead Us From Death To Immortality,
Aum (the universal sound)
Let There Be Peace Peace Peace.

- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.

Immortality? Is there such a thing? We don’t know, and don’t really concern ourselves with it. We know only that through immersion in the natural Aranyaka, breathed continually in and out by the forest, we enjoy a sense of the interconnectedness, the “interbeing” of everything, and the continuity of life streaming from long before us, through our present moment, into whatever comes next, not as separate times but as a continuum solidly grounded in the earth.

What we write at Balsamea is our Aranyaka, our forest-inspired book. Thus, we arrive at the name of this blog, Balsamea Aranyaka.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the ages can.
– William Wordsworth, The Tables Turned

By the way, when contemplating names for this felt-sense of harmony with the forest, we also contemplated a concatenation of two German words, Kiefer (pine tree) and Zuflukt (refuge), for the term “Kieferzuflukt.” We just like the sound of the word! Some day we may use it to designate another special spot in the forest, perhaps one to be known for a spirit or sense of playfulness.

- The Balsamean

… the refuge …

April 23, 2008, revised May 5, 2008.

This is a preliminary statement of how and why we regard and use Balsamea Forest Refuge (BFR) as a REFUGE. Over time, we will expand on this topic with information and essays, and welcome your participation.

A Nature and Wildlife Refuge …

BFR is certified wildlife habitat under the auspices of the National Wildlife Federation. In keeping with NWF’s conservation principles and other environmental concerns we support, we do all we reasonably can to protect and conserve flora and fauna. We avoid unnecessary killing or damage to any species or its habitat, prohibit hunting and trapping wildlife, restore damaged or spoiled habitat, conserve energy and water, and avoid chemicals, substances and activities harmful to the environment. All development of the BFR property for things like trails and campsites, and disposal of human wastes, must be done in a responsibly low-impact manner that protects and conserves the natural habitat. Thus, BFR is a refuge for nature and wildlife.

We strongly believe that this makes BFR an ideal refuge for human beings, too. BFR is a place where people can gently open themselves to the restorative, invigorating, and rejuvenating influences of Nature, helping us to be all we can be as earthlings. Of course, our Balsamea is not the only place people can do this. We hope this blog encourages you to find or create your own refuge in Nature, and to share the experience with us, if only as a “remote” friend of Balsamea.

Our Ecopsychology, with Nature as Refuge for Mind, Body and Soul …

We are not affiliated or allied with a specific religious orientation or dogma, but we respect the eco-centric ways of aboriginal peoples, and we make use of the buddhistic concept of “taking refuge.”

In Buddhism, taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha is a process of affirmation of one’s commitment to an understanding of reality and a way of life harmonious with that reality. The Buddha is the awakened or enlightened consciousness. The Dharma is the practical and conceptual teaching, or “the way.” The Sangha is the community of practitioners of the way.

Our concept of taking refuge in Nature is somewhat similar, where our notion of awakened or enlightened consciousness relies upon communion with Nature as a primary cause or source of such awareness, combined with the special faculties of human intellect and insight as it comes under the influence of Nature.

Our dharma is what we can learn, sense, and realize from direct experience of Nature, how we develop practices and ways of living in harmony with Nature, and what we learn from others about it. Nature teaches us to be enlightened humans in subtle ways that transcend cognition, too. Its influence exists regardless of whether we realize it, recognize it, understand it, or even think about it.

Sometimes it is better not to think at all about it, but to simply experience it, be with it, and let it be with you, in non-destructive, tolerantly accepting ways. This is akin to meditative processes, and we encourage meditative practices within periods of taking refuge in Nature.

Our sangha is not only other people pursuing such understandings and practices, but also the community of all species and things in Nature. This includes rocks and soil, animals and insects, plants and trees, air, water and fire, everything in the sky, and all states and phases of things. It includes the varieties of weather and seasonal climate — from dry, hot sunlight to darkly overcast skies. It includes soft wind and fierce gale, all forms of precipitation and their accumulations, and all hours of the day from dawn to dusk, and from bright noon to dark, silent midnight. It includes moonlight and starlight as much as daylight, and the pitch black of the darkest night.

In this sense of Nature as Sangha, we regard everything in Nature as much like family or brethren, cousins, brothers, sisters, ancestors and even children. When we plant, prune or cultivate something, it can be regarded as something like our own offspring, the offspring or outcome of our investments and our intercourse with Nature. We arose from the natural environment, upon which we depend for survival, making us children of Nature, too. In cultivating our natural environment to protect and conserve it, and our relationship with it, and in learning from it, we cultivate ourselves.

Immersion in the natural environment for extended periods, involving minimal use of unnecessary human inventions, or what we like to call “living close to the ground,” naturally evokes and inspires the best of humanity. We believe that there is a scientific basis for this, a natural process that automatically occurs within our human bio-psycho-social nature as it is immersed in wild nature, especially when done frequently for prolonged periods.

Nature therapy, wilderness therapy, and outdoor recreational therapy are recognized modalities for treatment of a variety of human troubles, with a number of colleges now offering related degree programs. Why use Nature only to treat or manage dysfunction or disease? Why not let it nurture us, aid and protect us from the imbalances caused by life too far separated from Nature? The dualistic notion that there are TWO natures, one “natural” and one “human” is unnatural, even for humans.

The experience of Nature immersion is good for body and mind in numerous ways. It also carries psychological and emotional benefits. Many people feel what they understandably regard as spiritual grounding or uplifting through immersion in experiences of Nature. Nature inspires epiphany for some people.

Recognizing the natural value of wild nature to human nature, we believe that disconnection from Nature, living continually in “boxes” (houses) and vehicles, using artificial light and shade, heating and cooling, cutting ourselves off from Nature, diminishes our truest and best humanity. Conversely, frequent and repeated immersion in the natural environment energizes and inspires us to be all we can be, to be the best of what we were naturally born to be. It makes us more truly and genuinely human.

Our innate attraction and identity with Nature has been dubbed “biophilia,” most notably by Pulitzer winning Harvard University science professor Edward O. Wilson. Wilson defines biophilia as “the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes.” He asserts that “to the degree that we come to understand other organisms, we will place greater value on them, and on ourselves.”[1]

There is growing evidence that we rely on our natural biophilic tendency for health in mind and body. Increasing separation from Nature alienates us from an aspect of ourselves that is a formative root of our own nature, a uniquely human problem. We depend on natural systems to orient and regulate our human nature. Alienation from Nature may be a significant cause of an increasingly disoriented and imbalanced regulation of our own being. Wilson explains, “For more than 99 percent of human history people have lived in hunter-gatherer bands totally and initmately involved wiith other organisms … the brain evolved in a biocentric world, not a machine-regulated world.”[2]

With a brain and a nature evolved in a biocentric world, what will become of it in a lifestyle and culture disassociated or detached from Nature? Absent frequent and prolonged intimacy with Nature, we may be losing critical faculties of being human, not only as an evolutionary development over generations, but within our individual lifetimes.

The solution is a natural process, requiring nothing special of us except to open ourselves to the influences of Nature, preferably by extended periods of immersion, to the degree you are able just as you are, easing yourself into Nature as you might ease into a soothing hot bath for its positive influences.

Sometimes there are challenges involved, especially with things unfamiliar to us because of our disconnectedness with Nature. These challenges, pursued cautiously with respect, are part of an awakening, enlightening, and healthfully restorative or uplifting process.

Taking refuge in Nature, we need no allegiance to cultic dogma or doctrinal orientations, no guru or master to tell us how to let Nature minister to us. We need only a positive, open-minded, healthy respect for the concepts mentioned here and willingness to experiment responsibly with them, both solo and in small groups. There is a value to the “group dynamic,” sharing our experiences, their effects, and our insights about them.

Mother Nature and our shared experience of Her are our teachers. Life is its own guru, living in its own diverse ways within each of us as individuals, in all of us as a community of people with related interests and mutual respect, and in all that surrounds us and inspires us along the lines discussed here.

In our idea of taking refuge in Nature, just as diversity exists in harmony in Nature, we embrace racial, ethnic, cultural and spiritual diversity. We shun patriarchalism and misogyny, holding the female spirit in the highest regard, by no means anything less than the male, recognizing the interdependence of degrees of the “yin and yang” within and between all. Likewise, we respect the value in community of both young and old and all between.

We also recognize that there are limiting kinds of subconscious or unconscious conditioning infused into people by their particular cultural and social background, experience, education and degrees of awareness or ignorance, understanding that nobody is perfect in their grasp of high and noble ideals. We believe that taking refuge in nature, alone and in groups, helps to foster insight, understanding, and peaceful ways in human relationships, but this is a lifelong process of maturation and development. Thus, we encourage tolerance and patience with others, just as we must with Nature’s sometimes-difficult or challenging ways. The shared human effort of engaging Nature’s challenges together can inspire and encourage human interpersonal harmony and respect, when pursued in a generally kindred spirit.

As we said at the outset here, this is only a preliminary summary of what we mean by an “ecopsychology” involving “taking refuge” in Nature. Visit this website again for information and essays expanding on these concepts in the future. We welcome contributions, too. See our Aranyaka Yahoo! Group for online participation and discussion, or post comments here in our blog. Or, email us at aranyaka-owner@yahoogroups.com. Please allow three weeks for a reply, as we are often out there in the woods, off the grid and the electronic web! We are not “anti-technology,” but currently there are limited means of access to it at Balsamea. We like it that way!

- The Balsamean

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[1] – Scott McVay quoting Wilson in Prelude: “A Siames Connexion with a Plurality of Other Mortals,” foreword to the book, The Biophilia Hypothesis, by Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson; Island Press, 1993; pp 4-5.

[2] – Edward O. Wilson, The Biophilia Hypothesis, p. 32.