Most of this article has been translated from the Dutch book “Aardevrouwen Spreken” (Earthwomen Speak) in which 13 women speak about how they see the world and what they are doing to change it for the better. www.a3boeken.nl

You’re a Natural

If you are one of the many people who feel inadequate, not good enough, that you do not belong, or you are simply depressed. I may have good news for you: it is not you! Have you ever considered that you are a natural being living in an unnatural society, which can make demands on you that are simply not achievable. Or if they are achievable, they can be extremely testing and exhausting. It is like trying to be a triangle when you are a circle or trying to be a cat when you are a dog. You get what I am saying: we are not created to try and fit in a box. We have a beautiful earth we live on, where we can just be ourselves. So, let me say this to you:

You are a Natural!

You are perfect and there is nothing wrong with you.

It is the society you live in that is not suitable for us earth beings. We have lost our connection to nature, to Mother Earth who has given us life and to whom we will return after we die. It matters how we live our lives in between and it should be with a feeling of fulfilment and purpose that we make a difference. It should be with love, peace and harmony; these are not just hippy words, these are our natural states of being. What happened to us?

“For a long time, I have been trying to survive the battle between doing what I feel is natural to me and doing what is asked from me by the values and demands of our society, which feels more like an obligation. I know I am not the only one who wages this war and it is a sign of these times as transformation from the old to the new has begun. “ Manon

Fake Freedom

They say that we live in a free country, but in reality, we are caged by obligations and the system that rules us. This system requires us to pay rent or mortgage, get insurances, work 8 hours a day, pay for gas, electricity and water, to pay for health insurance, education, taxes and much more. In the meantime, all the organisations you have to deal with, government or non-government, expect you to know all their rules and regulations. But if at any time and for whatever reason you cannot meet these obligations, payments or whatever is asked of you, you are immediately treated as a outlaw. You will not be judged by human values, but by economical and financial rules and regulations, most of them being used in a very cold and sterile way. You are dictated to by a government who tells you how to live and by your employer who tells you how to work. Politics, companies, municipal organisations and the media: each of them stuck in their own system. Even if your intentions are well meant, you will still be forced to play by the rules of the system and lose sight of your original goals.

Not connected

Don’t get me wrong: I am grateful to live in a country where it is safe, where I have enough to eat and where I can live comfortably. We are better off here than in most countries of the world. However, what we need now is a more natural way of living, so you can have the opportunity to do on this planet what you came for: to use your unique talents and gifts. But also, to feel connected, instead of living on an island as we seem to be doing now. I think a lot of people are very lonely even if they are married and have a family: we are all trying to survive. I have been a single mother for years and my talents are in areas in which little money can be made and if it was up to me I would do my work for free. Not very professional some might say, but in a natural world this would be quite normal. My talents are in creativity, expression, soul coaching, spirituality and personal development. I am not a nine to five type of person, I like to have the freedom to be creative and manifest certain things that make me happy. Yet I have been obligated to do ‘regular’ work in business environments which suppressed my life energy. However, I have made a change as I decided that this was just not working for me. I now live and work in Glastonbury (UK) doing something I like doing: organising Sacred Tours and Events and interacting with likeminded people. I am working hard, but it is different because I love what I am doing. It suits me better and is more in line with my natural self.

The world of the Sun and the Moon

I have been living in two worlds most of my life: the material world, the sun world, and the world of the unseen, the magical and intuition, the moon world. The first world is a society created based around economy and money. But the second one, the moon world is where my real interest lies. I have always been fascinated by the unexplained influences in our lives and how we can use our intuition to see them. There is so much more that we can do – an inner power that is not taken seriously by the modern logical thinking man. Our paranormal powers are actually very natural to us, but we have never learned how to use them, and they are mostly considered to be scary and not real, although this is changing slightly. However, there is a growing number of people getting more interested in spirituality and they are getting into meditation, yoga and basically are trying to find themselves. I feel that we are over the high point of the material curve: it does not seem to work for us anymore and it probably never did. People are realising that there is more out there, and they go on a quest to find something that makes their heart sing.

Cultural Creatives

There was a study in the USA that showed that the number of people living a more conscious life is growing rapidly and they will in due time influence the political agenda. They are called Cultural Creatives and the researchers, Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson wrote down their findings in a book titled: “Cultural Creatives, how 50 million people are changing the world”. They are talking about a silent revolution which is happening not only in the USA, but also in the rest of the world. It is a social movement for which the environment, sustainability and wellbeing has become more important than money, ambition or status. The change is coming and hopefully we will create a society with more loving care for each other and the Earth.

From old to new

Personally, I feel that this is a time of an increasing awareness of what is good for us and good for the Earth. More and more people are living a more conscious life and we are on our way to a better world with more understanding and peace. Even though it may not seem so, especially if you read the newspapers, I am very positive about the changes that are coming. Good initiatives are being developed to create a better world, gatherings are organised to bring people together for good causes and more emphasis is being put on ecology, permaculture as well as other sustainable projects. This new awareness is asking us to free ourselves from old values and paradigms that are no longer working for us, to get out of the box thinking and out of trying to regulate everything. This is the time of Aquarius, a time of spiritual awakening, of peace and freedom, of justice, creativity and enlightenment. It has already started: the Arab protests, the coming to light of scandals, the collapse of the financial market and more which makes us realise we have been living an illusion. Politics is trying to solve the problems with old solutions and thinks this is just a temporary crisis, but most of us who are more aware of the greater picture know that this is the end of a world we once created, and which is no longer serving us or the Earth. While political parties and big companies are trying desperately to keep things together, groups of people are working on new and more sustainable ways of living together. They are the pioneers of the new time and are the undercurrent which will change everything in due time. A new and an old world will exist next to each other and it is up to each of us personally which choice you make.

Natural Society

New is a more natural society, where the emphasis is on connection, working together, creating from freedom and to unconditional accept each other. The human race has not been created to battle each other or to be in competition with one another: the human being is naturally a co-operative being. This was the conclusion of science journalist and writer Lynne McTaggart in her book: “The Bond”, after having talked to and interviewed scientists in the social field. In her previous book “The Field” she describes how we are all connected in a field of energy and that if we are conscious of this we can use this field to positively influence things in our lives. This was already known to ancient tribes and is the fundamental bases for nature traditions like shamanism.

We are so much more than just physical beings and by being aware of this we can live our potential and create a better world. I have realised that I can work actively in making this happen by focusing on positive things and not be consumed by negative thoughts. But we need trust to do this, now more than ever we need to learn to trust the universe and start relying less on the (false) securities of a money-oriented society. It is the greatest challenge ever.

Tips for Natural Living:

Be your natural self and if you have forgotten find out who that is. Step out of what is being asked of you and instead look at what you would like to do yourself. If there was total freedom how would you live your life? What brings out the sparkles in your eyes? What is your goal in life? These questions are important to get an answer to as they make you more aware of who your natural self is. The more you are living it, the better you will be in balance and you will not need to find the answers outside yourself anymore. It is quite liberating.

Natural food: are you aware of what you are eating and drinking – in other words what you are bringing into your system? Body and spirit are connected, and so unhealthy eating patterns can influence not only your physical being but also your mental state. Body and mind need certain vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and in balance. They can be found in foods that have hardly been processes or added with all kinds of chemicals, which unfortunately we find in most supermarkets. These products which represent at least 80% of what is being offered in a supermarket lack life energy – they are energetically dead and filled with chemicals that can endanger your health. I believe that our unhealthy and unnatural eating habits cause many of the cancers people get.

Books and studies have been done about it, so I do not go into this now: it is simply common sense if you just are aware of it. If you want to take good care of yourself: be aware of what you buy and eat. The same goes for our mental food: keep it pure and positive. Negative thinking causes a lot of depression, it is ok to have a negative thought just do not act on it. The American writer Byron Katie has developed a beautiful and simple method to turn around negative thoughts and beliefs. And she is living it herself as I experienced when I interviewed her once. She is totally in the moment and in unconditional acceptance of everyone and everything. I believe this is our ultimate challenge now: to be in the moment with trust.

Natural Environment: a calm mind is benefits from a peaceful environment: extreme noise, negative people, air pollution or other kind of pollution and not feeling safe are factors that make it very difficult to be and stay in balance, especially when you are a high sensitive person.

Nature is the perfect place to find this peace, but not everybody can live there. If you live in a city, try to find a little natural place where you can find that peace and quiet to charge your batteries. Create a meditative place in your own house or garden where you can spend time each day to just be. If you are working in a busy office, try to take at least 5 to 10 minutes a day to give some attention to your breathing.

Breathing can help with reducing stress – the foundation The Art of Living gives an excellent workshop on this if you want to learn some techniques that can help you relax. And last but not least: make a list of people in you direct environment who you interact with on a regular basis and be aware if they are taking energy out of you. If you can, this can sound harsh, try to avoid them and if you cannot have a good conversation with them to explain what their behaviour is doing to you. They may not have been aware of this and in the worst-case scenario, they will be upset and do not want to have anything to do with you anymore, which in it’s own way then solves the issue. .

Just remember each of us is on a path of self-awareness and some of us are open to really listen and receive and others will block any chance of self-improvement. Just take responsibility for your own path and development. Building a natural environment is about creating the environment that suits you and helps to improve your live. When you are happy, you will radiate it to others around you and inspire them to do the same.

Manon Tromp