The Bigger Picture View Brings Healing & Mental Wellness

One of the things I’m interested in is the way hierarchies and systems of supremacies cut individuals off from the wider human body, so they’re not able to emphathize, or feel the pain of another. I once heard Jeannette Armstrong describe our Okanagan definitions of insanity, and one of them is ‘cut off from your whole earth part.’

- excerpt from, Turn This World Inside Out by, Nor Samara

Confession: one of my self soothing and decompression activities is to watch nature documentaries. Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Nature, you name it…I can get lost in it when my physical and mental being need a break from this daily life. Growing up as a latch-key kid in San Jose, the TV was where I turned to for my nature fix because it brought me the mystery and curiosity of the natural world. And it’s what that kept me close to a place that wasn’t “here”.

And after what seems like a lifetime of cultivating this love I have for nature, I recently found about this term that Astronauts know of as, “The Overview Effect”(watch the 15 min video with astronauts). When they’re there out in space, the view of Earth somehow changes the way you see your place on the planet. So when I learned about it, I felt like I finally had a word for that feeling I have when I get lost in the drama of nature and start to feel just a bit smaller as a human being. It brings back a sense of humility, of being connected to something bigger than myself, and essentially my multidimensionality. I realized this is what continues to nurture me and my mental health as my external environment seems to be imploding in on itself. 

Now, if you’ve been to any of my talks, workshops, or trainings you know that this is the central message I give to manage the deep work many of us are doing in social justice and community organizing: our wholeness IS our wellness. And even if you’re not in social impact work, the lines between corporate and community-based are quickly fading. 

So, if you’re curious about understanding the power of this nature-based approach to your work and everyday navigation through life, I offer my unique, nature-based way to engage with this material and begin your journey towards more self-awareness and intentional impact potential to your work.

You can start easily by reading more about my Radical Nature Framework and how this shapes the work of engaging with nature’s systems to heal our relationships with each other. Sharing this framework has been a profound exercise helping folks understand DEI, cultivate a social justice lens, explore spiritual guidance, and bring conscious land-based work forward. All this, guided by looking towards the natural world. Check out Our Approach and reflect on what comes up for you when you read about this framework. 

Find that moment to tap into that Overview Effect by taking a walk in nature, visiting a local botanical garden, or zoning out on the next episode of a nature documentary! And share with me:

What views and experiences in nature bring you back to 
a sense of wholeness and interconnectedness? 

Four Critical Parts for Curating Healing Hikes

Healing hikes are deeply intentional and call for careful crafting. Here are four parts of my planning process that make for a unique and magical experience.

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And if you want to read about an accurate account of a group healing hike, read my featured article on Outside Magazine Online, Nature Therapy for People of Color in Traumatic Jobs

It’s all about INTENTION.

Intention is often a hard concept to explain. So I want to ask, what comes to mind when you think about an intention? Maybe a “goal” or “outcome”? Landing a clear intention is often harder than you think.

When I think about intention, I want to know that you have a purpose for doing a thing; what do you want out of it? I want to hear your participation in a hike has a reason that is connected to something you want for yourself and will carry you to something different.

When participation isn’t anchored with an intention, the result is often vague. Sure it was nice to get outside to feel better, and there’s also opportunity to receive something specific if you ask for something specific. Sometimes tell hikers, If you say, “I want to be in nature for fresh air and to be with the trees” you’ll surely receive that and check it off of your list. BUT, consider this possibility: if you say, “I want to know if I should stay or leave my current job”, you can also receive answers to that. I’ll get to how this happens later in the post, but for now, which type of question could give you more on your hike?

Read more about intention here

So, to prepare for a healing hike I often prompt hikers with questions like:

• What challenges do you want to work through today?

• If you can have anything from nature, what would you want to give yourself today?

• What questions about life/work/relationships are most alive for you right now?

• After doing the hike, what parts of YOU do you want to be different?

I think about intentions for the entire group and for each individual. It helps anchor me with the community and gives me insights about where and how I’m to hold space for them. The group’s intention allows me to attune to the dynamics so I can identify what parts of nature can be the most supportive. Like, if a group is showing up with a lot of grief to process, I may think about a site with Redwood groves because these ancient beings can hold or take our grief.

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LOCATION is key, but honoring the process is critical.

Finding the right location means we only hike in specific parks. I carve out time to find  the location and connect with it first, spiritually. Connection allows me to support this as a healing process rather than a casual group recreational activity. Walking in silence as a group means that connection and reflection time as you walk is centered in the experience.

Before any hike, I look for the trails and ask myself:

• What area of this park calls me to gather this group or person based on their intention?

• What's happening around me that gives me insights into how I can hold this sacred process for someone?

• Are there sacred (legally designated or not) places within the park?

• Do I know anyone who is ancestrally connected to this land? If not, how can I tap into the ancestors of this land, spiritually (in meditation/channeling) to see if I can feel or sense if this location is available for this work?

When I scout a site, I do the same meditative walk so I can COMMUNICATE WITH THE LOCATION directly, no distractions. If I have a team or support staff scheduled to do the group hike with me, allowing them to form their own connection and communication is just as important in shaping the experience.

Connecting to the location is also an important step in receiving “permission” to do this work on the land. Permission can show up as many different signs, like getting a general “good feeling” or “welcoming sense” from the visit or the park is yes. Visits from wildlife or rare sightings of species can also be a sign or good omen. Checking in with the native community of that land is also key. We can’t go home with icky feelings or more questions than confirmations. If it’s a no-go, we scout another location. ***

And of course connecting with the Native communities in which these are their ancestral lands is a critical step in including the practice and solidarity of the #landback movement. Making sure land acknowledgments and an honoring of the ancestors of the land are part of your process is key to our intentions for our collective healing. Because if the ultimate goal here is to reclaim who we are as a people, then contributions to the Native community’s efforts to be recognized, centered, and supported in efforts to bring back their land sovereignty is something we all as settlers can include in our process. All this to say, this topic of ways of building solidarity with the Native community can use it’s own blog post, in the least.

Connecting the LANDSCAPE to the healing process.

My favorite parts of the process is where I get to use my unique approach of blending academic ecological knowledge and training I have with the my Radical Nature Framework. 

coyote hills regional park wetlands in fremont, ca

As an example, if I pick a park with wetlands, ecologically they function as buffer or "filtering" zones. These special zones collect and filter out sediments and toxins in the freshwater that travel from the mountains through cities and neighborhoods before going out into the ocean. 

Metaphorically we can stand in the wetland and think about what in our lives do we need to "filter"? Or we can prompt the question, “What’s stuck for you or muddy right now and how would you like to flow again based on your intention for this hike?”

When I prepare for a group’s hike, part of the consultation call is to determine the location as it connects to the group’s healing needs. And in order to connect the landscapes or park trails with the group’s needs, I ask these guiding questions:

• What are the self-care and wellness needs of the group and are there ecosystems in the area that metaphorically connect to their personal growth and healing needs?

• Are there any parts of the trails ideal for deeper reflection time? Because people benefit by immersing themselves in the moments of simply sitting on the trail to reflect.

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PERMISSION and walking with GRATITUDE 

Probably the most important part of the planning process, but is often the part that we take for granted. And I too am still guilty of coming onto a site without the proper ritual of GIVING THANKS and ASKING PERMISSION. But it's a very important piece that honors the natural cycle of giving and receiving (the circle of life). 

The opening circle is a time for each to ask for permission in their own way. Then I ask the group to feel or sense the permission to keep going. The “yes” that happens is something you just have to experience IRL, but in general it’s that good feeling to keep going.

Finally, gratitude is also the language of nature. Sharing out what we’re grateful for is a sacred ritual done to honor our time together, the ancestors who have cared for and nurtured the land since time immemorial. It is also a sacred ritual you can do EACH TIME you are out in nature. 

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I hope this glimpse into the prep work of healing hikes gives you the sense of just how special and intentional these experiences are. They’ve been such an integral part of my life and healing journey and I hope you get inspired to take these same intentional steps before your next outing. 

If you’re feeling called to be on a healing hike with me, below you’ll find ways to sign up for different options or apply for your group to have this unique experience together!

The Messages in the Flames

In the wake of our most recent wildfires…

the overwhelming sadness of our reality hit me in a way that validated what I had written about just a few months ago in, “Nothing Left to Justify” . This time I felt this overwhelming feeling of, “it’s really happening” come over me. As I sifted through my emotions and what I was “seeing”, the compounding tragedies of Thousand Oaks, CA came to mind. This was the incident and the moment that hit me with validation. As reported in the Washington Post, it was “non-stop chaos” for this community. For me, it was the incident that brought my connections of the violence of people and nature’s destruction much closer to each other; in fact literally, into the same location.

While I was engaging in conversations with my community, a common struggle to find ways to come to terms with what is going on in our world and “how do we manage all of this “chaos” and find a place in our individual hearts to do something about the devastation without being stifled by hopelessness”. So, a sister healer, Claudia and I decided to have a 1:1 conversation to discuss in more depth what my visions have been and what they meant to the larger view of “where does that leave us as a people moving forward?”. We hopped on Instagram LIVE and talked through some of her key observations of these fires as I discussed aspects of viewing them from a place of our nature identity.

In general what this conversation held where some key moments outlined below

• honoring those impacted by the devastation, loss, death, the rescuers, and those continually helping community on the grounds

• having conversations about these fires but not understanding how we can contribute meaningfully

• support and healing through the experience and after care plans acknowledging the grieving process

• the lack of knowing how to connect to nature and who we are traditionally as a result of societal norms and how the impacts of this disconnection are greater now

• the messages in the flames being one of nature mirroring how we as people treat each other

• being able to recognize fire of the element that brings in swift change and rebirth, knowing how this is a metaphor for our collective society to focus on moving forward

• the work ahead is to look into you and your own conflicts, healing through those points will bring more harmony to the Earth

It’s no doubt that for us in California, our year-long fire season has in itself, ignited this need

to search more deeply into our lives and become more aware and observant of what’s actually going on around us. I end this video by reminding our audience that there’s nothing separate about a seemingly minor argument you have with another to the potentials of this energy being reflected in the behavior of nature’s systems.

We are nature, nature is us

View the conversation in full by clicking the video below. Comment and subscribe my youtube page and let’s continue this conversation!

 11/21/18 IG LIVE @la_clandestina_ @hikeitoutcoaching This was a 1:1 conversation with my sister healer, Claudia to discuss more in depth what my visions have been and what they mean in the larger view of “where does that leave us as a people moving forward”. We hopped on Instagram LIVE and talked through some of her key observations of these fires as I discussed aspects of viewing them from a place of our nature identity.

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Nothing Left To Justify

Everyday, every week, more and more I’m connecting today’s current events as metaphors about ourselves and our place in this world, identifying them as our “moments of truth” . For instance, this summer the gruesome killing of our young princess, Nia Wilson gave me the most clear message about what this tragedy is telling us about ourselves. Let me break it down for you, based on what I experienced here as an Oakland resident:

A couple of days before her killing, a local restaurant posted a call for a community counter action march from their venue to an expected meeting by a right-winged group, The Proud Boys. As the the hype intensified and community began answering the call to hold a counter, peaceful celebration of unity, I felt a sense of sadness and disappointment. Because what I actually saw were people in the streets screaming in anger towards the police and the flared up rage against the system being played out once again here at home. The sadness and disappointment was really rooted in my fatigue of all the death and violence happening here and questioning when will we actually stop resisting and be still to think about an actual way forward? I’m tired of seeing the resisting, the fighting, and the clashing. I’m not empowered by that anymore.

Then as I woke up the next morning to the horrific news that another young black life was violently taken at a BART station by a white man, I realized that this became the real moment of truth. Because as the day progressed, speculations and headlines in media questioned whether there was a connection to Nia’s murderer and the visiting Proud Boys. “Word around town was that he was one of them”, some of the posts read. But what we would soon learn about the killer was that he actually was a local resident who’s spent many years in and out of jail and had some mental health issues, unaffiliated with the right-winged group. So presumptively,

racism wasn’t the justification. It was mental illness.  

(AND side note: I believe racism is a mental illness)

So can we even blame mental illness for this attack? It can’t be blamed AND serve as a way forward! Where does that blame lead us to anyway? Another hurt or attack on another, probably. So, the big takeaway for me, with respect to this particular story, was that we as a people HAVEN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO THE RIGHT THING. We aren’t listening to the core of the issue and taking action in the right way. Blame is NOT the name of the game, but the STILLNESS, finding the humanity of the situation is where we must be to open up a path forward with healing that leads to a solution.

Treyvon Martin’s parents spoke about what they’re advocating for isn’t a race issue, it’s an issue about right and wrong and that ultimately it’s about not hurting each other. When Nia’s family spoke during the press conference shortly after her murder, they gave us clues as to what we should be paying more attention to. At least, that's what my deep listening was telling me. They said, “stand down, don’t react”. They called on community to stand down and be still [while the suspect was still out there].

My intuition’s bottom line from all this? Well, since I'm an intuitive connected to Earth, the way I'm seeing this is...

The more we pay attention to REACTING to these incidents as we have been doing in resisting, the more and more gruesome the next incidents of violence will be

And violence in every form; whether between people or in the extreme violence of Mother Nature onto this planet. The pains and hurts caused by humans onto each other are not separate from the Earthly destructions happening on our planet right now. That the more we continue on the way we have been with each other, the more vicious our environment will respond with its own destruction. It's all connected, I believe. 

So when will we as a nation, as a community realize that we need to be present with these realities and awaken to it FIRST before taking action? When will non-resistance be the expected next step after harm? To me, being present means going INWARD to “see”, to “listen deeply” to what our community leaders are telling us, requesting of us even, to do. Going inward means really opening up in a way where you can see these heinous crimes and the people who commit them as sharing something in common with you. Going inward means seeing the destructive natural events as connected to your own rage or exploitation of resources.

Because if we can't reach that connectedness with ourselves, the people around us, and the land we live on, 

There will be nothing left of ourselves to justify our actions towards one another

There will be nothing left of this planet to justify our misuse and disconnection to our planet and all its beings

There will be nothing left for us to LOOK TO, to justify why things happen the way they do

There will be nothing left to look at but each other

So in conclusion,

what are the first steps in your awakening or awareness of our interconnectedness of ourselves and our place in this world? I realize its a journey, as it has been for me. That some of the beginning steps include

• taking that difficult look at yourself and asking where the hurt exists?

• what kind of hurt is it?

• and what's available for me to begin the healing process?

Because when we begin to heal ourselves, we begin to heal those around us and the land in which we walk on.

The time is NOW, to understand our world more deeply. The time is NOW, to understand ourselves more deeply. The time is now because the world in which we know it is having its veil lifted. The systems and ways of thinking that are misaligned with the laws of nature are being broken down, so are the areas of land that have not been cared for sustainably. 

I truly believe the way forward begins with YOU.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY STORY. IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PIECE, PLEASE SHARE WITH OTHERS AND JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION BY COMMENTING BELOW!

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MEET THE COACH

Raynelle Rino, CPC

A long time social sector professional, Raynelle began her career in the sciences as an ecology field researcher then moved onto environmental education and social justice at the grassroots organizational level in the Bay Area. Her love for nature and youth development brought her to teach in unique settings like alternative high schools, environmental justice neighborhoods, parks, and juvenile justice facilities.

In 2016 Raynelle started Rino Consulting Solutions, a nature-based consulting firm that provides coaching and consulting services for professionals and other businesses. It’s mission is to support and inspire the leaders of today to live in the confidence of their identities as they move through a world in the midst of social, racial, and environmental transformation. Raynelle is a graduate of Humboldt State University with a BS in Biology, a Rising Leaders and 2042 Today fellow, and lives in Oakland with her husband and daughter.

When My Dreams Started Coming True

I don't really speak openly to too many people about my lucid dreams, although they've been a significant part of why I'm here doing the work I do.

While exploring my spiritual identity, I was seeing a spiritual healer and going to therapy. I would say at that time in my life, I really needed both types of support to help me through both personal and professional challenges. Naturally, I thought I should bring up dreams during sessions because they were just so intense. Little did I know they were messages guiding me towards my path.

Take for instance this featured photo. I took this picture at Point Reyes, on the Tomales Point Trail earlier this month. I had the dream about this place about 8 months before I actually hiked it. So when I get there, I decided to take the photo exactly how I remember seeing this trail in my dream.

I knew it was this location I dreamt about because of the distinct cliff sides on either side of the trail. In the dream my feet weren't exactly planted on the ground. I was flying over the point seeing people happily enjoying their time on the beach (probably Stinson Beach) on a hot and sunny day. I was also with a group of women walking back towards the trailhead at the end of a long hike. Of coarse, at the time I had the dream I had no idea this was an actual real place. I just knew I went to this amazing location, with women, on a very gorgeous an joyous day. And I FELT like it was near.

So here's where this summer dream comes true this winter: Not knowing much about Point Reyes area, one of my dear friends requests that I lead a group of women for a healing hike several miles North of Point Reyes as a part of their retreat. Going about my usual planning process, I look up trails in the area and find recognizable pictures of Tomales Point. Bingo! "I've been there before"

Now, that's just one simple example of how one of my dreams materializes into my real-awake conscious life. And you can probably say that was meant to be that I be there and lead a hike with the women. But this happens to me often and with dreams that are much more vivid and intense in situation. 

Earlier, when my spiritual awareness was just waking up, I would feel so overwhelmed by the dreams and the intensity of my experience that it would really spook me out. I would wake up with such clear, intense emotional residual from being in the dream that I couldn't help but write it down or share it with my partner, and reflect deeply on why that came to me.

I remember having an intense dream while I was working with adjudicated youth. I was also questioning why I loved the challenging work so much because I was torn about leaving my students. In this dream, I was with my students at a near by beach, when an old indigenous man walked slowly up onto the shore of a lagoon, pushing onto the shore, a mummified young boy on a rafter. He had been shot. As this man stopped on the shore, he looked me square in the eyes with such intensity, non-verbally telling me to "look at what's happening to them". Then I woke up. 

That intensity is why I actively sought out council and guidance. And that guidance really put things into perspective for me, affirming for me that the ancestors are speaking to me, guiding me, and showing me messages I need to see, process, and connect to what I'm doing here on Earth. The guidance also helped me realize that the communication IS TRUE and a gift I should hold with reverence. Now, I live in more confidence with my dreams and reflect on them with more discipline and awareness that there's a deeper message available for my spirit to guide me through this real-awake-conscious life.   

My dreams are really just extensions of who I am and how I'm walking in this world in communication with the ancestors and The Divine.

Why share this with you now? I truly, truly believe that we as a society are hungry for spiritual connection. In times where we're experiencing extremes in dualities, ideologies, violence, climate, we're facing the options of spirituality to find our answers, or to find our calm center, to stay grounded and not lose hope or faith. I live as that example to surrender to anything your spirit is guiding you towards. Because it's the magic our souls are crying for these days and the magic our ancestors are looking for us to RECLAIM.

The dreams I have and me sharing what it means for me to experience my dreams is my way of validating that our thoughts, believed to be abstract, are REAL.

Pay attention to them and how they show up in you because I know they are ways in which your true gifts are showing. 

Do you know how your gifts are showing up in your life? I'm curious!

Share with me your thoughts, questions, curiosities in your spiritual connection and drop a comment below!