Photo by Don Pierce
Greater depth means unfolding greater consciousness. Simply revealing more information isn’t enough—claims from your expanding perspective must be validated.
The Heartwood Path uses a Four Leaf Model of Integrity to guide this validation:
Upper Right (Individual, Exterior): Truth is determined by observable, objective facts in the outer world.
Upper Left (Individual, Interior): Beauty guides subjective dialogue, revealing the maker’s beautiful intention beneath statements.
Lower Right (Plural, Exterior): Truth is checked by how parts fit within systems (like a hand to an arm) and by verifying group behaviors.
Lower Left (Plural, Interior): Mutual understanding of meaning, goodness, and justice—extending beyond humans to all sentient beings—validates claims.
Following these paths leads to the “Three Ats” that make us beautiful, good, and true:
ATtunement: Aligning with the universe.
ATonement: Making amends for past wrongs.
AT-onement: Cosmic consciousness.
These are strengthened by embracing:
The goodness of “we” (ethical community of all sentient beings).
The truth of “it” (objective reality).
The beauty of “I” (an expanded self including the cosmos).
Without integrating all Three Ats, one risks becoming ugly, evil, untruthful, or some combination.
To Guard Against Disinformation…
HumaNatureConnect Activity
If today isn’t a day for unstructured time in nature, try this guided activity:
Prepare Your Mind and Body — Read this text attentively, engaging your literary, intellectual, and intuitive senses. Open your mind toward happiness and sustainability.
Find an Attractive Natural Being — With pen and journal in hand, go to a natural area and look around until a natural being—a plant, animal, or natural feature—draws your attention.
Express Appreciation — As you observe your chosen being, breathe in appreciation and breathe out gratitude. Let this exchange deepen your connection.
Seek Consent for Connection — If your attraction lasts at least ten seconds, consider this mutual consent to enter a connection experience that supports your optimal functioning.
Engage Your Natural Senses — Use a variety of senses to enrich this connection, including at least one from each category: radiation (sight, sound), feeling (touch, temperature), chemical (smell, taste), and mental (intuition, reflection).
Complete the Activity — With heightened awareness and nature-induced vitality, engage in the activity you have planned or feel inspired to pursue. Follow up with any additional components that resonate with you.
Testing The Validity Of Claims
For this activity, focus on uncovering facts and protecting yourself from untruths in advertising and political rhetoric. Inspired by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson’s Unspun: Finding Facts In A World Of Disinformation (2007), consider these warning signs of dubious messages you encounter daily. For each, write an example from your experience, your impressions upon discovering the disinformation, and any actions you plan to take.
Follow-up Protocol: Natural Systems Reflection Process
Journal your impressions using any of these prompts and consider sharing your reflections:
General Description: How you did the activity and what happened.
Freeform: What attracted you to your natural being.
Three Qualities: Three qualities you found most attractive.
Three Learnings: Three insights gained.
Self-esteem & Trust: Changes in self-esteem or trust in nature.
Changes to Self: Personal changes resulting from the activity.
Honor Yourself: Praise your commitment to the Heartwood Path.
“I’m a Person Who...”: Three statements reflecting your connection experience.
Feelings if Activity Lost: How you’d feel if you lost this connection.
Nature Compared to Self: Parallel sentences appreciating your natural being and yourself for shared qualities.
Ride the Green Wave: Mark plus (+) or minus (-) for agreement with the Ten Green Wave Validation Statements.
Two-Word Summary: Two words summarizing your response.
Nocturnal Pilgrimage
When incubating a dream for your nocturnal pilgrimages, avoid forcing results. Stay disciplined and relaxed.
Fifth Stabilization Technique For Lucid Dreaming
Building on earlier techniques, to hold onto your nocturnal lucidity, try this:
Touch something in your dream—feel it, smell it, hear it, or taste it. Engaging any of your Natural Senses in the dream helps stabilize it. Even touching your dream body’s fingers while staying focused increases the chance your dream won’t fade.
