Before asking nature for calm, ask what you can give it
Lucy DK says moving from dominance to reciprocity changed how she experiences being outside.
bitch, that's my kind of worship! · Ep 008: From Hater to Lover - Why I Became a Nature BabeLucy DK, an artist and writer, says she used to relate to nature through dominance. She describes feeling sovereign, superior, and more important, and being largely unaware of what was under her feet.
In that view, she says, the earth seemed like a home meant for people, rather than a wider ecosystem that humans are part of. She links that belief to extracting resources without thought or care for the impact.
What she does differently now is to ask what she can give nature. She puts it this way: "What can I offer you?" "What can I give you?" "How can I pour energy into you?" She adds: "How can I protect you better?" and "How can I support you the way that you support me?"
She says that when we come to nature with these questions, nature gives beautiful answers. She describes that change as coming back into right relationship, and she associates being in harmony with nature with deeper power, deeper communion, and deeper stability, ease, fluidity, and presence.
Questions people ask
Do I have to say the question out loud?
My advice, not hers, is no. Many people find it easiest to ask silently to themselves during an ordinary outing, and to keep the moment private if that feels more comfortable.
What does giving back look like in a city park?
Reciprocity can be very local. It can mean staying on trails, leaving plants undisturbed, carrying out what you carried in, and supporting parks and waterways through volunteering or donations. Those actions fit the attitude she describes, even if she does not list them herself.
Why did dominance feel natural to her at first?
Fear played a large part for her. She recalls aversion to a large spider in her garden and wanting to rush through a dark forest, breaking branches to get out. Feeling scared made dominance feel like self protection.