The Awe of Nature: Why We Should Seek It Out

By Donna Mulvenna

A thoughtful narrative that takes readers on an extraordinary journey from the wonders of the Amazon rainforest to the terror of forest fires in northern Saskatchewan. Awe engenders humility and a gratitude for life. Once we allow ourselves to truly experience that, it is ours forever. We need only shut our eyes and tune into its power to gain a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stormbird Press
• Release date: Nov 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9780648022589

Donna Mulvenna

Donna Mulvenna is a horticulturist, whose journey as a nature writer began when she moved to the Amazon rainforest. Donna is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers, and the author of Happiness is Green, Wild Roots: Coming Alive in the French Amazon, and The Awe of Nature. She co-authored All Things Breathe Alike: A Wildlife Anthology, and is the co-editor of Tales from the River: An Anthology of River Literature.

Book preview

The Awe of Nature

The Awe of Nature is a thoughtful narrative that takes readers on an extraordinary journey from the wonders of the Amazon rainforest to the terror of forest fires in northern Saskatchewan.

Written in the same easy-to-connect-with style of Wild Roots – Coming Alive in the French Amazon, The Awe of Nature is rich with touching and inspiring anecdotes collected from authors across ages, continents, and cultures, which remind us that while the world has changed, the path toward a fulfilling and joyful life has not.

Gazing across an ocean of pristine rainforest, staring into the eyes of a wild crab dog, or hiking in the Sierra Nevada: These experiences have the power to detach us from the mundane concerns and consumer mentality that clutter our daily lives; and inspire us to become better versions of ourselves.

Awe engenders humility and a gratitude for life. Once we allow ourselves to truly experience that, it is ours forever. We need only shut our eyes and tune into its power to gain a sense of our own awesomeness—the freedom to simply be.

The Awe of Nature

Why We Should Seek It Out

Donna Mulvenna and Mulvenna, Donna

Stormbird Press

Parndana

Copyright © 2017 Donna Mulvenna.

This book is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent amendments, no part may be reproduced by any means, without the prior written permission of Stormbird Press, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:

Mulvenna, Donna,1965- author.

The Awe of Nature: Why We Should Seek It Out / Donna Mulvenna

ISBN (ebk): 978-0-6480225-8-9

1. Eco-literature | 2. Nature | 3. Self Help | 4. South America

Stormbird Press in an imprint of Wild Migration Limited. Books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting: Stormbird Press, PO Box 73, Parndana, 5220, South Australia www.stormbirdpress.com

Every year millions of unsold books are pulped. This book is consciously printed ‘on demand’ to conserve Earth’s finite resources.

Contents

Disclaimer

Foreword

Contributing Writers

Introduction

1. Connected

2. Nobody Escapes Unchanged

3. Intimate Nature

4. Carnival of Life

5. Wild Encounters

6. When Nature Blows Your Mind

7. Presence

8. Space

9. Life is Short, Awe is Long

10. New Frontiers

11. Awe and Creativity

12. Nature Can Bring You Back

13. When Awe-Some Turns Awe-Ful

14. The View From The Top

References

Further Reading

About the Author

An Invitation from the Publisher

Disclaimer

This book is offered for information purposes only and is protected under freedom of speech. It is not medical advice nor should it be construed as such. Always work with a qualified professional before making any changes to your lifestyle. This information is provided as-is, and the reader assumes all risks from the use, non-use or misuse of this information.

 "We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. And this has been based on the even flimsier assumption that we could know with any certainty what was good even for us. We have fulfilled the danger of this by making our personal pride and greed the standard of our behaviour toward the world – to the incalculable disadvantage of the world and every living thing in it. And now, perhaps very close to too late, our great error has become clear. It is not only our own creativity – our own capacity for life – that is stifled by our arrogant assumption; the creation itself is stifled.

We have been wrong. We must change our lives, so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and to learn what is good for it. We must learn to cooperate in its processes, and to yield to its limits. But even more important, we must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery; we will never entirely understand it. We must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. We must recover the sense of the majesty of creation, and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For I do not doubt that it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it." ― Wendell Berry, the Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays

Foreword

Experiencing a deep sense of awe in nature is a passion known to only a few, and a gift left unwrapped by most.

The Awe of Nature offers the uninitiated a reason to reach out and touch a flower, to stand under an ancient tree and breathe its spirit deeply, and then when nature touches your soul to go in search of her wild spaces.

Donna Mulvenna has immersed herself in one of Earth’s wildest of places—the Amazon rainforest—and emerged with a quest to inspire others to make natural connections. There is no greater alma mater, and she generously shares her experience with us all.

This indispensable book is infused with collective wisdom about why the human spirit needs awe and nature, and about how deeply our connection to the wild runs. It’s a connection that gives us peace, hope and tranquillity in a world moving ever faster; a world where competition with your neighbour is the new norm.

Let Donna show you the signposts to navigate away from the world’s