Part 3 – How Nature Helps Us Remember Who We Truly Are
There is something remarkable that happens when we step away from the noise of everyday life and spend time in Nature.
Our breathing slows.
Our shoulders soften.
The constant chatter of the mind begins to quieten.
We notice things we have been too busy to see.
The way sunlight filters through leaves.
The rhythm of waves upon the shore.
Birdsong carried on the breeze.
The scent of damp earth after rain.
Something within us begins to settle.
We often describe this as feeling peaceful.
Yet I wonder if something deeper is taking place.
What if Nature is not simply helping us relax?
What if Nature is helping us remember?
Remember who we are beneath the roles we play.
Beneath the expectations we carry.
Beneath the responsibilities, worries, and stories that accumulate over time.
Nature never asks the oak tree to become a rose.
It never asks the blackbird to become a buzzard.
Each lives fully and authentically according to its own nature.
Perhaps Nature is constantly inviting us to do the same.
Nature as Teacher
Many of my clients arrive feeling disconnected.
Disconnected from themselves.
Disconnected from their intuition.
Disconnected from joy.
Disconnected from the things that once made them feel alive.
Yet when we step into the natural world together, something often begins to shift.
Not because Nature tells us what to do.
But because she shows us.
The forest does not lecture.
The sea does not advise.
The trees do not judge.
And yet they teach.
Again and again.
Through metaphor.
Through symbolism.
Through observation.
Through presence.
Nature has a remarkable way of reflecting our own journeys back to us.
The Luna Moth
Recently, a Luna Moth entered the life of a client at a particularly significant moment in her journey.
The timing felt extraordinary.
Luna Moths spend much of their lives unseen.
Hidden.
Preparing.
Transforming.
Before eventually emerging into the world in an entirely new form.
Their appearance often symbolises transformation, trust, intuition, and spiritual growth.
Yet what strikes me most about the Luna Moth is not its beauty.
It is its faith.
The moth does not know exactly what lies ahead.
And yet it emerges.
Trusting the process.
Trusting its own becoming.
Many of us find ourselves standing at similar thresholds.
Life asks us to release what has been.
To trust what is unfolding.
To step forward before we can see the whole path.
The Luna Moth reminds us that transformation often happens long before it becomes visible.
The Call of the Buzzard
During one woodland session, a Buzzard called repeatedly from high above the trees.
A familiar messenger that had appeared before.
Its timing felt important.
Whilst walking amongst the undergrowth, it can be difficult to see beyond what lies directly in front of us.
Our focus narrows.
Problems feel larger.
Choices feel more complicated.
The Buzzard offers another perspective.
From high above the landscape, the whole picture becomes visible.
Patterns emerge.
Pathways appear.
What once felt overwhelming becomes easier to understand.
Sometimes the greatest gift we can give ourselves is perspective.
To rise above the immediate challenge.
To see our lives from a wider viewpoint.
To trust that there may be more unfolding than we can currently see.
The Wisdom of the Daisy
At first glance, the Ox-Eye Daisy appears simple.
Yet within that simplicity lies profound wisdom.
Standing tall amongst grasses and wildflowers, the Daisy turns naturally towards the sun.
Its golden centre feels like a small crown of light.
A reminder that joy, hope, resilience, and new beginnings remain possible even after difficult seasons.
The Daisy does not strive to be noticed.
It simply blooms.
Fully.
Authentically.
Where it has been planted.
How often do we make life more complicated than it needs to be?
The Daisy reminds us that there is wisdom in simplicity.
Wisdom in authenticity.
Wisdom in turning towards the light.
The Forest Knows
One of the greatest lessons Nature has taught me is that everything belongs.
In the forest we find:
Birth.
Growth.
Decay.
Death.
Renewal.
Nothing is excluded.
Nothing is rushed.
Nothing is wasted.
The fallen tree becomes nourishment for seedlings.
The old supports the new.
Life continues in countless forms.
Many years ago, whilst walking through an ancient woodland with a client, we noticed tiny seedlings emerging alongside the moss-covered remains of a fallen ancestor tree.
Even in death, the old tree continued to provide shelter, nourishment, and wisdom.
Nature’s lesson was clear.
Endings are rarely endings.
More often, they are transitions.
Part of a larger cycle that continues beyond our immediate understanding.
Nature’s Messengers
People often ask whether I believe animals, birds, insects, and plants carry messages.
My answer is simple.
I believe Nature speaks constantly.
The question is whether we are paying attention.
Sometimes a message arrives through a Luna Moth.
Sometimes through a Buzzard.
Sometimes through a Daisy.
Sometimes through the quiet presence of a tree.
The messenger itself is often less important than what it awakens within us.
A memory.
A feeling.
A question.
A moment of clarity.
An invitation to pause.
Nature does not force her wisdom upon us.
She offers it freely.
And then waits.
Returning to Ourselves
The natural world has an extraordinary ability to strip away what is unnecessary.
When we sit quietly beneath a tree.
Walk barefoot upon the earth.
Watch waves rolling endlessly towards the shore.
Or listen to birds greeting the dawn.
We begin to remember something important.
We are not separate from Nature.
We are Nature.
We belong here.
Just as the trees belong.
Just as the birds belong.
Just as the wildflowers belong.
And perhaps this is why time spent in Nature feels so nourishing.
Because it reconnects us with something ancient.
Something true.
Something authentic.
Something we have known all along.
A Simple Invitation
The next time you find yourself in Nature, pause for a moment.
Rather than asking:
“What can I learn?”
Try asking:
“What is Nature showing me?”
Then notice.
Notice what draws your attention.
Notice what appears repeatedly.
Notice what makes you stop.
Notice what stirs something within you.
You may be surprised by the wisdom that emerges.
A Closing Reflection
Nature does not ask us to become somebody else.
She does not ask us to be more productive.
More successful.
More accomplished.
She simply invites us to be ourselves.
To grow according to our own nature.
To honour our own seasons.
To trust our own timing.
And to remember that, like every living thing around us, we already carry within us everything we need to become who we were always meant to be.
Further Reading
- Living From the Mind or the Heart? The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Your Inner Wisdom
- The Wisdom Held Within the Heart: Reconnecting with Your Most Powerful Inner Resource
- Why Self-Compassion Is the Foundation of Lasting Transformation
About Anthea Payne
Anthea Payne is an Intuitive Coach, Spiritual Healer, Guide and Mentor, supporting women to move from overwhelm and uncertainty into calm clarity, grounded self-trust, and authentic living.
Through her bespoke Awaken Your Authentic You™ programmes, guided meditations, women’s circles, retreats, and healing work, she helps women reconnect with their inner wisdom, strengthen their relationship with themselves, and create lives that feel aligned with who they truly are.
Based on the beautiful Isle of Wight and working internationally, Anthea combines intuitive guidance, energy healing, nature-based practices, and heart-centred transformation to support deep and lasting change.