Theresa Cheung - 21 Rituals to Connect With Nature

This edition first published in the UK and USA 2020 by

Watkins, an imprint of Watkins Media Limited

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Design and typography copyright Watkins Media Limited 2020

Text copyright Theresa Cheung, Alexandra Wenman and Krysia Newman 2020

Theresa Cheung, Alexandra Wenman and Krysia Newman have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the authors of this work.

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ISBN: 978-1-78678-268-7

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Since leaving Kings College, Cambridge, Theresa Cheung has written numerous bestselling mind, body and spirit books, including two Sunday Times Top-10 titles. She has sold well over half a million books and her titles have been translated into more than 30 languages, becoming international bestsellers, with 21 Rituals to Change Your Life (Watkins) currently translated into 17 languages. She has written numerous features about personal growth and spiritual development for magazines and national newspapers, and her TV and radio work include an interview about spirituality with Piers Morgan on GMTV and guesting on episode 71 of Russell Brands Under the Skin podcast. She works closely with scientists studying consciousness and is collaborating with The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), who gave her readers this special page: http://noetic.org/Theresa-Cheung/. Theresas website is www.theresacheung.com.

Deepest gratitude to Jo Lal for being there at the inception of this book and to my editor Fiona Robertson for her loving care of it. Thanks also to Etan Ilfeld for his vision, to Ingrid Court-Jones for her excellent copy-editing and to Daniel Culver for his wonderful work at proof stage. Im also thankful to Cynthia Hamilton for her joyful promotion, and to everyone at Watkins Media involved in the production and promotion of this book. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with a publisher that has such an amazing history and reputation in the world of mind, body and spirit.

This book would not have felt complete without the voices of two extraordinary natural healing practitioners Krysia Newman and Alexandra Wenman. I cant thank them enough for their respective chapters and transformative rituals. They are truly authentic voices for the back-to-nature movement. I hope their contribution to this book will introduce their healing mission to a larger audience. Special thanks to Krysia for her outstanding research and writing contributions to other rituals in this book.

Sincere thanks to my wise agent Jane Graham Maw (www.grahammawchristie.com), and my readers who are a never-ending source of inspiration to me. Last, but never least, heartfelt thanks to Ray, Robert and Ruthie for their love, as I immersed myself in the sacred ritual of this book.

These are confusing and unusual times. Freedoms often taken for granted have been curtailed and access to the outside world to nature has been limited. We are facing unprecedented challenges, yet this time also offers us a wonderful opportunity to press reset and look at life from a different perspective.

How many of us are used to interacting with the outside world on a purely transactional level? We are aware of the immense and essential part that nature plays in sustaining every living thing on our planet, but with the complexities of our day-to-day lives it can be easy to take that for granted.

When walking past a majestic old tree, smelling the refreshing scent of lavender or watching the magical swirling dance of fallen leaves, we need to be aware that we are spectators to incredible events. Its up to us to tune into the ancient waveband of the natural world and learn how to appreciate all its gifts.

Now that we find ourselves confined at home for long periods, connecting with nature has never been so important. In this difficult time, it will help us sleep better, improve our mood and keep us sane. This is a great opportunity to reconnect to our roots that will help us not only now but continue to enrich our lives as life gets back to normal in the months to come.

Many of the rituals in this book can be done indoors, looking out through a window or an open door. Even if you live in an apartment in the city, you can still watch the clouds and listen to birdsong. The great thing about these rituals is that they can be easily adapted to suit your environment. For example, one ritual builds on the ancient meditative art of mandala creation using fruit and vegetables to create inspiring and reflective pieces of art. Mandalas are very much focused on the process rather than the end product so if you dont happen to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, then simply adapt the ritual using whatever you have to hand, whether that be fallen leaves and sticks, or items made from natural materials in your home.

Another of the rituals makes use of our phones fantastic capacity to take stunning high-quality photos of the nature around us, either in the garden or in our houses. We dont need to go into the countryside to appreciate nature; simply being mindfully aware of the granular make-up of leaves, plants and roots can make us see a seemingly mundane potted plant in incredible new ways.

Bringing the outside indoors ensures you are surrounded by the healing, grounding and protective qualities of Mother Earth at all times. Crystals are especially handy to have around as they lift your vibration and make you feel better. Certain stones, such as shungite and black tourmaline, can even neutralize electromagnetic interference from computers and phones particularly useful if you are working from home. Pop a few of your favourite gems in the bath with a handful of raw sea salt and some essential oils to cleanse and balance your energy field, or keep some under your pillow for a restful nights sleep.

The aim of this book is to guide and inspire you to deepen your connection with nature, wherever you are right now. All the rituals are very simple. You dont need any previous experience of practising rituals to do them. You dont need to be a yoga master or a New Age practitioner or therapist you just need to be you.

Just bring your consciousness, positivity and open mind nature will do the rest.

Stay well,

Krysia & Alexandra

With love and gratitude from Theresa

The majority of us have heard nature speaking to us at some point in our lives most likely when we were children, but sadly we stop listening as the years tick by. As a society we are increasingly cut off from kinship to nature, and living indoor lives and the impact of this disconnect does not just erode our holistic wellbeing but also our sense of individuality and connection to others. The question is, how do we reconnect with nature?