How Nature Can Help Us Heal
A story from Uluru, Australia.
Some years ago, I visited Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, a protected area located in the Northern Territory, Australia. Uluru is a famous and sacred massive red sandstone formation, which is at times referred to as the heart of my country.
While exploring Kata Tjuta, another sacred rock formation close to Uluru, I experienced an unexpected healing. In this story, I share how this ancient landscape helped me heal an old and festering spiritual and emotional wound through deep listening and storytelling.
Before I start, I wish to acknowledge the Anangu, who are the traditional custodians of the sacred places I refer to in this story. According to their stories and traditions, these places are direct and material evidence of the creative acts of ancestral beings. I tell my story as an outsider of this ancient culture but with reverance for them and the wisdom this landscape holds.
Speaking with the heads
On the second day of arriving at the park, my two friends, Keesha and Joy, and I run into Frank, a tour guide. He has worked here for a long time and has established a respectful work relationship with the Anangu. Over a coffee, he begins to tell a short tale about how the landscape speaks, even to foreigners.
