Eros is the life force of nature itself. When we return to our bodies and enter Erotic consciousness, we are home. We remember that we are fundamentally, inextricably, and continuously connected to all beings and the world around us. Our intuition and felt sense—our guides in this realm—direct and connect us with humans and nonhumans alike, together with all of the natural world.
For many indigenous cultures, that life exists in an interdependent web of connection is a given. Their intimate relationship with nature is a function of daily life. Their senses and wits are critical to their survival. There is no separation between them and the world, not in the physical domain of the environment, nor in the domain of consciousness they share with everything around them.
Erotic consciousness allows us to interact with the sentience in other creatures, feeling their inner state and communicating with them in the same way we feel and communicate with each other. Hunter-gatherer cultures use these abilities to know their environment, follow the movements of predator and prey, and navigate the complexities of the natural world.
Indigenous hunters speak of being able to track animals by following an energetic trail they leave. They know the lives of their prey so intimately they can tune in to them, see the world from the animal's eyes, and be guided to them through their own body.
We can use our own felt sense this way, to connect with nature and extend our consciousness beyond the limits of our five primary senses. As we develop these skills, we must corroborate what we sense in the same way we do with people, so we learn to trust our sense and not get too far astray.
For those of us reacquainting ourselves with such ancient instincts, it may seem daunting to try to communicate with nature, to let the world tell us about itself, or to trust we are in genuine communication with other animals.
Fortunately, connecting with nature and other creatures through Eros is no different than connecting with people. We can use the following guide to direct our felt sense and see what it reveals.
◆ Find a natural setting to sit where we can connect and ground with the environment. Breathe and relax.
◆ Take in the environment: the natural sights and sounds of the animals, the wind and trees, water running. What time of day is it? What is it like outside?
◆ Place ambient attention on the environment. This is a wide, restful, background type of attention, where we allow objects to arise in our awareness spontaneously rather than look for them. What do we notice?
◆ Set an intention in this field. Is there something we want to know? Are we looking to connect with an animal? A wild animal or a specific animal, like our pet? Stay with the curiosity of the intention, letting go of any agenda.
◆ Once we feel settled and our intention is clear, we can begin to look for guidance from our body. If we are looking for an animal, we can look for signs of activity—footprints, claw marks, or signs of feeding or sleeping. The more we know about the animal, the more connected to it we already are.
◆ We want our felt sense to guide us. We are not so concerned with following every paw print. If we are looking to find the animal that left tracks, we feel our body. Do we feel a certain density on one side? Do we feel pulled one way or the other? It's important to let our body guide us, to notice what it wants to do, and trust it. If it wants to move, let it take us without getting distracted by doubt. If we are with others, we can ask what others are feeling.
◆ If we eventually do encounter the animal, what does it feel like to put attention on it? How does the animal feel? What imagery, language, or felt sense is occurring to us?
Whether or not we have our intention met, we feel the rich experience that was available simply by opening our receptivity.
All of nature is available to us through the felt sense, for it is Eros expressing nature to us consciously through our own body. When we learn to listen and trust this sense, we gain access to an ancient wisdom and a chance to return to innocence.