On a winter morning’s walk at the foot of the snowcapped Sierra Nevadas in California’s Owen’s Valley, host Shawn Berry ponders how we may have experienced our consciousness as it began to come into being. This episode of First Nature considers the human development of self-awareness and how our ancestors might have experimented with the use of sound and rhythm to communicate this burgeoning inner, solo adventure while also developing the fundamental elements of ritual and ceremony as a strategy to maintain community cohesion, as the rise of the individuated self pulled at the communal seams.

Meanwhile, the backdrop of the mountains keeps Earth in the dialogue. Through expressions of admiration and blessing for the majestic peaks of the Sierras and Inyo Mountains, the importance of a reciprocated relationship with the planet is brought to the forefront as an offering to deal with our present human dilemma. How might each of us come into a more authentic, "right-relationship" with nature as our ancient ancestors had lived, treating all aspects of it with the same reverence we reserve for human life?

Music in this episode by:

Red Centre Blues, by Brendan Gallagher
Listen to Overtones, by ArtEffectAudio
Drums Battle, by Alban Gogh
Soft Coming Spring by Syouki Takahashi

First Nature theme song by Shawn Berry
Podcast Artwork by Shawn Berry

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FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE INSIDE BY GETTING OUTSIDE!


You can reach Shawn through these links:

Email: shawn@ourfirstnature.com
Website: ourfirstnature.com
IG: @ourfirstnature
FB: FirstNatureFN

When was the first story told? What were the sounds were made that were understood as words? What was the storyteller hoping to convey in the telling? And how long was that story told and retold? Listen in as storyteller Noah Crowe shares about the power of actively selecting our stories and the role they play in shaping our understanding and unity as a community. Good storytelling underscores the potential negative effects of cultural fragmentation, which can lead to a lack of common experiences necessary to foster societal cohesion.

The act of storytelling, particularly by elders who impart cultural narratives, can broaden viewpoints and offer us an authentic link to our historical roots. A good story will be told for thousands of years! These oldest stories speak of the wisdom nature eternally holds for us, even today. As we Homo sapiens continue to go through evolutionary growing pains to understand our role and place on Earth, the transformative power of storytelling and the importance of intentional story creation are ancient; and they continue to be invaluable creative tools for guiding humanity forward.

:::The story "Buffalo" recited by Noah Crowe. Listen to the story in its entirety in a soon to be posted bonus episode!

:::Music discovered on pixabay.com in listening order:

“Guitar Beat” by Shakib Hasan
“Morning Garden” by Olexy
“Old Tolchaco” by Nate Loper
“Into the Darkness” (Long Cello version) by Shakib Hasan

_______________________________

FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE INSIDE BY GETTING OUTSIDE!


You can reach Shawn through these links:

Email: shawn@ourfirstnature.com
Website: ourfirstnature.com
IG: @ourfirstnature
FB: FirstNatureFN

The First Nature podcast was hosted for two years as a segment on the Rising Man podcast. This year it fledges the nest to bring quality nature connection content to the world at large. In this first episode, host Shawn Berry speaks to the vision and mission of the podcast and lays a foundation for what listeners can anticipate from future episodes; intriguing interviews, on location narratives, and inspiring ideas and encouragement for listeners to deepen their own relationship with nature, and ultimately ourselves, loved ones, and the larger communities with live within.

_______________________________

FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE INSIDE BY GETTING OUTSIDE!


You can reach Shawn through these links:

Email: shawn@ourfirstnature.com
Website: ourfirstnature.com
IG: @ourfirstnature
FB: FirstNatureFN