There is an ancient ‘person’ in residence on the touring park, where my ship (on wheels) is currently anchored. By all accounts the ‘person’ is 800-1000 years old. They live at the far edge of the land, next to the river. The old oak is magnificent. It’s hard to imagine how much history this tree has witnessed.

Connecting with nature is one of many themes I talk about in my book, where I share some of the incredible messages I have received from animals, trees and nature herself. Wise, beautiful messages. So, yesterday, I connected with the oak tree. I placed my hands on its mighty trunk. I bathed in its strength and stillness until we were ‘at one’, and asked “What is your secret for a long and healthy life?” As I stepped back to take in the full magnificence of the tree, a series of thoughts popped into my mind.

For anyone who is sceptical that we can indeed commune with nature using our consciousness, I challenge you to try. Mother Earth is our biological parent, so we are related to Gaia, the elements, the flora and fauna at a cellular level. If that’s a bit of a stretch, just let nature prompt your own insights. However you think about it, there is wisdom to be had from connecting with nature.

The thoughts I received were as follows. Essentially, the oak tree has been able to maintain homeostasis easily throughout its life, so no energy has been wasted battling adverse environmental conditions. It is away from civilisation (and the bye-products of people) with plenty of space to breathe. Other trees in the vicinity do not compete for resources. They are smaller, younger and a different species. There are some large oaks around but not nearby. The old oak has the correct balance of sun and shade and an abundant supply of water. It also has a symphony of natural harmonic sounds and frequencies from the birds, the babbling river, bleating sheep and mooing cows. Its roots are firmly planted underground, so it is strong and stable. And the oak’s canopy is in perfect balance for the slight gradient of the ground it stands on. I was not surprised to learn, that the energy in the earth is somehow enhanced, offering extra support for a long and healthy life. (I mentioned in a previous blog, a nearby ‘magic’ lake which makes my toes tingle. Perhaps there is an energy vortex, or the energy is enhanced by quartz in the ground at this location - crystal is known to hold and amplify energy.)

What can we learn from the wise old oak? As it happens, I have thought a lot about the idea of homeostasis over the years. It’s primarily about finding what you need to support optimum health, eg. through diet, fitness, environment and lifestyle. Optimum health means optimum biological balance and when the cells of our biology are balanced, they cannot be in dis-ease. But homeostasis is also about discovering how to nourish the soul. Neither are quick fixes. More likely, life-long endeavours.

The idea of homeostasis has never been more important than it is right now, because we live in an increasingly toxic world. I refer to the pollution of our food, soil, air, water and electro-magnetic frequencies, not to mention the toxification of our minds and the programming of our thoughts. This poisoning of our planet and all who dwell on her, has been happening for a long time, and it makes it increasingly difficult to be in balance. So, health (or lack of) has become the focus for many, robbing them of the time and energy to be free-thinkers, problem solvers and creators in their lives. It also separates us from our essence and the power that lies in this connection.

But we can discover how to achieve homeostasis, if we make it a project and devote the time and effort to it. In fact, it is the most important investment you can make in yourself. For instance, we can explore what, when and how we eat and drink because, after all, we have direct control over what we put into our mouth (though we also need to work out how to compensate for deficiencies in our diet); we can explore ways to detox our bodies, our minds, our homes and protect against toxicity we can’t avoid when out and about; we can allow time to rejuvenate and we can learn how to balance our subtle energy body. Regarding the latter, everything is made up of energy, frequency and vibration, including us. So, we have a dense physical body and a subtle energy body which are co-dependent in creating good health.

And it doesn’t stop there. Once we have done all this, we can explore ways to actually enhance our energy and our living environment, making it easier to stay in balance. Imagine if homeostasis was a non-issue and we could depend on it. No more time, effort and money would be expended in circumventing the obstacles to our health and well-being. All our energy would be available for living. Now there's a thought!

Homeostasis is part of our innate design. It is the balance point our biology naturally gravitates towards, if we support it in the right way. It’s our birth-right. The puzzle is working out what helps us (and there is no right formula here, as we are all different).

I have spent much of my life in pursuit of precisely this, from the perspective of prevention rather than cure. And I am happy to report a large degree of success but it is, of course, a work in progress.

So, where do you start? I started with ‘controlling the controllables’. This is a concept I first came across in sport but have applied to many aspects of my life, in order to avoid unnecessary hazards on a day-to-day basis. Our balance, however, changes as we move through life, so adjustments are necessary and this requires awareness. It's a bit like riding a bike, a horse, a skateboard, or skiing. You naturally alter your posture and muscle tension, as you navigate the terrain beneath you, in order to stay upright.

What does it take to achieve homeostasis? Firstly, a commitment to yourself (hence the title of my book, ‘The Ultimate Relationship… the one with yourself’). Next, diligent observation of you and your environment ie. paying attention to your instinct, noticing any niggles or discomfort and taking time to investigate (in whatever way works for you), so you can find solutions. Also, when situations go belly-up, it's vital to create ways of regaining your balance quickly, so you don’t slide into the abyss!

Sadly though, unless there is a crisis, taking these steps probably won’t be a priority for most people. So, life continues at a frenetic pace, patching up the tell-tale cracks that indicate all is not well, until crisis point is reached. Much pain can be avoided by pressing the pause button and considering what changes are required to start on the path towards creating personal, life-long resiliency and more.

Of course, it shouldn’t have to be this way. There should be appropriate, personal, holistic support that puts us at the centre of our own health. But we outsourced responsibility for our health and well-being to external providers a long time ago. This was never a good idea and it is now apparent that the institutions we trusted have failed us. To make matters worse, we are not taught anything meaningful in our education about nutrition or environmental toxicity. Doctors aren’t either. So, it's time to take back our power. I believe healthcare will change. It has to because it has failed systemically, on a global scale. But change will come from outside the system. And it has already begun, with many new grass roots initiatives which are gaining a lot of support.

The subject of homeostasis, leads me to my new venture, the ‘Earth Collective Project’ (which I wrote about in my last blog). This is a broader expression of the theme, the part about enhancing our environment to make it easy to be balanced. My intention is to create a rural community of like-minded people, living in innovative homes that are ecological, self-sustaining and in harmony with nature. I envisage a simpler life, lived with ease and grace.

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