The Hopi, the native people who inhabit land near my home in Sedona, Arizona, apply a system of energetic physiology to the Earth that closely parallels the physiology of the human being. According to their tradition, the Earth turns on an axis, which functions like the human backbone. Along this backbone can be found a series of energy centers, analogous to the chakras in the human body, which resonate a primal musical tone in harmony with all creation. Humanity, as they see it, is just a microcosm of the Earth. We have been given the gift of musical, verbal, and artistic expression not for our own glory but as a means of giving expression to the Earth and all creation (Kalweit).

I would like to propose that direct, positive experience of and interaction with nature is essential to your health. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, humankind has become increasingly disconnected from the Earth that sustains us, and the effect has been regrettable. In the most obvious ways, human health is currently threatened by environmental problems, such as pollution and ozone depletion. But I would also like to suggest that the effects of this go deeper, that disconnection from nature is essentially a spiritual problem that subsequently leads to problems of the body and mind as well.