Growing Towards the Light

Out walking today in some local woods, and I was amazed at the creativity evident in nature.

It felt wonderful to be out by myself in the woods, amongst the trees, walking along the riverbank. I passed a few people on my journey, and it was interesting to note that everyone else I saw was out walking with their dogs. I seemed to be the only person out there walking on my own. I love the solitary aspect of just being on my own in nature. Being free to experience the air, the sights, the sounds, the ground beneath my feet, the weather all around me …. and to simply connect with it. Walking also gives me the opportunity to allow my thoughts to wander. They’re somehow more free than when I’m sat, still and unmoving, at my computer desk.

There are times too, when it’s nice to go walking with friends. It can be a time then of shared conversation, shared confidences and shared experiences. The pleasure of two or more people enjoying each other’s company and that of the world around them…

During my walk, I spotted some trees with twisted, turning branches . Trees and plants need sunlight to grow, and hence to ensure their survival and continued growth, Mother Nature encourages them to be creative and find ways of obtaining the sunlight they need.

The trees in the photographs on this page have done just that … twisted and turned themselves to grow towards the light.

And this reminded me of the metaphorical story Carl Rogers tells in “A Way of Being” (1980) of the potato sprouts in his boyhood cellar. Potatoes stored in the cellar would sprout , and these sprouts would grow towards the light coming in through the window. The sprouts would be long, weak and spindly, but they would find a way to seek the light to achieve growth in the best way that they could … just like the trees in the pictures.

Rogers likened this to what he called the “actualising tendency” in humans.

As humans, we too always grow towards the light. We all do the best we can with the resources that we have. Our choices, our behaviours, our actions may not always on the surface appear rational, but underneath, they will be serving a positive purpose according to the individual’s life circumstances or belief systems. And in order to enable an individual to change, it can be useful to challenge their underlying belief systems and encourage them to discover a new source of light to grow towards.

Where our light is, that’s where we grow towards …