Naturism and the Inner Journey

It’s that time of year when life as we know it begins to head south. The geese are already gorging themselves on scattered grains left over from passing combines. Frost has already paid a few visits resulting in damage and death as far as gardens are concerned. The one benefit, a psychological one, is the appearance of a vibrant display of colour on the trees and bushes. In our lives, this halfway point is coming later and later as our lifespan appears to be lengthening. When one thinks of the golden and red colours of autumn, it can symbolize those “golden” years of our lives when so many things have come to fruition. It is usually with a surge of gratitude that we enter the journey into the second half of life.

As always, there is a caveat that bares heeding during these golden years. The journey forward becomes, needs to become, an inner journey rather than just a continuation of our outward journey. The second half of life craves meaning. Unfortunately, meaning doesn’t come from building a bigger and better retirement home, or accumulating the best of everything including all the “toys” we couldn’t have while pursuing a career or raising a family, of taking as many trips to foreign places as though one was trophy hunting. Avoiding the inner journey reduces all the treasures to bitter conquests. It is difficult to find meaning in a crowd while engaged in relentless activity. As soon as one stops long enough, the shadow emerges demanding its due.

Naturism, or nudism if you prefer, can be a vehicle for that inner journey. As one casts off one’s clothing, one is casting off the demands and expectations of the outer world. The sensations that are felt turn a person towards their own body and away from things. Nature plays a vital role in this shift from “it” to “self.” When one is confronted with the real self, not the ego self that is camouflaged by clothing and the distractions of things and others, one can begin a search for the hidden self, those parts of self that have been buried over the years, denied because they got in the way.

Discarding one’s clothing is like opening a door. There still remains the choice for opening the door to the inner journey, or just being nude in the outer world. Rejecting the opened door does lead to a life filled with less personal peace for what years remain.

What are your thoughts?