Traditionally, the term sanctuary refers to a sacred or holy place. A sanctuary is also a physical place of refuge or safety. Also, one can seek, find, or take sanctuary in another being, place, or thing.
Nature Sanctuaries
By Pam Montgomery
When I say the word sanctuary, I notice that it initiates a calming effect, and I begin to reframe how I interact with the land. I breathe a sigh of relief as if everything will be all right. Earth will heal, the water will be drinkable, the air will be fit to breathe, the fish will thrive, the polar bears will have ice, and the Redwoods will survive. If by some miracle we actually started thinking, feeling, and being with the land as a sanctuary, where we easily bond with Nature, maybe, just maybe, we will remember that we too are a part of Nature and that when we harm Nature we sabotage ourselves. When we relax into the nurture of Nature, our hearts open, resistance melts away, and we begin to connect to ourselves, which then connects us to the larger Nature.
A sanctuary, and all that goes into creating and sustaining it as such, serves as a mirror for us to look deeply into our heart, soul, and spirit to see where we are out of alignment, both within and without. Anne Romance, of Green Heron Sanctuary, says of her students who came to work seasonally in her sanctuary and Medicine Wheel, “Each time they came, more was revealed to them about the negative impact of the disconnection from Nature.
They saw this as the single cause of heartbreak, soul loss, and spiritual malnourishment, all of which create disease, separation, aggression, and greed. They saw that the biggest work they could do was to be in a reciprocal relationship with Nature.” Within intentional sanctuaries, the devastation of disconnection from Nature is healed.
A sanctuary is a place of refuge, protection, or safety where all are free from harm. It is a haven for the land, and all who dwell and pass through there, including plants, trees, wildlife, and elementals, as well as the people who interact with it. Nature sanctuaries are governed by an anthropogaic approach. Anthropogaic (as opposed to anthropocentric or human-centered) is an emergent term that combines anthropo, refer¬ring to humans, and gaic, referring to Gaia, and means that people are engaged with Nature as a living being with equal rights to thrive. In human communities, it has been statistically shown that there is a direct relationship between increased inequality and increased levels of vio¬lence.
This trend seems to correspond to humans’ relationship to Nature as well. The more pervasive the attitude that Nature is a commodity, the more violence is perpetrated against her. When Nature is kept safe and treated with the same equal rights that are given to humans, she responds in kind. Nature’s original vibratory resonance is one of being protected and cared for while having equal rights to life.
When these conditions are in place, Nature can exist in an easeful and relaxed state of well-being and harmony, not in a state of stress. When we realize that we, too, are a part of Nature, the phrase “do unto others as you would do unto yourself ” takes on new meaning. Susan Clearwater of Green Turtle Botanical Sanctuary says of her students when they were work¬ing in her sanctuary, “They started to understand the interconnected¬ness of it all and how this brought safety and security. It empowered them to see how Nature works and how much is given to them from the plants, the land, and the elements.”
Many nature sanctuaries are established for the explicit purpose of protecting the plants and trees of a particular tract of land. There may be plants already living in an area that needs protecting, or plants may be cultivated to restore an area to a natural distribution of native plants. One such organization that is focused on protecting North American native medicinal plants is United Plant Savers (UpS). UpS has created a Botanical Sanctuary Network where individuals and organizations designate their land as sanctuaries that protect native medicinal plants as well as provide educational opportunities around the importance of these species and the threats they face.
These sanctuaries, through the safety they are restoring to the plants, have an effect on the people who are their caretakers. When caretakers become stewards of land, they enter into a different, more ancient relationship where the land isn’t shackled and enslaved but is free to thrive according to its nature, without threat of harm, vibrantly.
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About the Author
Pam Montgomery is an herbalist, Nature Evolutionary, international teacher, and Earth Elder who has passionately embraced her role as a spokesperson for the green beings. A founding member of United Plant Savers and the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries, she is the author of two books, including Plant Spirit Healing. She lives, works, and plays at Sweetwater Sanctuary in Danby, Vermont.
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