Balancing Technology and Nature

by Peg Aloi

Many of us depend on personal technology to get us through our day: we constantly interact with smartphones, computers, social media, and the Internet. But how much of this is really necessary, and how much of it may be negatively affecting our natural body rhythms and magical intuition? This article will explore the issue of technology addiction and suggest ways to effectively balance these modern tools with old school methods of working and socializing, to create renewed awareness and appreciation for nature and our connection to it.

One of the most significant problems with our current pervasive engagement with digital technology is that the ease of communication and the speed of data sharing has created an expectation of instant access and thereby instant gratification. We get impatient if we are unable to reach people by phone or text, if we have a slow Internet connection that makes it hard to download our favorite music or videos, or if we have to wait too long for a reply to an e-mail. This expectation of instant gratification then extends to other areas of our lives not necessarily connected to digital media: we get antsy waiting in line at the grocery store or irritable in slow-moving traffic.

We also expect instantaneous access to information. Before the age of the Internet, we searched through printed materials and resources found in libraries. The need to search in a thoughtful way for information led us to find more specific answers and perhaps helped widen our knowledge, as we had to absorb entire chapters or books to find the answers we sought. Now the Internet allows us to find information with rapid-fire ease, but it affects our critical thought and intuition.

Witches and Pagans often pride themselves on having good intuition or being able to follow “gut” feelings. Have you ever had an unbidden thought about someone you had not thought about in months and then suddenly received a phone call or e-mail from that person? It is said that our unconscious mind can sometimes pick up on things happening around us that we’re unaware of. In magical workings, we often rely on our intuition to guide us, for example, in choosing which components to add to a spell or what words to use in an invocation. Magic is a creative and mercurial process, and if we are too distracted by technology, it can be hard to let this creativity flow. Recent studies have shown that creativity is most likely to occur in the brain when we are bored. Constant low-level stimulation experienced via personal technology means our brains never have that downtime when creative and inventive thoughts can blossom.

There is also evidence that our physical and emotional well-being are negatively impacted by our increased reliance on technology. Our sleep is affected, for one thing: using digital devices or social media before bedtime is shown to cause insomnia, bad dreams, and disturbed sleep. These devices can also cause stress. Many of us unconsciously may think we have to remain available 24/7 so that we don’t miss important messages, news, or events. There’s even a term given to the unusual anxiety some people feel when they’re disconnected from social media—“FOMO” (fear of missing out). This stress can affect our health by lowering immune response, affecting our sleep cycle, and raising blood pressure.

Another consequence of overuse of technology is decreased time spent outdoors and exposure to nature. This is especially detrimental to children, whose play is taken up with video games and other technology-related activities. Children are remarkably sensitive to activities that help stimulate them mentally, and the increased emphasis on technology in schools sometimes means less emphasis on arts and music. Try helping your children engage with nature more directly. My friend’s children help create an altar for every sabbat in the Wheel of the Year. They make pictures or sculptures, collect natural objects, write lists of words or poems specific to that holiday, and place food and drink on the altar as an offering. You might even have the kids use their tablets or computers to find information on what to put on the altar, but then make sure the gathering of materials and making of the altar is a tech-free experience! Your kids will soon learn to look forward to this creative activity, and it will strengthen their connection to nature and spirituality.

Solutions

What else can we do to help address our increasing reliance on these devices and applications? First of all, we’d do well to admit that we may have an actual addiction. As scary as that may sound, it can be helpful to understand how serious overuse of technology can be, and that in turn may help us to develop strategies to address the problem. Plans for decreasing this reliance may vary widely from individual to individual. But the other matter we’re concerned with is the widespread disengagement from nature, which also causes some negative effects. It is possible to address both of these issues simultaneously by going outside.

This may sound ridiculously easy, but the fact is even if some of us use our smartphones, laptops, and e-readers while we’re outdoors, we may not actually be mindful of the fact that we’re outside, surrounded by air, birds, trees, squirrels, bodies of water, flowers, etc. We tend to be so distracted by our gadgets and the functions we’re involved with that we fail to experience nature even when it’s all around us. But we can make a conscious effort to integrate more nature into our lives even as we strive to decrease our interaction with technology. Mindful interaction with nature while we use our gadgets is as simple as choosing a sidewalk café with free Wi-Fi and sitting as near to trees or gardens as we can. We can also choose to find a safe and unobstructed place, like a park or hiking path, to walk when we talk on our phones. Hands-free devices are helpful here too.

However, the main goal is to decrease our interaction with such distractions in the first place and replace this time and energy with exposure to nature in ways that help keep us healthy and productive (because after all, we tend to use all this technology because we think it’s helping our productivity on some level). In addition to increasing our physical and mental well-being, being out in nature helps foster a connection to the natural world—and if we’re serious about our spiritual engagement with nature, it’s important to nourish it on a frequent basis. You may be surprised to realize how much less time you spend looking at nature than you did before technology became a big part of your life. For me, that attunement with nature is a big part of my magical identity as a Witch, and I start to feel disconnected from that identity if I don’t spend time in nature.

Think of spending time in nature as a part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth or hanging up your clothes. Taking a minute here or there to look at the Full Moon, to look at constellations in the night sky, to notice the deer grazing at sunset, or to observe a tree’s changing colors in autumn. All of these things can resensitize us to the world around us and intensify our awareness. Plus, nature often makes us feel refreshed and alive, and that mindset and feeling are helpful when we’re working on self-transformation or healing. It’s all about awareness and being able to adapt.

For example, while it may be true that using an e-reader is lighter and more convenient, it can cause a bit more eyestrain than reading a paper book and is yet another electronic device that drains our vital energy and removes us from nature. Rediscover the beauty of physical books again. Revisiting your favorite used bookstore or finding a book-swap website with participants in your area can help you reintegrate your love of reading back to a place less dependent upon technology. Many Pagans and Witches have had intense experiences of discovering information and folklore in books that become part of their magical practice, and the tactile sensation of reading an actual book (the texture and smell of the paper) is a big part of that magic.

We can always go back to our earlier ways of doing things or try to balance them with new ways if it means improved quality of life. Finding creative new activities around foodways can help reconnect you to nature and the seasons. Go to a weekly farmers’ market, have a picnic, or go out for ice cream after dinner to a place within walking distance. Winter food activities include bringing thermoses of hot chocolate with you to the local ice skating rink or getting bundled up for a nice, vigorous walk to a special destination, like the family’s favorite restaurant. And don’t forget to make foods specific to Pagan festivals you may celebrate: bake bread at Lammas, mix up some wassail at Yuletide, or color (then eat!) eggs at Ostara. Get the family involved in these ritual food preparations; they may prove to be a great tech-free source of fun and connection for everyone.

If you have teenage children, you may have noticed that it’s very difficult to get them to reduce the time they spend texting or playing video games. Implement rules such as forbidding texting at the dinner table or enforce a mandatory number of hours spent outdoors per week. Create outdoor activities to get your younger children interested in nature: hiking, leaf peeping, collecting seasonal items like fallen acorns or nuts, identifying or counting migrating birds, identifying flowers, picking apples or berries—the list is endless. They might collect items in nature that can also be used for their own personal altars or collections or for holiday decorating.

You can even ease the technology to nature transition by using technology selectively to help coordinate your outdoor activities. Encourage the kids to learn how to check the weather online in preparation for outings so that they know how to dress for the temperature and possible changes. If you’re planning a drive to a nearby town or neighborhood, the kids can check out restaurants or other destinations online before you get there or assist navigation while you drive.

Give It a Try

There are many ways that technology makes our lives easier and more enjoyable, but knowing when to limit our exposure can be hard when we’re constantly using our devices. As people who value the ideas behind magic and intuition, it would benefit us to use our natural abilities and leave technology behind once in a while. Try going for a walk and leaving your phone turned off, and see what pleasure comes from interacting with nature unfettered by your smartphone. Try a whole week of not interacting with technology before bed and see if your dreams get more interesting. If you notice positive effects from lessened use of technology and increased time spent outside, be sure to remark about it to your loved ones and share your experiences with friends.

Your magical cohorts will surely find this an interesting discussion too! Ask them if overuse of technology interferes with their magical work, or if consciously lessening time spent on smartphones or tablets helps with being more attuned to spiritual or magical vibrations (however those may be defined for their practice). Invite others to share your activities without necessarily telling them that part of your motivation stems from wanting to decrease your reliance upon technology. The benefits to health, well-being, and personal happiness, as well as your magical or spiritual practices, will be their own reward, and you just may find an unexpected increase in productivity as well.

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