Intentional kayaking: Awakening to intimacy within the natural world

Abstract

This article explores the notion of intimacy within the natural world. The author blends personal quest with scholarship from transpersonal psychology, spirituality, nature writing, and philosophy. It highlights the results of a thematic content analysis of journal entries made during a week of kayaking with the conscious intention of being in better relationship with a specific lake community. A thematic analysis of the journal entries that followed this experience revealed that that certain actions, attitudes, and ways of being increased intimacy and contributed to a greater sense of spirituality. She posits that we can all achieve greater spiritual connection and intimacy with the natural world by cultivating what Maslow refers to as the "plateau experience" and by incorporating the wisdom of nature writers whose craft is dependent on cultivating reciprocity, connection, and love within the natural world.