It’s actually a thing: researchers define nature connectedness as the psychological closeness a person has with Nature. They’ve found high levels improve personal wellbeing, expand identity, and relax rigid boundaries between ourselves and the outside world. But for all the Nature programs out there, this psychological aspect is missing.

Instead, the focus is on outdoor fun, achievement, teambuilding, science, wilderness skills, introspection, yoga… they expose people to Nature but leave them to find connection on their own. Participants aren’t taught that connectedness is like an interpersonal relationship with the natural world— a relationship characterized by meaningful contact, quality time, and personal growth, where awe, gratitude, and inspiration factor in, self-absorption takes a back seat, and feelings of oneness bring peace, empathy, and outward focus.

Couple this understanding with the recognition that Nature does not have to be a pristine nor remote place, it’s really an expression of Earth that’s present everywhere. That means the benefits of connectedness are within reach of everyone, no matter where they are. Now with a path that leads directly to connection, there’s never been a better time to start the journey.

The previous steps dealt with social and conceptual building blocks for connection. Now, the path pivots to a personal and physical level. The skills developed in this step aren’t the traditional nature skills of naturalists or outdoorsmen, which are science or survival oriented. Instead, they target connection with Earth through Nature, and are meant to resonate with us at a deep, ancestral level. As such, they’re radically different from what’s taught through other Nature-related programs.

Despite our civilized existence, we are animals with instinctual urges, emotions, and physicality still playing big roles in our lives. The four skills— senses, curiosity, imagination, and reverence— were selected to mesh with these impactful parts of our psyche. While using our senses and curiosity in Nature seems obvious, using our imagination and reverence is less intuitive. But they are essential for meaning-making, empathy, and understanding where and how we fit in.

The strategy here is to engage both the body and mind at its different levels in the natural world, shooting for immersion, flow, captivation, and sensation. And to do it in terms of the work that’s already been done: the realms, tales, and awareness of our cultural programming.

With the foundation in place, the rest of learning can begin. The plotlines fit snugly onto the foundation of love and realms to form a framework. These aren’t detailed explanations, but general truths established by science. They can be used like a Rosetta Stone for the natural world, providing enough of Earth’s key narratives to shed some light on nearly everything in Nature we humans will encounter.

In their absence, we are left with human-centric plotlines to make sense of our outdoor experiences, plotlines like the battle between good and evil, overcoming hardship to reach success, and man conquering Nature. But these describe so little of what’s happening outdoors that our minds struggle to retain, or even notice the majority of it.

Using a different set of deliberately crafted narratives could catapult our experience of the natural world to a higher level. Plotlines based on science marry credible, reliable information with the ancient appeal of story. Presenting them as tales—with Earth as the protagonist—doubles down on this appeal, while expanding the concept of realms makes it easier to grapple with the new ideas. And at this point on the path, including examples from the real world turns our attention back to it.

Building on a commitment to love with an understanding of Earth’s most basic parts creates a strong foundation for connectedness. First, a sidebar to recognize how strange it is living our lives on Earth without a good idea of what it’s all about. But the world has been too big for us to perceive, and cultures, customs, and economic practices have come from a time when we didn’t grasp Earth in its totality.

Now we know so much more about what our planet is and does, but we’ve delegated that knowledge to scientists. As inhabitants of Earth, each one of us should be entitled to a basic working understanding of this planet. After all, shows about other worlds provide an overview, and they make those imaginary places seem a lot more intriguing than this real planet.

In spite of our sophistication in so many things, as a society we’re naive about the gift that is this Earth. Capitalizing on our strengths to shore up our weaknesses, this overview dresses up science and facts by giving them the same treatment as a fantasy world. It also asks of us to suspend disbelief and rebuild our ideas about Earth from the ground up.

The first step addresses the core of connection: unconditional love for our planet. Without it, connectedness is an uphill battle because it must compete for our attention, time, and commitment with all the other societal pressures and expectations. This competition for our hearts and minds uses psychological levers, so this path does too by invoking love at the start.

Persuading people to choose loving Earth begins with letting them know it’s an option. That’s why it’s framed as a choice and the societal influences and attitudes that get in the way are identified. These are often so subtle we aren’t aware of them until they’re pointed out. The step also clearly establishes Earth as a relatable and awesome being, and it asks for commitment, bringing identity and integrity into play.

It’s an approach that doesn’t start by venturing into the wilderness in hopes that experiences there will lead to love. Instead, it ventures into our consciousness where the choice to love Earth is made. The strategy is to fight the biggest battle at the beginning of the journey to clear obstacles that would block the path forward.