Home
>
Spirituality
>
African American Hiking for Spiritual Health

African American Hiking for Spiritual Health

Hiking is gaining popularity within the African-American community. We're beginning to spend more time in nature in an effort to connect deeply with the spirit within. The alertness that is required to observe the natural beauty around us is calming, energizing and edifying. Noticing the colors on the trees, listening to the sounds of the birds, and overlooking scenic landscapes or wonderful bodies of water can heal the soul very profoundly.

Hiking Alone

To be alone with my private thoughts in the space of my own company is euphoric. Moving at my own pace and experiencing the freedom to take any path that looks interesting or simply stop to relax or read is very liberating. Sometimes I listen to inspirational music, messages of personal growth or a guided meditation on my portable CD player. Other times I just listen to the sound of our beautiful natural world. I always stop to journal when hiking. The insights I get while hiking are rarely achieved during the hustle and bustle of work and family life.

Hiking with a Partner

If you feel uncomfortable hiking alone a partner is a great alternative. You can still get that special time with your own thoughts and feelings by hiking together to a destination, then separating enough to get some private space where you can be alone with your thoughts or listen to some media of your choosing. Agree upon an amount of time for this (a half-hour to an hour is usually good) then re-commune and hike back to the car. Try to keep the conversation as positive as possible. Use this valuable time for spiritual reflection and healing. Give encouragement, love and support to each other every step of the way and hiking with a partner can be powerfully rejuvenating and healing.

Practical Items for Hiking:

Always bring water. And, if you're hiking for more than a couple of miles it's a good idea to bring some food, i.e. sandwiches, trail-mix and/or fruit.

You don't have to invest a lot of money, but a good pair of hiking shoes will make your experience more pleasurable. They absorb the rocks and irregularities of the paths you'll be walking on.

Dress in layers that are easily adjustable for body temperature. Wear a breathable shirt next to your skin, and a jacket with a good zipper for temperature variability.

If you bring a backpack, it should contain the following items:

Water and Food
First-aid pack
Pocket knife
A camera ? I always see something I wish to capture on film
A flashlight - with fresh batteries.
An extra shirt
Something to sit on such as a sheet, blanket of other pad.
I also pack my journal and a pen

The most important thing about hiking is your personal space. View it as a mini-retreat.

Delano Garner writes for "Shades and Reflections," a resource site for African-American Spiritual Health. http://www.shadesandreflections.com Contact Delano Garner at http://www.shadesandreflections.com

apartment cleaning near Deerfield ...

In The News:

Black Friday deals are already drawing scammers who use fake delivery notices and gift card payment requests to steal your personal financial information.

Apple's iPhone Duo reportedly outlasted the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 by over three hours in battery tests, but its weight and repair costs raise concerns.

Florida Polytechnic University's Jetson ONE eVTOL police vehicle named Astro still awaits FAA authorization before officers can fly operational patrols.

OpenAI's new locked chats feature lets you protect ChatGPT conversations with a PIN, Face ID or Touch ID, but there are key privacy limitations.

A phishing email disguised as an Evite fooled a man even after he emailed his friend to verify it, revealing how compromised Gmail accounts aid scams.

Microsoft's AI diagnostic system identified 83% of complex medical cases in a study, more than doubling the 36% accuracy of generalist doctors.

Account takeover threats go beyond stolen passwords as criminals exploit session cookies, SIM swaps and MFA fatigue to bypass your login security.

SpaceX is reportedly pursuing access to 80,000 cell sites to turn Starlink into a major wireless carrier rivaling Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Tech advocacy groups warn that foreign nationals at AI companies like OpenAI and Google pose a national security threat amid a lack of federal oversight.

Singapore researchers built the world's first touchscreen woven into clothing, surviving 50 machine washes while displaying images and responding to touch.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A startup founder woke to $449 in unexpected OpenAI and Anthropic charges after stolen API keys were exploited during the "Black October" cyber wave.

Educational Testing Service hackers stole millions of California student records, but families who moved out of state years ago may also be affected.

Apple's iPhone Duo screens are cracking near the hinge just days after its $1,999 launch, and iFixit's CT scans may reveal what's going wrong.

Travel expert Katy Nastro says 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles vanished from her account after someone redeemed them without permission.

Google AI Overviews can't be permanently turned off, but adding -AI to your searches and using the built-in Web filter can help bypass AI summaries.

Attaxion researchers found 30 fake Texas campaign merchandise stores traced to just two sellers hawking gear for competing Republicans and Democrats.

GM plans to debut eyes-off driving in the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028, but safety testing reveals how long distracted drivers take to regain control.

Data brokers assign labels predicting your health, finances and religion based on browsing and purchases, then sell those profiles to businesses.

Elon Musk says he'll give one SpaceX share to every kid in America in 2027, but key details about eligibility and distribution remain unclear.

ClearSpace UK's robotic spacecraft with giant claws will chase down dead satellites at 17,000 mph, with a 2029 launch from Scotland planned.

A fake Social Security statement phishing email uses the SSA logo and a convincing layout, but the sender's domain instantly exposes the scam.

A clean credit report doesn't mean your identity is safe. Six ways criminals can steal from you without triggering a credit monitoring alert.

Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired professor, was arrested after blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot on a Philadelphia sidewalk for months.

The Midnight Mimosa malware campaign hides inside cheap Android phone firmware, giving attackers powerful access before owners even turn devices on.

African American Hiking for Spiritual Health

Spirituality