The Nature Instinct: Relearning Our Lost Intuition for the Inner Workings of the Natural World

388 Pages·2018·4.49 MB·English

by  Tristan Gooley

“[A] beautifully written
almanac of tricks and tips
that we’ve lost along the way.”
—Guardian

Nature Instinct
Relearning Our Lost Intuition for
the Inner Workings of the Natural World
T R I S T A N G O O L E Y
New York Times–bestselling
author of How to Read Water and
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs
$24.95 US | $32.95 CAN
The culmination of
everything Tristan Gooley has
written so far: How to take your
knowledge about the outdoors—
and make it second nature
Readers of master outdoorsman
Tristan Gooley have learned that
the world is filled with clues to look
for—we can use the Big Dipper to tell
time, for example, and a budding flower
to find south. But what about the innate
survival instincts that told Gooley to move
on one night, just as he was about to
make camp? Everything looked perfect,
but something felt wrong. When Gooley
returned to his abandoned campsite to
search for clues, there they were: All of
the tree trunks were slightly bent. The
ground had already shifted once in a
storm—and could easily shift again,
becoming treacherous in heavy rain.
The Nature Instinct shows us how
Gooley and other expert observers—
from hunters in the English countryside
to the Pygmy people in the Congo—
have recovered and rekindled this lost
“sixth sense;” a subconscious,
deeper understanding of our
surroundings. By training ourselves
through slow, careful observation, we
too can unlock this kind of intuition—for
finding the forest’s edge when deep in the
woods, or knowing when a wild animal
might pose danger—without even having
to stop to think about it.
The Nature
Instinct
Also by Tristan Gooley
How to Read Nature
How to Read Water
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs
The Natural Navigator
The Natural Explorer
The Nature
Instinct
Relearning Our Lost Intuition for
the Inner Workings of the Natural World
T R I S T A N G O O L E Y
Illustrations by Neil Gower
NEW YORK
The Nature Instinct: Relearning Our Lost Intuition for the Inner Workings of the Natural World
Copyright © 2018 by Tristan Gooley
Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Neil Gower
Originally published in the UK as Wild Signs and Star Paths by Sceptre in 2018.
First published in North America by The Experiment, LLC, in 2018.
All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio,
television, or online reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
The Experiment, LLC
220 East 23rd Street, Suite 600
New York, NY 10010-4658
theexperimentpublishing.com
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products
are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and The
Experiment was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been capitalized.
The Experiment’s books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for
premiums and sales promotions as well as for fund-raising or educational use. For details,
contact us at [email protected].
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request
ISBN 978-1-61519-479-7
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-516-9
Cover and text design by Beth Bugler
Author photograph by Ben Queenborough
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing November 2018
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the kindest animals;
you know who you are

Contents
Introduction xi
PART I—ANCIENT AND NEW
Wild Signs and Star Paths I 3
The Sun Anvil 17
Wild Signs and Star Paths II 25
The Wind Anchor 38
Wild Signs and Star Paths III 46
PART II—ABOVE AND BELOW: SKY AND LAND
The Shear 60
The Ramp 62
The Pink Compass 66
The Sky Map 68
The Invisible Handrail 73
The Light and Dark Woods 78
The Edge and Musit 83
The Fire 87
The Browse, Bite, and Haven 89
The Celebration and Shadow 94
The Friend, Guest, and Rebel 98
The Reaper 101
PART III—CREATURES OF MEANING: THE ANIMALS
The Perch and Sentinel 109
The Return 112
The Face and Tail 114
The Point 119
The Peek 122
The Freeze, Crouch, and Feign 127
The Flight 134
The Refuge 144
The Cacophony 148
The Track 159
The Circling 163
The Stotting 168
The Guide 171
The Squall Squawk 174
PART IV—SIGNS OF WISDOM: ADVANCED KEYS
Flock, Bubble, and Burst 179
The Retreat and Rebound 188
The Jink 191
The Shimmy 197
The Ignore and Mistake 201
The Eddy 204
The Crook 206
Nature’s Coat 208
Two Frosts 212
The Clepsydra 215