There are no short-cuts to connection with Nature, no spells or rituals that you can do to magickally create a relationship with the Wild. Becoming a part of the natural energy around you means that you have to make the natural energy a part of your life. Through the years, I've discovered two extremely effective exercises to do this. The first is traditionally attributed to the late Scott Cunningham; the second was given to me by a Mic Mac woman who influenced much of my path. I've expanded and altered both methods through the years, both through my own experience with the techniques as well as the insight of an endless list of students.
Each morning, when you wake, face the east and spend a few moments greeting the sun. Welcome it, either aloud or in your mind, thanking it for the light and life it brings to you day. Take a moment and close your eyes, feeling the light of the sun entering your body, filling you. Learn to connect with it. This ability will not only aid you in your daylight ritual work, but will connect you with the solar cycle. In the same manner, welcome the night, especially the moon, each evening. This will improve your night rituals in a similar manner.
As you begin to use this technique on a regular basis, you'll start to notice little things, like you know what the weather is like outside when you're nowhere near a window, that you can sense approaching weather fronts. These aren't mystical abilities, but simply obvious changes in energy that you begin to pick up on as you take the time to connect with the natura cycles around you.
The next technique builds on this method, creating an even deeper connection with the natural world.
For a period of seven consecutive days, sit quietly outside (in a park, your yard, a forest) and observe. Clear your mind and let images come to you. Watch the world around you and see if anything jumps out at you. Do this for fifteen minutes to a half-hour each day. If you miss a day, even just one, you must start over. After each session, in order to begin to understand that process you're beginning and to create a record of your experiences, write down the following information: