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| 1 | The increasing prominence of interdisciplinary scientific projects, such as neurophenomenology, ecolinguistics, and bio- and ecosemiotics, has provided a wealth of empirical data that enables a more nuanced ecological understanding of metaphor. Traditionally viewed as mere figures of speech, metaphors can now be conceptualized as patterns of experience that not only influence our behavior, thought, and language but also shape our environment by creating "augmented constraints" on our perceptions. In our article, we explore metaphor from the naturalist perspective, as an integral function within the brain–body–environment system and as an ecological extension of our organismic functions. We analyze the complex process through which metaphor evolves into a figure of action, perception and environment, reflecting the cognitive and cultural maturation of the human mind. The research is structured into two main sections: the first offers a theoretical framework that situates metaphor within ecological and developmental contexts, while the second examines eight distinct types of metaphor across various domains of human experience. Our findings reveal that metaphor emerges from the most fundamental levels of awareness, underpinned by biological processes. By synthesizing insights from diverse cognitive theories, we identify six developmental stages through which humans cultivate their imaginative capacities for metaphorical action and thought: boundedness (homeostatic conditions), recurrence (homeostatic patterns), repetition (schematization), relation formation (image-schematization), reference (conceptualization), reversible operating. We argue that constructing metaphors involves coordinating and correlating distinct experiences rather than merely identifying similarities. This perspective shifts the focus from mere identification to understanding the recursive interrelationships between experiences, allowing for richer metaphorical connections. Furthermore, we explore various methods of metaphorization in perception, movement, evaluation and thought. In addition to the well-known conceptual metaphor, we describe perceptual, cross-gestural, verbo-gestural, sensorimotor, narrative, grammatical and stance metaphors that sustain our imaginative engagement with the environment. Ultimately, this research contributes to a constructivist and enactivist understanding of metaphor as a biologically enabled phenomenon that is continuously shaped by our experiences in relation to the world(s) that we construct. Along these lines, the research invites further inquiry into the implications of metaphorizing for understanding our place within the ecological fabric of life. Keywords: embodiment, ecological cognition, biosemiotics, grammatical metaphor, stancetaking, cinematic metaphor | 73 | ||||