Forest Bathing Recap: Dreaming into the Speaking Land
On Saturday, October 19, 2024, a group of Balanced Soul Forest Bathers gathered for our last Forest Bathing event for 2024, “Dreaming into the Speaking Land.” We met at The Nina Mason Pulliam Ecolab on the Marion College Campus to experience the forest as an oracle. Activities and discussions were presented to encourage attendees to experience the forest speaking to us through signs, symbols, and synchronicity.
We began the morning with a guided group meditation that brought us into the present moment and helped ground our intentions. The following question was posed to each participant, “What aspect of Nature, when it shows up, gives you a message?” The early morning sky allowed us visibility of a special full moon, the Hunter’s Moon. The Hunter's Moon comes once a year and is always the next full moon following autumn's Harvest Moon, which occurs in October or November. Traditionally, it marks the time when hunters would prepare for the winter by hunting game that had fattened up during the harvest season. It’s named for a time when the animals were more active, making hunting easier. This period is seen as spiritually significant, offering an opportune moment for new beginnings, emotional healing, and engaging in spiritual practices.
During our group silent walk into the Lab, participants were asked to ponder the question, “What am I hunting for…”. As we silently walked, Forest Bathers were encouraged to use all their senses, looking for possible messages from nature.
The group was taught how to play “Forest Tarot”, a tool adapted from the work of author Robert Moss. Upon returning from an hour-long forest bath, participants were to bring back answers gifted to them from the woods pertaining to questions posed about life issues and concerns. Message stones were created and left along the trails with the hope of creating a synchronistic experience for those who find the stones.
Each participant chose a card from the Woodland Wardens Oracle deck. Each card has a beautifully painted woodland animal paired with a plant that depicts a message. Forest Bathers were encouraged to read into their card and discern a message for them vs reading what the author wrote about the card. We ended our time with the group creating a Nature Mandala and sharing a cup of Pumpkin Spice Tea.
With love and synchronicity,
Jenny
Forest encounters from Dreaming into the Speaking Land included: Swimming Beaver, pair of mallards, red leaves, three holes in the ground, a new bridge, inky mushroom, the Hunter’s Moon, loons, fungus, blue jays, owl, swans, deer, blue heron, star gazing…
