If you go down to the woods today…
Today, according to the doom sayers in the news is blue Monday.
I suggest we all click here: https://youtu.be/-Kobdb37Cwc
Trigger warning. It’s the boom town rats. If you can’t cope with ’80 Geldof, don’t click.
Or Click here, for some Happy Mondays
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFBQ0PH5rM4
It’s ‘apparently’ the day most couples in the uk break up, and is also the most depressing day of the year. I think that is a manufactured stat, made to sell anti-depressants.
The most depressing day of the year is obviously the day after your birthday, as you’ve got a whole year before you day again.
I’ve just finished and handed my ‘Runes Made Easy online course’ to be hopefully recorded in the next few months. Its 20k words, so about 200mins. Is that too much do you think? So today I’m working on the Birth Runes and Runic pendants I’ve got outstanding.
This week when not working on my course, I’ve been making sure I get connected to the outside as much as possible, as I find that I often spend too long in my office with the computer staring at it.
I love ancient places, the earth is ancient, so they are everywhere! What I actualy mean I love ancient sites that have had human habitation.
We went to Neolithic burial chamber just before yule, and some ancient rings last week, and this week well, who knows where we’ll end up.
Nature and ancients sites have a lot in common, mainly as if they’ve been ignored long enough ancient sites become nature. I don’t know about you but have you ever noticed that when you are in a thing that you notice the weirdest things?
One of the things that I need to do, to stop myself going dropping into a pit is going out for a walk or a drive-in nature, usually right now, it’s a drive, as cold and wet. But my boots are in the back of the car. One of my favourite ways to re-connect to myself is just in and around trees.
There is even a special Japanese word for it, shinrin-yoku. This is the art, note art, not science of being in nature. Consciously moving through nature, maybe sitting under a tree, maybe hugging it.
This blue Monday, and indeed in this slightly strange period of time before February I invite you to take yourself to the woods, the park, the garden, to see how you feel about being outside.
When I last went to the woods, yesterday, as well, it was a nice day and I was needing some chill time. I drove out to a woodland that’s not as visted as others in my hood, I live in quite a populous area! One of my favourite things when I’m out getting my forest on is to take a stove with me and have a brew when I’m out in nature.
Clear sky, crisp cool air, no one around, I went at lunch time, so Sunday lunch walkers were in the pub. I started a the entrance of the wood, some old oaks reached up to the ice blue sky their dead leaves trodden into the mud. I gave myself a few minutes to feel into the energy of the space, the energy of Vettr or land wights that live in the woods. And, so they can feel into me.
I moved into the woods, lots of little birds around looking for food, the occasional tree rat squirrel chattering at me. I tried to make sure that my steps were conscious and deliberate. So I knew where I was stepping. When it felt right, I moved off the path into the bush. Not a lot of bush right now, but off the path, and moved 20 or so meters into woods.
Again each step being as intentional as possible, trying to consciously make as little noise as possible. Lisa would say that is impossible, as my breathing is too loud. I think I’m super stealth like.
I found myself a large oak, probably 100+ years old, and settled myself down at its base, facing away from the path. I put my ground sheet out and settled in comfortably. I’ve a little bit of old yoga mat that I sit on when I’m doing this stuff, to stop my bum getting cold. As the sounds of the forest settled around me, over the course of a few minutes I could begin to pick out different sounds, scents, and feelings.
I could smell the fox to my right.
I could hear the squirrel in the trees.
The birds cheeping.
The whisper of the wind in the bare branches.
The soft tapping of wood on wood as the trees rubbed together.
I let myself settle into the ground, and the forest. Let my energy dissipate into the woods, and the woods energy dissipate into me.
As this happened I depend my breath. Consciously moving to into the nose out through the mouth, slowing it down, and filling my belly with each breath. Seven seconds in, eleven seconds out.
After about half an hour, I started to get cold, so I fired up the jet boil and made myself a cup of peppermint and liquorish tea.
When I’d finished my brew I thanked the energies of the forest, and made my way back home.
When you go out into the woods.
Remember to:
tell someone you trust where you are going
have the right kit with you, like warm things
charge your phone
take photos, if it’s not on the ‘gram did it even happen?
While you are forest bathing, take some of your brain space to investigate the shapes nature has made for you. Looking for the different shapes in the wild is a form of oracular vision, going into a place with an intention will help you to bring and answer to that question.
What you do is, as you enter the space, set the question, either out loud or in your mind. Wait until something changes. Then do your forest connection, forest bathing, meditation whatever it is you are doing.
The trees will arrange their branches for you, the dirt will move sticks to show you the way, the animals and birds will make noises to give you the answer.
Tag me in your forest bathing adventures, @richlisteruk. Have fun and be awesome.
Big love
Rich xxx