Connecting with Trees

Connecting with Trees

Blackberries are as plump as rose hips in the hedgerow, and the elder and hawthorn tempt the eye with their ripening fruit. Meanwhile, geese ribbon their way back to their wintering grounds, and the trees turn golden. (From: Portals into Deep Imagination)

Whether it is through reading tales of the wildwood and maybe of folk confiding in trees, and even of the tree that survives the winter, trees have taken root in our imagination since our earliest memories. Or perhaps it is through finding mistletoe in the oak in which it rarely grows, or acorns, or autumn leaves, and the many other gifts of joy in the simple pleasure of noticing and connecting with trees.

This gathering explores our relationship with trees, and their relationship with us, through a series of practices and gentle explorations, and includes reflections on what we know about individual tree species, and what resonates symbolically for us. As we experience and muse on the benefits of nature connection, including ‘forest bathing’, the day will draw on perspectives from psychology, especially Jungian, archetypal, and transpersonal perspectives, and Celtic folklore. Too, the day will consider tree themes from my new writing project, Portals into Deep Imagination. The setting in which individual trees, groves, and forests grow will also inform our experience. The day then is all about connecting with trees, and includes walking in a group, time on your own, and reflecting on your experiences in a group.

Practicalities

Place: TBC, Northumberland

Walk difficulty: Leisurely

Date/time: Saturday TBC | 10.00am to 4.00pm

Fee: There is no fee for this exploration. Instead, a grove has been set up on Trees for Life called Healing Trees to help rewild the Caledonian Forest, and you are invited to buy trees (currently £6 per tree) in lieu of the usual workshop fee of £50. Currently, trees (mainly Oak, Rowan, Scots Pine) are being planted in the Carn na Caorach area of the Dundreggan Estate (grid ref. NH330187), situated near Loch Ness and Glen Affric National Nature Reserve. When fully planted new areas will be identified.

Places: Maximum 6 places

depth psychology, transpersonal psychology, Jungian, Jungian psychology, psychology, ecopsychology, nature connection, connecting with trees, ecotherapy, ecopsychotherapy, psychotherapy, therapy, spirituality, Northumberland, Cairngorms.
depth psychology, transpersonal psychology, Jungian, Jungian psychology, psychology, ecopsychology, nature connection, connecting with trees, ecotherapy, ecopsychotherapy, psychotherapy, therapy, spirituality, Northumberland, Cairngorms.
depth psychology, transpersonal psychology, Jungian, Jungian psychology, psychology, ecopsychology, nature connection, connecting with trees, ecotherapy, ecopsychotherapy, psychotherapy, therapy, spirituality, Northumberland, Cairngorms.