We gather the first Sunday of each month to share in a gentle, peaceful walk to connect with the natural world, of which we are a part. We gather outside in parks and forests to re-connect with one another and our nature kin.
Our guides are the flora and fauna of South Holland, the lindens and pines, the wild geese and the sweet songbirds, the green mosses and the grey stones, and of course, each other.
Wildwood Wisdom honors all sacred traditions – everyone, everyone, everyone is welcome. We recognize sacredness in all of creation – human and the more than human world. These Sundays offer a step out of ordinary time for connection, mindfulness, lament and joy, saunters and sit-spots, wandering and wondering, shared readings and opportunities for engagement.
Please bring a light chair, ground-friendly cushion or a blanket to sit on. During our cold months, also bring yourself a warm beverage and whatever else you may need to be comfortable in the outdoors. You can also grab a coffee or tea at the teahouse. Hats and mittens are encouraged 🙂
Light nibbles will be provided.
We will meet in front of the teahouse so you can grab a coffee or tea before we begin.
Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean— the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? —Mary Oliver
Give yourself the gift of slowing down. Join certified nature therapy guide Kimberly in the lovely Leidse Hout for a mid-day mindfulness walk to connect more deeply with nature through a gentle, contemplative walk inspired by forest bathing.
A good portion of our time together will be in silence. This offers you the opportunity to experience the forest and to connect with others who want to experience nature fully and deeply. By choosing to stay away from friendly chit-chat and explore what it’s like to walk in nature without speaking, we have a chance to engage our senses more fully and to truly connect with the natural world.
• Be Prepared
Dress comfortably for walking on natural terrains in chilly weather. Bring a water bottle, but little else so you are unencumbered for your walk. Participants will be asked to silence and pocket their phones, so let folks know you will be unavailable for a couple of hours.
All participants of Wildwood Wisdom activities are personally responsible for their own fitness, safety and welfare and must be equipped accordingly.
• Meeting Place
The Leidse Hout Tea House
• Meeting Time
We will begin walking at 12:00 sharp and we finish around 13:00.
In the event of cancellation due to severe weather, participants will be notified by 7 a.m. the day of the event.
——-
Did you know that in 2018 the National Health Service of Scotland started prescribing “birdwatching, rambling and beach walks in the Atlantic winds to help treat chronic and debilitating illnesses for the first time.”
“Forest bathing” originates from a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest.” This will be a slow paced, mindful time spent in the woods and an opportunity to reconnect with the natural world.
Give yourself the gift of slowing down. Join certified nature therapy guide Kimberly in the gorgeous Clingendael Park for a mid-day mindfulness walk to connect more deeply with nature through a gentle, contemplative walk inspired by forest bathing.
A good portion of our time together will be in silence. This offers you the opportunity to experience the forest and to connect with others who want to experience nature fully and deeply. By choosing to stay away from friendly chit-chat and explore what it’s like to walk in nature without speaking, we have a chance to engage our senses more fully and to truly connect with the natural world.
• Be Prepared
Dress comfortably for walking on natural terrains in chilly weather. Bring a water bottle, but little else so you are unencumbered for your walk. Participants will be asked to silence and pocket their phones, so let folks know you will be unavailable for a couple of hours.
All participants of Wildwood Wisdom activities are personally responsible for their own fitness, safety and welfare and must be equipped accordingly.
• Meeting Place
Clingendael Tea House
• Meeting Time
We will begin walking at 12:00 sharp and we finish around 13:00.
In the event of cancellation due to severe weather, participants will be notified by 7 a.m. the day of the event.
——-
Did you know that in 2018 the National Health Service of Scotland started prescribing “birdwatching, rambling and beach walks in the Atlantic winds to help treat chronic and debilitating illnesses for the first time.”
“Forest bathing” originates from a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest.” This will be a slow paced, mindful time spent in the woods and an opportunity to reconnect with the natural world.
Give yourself the gift of slowing down. Join certified nature therapy guide Kimberly in the lovely Leidse Hout for a mid-day mindfulness walk to connect more deeply with nature through a gentle, contemplative walk inspired by forest bathing.
A good portion of our time together will be in silence. This offers you the opportunity to experience the forest and to connect with others who want to experience nature fully and deeply. By choosing to stay away from friendly chit-chat and explore what it’s like to walk in nature without speaking, we have a chance to engage our senses more fully and to truly connect with the natural world.
• Be Prepared
Dress comfortably for walking on natural terrains in chilly weather. Bring a water bottle, but little else so you are unencumbered for your walk. Participants will be asked to silence and pocket their phones, so let folks know you will be unavailable for a couple of hours.
All participants of Wildwood Wisdom activities are personally responsible for their own fitness, safety and welfare and must be equipped accordingly.
• Meeting Place
The Leidse Hout Tea House
• Meeting Time
We will begin walking at 12:00 sharp and we finish around 13:00.
In the event of cancellation due to severe weather, participants will be notified by 7 a.m. the day of the event.
——-
Did you know that in 2018 the National Health Service of Scotland started prescribing “birdwatching, rambling and beach walks in the Atlantic winds to help treat chronic and debilitating illnesses for the first time.”
“Forest bathing” originates from a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest.” This will be a slow paced, mindful time spent in the woods and an opportunity to reconnect with the natural world.
Since the 1980s, the Friday after the American holiday Thanksgiving has been promoted by retailers as a VERY profitable scheme to get shoppers to brick-and-mortar as well as online stores. Popularly known as “Black Friday” because the shopping day after Thanksgiving is the day many merchants’ books shift from the red of debt to the black of profit, the day has taken on sacred significance in a world that worships wealth.
Though founded in The States, Black Friday, is deepening capitalisms’s hold on the world by seeping into places like The Netherlands, a country that does not celebrate Thanksgiving nor has the last Friday in November off for shopping shenanigans.
Packaged as “family fun” and “Christmas shopping,” just because it is familiar doesn’t mean we have to find fun or associate family togetherness with the frenzy that ultimately lines the pockets of the few while driving millions into debt.
This year, I’m inviting y’all to observe a Green Fridayinstead of Black Friday with 12 ideas for flora and fauna fun.
1. Plant bulbs! Whether it’s tulips, jonquils or irises, fall is the perfect time to plant bulbs to ensure a colorful spring.
3. Invite friends and family to bring a those decorative gourds over and put on a neighborhood a gourd hunt (like an egg hunt, only with a bit more pumpkin spice).
4. Build a bug hotel or hedgehog house to help small critters find gezzelig homes over the long winter.
5. Go for a nice long walk, mobile device on silent, and get to know the nature beings in your neighborhood. What might you notice about their preparations for winter?
6. Make some cool land art! I am partial to mandala-inspired creations or leafy labyrinths, but you might be inspired to make something wilder.
7. Make a winter-greens wreath for your door or table (or for a gift). If you follow a Christian calendar, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the first Sunday of Advent and Friday could be the perfect day to collect all you need for a natural Advent wreath.
In a world that often prioritizes consumption, profit, and constant growth, it is easy to overlook the invaluable beauty and resources that Mother Nature offers. Our Gratitude Nature Walk is an opportunity to reconnect with the natural world, appreciate its abundance, and reflect on how gratitude can act as a powerful force for change. Gratitude serves as a counterforce to the culture of overconsumption and exploitation, encouraging us to live in harmony with our environment.
Here’s what you can expect during our Gratitude Nature Walk:
Mindful Exploration: We will embark on a gentle walk through the serene and untouched beauty of nature. Along the way, I encourage you to be present and observe the intricate wonders of the natural world.
Gratitude Practices: I will offer you invitations into practices designed to deepen your appreciation for the environment. By acknowledging the gifts of nature, we hope to cultivate a sense of gratitude that can be transformative.
Way of Council: During the walk, we will gather to share our noticings. At our final gatherings will explore how the practices of gratitude can subvert the dominant industrial paradigm that often leads to environmental degradation and overconsumption.
Connection and Inspiration: You’ll have the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for preserving our planet and exploring alternative ways of living that honor nature.
We’ll begin with fully arriving in the forest and grounding our connection with nature. We will then slowly share in invitations to experience the forest intentionally and reciprocally. We will even enjoy some tea under the trees and have plenty of time to just be still and notice our noticing.
These walks are always slow and easy-going, not a hike; not naturalist tour of plants or trees.
Walk length: 1.5 hours; please wear comfortable, sturdy shoes for walking outdoors. Bring whatever else you require to feel comfortable.
Participants will be asked to silence and pocket their phones, so let folks know you will be unavailable for a couple of hours.
All participants of Wildwood Wisdom activities are personally responsible for their own fitness, safety and welfare and must be equipped accordingly.
A minimum of three participants is required for a walk to take place. If the minimum registrations do not happen, registered guests will receive a full refund.
We gather the first Sunday of each month to share in a gentle, peaceful walk to connect with the natural world, of which we are a part. We gather outside in parks and forests to re-connect with one another and our nature kin.
Our guides are the flora and fauna of South Holland, the lindens and pines, the wild geese and the sweet songbirds, the green mosses and the grey stones, and of course, each other.
Wildwood Wisdom honors all sacred traditions – everyone, everyone, everyone is welcome. We recognize sacredness in all of creation – human and the more than human world. These Sundays offer a step out of ordinary time for connection, mindfulness, lament and joy, saunters and sit-spots, wandering and wondering, shared readings and opportunities for engagement.
Please bring a light chair, ground-friendly cushion or a blanket to sit on. During our cold months, also bring yourself a warm beverage and whatever else you may need to be comfortable in the outdoors. You can also grab a coffee or tea at the teahouse. Hats and mittens are encouraged 🙂
Light nibbles will be provided.
We will meet in front of the teahouse so you can grab a coffee or tea before we begin.
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
—Mary Oliver
Whether you are preparing to observe All Saints/Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos or Samhain, you are invited to join me for an online, Celtic-inspired ancestor meditation on the Sunday before the veil between this world and whatever is beyond thins and allows our hearts on this side to reach out to those who have contributed to our journeys in life.
No matter your level of meditation experience, you are welcome to participate. Whether you have spiritual roots or are simply drawn to the beauty of the ancient traditions of connecting with those who have gone before us, this experience promises to be enriching.
This is a free event, but registration is required.
To create and protect a safe space, this gathering will not be recorded.
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
After a wonderful first year of planning, hosting and enjoying Our Sacred Nature Retreat, we are already planning next year’s retreat in a new location – Eureka Springs, AR.
At Our Sacred Nature, a weekend sanctuary emerged for LGBTQIA+ folx from Arkansas, Colorado, Washington State and The Netherlands! Together we created a momentary refuge for in the verdant embrace of the natural world, honred our voices, and allowed our stories to intertwine with the eternal rhythms of the universe at Ferncliff Retreat Center.
What did some of the participants have to say?
“I was invited to come in a different capacity, where I was someone different with different priorities none of which being myself. However, life changed for me and I was quickly forced to make myself a priority.
This past few months I have felt and ache in my heart that I cannot shake. Some days are better than others and some days don’t feel like they could go quickly enough. This weekend taught me I am not alone in this, nor am I an imposter to the community I have been in for many many years, that perhaps these decades of being an ally and advocate for other queer people, I was silently being an ally and advocate for myself.
This weekend, was in a few words, life changing for me. I am full of gratitude and while I am still grieving, I am finding the pockets of peace and joy.” – MJ
“I experienced the most peace that I have felt in a long time when attending the retreat! Thank you for provide such as safe and compassionate space!!” – HK
“The environment was beautiful and peaceful. The invitations were accessible and optional. There was no pressure. It was a weekend of kindness and acceptance and some much needed quiet, stillness, slowness, and reflection.” KL
Whether you seek quiet introspection or spirited connection, you are invited to save the date – October 24-27, 2024 – for next year’s weekend retreat held by and for LGBTQIA+ folx and our dearest allies in Eureka Springs, AR.
During the day we will immerse in forest bathing, gentle yoga, sound baths and labyrinth walks. In the evenings we will gather in the warmth of communal fireside conversations where your story is honored and your presence cherished.
Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are invited to experience the profound beauty of both the outer landscape and your innermost self.
Give yourself the gift of slowing down. Join certified nature therapy guide Kimberly on a morning mindfulness walk to connect more deeply with the created world through a gentle, contemplative walk in the lovely Leidse Hout with mid-day break inspired by shinrin yoku – forest bathing.
A good portion of our time together will be in silence. This offers you the opportunity to experience the forest and to connect with others who want to experience nature fully and deeply. By choosing to stay away from friendly chit-chat and explore what it’s like to walk in nature without speaking, we have a chance to engage our senses more fully and to truly connect with the natural world.
• Be Prepared
Dress comfortably for walking on natural terrains. Bring a water bottle, but little else so you are unencumbered for your walk. Participants will be asked to silence and pocket their phones, so let folks know you will be unavailable for a couple of hours.
All participants of Wildwood Wisdom activities are personally responsible for their own fitness, safety and welfare and must be equipped accordingly.
• Meeting Place
The Leidse Hout Tea House
• Meeting Time
We will leave the entrance at 12:00 sharp and we finish around 13:00.
In the event of cancellation due to severe weather, participants will be notified by 7 a.m. the day of the event.
——-
Did you know that in 2018 the National Health Service of Scotland started prescribing “birdwatching, rambling and beach walks in the Atlantic winds to help treat chronic and debilitating illnesses for the first time.”
“Forest bathing” originates from a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest.” This will be a slow paced, mindful time spent in the woods and an opportunity to reconnect with the natural world.
