Tag: Forest

Ticks, Nature, and Fun

A friend once told me she and her husband regularly walk in the woods near their home. Checking for ticks when home she never finds ticks on herself but always on her husband. This is a long-standing thing.

This could be related to many things, but my friend has always said this was energetic. I agree.

Or is it trust? Trusting a deeper connection with nature?

Being in nature is like swimming in the ocean. We are stepping (swimming) into a realm more suited to other creatures than ourselves. Our instincts and performance are not as strong as the creatures that live there.

My experience with being in nature is similar to my friends and I rarely have any reason to question the presence of a negative outcome. I am more concerned about those who walk with me or our dogs. There was a time when I carried pepper spray for coyotes, now I don’t.

I don’t consider myself reckless but rather take simple measures to ensure safety at a basic level.

We all know fear. Understanding why we are fearful (or not) is important. I don’t see nature as something to fear but rather respect. Preparation is necessary, just like when taking a boat out to sea.

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Voice Within the Trees

inside the forest with a path ahead

As a boy, I saw the trees as something larger than life. I always looked up to them. The town my grandparents lived in had big trees along the streets and on the properties. There were so many large trees that there was always shade. These big trees made their city so awesome. It was like being inside a forest!

Our family cottage was on the same property as a provincial park which was primarily forested. The roads through the park had tall trees lining the way. Light fell on the road at funny angles and the scent was something else. This forest had the greatest smells which were constantly changing. The morning was different from afternoon and evening was a bit like morning as things got quiet. There was a scent of heat in summer and of moist leaves in the fall.

We also had farming in our family, at the farm, the maples stood stately along the west lawn. Trees lined the creek as it twisted and turned away from the house in both directions. It was a magical place in the late afternoon and evening, sitting and relaxing as the trees shimmered above.

Our house had young trees as did the entire neighborhood. To be amongst larger trees, we had to walk to Thomson Park or Morningside Park. There were big trees here, some of them had shapes and names carved into the bark. I often wondered if a tree felt special that someone had picked it to carve something on.

The story below is a small sample of the joy I’ve experienced with trees and their greater family, the forest.

(Part One – An Introduction)

A most beautiful journey started in the summer of 2015. This is a story of how trees came to me, telling me their story and the wisdom within.

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The Magic of Mushrooms

I know quite a bit about the magical properties of mushrooms.

I know quite a bit about the magical properties of mushrooms. The healing potentials many mushrooms have and the benefit their root systems (mycelium) provide to ecosystems they touch.

What I didn’t know about mushrooms but was shown recently in a “dream state,” is how they fully engage with all of nature and humanity.

In this vision, I was shown a simple mushroom on a lush forest floor. It was sitting amongst beautiful tall pines with just the perfect amount of light to illuminate it fully. The scene was as if a movie set had been created just for me and for this demonstration.

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Forest Stories

What do you see in this image?

Many years of walking through forests in Ontario and Quebec have not only changed me as a person but altered how I understand and perceive the natural world.

I’ve always known the quiet and stillness of the forest. And how all my senses come alive when I’m walking there.

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