by Brittany Carr

Defeated and weary, the Forest holds me Her branches, the arms keeping me safe

Her winds brush the hair from my soaked cheeks

"You are not alone," She whispers,

Like secrets from a lover.

by Angela Nielans

For my soul walk project, I decided to paint a Loon. I love to paint with watercolors, and as soon as I read about the soul walk project, I knew I would be submitting a painting.

While at Medomak, I had multiple experiences I would call “synchronicities” or even categorize as “mystic”.

by Graciela Valdes

Whew! What an experience!

I was a bit nervous the night before. I’m totally comfortable spending time alone, in contemplation (my thoughts are entertaining! LOL), so it wasn’t anything like that. I was mostly nervous about my safety and being alone. (I-choose-the-bear type of thing.) I knew I wanted to have this experience, so me and my deep breaths set out on the 25 min drive back to Fires Creek.

by Jennifer Lopez

My intention during my Soul Walk was to meditate and then take a mindful walk, reflecting on the question Who Am I? Each time something caught my attention, I contemplated how it symbolized an aspect of me and my life and who I am becoming. I focused on embodied responses to what I saw, smelled, and heard.

by Jaimie O’Leary

Endless seasons spent at this natural beauty,

Awakening senses, triggering deep feelings that have been hidden, not wanting any of the world to see.

by Julie Brooks

Trees are the silent sentinels of woods and streams. They stand [as] unspeaking witnesses to sunlit mornings, lashing storms, nocturnal secrets, birth, death and historic occasions of celebration and despair. ~Sandy Corley

The phrase witness tree was coined by public land surveyors in the early 1800s to indicate the demarcation of land boundaries for early European settlers.

by Lynnette Belej

My Soul Walk evolved into a journey through the five elements of nature based spirituality. Each photo is the view from a sit spot inspired by one of the elements. The surrounding flowers are those that were in bloom in the area of each sit spot.

by Morgan Vickery

The Camperdown Elm tree is a crucial stop on my Forest Therapy walks through Prospect Park. The history of this tree first sparked my interest last year when I discovered it on one of my weekly park strolls. At the start of my four-hour Soul Walk, I felt a strong pull to spend quality time with the Kindred Spirit.

by Gemma Tarlach

When I started this class back in January (ages ago!) I had great plans to go big in every aspect, including the Soul Walk, and to start a forest therapy business and go all in. Some four months later, things have changed in many ways, and the path ahead is unclear.

by Leah McCarley

My inspiration for the Growth Rings project came from a few things. The growth rings of trees, spider webs and ripples in water all were beings that I thought about while working on this project. This was my first attempt at weaving.

by Becca Buckley

Out here,

Life is long

Time moves slowly

Her resulting changes

nearly imperceptible

by Catherine Fannon

O:

Sometimes the outdoors

Follows you in, reminding

You to go outdoors

by Emily Gibson

In Cedar Meadow's gentle grace,

Where cardinals dance, a crimson chase.

by Ivy Delaterra

I like to sing to the nature spirits in the woods...they told me to take out my phone and record it this time and here's what happened- improvised, first and only take.

by Lynn-Marie Young

I headed out on my Soul Walk and I was feeling both a little anxious and curious!? For whatever reason today I was experiencing difficult physical sensations, mingled with some dark thoughts and old beliefs. I found it difficult to focus too much on nature with the combination of people around and what I realized much later, my attitude towards them and my own inner challenges.

by Amy Smalley

For my soul walk I knew I needed to go somewhere further from my home so that I could really work on being mindful, and practice what I have been learning without feeling rushed into the daily rituals of my life. I took an overnight trip to enjoy the Quinault Rainforest, a place I had never been, but have always wanted to visit. I wanted to enjoy and experience all that this forest had in store for me, and use my senses to wonder, and connect with the forest.

by Sophie Benfield

For my Growth Rings project, I knew I wanted to do something visual, preferably with watercolors because it’s been years since I’ve played around with them. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to come up with the perfect idea that I became a bit paralyzed. I decided to just start with a simple inkblot watercolor each week, using colors I was extra drawn to in Nature that week.

by Monserrat Pizarro

Leaves are dropping,

constantly

So many colors

Some end up in wind tornadoes

Looking like a fire

Oranges, Reds, Yellows

by Bethany Parnell

I am beginning to encounter trees as living beings more than before. The big tree in my sit spot catches my attention and I think “I don’t even know it’s name”. I began to think about our human naming process for trees and then wondered “what does the tree call itself?”

by Kelly Gauthier

Reflections of Growth is the Growth Rings project created by Kelly Gauthier, FTS Certified Forest Therapy Guide, May 2023 cohort.