Return to the oak

a long over due reunion

For someone who advocates spending time in nature for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing I seem to have forgotten to take my own advice recently.

a few things such as the temperature, the inclination, a sense of lack of time to do it have all dissuaded me from taking a stroll and immersing myself back in nature.

Yesterday I rectified this, the morning was cold, crisp but sunny and appealing, I found myself without any specific time dependant tasks (or excuses). I filled my faithful stanley thermal mug with coffee, slipped my pack onto my back and stepped out my front door ( a dangerous thing to do as a certain Mr Baggins of Bag end observed).

my feet knew the route I intended to take, it was one I walked almost daily for an entire month last year, this allowed my mind to wander a little ruminating on the winter that we’ve just been through and the day promised was beginning to let go of the land, crops were sprouting, wild plants were poking through the edges of the footpath and my shadow stretched before me.

Spontaneously I stripped some mugwort leaves still clinging to last years stalks and rolled them together into a smoke stick which I lit as I walked, sending smoke and offerings into the air, no real intention behind the offering past that of gratitude for the moment.

My feet took me further towards my destination over cattle grid and onto another path lined by oak, i could hear birds singing and i was aware of the sound of a woodpecker drumming its tune into the wood in search of food. I paused and listened for a while before continuing along my path.

Slowly I climbed the hill and found my destination- an Oak tree I had developed a relationship with last year and then not visited for some time. This Oak was at one point a daily sit spot for me yet I had slipped out of the habit as life events waylaid me and I got stuck.

Once there I was immediately drawn to the piece of wood in the photo at the top of this article, it put me in mind of an eye, which inspired the flow of thinking about what this Oak must of seen as it grew from the acorn, far back in the history of this land as well as how the Oak had stood impartially whilst the human world busily moved on, hustling and bustling onwards, the Oak was not working towards some productivity goal, nor striving for its Key Performance Indicator, it was doing what an Oak is meant to do, following its purpose whilst also responding to the conditions it was growing in.

There is something powerful in this lesson from the Oak, about growing firm and strong following its purpose not because it is working toward something external to itself but because that is what it is mean to do, what its designed to do and to do anything else would be against its nature.

After I had reacquainted myself with the Oak, I wanted to practice something I recalled which was producing a soundscape map of the area. Quietening my mind using seasonal breathing I allowed my attention to be lead to what I could hear, either in the distance or close by, this exercise encourages you to retune into the baseline of the environment you are in, noticing what is around you. In the distance I could hear motorways, traffic and trainlines. I took this on board without judging it or bemoaning the intrusion of humanity on my time in the more than human realms, I could hear bird call which the longer I sat there the closer the bird song got as they accepted me being the woods and sitting beneath the Oak, a helicopter flew overhead I confess this disrupted my baseline far more than that of the birds.

please note the brew money might buy a pack of hobnobs not a brew :)

The exercise completed I smoked my pipe and mulled over the next thing I wish to discuss.

Folks here might or might not be aware that I work with clients to reconnect with themselves through reconnecting to nature, finding answers to their questions through working with nature. I have spent a lot of time training as well as practicing and developing my skills, and recently completed my intuitive life coach training.

I believe now is a good time to inform folks who have read so far that I have space to offer this to any who feel called to explore both the outer realms of nature as well as their inner wilderness, who wish to travel the path with an experienced guide. If this is something that you feel called to, then drop me an email - Guide@theforestpath.co.uk and we can begin to plan our journey together.

Having made the decision to offer this out, I thanked the Oak for its company and counsel, placed the oak eye in my pack and slung my pack on my back, a Red Kite cried overhead as I walked back down the hill, as I moved along the path I glanced to my right to see a muntjac crossing it further up the trail moving from wood to a bramble patch, disappearing into it yet witnessed by me. One part of nature observed by another.