Rise Above The Festive Frenzy Introduction
Many Thanks To All Those of You Who Took Part In Our Pine Journey
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Well hello folks!
Here I am, as promised. This is just a little introduction to the journey proper that we will be taking together.
It will be a little sojourn so we can stand tall like trees and rise above the festive frenzy.
Don’t get me wrong I love chestnuts roasting on an open fire, a Christmas tree with all the trimmings and I am so excited to be traveling up to Edinburgh to spend Christmas with my kid Viktor. That said, the rampant commercialism, the noise, busyness and huge cartload of expectations piled on so many of us by others (and often by our own selves) is enough to stress out even the most ardent of festivity lovers!
Anyway, speaking of Christmas trees … this leads me rather nicely to the focus of our time together. Which besides some time connecting with Mother Nature in general, is also going involve us looking at a tree most appropriate for this time of year, and featured in the Celtic Tree calendar. It is of course, the Scots Pine. More than this I’m going to be walking with you on a tour of the wider conifer family.
Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve always tended to think of conifers as those trees people plant in their gardens, that then grow really massive, that everyone then moans about and then they get chopped down! The poor Leyland Cypress. Well, there is sooo much more to this family than that depressing story, and I really hope that you will be as inspired by the magic and wisdom of Scots Pine and their wider family as I am.
Finally, we are heading towards the shortest day, the nights are getting ever longer and soon we are going to be in that coldest season of the year, Winter. So, it’s not just Christmas/festive holiday stress, but the demands (here in the northern hemisphere at least) of the cold, the dark and the damp, that can be a challenge too. Especially when we are pre-programmed biologically to rest and recuperate, whereas modern life insists we keep up a frantic festive pace, busy, busy, busy!
So, here is the first little piece of wisdom for you. (Coming from someone who can sometimes forget this herself)
The world will not end because you took 10 minutes, an hour or an afternoon out of your day or week to rest, recharge and recuperate!
It won’t.
Trust me… it won’t (and this said by someone who at times in the past was absolutely very definitely convinced that it would!) So, it’s important to think about this. What do you need just now? What are your circumstances? How much time do you need just now to set aside just for you? We humans are just like every other animal and tree on the planet, we all need time to rest and recuperate, to conserve energy and grow.
Even in the city, even inside, Mother Nature and the Trees are here, just waiting for you to tune in and reconnect. Now if this sounds a little ‘hippy dippy’ and vague don’t worry, because I’m going to be sharing some practical ‘can-do’ exercises with you. And since you all like to learn in different ways we’re going to have some bite sized content in film, pictures and in written form that we can watch, read and listen to together. There will be nature connection/forest bathing exercises as well as crafts to do, art to appreciate, and stories for you to listen to, things to read and learn, and questions for you to think about and answer. You can share your feedback, thoughts, experiences here on the public Facebook events page. https://www.facebook.com/events/1274380293124660/?active_tab=discussion
If that feels a little too public for you then feel free to mail me. (My address is in our communiTree Good News Letter).
A quick heads up, this short journey to meet these trees will Not be around forever, only for a short while in fact. So, make the most of it while it is here.
See you tomorrow with more details.
Warmest wishes and blessings
Amanda Claire
PS:
Remember what I said:
The world will not end because you took 10 minutes, an hour or an afternoon out of your day or week to rest, recharge and recuperate.
If you would like to support me you can buy me a coffee here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/amandaclairevesty