7-10-2025
Hello friend, I’ve come to talk with you again 😊 It’s been quite a long while since I have posted a blog. Another hurricane, moving residences, and many life changes we all go through.
Where is the best place to hide when life hits us with challenges? My first place is always music. But there are other hiding places as well. Painting is a great place and so is Nature.
I posted a blog a few years back about shirin-yoku. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a Japanese tradition… shinrin means forest and yoku means bath. It’s a nature bath (with clothes, lol). It’s simply soaking in the forest atmosphere with all of your senses. It’s my Vitamin N (nature). It’s called Forest Bathing.
Living in Southwest Florida there are many beautiful beaches, but there are also many beautiful parks as well where you can connect with the earth. In areas that are free to walk barefoot in, earthing can be healing anywhere.
In today’s fast-paced, technologically driven world, our connection to the earth may feel distant or even non-existent. Grounding, sometimes referred to as earthing, helps reconnect our bodies with the Earth’s natural energy supporting our well-being. It sure has helped me to alleviate stress and in essence reduce inflammation. Grounding can be done not only with walking barefoot, but also with just sitting with feet on the grass, sand or soil. Hands also in the grass, sand or soil is just as beneficial. Walking barefoot, sitting, or lying down on earth's natural surfaces can help ground you and improve your mental and physical health.
During times of grounding, I have also collected the earth’s soil in many forms and use it at home. Feeling it intently with attention on its texture and composition is very calming. I also stand barefoot on it allowing its energy to penetrate through my body. (mindfulness is a beautiful thing). I use much of it in my paintings as well. That will be another blog...stay tuned.
Another great thing about the forest are of course the trees themselves.
When you walk through a forest, it might seem like the trees are standing silently, disconnected from one another. But beneath the surface, trees are communicating in ways that scientists are just beginning to understand. Through intricate underground networks, trees share resources, warn each other of dangers, and even form communities. This fascinating system of communication is often referred to as the "Wood Wide Web." It’s truly a fascinating thing to research if you are not familiar with it.
Have you ever hugged a tree? No, it’s not ridiculous or weird. On the contrary, it is healing for both you and the tree.
We as human beings are a living energy field. Our body is composed of energy-producing particles, each of which is in constant motion. So, like everything else in the universe, we are vibrating & creating energy. The energy that flows through us, flows through all living things including all plants & trees. So, when you hug a tree, you connect to it through its energetic vibration. The same vibration that runs through you.
The Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku, or Forest Bathing, is good for both physical & mental well-being. It is proven to reduce stress hormone production, improve feelings of happiness & free up creativity, as well as lower heart rate & blood pressure, boost the immune system & accelerate recovery from illness. What can be better than Mother Nature aka Mother Earth…it's ours we were born into it.
I wrote a poem about my adventures in the forest and what exactly I felt. I made two videos about those adventures that I posted a few years back. Please see the links below. I have since made some prints of that adventure. On one print, I added the first few verses of my poem and painted footprints on the path…Please read from the bottom up. Attached.
I hope that you are doing well in our still very challenging times. Nature is key I have always believed.
Thank you for stopping by. Wishing you always, Peace, Light and Love
Kate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-GRU1Wpm1Q&t=63s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8VT_BotYCQ
“Into the Forest”
I walk into the forest and listen to it hum with life
The earth and leaves beneath my feet make way for my greatest retreat
My body is now my guide as the trees speak to me
Twists and turns the scents and sounds envelop me
The birds they sing so innocently
I suddenly stop to softly touch a tree
Beneath my hands I feel an energy
My mind and body are completely free
This is where I need to be
Here in the peaceful stillness of the forest
Into the Forest’ (literary; footage) © copyright Kathleen Cartwright