A Moveable Feast
A message from Dr. Mattie Decker, Forest Bathing Guide.
I remember these words when I taught in Paris in 2008, and had Hemingway’s book by this title as my “textbook”. It came from his famous words:
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast”.
Many of us who have been lucky enough to participate in events at Transfiguration Preserve, have a very personal experience that “stays with you” long afterward. Very soon after I was invited by the Sisters of the Transfiguration in Cincinnati to come here, I was introduced to Shinrin Yoku, or “Forest Bathing” and was able to go to Norway where I attended training with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy to become a certified guide. Before this, I had been a Mindfulness teacher (Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, MBSR) and this new practice of being in relationship with the land was a deepening of all I was practicing in “being in the present, without judgment, as if your life depends on it.” Learning to listen to oneself, while learning to listen to Nature is transformational.
This was made possible because of Conserving Carolina in close collaboration with the Society of the Transfiguration for this land, which was consecrated over many years, (since 1898) kept as a sanctuary. By this I mean, had never been “used”, but reverenced as a “place set apart”. While it is difficult to describe, I witnessed over and over how this has been able to give people a feeling of safety, and, true refuge, in part, because of the practice of silence and stillness offered in the midst of meaningful activities here.
Because of the roads at Bat Cave, we’ve not been able to offer any events at Transfiguration Preserve since September 2024, so it was a special joy when on December 21st, 2026, the Winter Solstice, we were able to have our first “official” event held at nearby Laughing Waters Retreat Center in Gerton. A gathering of close to twenty participants arrived on the dark and shortest day of the year to experience a “Mindfulness and Nature and Forest Therapy” retreat. Thankfully, access is now open from the Gerton Fire Station to Laughing Waters and participants eagerly came into the main room in the lodge to a welcoming fire in the woodstove, a wonderful spot for our first sharing circle. Some had experienced Mindfulness and Forest Bathing events before, and others came for the first time. One participant, new to the Asheville area was artist and writer Rod MacIver of Heron Dance Art Studio and Zen Mountain Journal. Three participants who had been introduced to “Forest Bathing” at Transfiguration Preserve over the years had recently become certified Guides with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT):
Thanks to Conserving Carolina, and Jane Lawson, we are now able to schedule events here. There are other Conserving Carolina locations we will also be exploring throughout 2026.
Wednesday, January 28th: “Writing with Nature” 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 22nd: “Forest Bathing” 2:00-4:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 22nd: “Forest Bathing” 2:00-4:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 12th: “Writing with Nature” 2:00-4:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2nd: “World Labyrinth Day” event beginning at 12:00 in the Dome, and we will walk the labyrinth ‘with the world” at 1:00, and end at 3:00. The Light Center is on NC Hwy 9 near Black Mountain (7 miles from Transfiguration Preserve) Access from Black Mountain or Fairview to NC Hwy 9.
Before the storm known to us as “Helene”, events at Transfiguration were burgeoning, all coming out of the creative ideas of participants who had experienced “Forest Bathing” or “Writing With Nature” which I and others conducted. Soon, there was a wide variety of events: “Fly-fishing as Contemplative Practice”, “Art in Nature”, “Creativity in Nature,” “Yoga in Nature”, “Contemplation with Native Flute,” and during the height of the pandemic, there was “Music in Nature” with the faculty from Converse College who came, scattered through the forest path, and down by the river—Classical Guitar; Flute; Oboe; a Vocalist, and finally, the Cello! Just before the storm, we had two new events scheduled for October, “Photography in Nature”, and “Nature Prints” which never were able to happen.
The Rocky Broad River flows differently here now, though cascading beautifully over and through boulders in very different placements as much of the land has moved,–there’s an island in the river now, –and other land has washed away, leaving a very different venue. Thanks to the thousands of hours of work clearing the area, and removing debris over time, access is possible.
The “Sweet Little Forest” where we began the forest bathing walks, is still in tact, though some of the trail has rerouted or shortened. It all seems to wait patiently for when the roads will be open again for participants to come here. It’s going to be a long while, since much of the land is having to be rebuilt where NC Hwy 9 meets Hwy 74A near the Bat Cave Fire Station.
Do you have an activity you would like to offer in nature? I welcome conversations to explore ways we may bring people together with nature in ways meaningful for them and the more-than-human world. Meanwhile, we will continue to offer events as we are able.
Special thanks to Babs Strickland, Walnut Creek Preserve, and Diana Richards, and her beautiful land on Chimney Rock Mountain, we were able to host two “Writing with Nature” events in 2025.
Martha (Mattie) M. Decker, Ed.D.
Nature and Forest Therapy Guide & Mindfulness Coach, Hidasta.com