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Forest Bathing: Sacred Saunter
August 13, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Join us for a special session of forest bathing at Transfiguration Preserve. Sunday “sacred saunters” provide space for contemplation and reflection in nature, opening and closing with a sharing circle. Each of these offerings will be led by Mattie Decker and will allow plenty of space for individual exploration in ways that respect each person’s unique needs.
“People ought to saunter – not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, “A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these [trees] are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”- John Muir
Mattie is a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide. She is also a Zen practitioner, an Episcopal oblate, and a retired education professor, and she is certified in wilderness first aid. This event is one of our monthly forest bathing walks. Forest bathing is a practice from Japan that has been gaining attention in the West. Forest bathing is not about getting exercise. It’s not about hiking to get somewhere. It’s about being present in the forest, taking it in. It’s about creating relationships between humans and the more-than-human world.
Registration is required. For questions, contact drmattie.decker@gmail.com or call: 828-333-3508
Donations are not required and the amount of your gift is entirely up to you. A donation of $30 is suggested for forest bathing walks, for those who are able. Donations of $35 or more will include Conserving Carolina membership benefits.