One of the invitations that I give to my participants at the beginning of my nature based practices is to share a memory about a special tree in their life. I pair them up and […]
Transforming from the “white crow”
I am from Central Asia, where when I was growing up, I often felt like a “white crow” – I felt I didn’t belong there. In most of the photos, I often noticed that my […]
Rewilding Cinderella
One of the outcomes of the global pandemic is that people discover that digital technologies can create a new space of gathering and storytelling. Today I attended an event organised by the George Ewart Evans Storytelling […]
Ecofeminism anno 2022: writing wild
This winter, one of the mentors of the writers academy in Antwerp, recommended me this book. I bought it. I do not get only inspiration for my current fiction book, but I also start dreaming […]
Sacred garden trees, pt. 3: an ash tree in Gjøvik
Two weeks ago, I took the bus for 15 minutes, just out of Gjøvik, and walked another 15 minutes to reach @indalforestretreat .Plan: receiving, being in the presence. No wifi. And getting out of my winter cocoon. […]
Sacred forests and the role of Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity in the protection of nature
Jep Stockmans, a Belgian researcher, did research in Ethiopia and was fascinated by the “sacred forests”. He wonders why nature is protected in these sacred places, but not elsewhere in the city of Addis Abeba. He further argues that there is a distinction between good and evil trees in Orthodox Chritianity.
a musing: evergreens in Christmas songs, midwinter poems and cultural heritage
Traditionally, the spruce is the Christmas tree in the North-West of Europe, but this is not always the evergreen with is the subject of christmas carols. In Flanders, we have a famous christmas song about […]
The Nanche Tree
My grandma has a nanche tree in her garden. It stands comfortably in the middle of the garden, making himself at home, stretching his branches as far as they can reach; to the south they […]
My path with nature
As I write these words, it’s dark outside in Brussels, my new and temporary home. I close my eyes to calm my mind, accelerated from daily ‘obligations’. There’s a place within me that I can […]
Guava tree
My grandma has a guava tree in her garden. That tree was already there when I was born and in all likelihood will continue to be there long after I’m gone. That’s not surprising, after […]