I travelled to see the eclipse in totality this month. The experience of taking it in through all of the sense is so different than seeing it on a screen. The visual, of course, is spectacular but there is more. The sensation of the temperature dropping, it becoming darker in the middle of the day, the songs of the birds changing from their normal chatter all add to the experience. In the pasture I was sitting in, the cows broke through the fence and the snakes became very active in the pond, moving like lightening to and fro. It seemed as if there was a void of time, 4 minutes of a pause, of possibility, the possibility of shifting something that seemed permanent. The felt sense of reality as we know it, to actually be an illusion, woven in the tapestry of something much bigger than us and what we know. And then the eclipse is complete and we are back in the pasture, trees dotting the landscape, we are breathing the air, listening to the cows moo, back to our own thoughts but yet somehow changed. Changed once again by the power and magnificence of nature.

Early Spring Blog:

Happy Spring although winter felt fleeting.  I had the opportunity to visit San Diego a few weeks ago to speak at a conference.  A great place to walk and visit with nature.  Kayaking seeing harbor seals and many shore birds was such fun.  I am sharing one photo with this beautiful tree I hung out with.  I was reminded that anywhere I go I can seek out and be with nature in any form that shows up.  I was with a colleague, and she said let’s just show up there and not make any plans for our free time, well I thought okay yet I just made one small shift to make a reservation for kayaking and it turned out to be big fun.  In this non planning nature crept in as she always does and we danced with the sea, curled up with the trees, was kissed by the sun and greeted by many amazing canines.  I have gratitude for being able to get away, share knowledge in our workshop about working with horses for healing and walk upon the earth in a new location.  I hope you are able to be outside, get kissed by the sun, walk tenderly upon the earth, and enjoy and engage nature-as nature surely does nurture!

As we go into March with sunshine and warmth, please consider joining us for our one-day restorative workshop in Apple Valley on Friday March 22^nd.  Come join us as we welcome spring and find balance in our lives. Even though it was a unique winter, nature still knows and can teach us a few things about finding balance in our lives. 

This Authentic Restoration Workshop is a self-care experience to refresh your life force energy and step into an authentic alignment with yourself. Discover where your energy is stuck and connect with your capacity to balance through mindful exploration in nature, movement, body focused activities and self-inquiry.   

Please see more information and sign up on our website, amidstthetrees.com

Dancing into spring,

Molly D

Waldeinsamkeit is the feeling of unique solitude while being alone in the woods, a feeling of connectedness to nature; a union with the ancient rhythms of the Earth. It is a German word that when translated directly means loneliness and woods; however has a much greater meaning of connectedness and the sense of inner peace while communing in the woods. Lisa, Molly and I spent a recent weekend practicing the connectedness to nature, the regeneration of our energy, the settledness of coming in the our bodies with settling into the snow- yes we went far enough north to find snow and cold.

There is a sense of wonder in the feeling of being grounded in snow. A sense of peace and quiet and coming into the rhythm of the winter, a replenishing and slowing down. A getting ready for the next germinating phase or thing in our life while taking time to rest, relax and find again our own rhythm and pace

We played in the trees, on the trees and surrounded by trees. All the while connecting with the consciousness of the trees and joining with them in the joy of being, nothing to accomplish, no deadlines, just “being” connected in the web of life. It is amazing how something so simple can shift your perspective and restore your energy. Trees don’t really care how cold it is and we practiced sharing that sentiment.

Whether you have a week, a weekend, a day or a few hours. We hope you can get out and enjoy the connection to nature and all it can bring to you. If you have a day, consider joining us for our next workshop or even the retreat next fall. We can practice waldeinsamkeit and learn to make it a practice in our daily life.

Some people could be given an entire field of roses and only see the thorns in it. Others could be given a single weed and only see the wildflower in it. Perception is a key component to gratitude. And gratitude is a key component to joy.

-amy weatherlt

In this time of fall, harvest, abundance and getting ready for the winter ahead may we find time to be grateful. May we share that gratitude with others and extend it out into the world. May our moments of gratitude help feed our soul and replenish us and those around us. May our hearts be full, open and kind and spread gratitude to others. May the gratitude spread like wild fire and create more open hearts and kindness. May we all know more gratitude, joy, and peace.

We had a peaceful time at our October workshop. At each workshop we spend a chunk of time outside with nature and the October workshop was no different, except there was a steady downpour throughout the day. The theme of the workshop was gratitude and the element we were clearing with was water. So nature blessed us with water to ease the drought, for which there is gratitude, and an abundance of water to help us clear what gets in the way of being grateful. Thank you to all of the participants who splashed in the puddles, danced in the rain and took time to replenish themselves. Our next workshop is in January please consider joining us in the snow.

“When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”

― Ram Dass

Consider joining us for our next adventure, a retreat weekend in Akeley MN at Crow Wing Crest Lodge. There we will practice seeing ourselves like we see the trees , authentic and without judgment. Give yourself the gift of a weekend in nature, restoring your reserves and remembering how to play and relax. Sign up by August 1st to reserve your spot on this website, just click on retreats.

And if for some reason you are unable to join us, consider practicing seeing yourself and others without judgment, as you see the trees. If everyone tried this and were successful just 50% of the time, imagine how different the world could become.

Happy summer almost June 21rst the longest day of the year and summer solstice.  I am thrilled I get to write the June blog as I love summer.  When I was a kid growing up in Michigan June meant attending the kiddie carnival at my grade school, riding my bike with my three best friends to MacDonalds with my dollar and getting my fish sandwich, fries and a coke-yes, I did say one dollar!  Summer was being on the softball team and getting Slurpee’s and bomb pops.  Summer also meant hunting for tadpoles, sleeping out in the tent in the backyard, digging in the garden and listening to the frogs as I went to sleep.  I still find times to let my kid out to play and enjoy the warmth of summer.

For me summer also meant water, running through the sprinkler, running out in the rain, and splashing through the puddles and best ever going to my uncle’s house on a lake in Northern Michigan.  If you want to get to know me, put me in, on, or around water it is my go-to “AHHHH”.  I hope you get to enjoy the summer experiences that give you the “Pause and push to play”.    I had my first jump in and get your head wet lake time last week and loved playing with the water.  I savored the sensations of going under for the first time and coming up with the brrr awesome water dripping down my forehead experience. 

So welcome summer, thank you for your long days, sunshine, moonglow, rain showers, flowers, green color dancing in the sunlight, trees showering us with shade and glorious time swimming in the lakes around us.  Please take some time to savor this month of June as you are able, walk outside, read a book on a blanket, swing in the glider, nap in the hammock and don’t be surprised if you hear the delight of someone jumping in the lake for the first time this season it might just be me saying woo-hoo!

We are busy planning our weekend retreat September 15-17^th at Crow Wing Crest Lodge, please register on the website. We hope you consider joining us for a weekend of restoration on many levels including the beach, bonfire, taking time for yourself and the added benefit of utilizing the healing modalities offered by the hosts there in your free time. The fall workshop will be October 13^th in Maple Grove at Eastman Nature center also. We would love to see you at our fall restorative workshop and retreat.  I know I plan on jumping in the lake at Crow Wing in September.

Molly

I write this on the first day of a warming trend we had to wait until well into April to see. Spring seems like it took it’s time this year to arrive. The good news is that all of the seasons are awesome and arriving late just gives us more time to enjoy the previous season. There is so much more to enjoy by accepting the timing of Mother Nature and not making judgments or assumptions about how it “should” be in each moment or month. The same goes for many areas of life.

Amidst the Trees completed our spring workshop. Thank you to all who attended. The weather was beautiful for early spring and the yoga, drumming and walking the outside labyrinth all contributed to the restoration of our bodies as we emerged from the cocooning of winter. We hope to see all of the attendees at a future event. It was a lovely day.

Molly, Lisa and I are planning our next event in June. We welcome you to join us to celebrate the abundance of all of who we are to begin the summer. The date is June 2, and this time in the north suburbs at a new venue, Eastman Nature Center, which is another beautiful spot. We are also planning our weekend retreat in September at Crow Wing Crest Lodge, registration will be up soon. We hope you consider joining us for a weekend of restoration on many levels including the beach, bonfire, taking time for yourself and the added benefit of utilizing the healing modalities offered by the hosts there in your free time. The fall workshop will be in October also. We hope you can join us for one or more of the events. Caregivers often have a difficult time taking time for themselves and we hope you give yourself the gift of restoration, even better if it with us.

Enjoy each moment of the new season upon us, the increase in daylight, the emergence of new leaves and the flowers popping out of the ground as it warms, jumping in the plethora of puddles, and beginning to dig in the dirt to garden. May the quality that restores you begin to step forward and become a daily part of your life.