RNA Blog
The Beauty of Winter Trees
Natural settings can speak to people, make them feel at home. One of my sisters has been attracted to oceans, another to the desert. For me, it is forest settings that have always beckoned. Every morning, I feel a sense of peace and gratitude as I look out my...
Ethnobotany
Laura Emerson Alaskauu1.substack.com Nature’s grand vistas of mountain ranges and oceans are certainly awe inspiring, but so, too, are the riches that lie beneath our feet and within arm’s reach. Let’s pay attention to a patch of nature close to us. One of my...
Encountering Nature as Sabbath
Photo by NOEM on Unsplash Encountering Nature as Sabbath “Holiness is not something limited to the religious world, much less the supernatural; holiness is something that happens in the natural world.” — Thomas W. Mann from The God of Dirt, Mary Oliver and...
Forest Bathing & Forest Therapy
Laura Emerson Alaskauu1.substack.com Book: Log Cabin Reflections, about living off-grid in remote Alaska Do you know the terms Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy? They refer to immersion in nature for several hours at a time, on a repeated basis. This is not a time...
How Nature Restores Us to Ourselves
Image: Kyle Sanguin on Unsplash Encountering nature in silence, solitude, and seclusion, we become immersed in present moment awareness and find renewal. Where I live in the northeast it’s winter. Being close to one of the Great Lakes, we experience what’s called...
Nature as Our Path to Inner Wisdom
Image by Robert Lukeman on Unsplash Within us is an infinite source of wisdom. By immersing ourselves mindfully in nature, we can unlock our inner source of knowledge that can’t be acquired through intellect alone. There is within each and every one of us a hidden...
Yule is for Renewal
Image by Hernan Sanchez on Unsplash by Elle Harrigan Oh, how we love this time of year! The decorations. The food. The gift giving (and receiving)! We set up evergreen trees laden with lights, put wreaths on the door, and hang mistletoe, rarely with any sense...
Wild Awakening: Opening Our Eyes Fully is Meditation Through the Senses.
by Elle Harrigan Nature surrounds us with infinite beauty and ancient wisdom. By immersing ourselves in the wild and deepening our awareness, we awaken to the voice of our soul. What is it that wakes you up in the morning? An alarm clock with a snooze button that you...
What’s Up With Free Will?
Alison Wohler, July 28, 2019 Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus What’s up with free will? Did I choose this topic of my own free will? It’s been a subject on my mind for a few years now and I’d been part of several exciting discussions on our Chautauqua...
What I Learned in Science Class
Alison Wohler, December 11, 2016 Unitarian Universalist Society of Florence and Northampton I’m really happy to be here with all of you this morning. I miss Sunday morning services. I retired from my wonderful congregation in Amherst for health reasons, and I am now...