Legend says that somewhere deep in the forest of the Himalayas is a strange bird that lays psychedelic eggs. Eating them will give you highly vivid hallucinations. The indigenous shamans believe that these visions are from your past life.
I am accompanying my friend Mei Pin and her team on a quest to find out whether this story is true or not, and to document the journey. Mei Pin is a Singaporean food connoisseur and experimenter. By genetically cloning the compounds in the psychedelic egg she wants to set up a chain of high food joints. Dishes that help you discover who you are.
The shamans have warned us of great challenges in our path. The bird or egg has not been seen in living memory. But for Mei Pin the quest is not just about adventure or entrepreneurship, it also about finding life’s true purpose.
Week 1
Deep in the forest, one steps forth into a world of mysteries. In this vastness of unmapped, unexplored territory, how do you find something that no one has ever seen?
To find a bird, one must become the bird. Every impossible task can be broken down into small possible steps. Our first step was to locate a rare species of bioluminescent mushrooms. These mushrooms were thought to give the egg its psychedelic powers. It was a favourite food source of the illusive bird.
Week 4
Today after a hunting for 3 weeks in dense riverine rainforest, battling the weather elements as well as giant mosquitoes that can pierce elephant skin, we have finally located what we think are the coveted food source of our magic bird. And now it is a game of patience. Will we get lucky? After all, when you go on a wild journey, instead of looking for purpose sometimes it is wiser to wait and let purpose find you.
Week 7
There you have it. A mythical bird that closely resembles the Himalayan Monal, but with minute differences. In the local language it is known as ‘Mumang Petu’ which can be translated as the dream giver. The credit for spotting the bird goes to my friend Vohbica – an exceptionally talented tracker who works in Dampa National Tiger reserve in Mizoram.
In the depths of the ancient forest, nestled among the softest moss, we find our treasured dream egg. Its mesmerising hue glows with an otherworldly radiance. As one gazes into its ethereal depths, intricate patterns dance and morph, unveiling a tapestry of mysteries waiting to be uncovered.
Using advanced tech we scrape off nano dust particles from the egg shell without disturbing it. The dna from cells is fused with a strain of yeast which is cultured in an incubator until we have enough to add to our traditional omelette. The omelette holds the power to transport the curious and the brave into an extraordinary world where reality merges with the fantastical. What visions will we see? … We are about to find out.
Mind, space, and time have a strange relationship. But inside my dream the concept of time and space became a kaleidoscopic pattern. I turned into an ancient forest where neon blue eggs, like glowing orbs, dotted the undergrowth, pulsating with energy. Was it a dream or was it a prophecy?
The next morning everything had changed. Things that we thought were important in life, no longer held meaning. The greatest transformation was in Mei Pin. She felt that in the past life, she had been an incarnation of the dream giver bird. And her idyllic happy life had been cut short by the desires and dreams of humans.
“To imagine the impossible, is to sow the seeds of making it possible some day.”
Mei Pin’s new dream is to open eco-schools in remote forest villages. Schools where the beauty, wonders, and mysteries of nature are cherished and protected. A school that aims to open hearts, not just minds, so that all creatures big and small can have a better future for their kin. Where students learn that finding true purpose is mix of what you need from life, and more importantly what the world needs of you.
This forest story is a figment of my imagination, and draws on memories from my travels in the remote forests of eastern Himalaya. The images have been generated using an AI program. It is an experiment to make use of new tools to fill our minds with wonder and inspiration. When we imagine the impossible, we sow the seeds of making it possible someday.
Please leave a comment to let us know what you thought about this experiment. The goal of Healing Forest is to bring people and forests closer to each other through creativity and mindfulness. Our monthly newsletter sends uplifting new ideas to help you and your loved ones grow with nature.
As we sail the ocean of life, sometimes we can run into an island of trash. Chaos is an inevitable part of this journey – so how do you clear the mind in a natural, healthy way? In this post you’ll find a creative alternative for facing your confusions, and keeping your mind clear.
A Ploem walk is a unique way of clearing up inner as well as outer spaces. Just like plogging is a combination of picking up litter while jogging – a Ploem walk combines word games with picking up litter. The simple act of healing the outer can become the path for transforming the inner – one small act at a time. Adding stories and poems to the process taps into our deepest emotions, so that the chaos inside can turn into words which create a calm and clear mind.
Simplest Way To A Clear Mind?
Do you know what are the biggest reasons for not addressing chaotic situations in one’s own life? Most people are not aware of how to handle the challenge, but also fail to gauge the negative impact of ignoring their mental health. There are many other reasons, some of which are listed below. If you look closely, these are the same reasons for people not participating in clean-up drives or other community initiatives. Is it a co-incidence?
Just like adding music to a celebration brings it alive, mixing a creative angle to any difficult task makes it more engaging. The Ploem walks allow us to let go of negative thoughts and replace them with a clean and clear mind. These simple but fun activities will aid you in clearing the clutter inside your head, and creating a calm space for something useful to grow in it.
This article is part of our 12 magical walks that gift you highly useful skills for life’s adventures: Nature Play>>
Clear Mind & Ploem Walks
To start off, determine the area that needs to be cleaned and get the necessary approvals if required. Fix a date and time for the cleanup. Weekends and 2 hour slots work best. Recruit volunteers through various means, and ask them to bring a trash bag, gloves, drinking water. Keep some first aid handy. (You can even try it in your own garden to start off.)
Before the actual cleanup, the group assembles in a circle and creates the repair story.
Repair Game: In a repair story alternate members add positive and negative twists to a story. The group leader starts the story with a sentence. Moving clockwise, the next person in the circle gives the story a negative turn. However, their neighbour has to lift the story up again by making something positive happen. So the story moves in twists and turns – between good and bad, until the circle is completed.
Example: Jim got lost in the forest. > But he stumbled upon a magical waterfall. > Unfortunately, he had never learned to swim. > So he sat down and composed a beautiful song instead. > A gang of ruffians heard him singing and came to rob him. > One of the gang members turned out to be his long lost love from high school…. and so on.
This ‘Repair’ game is a metaphor for the clean-up drive. Things may appear challenging when we start, but a few well intentioned people can turn things around and start the process of healing, no matter how daunting the task.
Divide the group into pairs and start the cleaning activity for 30 – 45 minutes. Also assign roles such as team leaders responsible for smaller groups and safety officers. At a pre-determined time and place the group assembles again to take a break and play the following games.
Reduce Game: Ask participants to imagine they are going on a camping trip and can only bring 5 items with them. They must choose wisely and think about how to reduce their waste and environmental impact. In the next round, they have to go hiking and can carry only 2 out of the 5 things. Then on the hike they get separated from the group and are left with only one thing. What is that one thing they will hold on to?
Recycle Game: Ask people to use the alphabets in their own name to create other words. This activity can also be done in pairs where each pair is asked to use some letters from their first names to come up with new words.
The first step in clearing our mind is to reduce the clutter inside. Setting priorities provides a sense of direction and focus. When we identify what’s most important, we can let go of non-essential things. Also learning to sort our thoughts and rearrange them teaches us to look at our problems in creative ways. These two simple games can be useful training to keep our mind clear. Prioritising and rearranging leads to reduced stress and anxiety, and increases our productivity and overall sense of accomplishment.
Before you restart the cleanup drive again do a short nature walk to appreciate the beauty around you and recharge your inner spirit. Go slow and move in silence. Open your senses to find things that bring you peace and clear your mind. On the short walk you can try out 2 more activities.
Refuse Game: Play a game of “I Spy” where players take turns spotting something beautiful and refusing to let it get spoilt. For example, “I spy a peaceful pond, and I refuse to let it get trashed.” Each participant find something new and unique to appreciate and protect. This activity also helps us observe nature through other people’s perspective.
Reuse Game: Have participants bring in any interesting item that has been thrown away. As a group brainstorm creative ways the item can be used to give it new life. For example, an old t-shirt could be turned into a reusable shopping bag, or an old book could be transformed into a lampshade.
Clearing the mind can be a very daunting task just like cleaning our surroundings. During the process the mind can be filled with negative emotions such as sadness, anger, despair. By focusing our attention on the positive things around us we are able to channelise our energies in the right direction. Adding creativity to the task helps us look at the problem with new eyes.
Resume the clean up drive in small groups or pairs. At a predetermined time and venue get everyone together for the closing activities and sharing insights with each other.
Recover Game: Each participant finds a spot in nature that calls out to them. They sit in silence for 5 minutes to recenter themselves. Try to recover a memory of the space before your clean-up drive and compare it with the current state. Then reimagine the entire cycle repeating. The park gets dirty again, but a few people come and clean it up.
Regift Poem: Each person chooses a spontaneous word that comes to mind from their experience at the clean up activity. Use the word in a 2 line poem or a haiku, to gift it back to the friend who paired up with them during the clean up activity.
Cleaning up the nature outside can have a profound impact on growing a clear mind. When we engage in activities such as picking up litter, planting trees or flowers, or tending to a garden, we become more mindful and present in the moment. We connect the laws that govern nature outside with the nature that’s inside us. This can lead to a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with all living beings. It will also fill you with a sense of gratitude and compassion.
Remember to follow safety guidelines and regulations throughout the cleanup drive. After the cleanup, dispose of the collected trash in an appropriate manner. Recycle as much as possible and dispose of the rest in a designated landfill or waste disposal site.
At the end don’t forget to celebrate the success of the cleanup drive with the volunteers. Thank everyone for their participation and encourage them to recreate this activity in their own circles. In case you do try this walk out, please post some pictures on our facebook group or leave a comment below.
In the next few weeks we’ll add photos and poems sent by our readers to this page.
Clear Mind and Health
There is a strong link between a clear mind and our health. When our mind is clear and focused, we are better able to manage stress and anxiety, which can have positive effects on our physical health. Stress is a major contributor to a variety of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression. By reducing stress through practices such as mindfulness and meditation or forest bathing, we can improve our overall health and well-being.
A clear mind also allows us to make better decisions and take more effective actions towards our goals, which can have positive impacts on our physical health. For example, when we have a clear mind, we are more likely to make healthier food choices, engage in regular exercise, and get enough sleep – all of which are crucial for maintaining good health.
Additionally, a clear mind can improve our mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and promoting feelings of happiness and contentment. This can have a positive ripple effect on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
There are several effective ways to achieve a clear mind. Regular exercise, such as yoga or jogging, can help reduce stress and improve focus. Meditation and mindfulness can also be helpful, as they can quiet the mind and bring a sense of calm and clarity. Getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption also promotes mental clarity. It is also helpful to take breaks from technology and engage in activities that promote relaxation and creativity, such as reading, listening to music, or spending time in nature. Overall, a combination of physical activity, mindfulness practices, healthy habits, and relaxation techniques will lead you to a clear and focused mind.
Clear Mind. Earth Mind.
A clear mind is a journey, not a destination. It is the same with cleaning our planet. The Ploem walks show you how to achieve balance and harmony through play. They combine benefits from many of the activities mentioned above in a way that is also beneficial for our Earth. We hope they offer you a joyful path to a clearer mind and a cleaner environment.
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For more activities from around the world, see: Nature Calm
Healing Forest is a volunteer run project. Our goal is to bring people and forests closer to each other through creativity and mindfulness. The aim is simple. Helping people heal. Helping forests heal.
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Grief is a way of holding on to love that we do not wish to renounce. The loss of something or someone we love can leave us feeling inconsolable. Even as we know that after the loss, the acute state of mourning will subside, something of the silent void will always remain. Akin to going on a pilgrimage, the journey of grieving is difficult and painful and what lies beyond cannot easily be fathomed
In this article we explore stories and activities from nature that can help us transform our grief and loss into meaningful actions. You will find useful ideas to express your emotions, reflect on your experiences, regain a sense of control, and honour the memory of the loved one.
Knowing how to deal with loss is an essential ability. Each one of us will need it at some point. Loss is both a universal and a deeply personal experience. In its wake, it brings about emotional suffering that can leave us feeling overwhelmed with sadness, despair, guilt and even anger. The world, the self, time – all feel out of joint. So how does one heal?
This article is part of our 12 magical walks to learn highly useful life-skills from nature. Nature Play>>
A Mushroom Story
A little girl had lost her mother to a horrible road accident. She was inconsolable. Her grandfather held her tiny hand and took her for a walk in the forest. There they discovered some beautiful mushrooms growing on the bark of a fallen tree. It was a message from her mama, the old man whispered.
When the storm clouds bring rain and thunder, they damage the forest. For a short while the forest is very sad and cries. Many of its friends have been lost forever. But the kind earth embraces their roots and sends the forest a gift – mushrooms. Mushrooms are signs that the departed travellers have sent from their journey to a new home.
The mushroom stems represent the beautiful memories that we shared with the loved ones when they were with us. The unique strengths and quirks they had, lend colours to the mushrooms. And their aspirations and dreams turn into mushroom spores which spread themselves all over the forest, bringing new life and new friends.
Just as mushrooms turn loss into nourishment, we can transform our sadness into kindness. By keeping the good memories in our heart, remembering their strengths and working towards fulfilling the dreams and aspirations they left behind – we can honour the ones who have passed on.
The little girl looked up at the forest canopy. The rays of morning light fell through the leaves on to the forest floor. A gentle mushroom lit up and smiled at her. She hugged her grandfather tightly. They wept together.
* Download the mushroom story at the end of this article.
Turning Sadness Into Kindness
The stormy dark clouds of sadness can feel menacing. Yet, in nature we find that the advent of these clouds bears fresh showers that replenish the parched earth. When our sorrows threaten to wash over us, we can work towards making them into harbingers of kindness that brings the blossoms of life to others.
Here are a few activities that help us transform grief and loss.
1. Mindful Mushroom Walk
When you enter the woods to search for mushrooms you have to be alert, silent, and calm. By being mindful of your steps as you walk in the forest gently, you can turn this simple activity into an exercise in mindfulness.
While observing the breath is a very common mindfulness exercise, people who are going through a difficult phase in life find it very challenging because of troubling thoughts. Therefore, we should start with other senses first, especially when introducing mindfulness to beginners. Our visual sense is our strongest sense. Turning to nature to discover its many treasures fills us with deep calm.
NOTE: Be sure to buy a good field guide for mushrooms from your area or go with an expert. Some basic instructions for Mushroom Walks, as per the Modern Forager are given below.
1. Tread Lightly. Don’t trample all the little mushrooms and potential mushrooms in your hunting ground. 2. Make a positive identification using more than one source wherever possible. Do not eat mushrooms with any features that contradict the description. “When in doubt, just leave the mushroom.” 3. Mature mushrooms release spores into the air that are essentially mushroom seeds. You can respect the spores by leaving some of the mushrooms untouched. 4. Use a porous and an open-air container for your mushrooms as you walk through the woods. Don’t use plastic bags — which can ruin your harvest anyways; look for mesh bags, baskets, buckets with holes drilled in them, 5. Don’t over-pick. It is courteous and considerate to leave mushrooms behind for another picker. 6. Micro-trash is a big problem! Try to leave none and collect some if you see any.
While mushrooms are typically associated with death and decay, they are in fact an integral part of renewal in the universal cycle of life. We recommend closing the mindfulness walk with a short mushroom circle meditation. Sitting in a circle of silence, the participants meditate upon the impermanence that permeates all things in nature – including our thoughts.
To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let itgo, to let it go.
~ Mary Oliver, Blackwater Woods
2. Creative Writing In Nature
Creative writing can be a helpful way to deal with grief for several reasons. Writing allows individuals to express their emotions and thoughts in a safe and private way. It can be challenging to find the right words to say when experiencing grief, but writing provides an outlet to put emotions into words and process them.
Here are some creative writing prompts to try on your nature walk. Choose the ones you feel comfortable with.
Write a letter to the person you lost, expressing everything you wish you could say to them.
Write about a specific memory you have of the person you lost, describing it in detail and how it makes you feel.
Write a story or poem about the stages of grief you have gone through and how you have coped with each one.
Write a tribute to the person you lost, highlighting their qualities and how they impacted your life.
Write about a place that brings back memories of the person you lost, describing it in detail and how it makes you feel.
Write about how your perspective on life and death has changed since experiencing loss.
Writing about grief allows us to reflect on our experiences and understand our emotions better. It can be a powerful tool for gaining insight into oneself and finding meaning in the loss. Grief can make individuals feel powerless and out of control. Writing provides a sense of control as it allows individuals to express their emotions and feelings in their own way and time. It is also a beautiful way to honour the memory of loved ones.
3. Acts Of Kindness
As night slowly paves the way for dawn, converting grief into acts of service can be a meaningful way to turn a difficult experience into something positive. These could involve checking in with friends or family members in need, performing random acts of kindness, volunteering our time, or making a donation to a charity.
Another great alternative for acts of kindness is to work with plants, trees, and gardens. Gardening and working with plants can be a calming and grounding experience that encourages mindfulness and relaxation. This can be particularly helpful for individuals dealing with the stress and anxiety that often comes with grief.
Plants and trees can become teachers and symbols for the grief process. For example, the act of pruning dead or dying branches can represent the process of letting go, while planting new seeds can represent the hope for new growth and new beginnings. A great project to undertake is creating your own meditation garden. A meditation garden is a place where you can retreat from the stress of daily life and find peace and tranquility through meditation or other contemplative practices. Here’s a useful note on how to create your own meditation garden.
Countries like Korea have taken the concept a step further with a unique ‘National Tree Burial Forest’. It is an eco-friendly way to send off the loved ones. Learn more about Korea and its Forest Bathing practice here.
Self-compassion is the heartbeat of all human understanding. Practising self-compassion entails giving ourselves permission to feel our emotions and attend to ourselves through self-care practices. When we reach outwards, it also helps restore our sense of connectedness in the web of life.
Sharing Grief
We all grieve in our own ways and in our own time. And often we have to support others in their journey. Therefore it is important to understand the way our mind deals with loss and pain.
In order to explain the process, the Swiss psychiatrist, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, introduced the model of the five stages of grief in her 1969 book ‘On Death and Dying.’ The stages of grief, popularly described with the acronym D.A.B.D.A., are as follows:
Denial: This stage can look like an inability to admit to the truth of what happened. The shock of the news can be so overwhelming that one might feel nothing or go numb, refusing to discuss the loss and isolating oneself from others who have accepted it. Denial aids in coping by allowing you to pace your feelings of grief and staggering its full impact on us. Once the denial and shock start to fade, feelings that you were suppressing begin to come to the surface and the healing process begins.
Anger: In this phase, you might look to someone to blame others for the cause of your grief and may redirect your anger to close friends and family. Questions like “Why me?” or “Life is not fair!” keep coming up, as you find it incomprehensible how this could happen to you. If you are a person strong in faith, you might begin to question your belief in God : ‘Where is God? Why did he not protect me?” Anger is a natural step in healing. It has more energy than depression and can propel us into action, bridging you back to reality and to others.
Bargaining: In bargaining, you try to convince yourself you can avoid the grief by negotiating with a higher power. You can find yourself wracked with guilt as a series of ‘What if’ scenarios pass through your mind.
Depression: This is the stage in which the emptiness of the void that the loss has left us with is felt most acutely. The rupture or loss of a deep bond feels like a loss of a part of oneself. You might withdraw from life, feeling hopeless and despondent as the weight of sadness feels unbearable. You might not want to be around others and might even experience suicidal thoughts.
Acceptance: In the final stage, you are able to acknowledge the loss, and begin the process of adjusting to the new reality. As your emotions begin to stabilise, the pain feels more bearable and the world begins to seem inhabitable again.
These steps are not linear, and we often cycle back and forth through the stages. Grief comes in waves, and coming to terms with loss requires self-compassion and understanding. Holding space for the difficult emotions that arise in oneself instead of escaping them is a vital part of healing. Accepting support and help from others can help us move forward towards recovery.
Loss is an inevitable part of the journey of life. In this journey, grief can usher in several invaluable lessons. It can teach us about the fragility of life.
Grief reminds us of the importance of our close relationships, urging us not to take them for granted. It takes us to a deeper appreciation for spending quality time with our loved ones and creating memories that can be cherished forever. It can teach us gratitude for what we have. Grief can bring home to us the realisation of our own resilience and inner strength to overcome challenges. It can prompt us to reflect on the meaning of our life, and strengthen our faith, thus becoming a catalyst for a transformation.
Create ripples of positive change in your life through nature. Nature Calm>>
Healing Forest is a volunteer run project. Our goal is to bring people and forests closer to each other through creativity and mindfulness. The aim is simple. Helping people heal. Helping forests heal.
Healing Forest 