And why is it so important, to remember and acknowledge that all of our ancestors, whoever they may be, whether we know them or not, at one point in time held and practiced cultural and place- specific ways of being with the natural world?

Because it validates the resurfacing of a deep, collective yearning to reclaim our relationship with the earth.

Our personal, professional and societal capacity for resilience, adaptability and out-of-the box thinking in these times is inextricably woven into our ability to cultivate an intentional partnership with the natural world.

Eco grief is a real thing. Sometimes nebulous, sometimes brazen, certainly existential. And if you’re the least bit awakened as to what’s going on with our earth, you’ve probably had a taste of it. Here we explore how it can manifest, and what we can do.

I’ll start with… it’s really rather a miracle I’m here.

Five years ago under the lethargic fog of a slowly dissipating concussion, I questioned whether I could ever work at my full capacity again or go for a decent hike.

To really understand an artist's point of view, we can "step into their shoes" and create as they do. After meeting Flora MacDonald a few years back on a trip to Scotland, and falling in love with her storytelling and art, I knew exactly whose shoes I wanted to step into.

For what happens when we swallow and hold on to our emotions? When we suppress, mask and avoid them? It sits like a stone in our bodies, forms hardened shells, and courses like poison in our veins. Witnessing our own emotions, the good and the uncomfortable, and releasing them in a healthy way is so essential to our wellbeing.

The turtle lays out the year for us, with its 13 moons and 28 days between. It’s central to the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Creation stories, which tells us how the turtle gives us the foundation from which we are nurtured and supported.

Hopping over a damp piece of earth during a walk in the forest surrounding my home in Parry Sound, something made me pause. An unremarkable, gnarled piece of rotted wood poked out of a muddy pool. Dripping, I carried it home to dry out over the fireplace.

It’s all worth it - to dream, and dream big. To live fully, being true to who you are. To bring more light and kindness into a darkening world in the way our gifts enable us.

I scramble up the rocks, which tumbled down the hill, who knows how long ago. My bare feet, familiar with the rough and jagged stones, finding easily the path and stairway leading up, further into the hill and the forest upon it. Water trickles over the dark gray stones, and the damp is held, captured by the green, brown, orange and blue mosses and lichens that grow there.

I have always made art, and sure it has meaning and is cathartic… but discovering holistic eco art therapy in Findhorn, Scotland, on my heroine’s journey was an entirely different beast all together… weaving together myth, nature connection, mindfulness and creative expression.

There’s a lovely Celtic belief that if you sleep on the land, it may reveal itself and its history to you. Rooting lets the land unfold, and you can learn so much as its layers are revealed. I rooted in the places of the Cailleach in Celtic mythology all across the Celtic Nations, and it led me on incredible adventures to the wildest of places.

So often we see nature as something from which to take - natural resources, foods and medicines for our physical health and as a place of calm for our mental wellbeing. Being with yourself in a good way opens you up to understand what the natural world can teach us. And what we may offer in return.

As with many healing journeys, mine began in the deep dark. Throughout this time, I consistently imagined myself coming to a place of full wellness… What we think and imagine has a powerful impact our bodies. Mind, body, and spirit are intricately interwoven.