We both like being amongst trees, Valerie more so than me but I love the peacefulness and tranquil quality of a wood its energy and how touching and embracing them is such a rewarding experience.
On Sunday we went to Hadley Wood, Again, which is an ancient deciduous wood a remnant of the Royal Hunting estate that formed much of Enfield and its environs since the time of Henry II and frequently used by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. There was a large Palace, Elsyng, in Enfield that Henry had for his children and from where he could hunt. I like to think that Henry wrote many of his poems here and perhaps even Greensleeves.
I think that being in contact with the Earth, grounding, is very important and we all too often drift away from this. Being well grounded keeps us balanced, strong and, I feel, optimistic. Hugging tree trunks, thinking on the Earth, feeling the telluric energy helps us to ground and crystals can also be used. My favourite stone for this is black tourmaline
and I have a lovely lump which is wonderfully effective. In the background you can see lumps of rose quartz which is perhaps my favourite stone but it is black tourmaline for grounding.
On Sunday we went for a picnic in the wood and as I was lying on my back looking up at the trees, listening to the birds, I was struck as to how beautiful the leaves and branches were against the sky.
I thought of the time last September when we were in another part of Hadley Wood where we saw swathes of Michaelmas daises.
It always a treat to see them in such large numbers.