Foraging for the Soul
A Blog by Anna Robinson
'Foraging for the Soul' is about my forays into nature to connect with my deepest self, the wild and the great mystery I call God.
I love to retreat, to forage for spiritual sustenance in the natural world. I write about my findings from the hedgerows, cliff tops, beaches and woodlands in Cornwall. Using the “big book” of nature to nourish and connect to the body, mind and soul.
Advent: Returning to Love
Contemplating love and finding peace within helps me face the world’s troubles and my own, with more love than fear, more hope than despair, with more understanding than judgement. Advent is an opportunity to centre this belief once again.
Drawing on the Ancestors
Reclaiming my connection to Samhain and All Saints, my Celtic and Christian heritage.
Autumn Equinox
Why I mark the Autumn Equinox and some questions for reflection at this turning point of the year.
Easter Reflections…
When meditating on the Easter story, I remember experiencing a deep sense of Jesus’ solidarity with the marginalised and oppressed; those experiencing inhumane and dehumanising treatment.
Why I Mark the Spring Equinox.
I didn’t grew up knowing about the Celtic Wheel of the Year and Pagan festivals. When I joined a Christian church at 19, I learnt anything pagan was to be feared. My journey of questioning, re-thinking and re-imagining my Christian faith and spirituality allowed me to explore them and consider why my ancestors marked and celebrated them for 1000’s of years.
I am the entire ocean…
Sometimes in life I can feel like a small boat being tossed about in a stormy ocean, thoughts and feelings threaten to overwhelm me like towering waves coming from all angles.
I felt like this recently and was drawn to the sea.
What if plantain was a person?
The more I learn about plants, the more it’s liking seeing a good friend when they appear in season.
This week I have been drawn towards plantain (Plantago Lanceolata), the narrow leaf plant rather than the broad leaf (Plantago Major). Its properties and uses through the ages fascinate me, knowledge my ancestors would have once passed down. Re-discovering this knowledge has become a connection to my past, to the land, to myself (both body and soul) and has become part of my daily contemplative practice.
Faith sift
Jesus took the disciples through a huge faith ‘sift’ that came to a head at Easter.…
Lent - Challenging the Negativity Bias.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the six weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, a central festival in the Christian calendar celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.
The Old, the Now and the Not Yet...
I'm struck by the beauty of dry and dead leaves hanging on branches of oak and beech at the end of winter. These sculptured, crumpled…
The Gift and Cost of High Sensitivity
I discovered recently that these beautiful heart shapes leaves blanketing woodlands…
The Joy of Spring
Spring is the season that transitions nature from the bareness and sleepiness of winter to the…
Introducing 'Foraging for the Soul': Beginning with some wisdom in the winter woods.
'Blue Monday' has just been and gone and we are still very much in the heart of winter here…