The university from where I retired has regular guided forest therapy walks and forest moon bathing sessions. The purpose of which is not stated, but I'm guessing the sessions are for the participant to get in touch with nature and/or inner self/forest? In times of budget cuts, inflation, state deficits, and the like, the university is offering forest therapy. Gees…is there something wrong with this geezers? It seems to go with underwater basket weaving and 72 genders study. Each walk and moon bath is guided by a “certified” forest therapist.
I have to ask, where does one go to become a certified forest therapist? What does one have to do/be to become a certified forest therapist? As a retired professor, I can clearly state what I taught at the university. What does a certified forest therapist say, when asked what he/she does for a living. Does that CFT say "I talk to trees for a living?" Or, "I guide people in forests so they can talk to trees?" How about, "I let people communicate with trees so they have a deeper understanding of self." Do mommy and daddy want their little darling to go to a faraway college with a huge tuition, so their little darling can become a CFT? I have to wonder who or what qualifies one to be a CFT? Is there a test that one takes? Or is it an oral exam. Are there “national boards” that have to be passed. Again...are mommy and daddy ready to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars so their little darling can be a forest therapist. Where can their little darling practice the profession? I have all sorts of questions about forest therapy.
Given the above…I happen to own a couple of acres of aspen forest. It is truly a wonderful place to “be.” The aspens sing a gentle song as their leaves rustle on the breeze. The quakies, as the locals call them, short for quaking aspen, talk to me and the talk is calming. The animals in the forest hide in plain sight. There are deer and fawns—sometimes many, sometimes few. They are always there. Once in a while something happens and all the deer stand up at once and it’s surprising to see a dozen deer, that just minutes before, were skillfully hidden amongst the trees. They are quiet, graceful animals who “know” the silence of the forest. They however, do not have a CFT telling them how to behave in the forest. For that matter, I don't have a CFT telling me how to commune with my little patch of trees either. I just "know" how to do it. Maybe a CFT is a “forest whisperer”…akin to a horse whisperer or dog whisperer. Taming the wild spirit via the trees.
After an hour of forest therapy, the CFT serves up an herbal brew made from stuff from the forest floor. The tea is concocted of leaves and moss and other healthy things to let your communion with the forest come to completion. Somehow, I know I don't want to drink this...can you imagine what is on a forest floor?
Geezers…is this something you did when you were college? I did a lot of crazy stuff in college but I never walked or moon-bathed in a forest or drank the herbal brew. I did have a class that met in a winery (we did drink the "brew" and ate some yummy french bread)...that was a lot of fun. I had another class that met at the golf course (BTW, it was a golf class). The curriculum was taught. So I have to ask, is guided forest therapy and moon bathing a class or a one time activity? I posit it could be necessary if it’s “for fun” and not a class and part of the curriculum. I posit if it’s an experience that is purely elective and NOT part of the curriculum..it’s ok. But, I have to wonder, if one is a CFT, how regular is the paycheck? IF, on the other hand, it’s part of the curriculum you have to wonder what has become of the modern academy (but the CFT has a steady job now)? The current grads are holding our future in their hands. With forest walking and moon bathing, we have to wonder about the direction of logic…the direction of the academy…the direction of the country. That's my sidebar rant, thank you. Remember, we’re in this together.
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