2025 Week 3 - Sacred Groves: Trees, Forest, and the Human Imagination Adult (19+)

Sacred Groves: Trees, Forests and the Human Imagination

Week Three: August 3 – 9/25. In this 5-part participatory retreat we will explore the deep connection human cultures have forged with trees and forests and how these ‘arboreal’ cultures are expressed today. We will investigate the evolutionary past of tree-beings and explore their importance to the world’s religious and mythological systems. We will even briefly track the history of the modernist understandings of trees/forests as crops, wilderness areas and sacred entities. We will consider Indigenous approaches to forests and forestry. Throughout the retreat participants will be invited to explore their own spiritual practices related to trees and forests. The retreat will conclude with an imaginative exploration of the future of trees and forests.

Learning/Exploration Outcomes

• Explore trees and forests in relation to human societies.
• Learn about trees and forests in the world’s religious and spiritual systems.
• Understand the cultural history of forestry, natural resources and ecological sciences related to trees and forests.
• Articulate the cultural roots of troubles facing trees and forests globally.