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🌿 Curious to learn more about Forest Bathing? Discover the science, the benefits, and how our sessions work here: Explore Forest Bathing with us

 

🍂 Already joined us before? Scroll down to see details of our recent and upcoming sessions, including seasonal dates and special themed walks.

Breathe deeply into the shift...

September arrives gently, veiled in soft light and cooler breezes. The wheel turns again—almost imperceptibly—as the wild energy of summer begins to soften. The mornings grow crisper, kissed with dew, and the evenings invite cosy layers and warm drinks.

🌳 Trees begin their quiet metamorphosis, their greens tinged with gold and russet as the first signs of autumn ripple through the canopy. Acorns drop with soft thuds, conkers gleam in their prickled shells, and the hedgerows continue to offer gifts—blackberries deepening, rosehips ripening, and sloes swelling on thorny boughs.

🌾 Grasses stand tall and sun-faded, waving farewell to summer’s warmth, while seed heads scatter their treasures to the wind. Fungi begin to peek from shaded roots and mossy stumps, hinting at the earthy abundance to come.

🦉 The natural world grows quieter now—still alive, yet more inward, more contemplative. September calls us to walk more slowly, listen more deeply, and savour the sensory delights of this in-between season.

🌲 We’re back this month with our Forest Bathing experiences. Join us in the woods to celebrate this turning point—reconnecting body, mind, and spirit with the land's evolving rhythm.

🍁 September – A Month of Balance and Gathering 🌾

September takes its name from septem, Latin for “seven”, as it was originally the seventh month in the early Roman calendar. Though now ninth in our modern reckoning, it remains a pivotal point in the wheel of the year—marking the slow descent into autumn and the promise of the balance of the equinox.

🍂 To the Anglo-Saxons, this was Hāligmonath—the “Holy Month” or “Harvest Month”—a sacred time of gathering and gratitude. As fields were cleared and grain threshed, communities offered thanks to the land for its bounty, honouring the sacred rhythm of giving and receiving.

🌾 Hāligmonath invites us to connect with the deeper cycles of life. It is a month steeped in quiet reverence—a time to harvest not only food, but wisdom. Brambles bow under the weight of ripening fruit, while the first leaves drop gold at our feet. There is richness in every detail: the blush of apples, the scent of earth after rain, the increasing spread of autumnal leaf patchwork, as woodlands start preparing for rest.

✨ Let us walk with awareness, pausing to notice what the land offers in return for our presence. September is not only a season of endings, but also of sacred thresholds—between light and dark, growth and stillness, outward energy and inner reflection.

 

According to Robert Graves and the modern Celtic tradition, September spans the threshold between two sacred lunar months in the Ogham tree calendar.

The Hazel Moon (5th August – 1st September) brings the final flurry of summer’s insight and illumination. Hazel, long associated with wisdom, inspiration, and the poetic arts, invites us to gather knowledge like nuts from the forest floor—gifts of spirit and story ripened by the season.

From 2nd September, we enter the Vine Moon, a time of softening and surrender. Representing prophecy, inner vision, and the mysteries of transformation, the Vine guides us inward. As the outer world quietens, this lunar phase eases us gently into reflection, rebalancing ourselves as the light begins to wane.

🍇 These tree moons echo the subtle shifts around us—wisdom flowing into intuition, action yielding to acceptance. Nature reminds us there is power in letting go, in embracing the cyclical dance of fullness and fallow.

🌰 The Hazel Moon – A Portal to Wisdom, Insight & Inspiration 🌰

 

As the warmth of late summer ripens the land, we enter the time of the Hazel Moon, a sacred lunar phase associated with inner knowing, intuition, and poetic inspiration. In Celtic and Druidic lore, the hazel tree was revered as the Tree of Wisdom, growing near sacred wells and feeding the Salmon of Knowledge with its magical nuts.

 

This is a lunar month for reflection and insight—less about outward growth, and more about turning inwards to harvest the wisdom you’ve gathered through the year. Hazel’s association with learning and divination makes this a potent time for journalling, dreamwork, and connecting with the subtle messages of nature.

 

✨ The Celts called this month Coll, which translates to “the life force within you”—reminding us that true understanding arises not just from facts, but from quiet observation and lived experience.

 

Folk tradition tells us that hazelnuts were once carried as charms to heighten intuition and protect against deception, and a hazel wand was the tool of choice for dowsers and seers seeking truth below the surface.

 

As the first signs of autumn begin to stir, allow this time to be one of gentle contemplation. Sit by a stream or under a hazel tree, and open your senses to nature’s whispers. The Hazel Moon invites you to pause, listen, and realign with your inner truth.

 

In the poetic Celtic tree calendar, the Vine Moon (2nd–29th September, approx.) marks a liminal turning point—a time of gathering in, softening, and seeking deeper truths. Where earlier moons stirred action and expansion, the Vine invites surrender and stillness. It teaches us to trust the unseen, to allow wisdom to ferment quietly within.

🍇 Symbolically entwined with prophecy, altered states, and spiritual depth, the vine offers more than just fruit—it offers insight. In both Celtic and classical traditions, the vine was linked to ecstatic mysteries, sacred rites, and oracular practices. Think of the spiralling tendrils curling inward, like our consciousness seeking clarity through intuition.

🌿 The Vine Moon encourages us to release our grip on what we think we know. It draws us into the dreamtime, into contemplation, meditation, and sacred listening. This is a time for:

✨ Deepening your inner vision through dreamwork, divination, or journalling
✨ Honouring your emotional tides—allowing vulnerability and reflection
✨ Shedding old stories and surrendering to spiritual transformation

 

🍷 Whether you connect with the vine in a vineyard, a hedgerow, or within your soulscape, let it remind you that growth is not always linear. Sometimes we must spiral inward, compost the old, and trust the quiet ripening of a new cycle.

 

After August’s dramatic displays, September brings a quieter, more contemplative night sky. Though the major showers have passed, the heavens still offer moments of awe for those who like to linger under starlight.

✨ The Alpha Aurigids, which began in late August, may still offer the occasional bright streak in the first days of September—subtle and sporadic, like whispers from the cosmos. These meteors, known for their speed and occasional flares, radiate from the constellation Auriga and are best seen after midnight.

🌓 As we move deeper into the month, the skies darken earlier, making it easier to observe the stars, planets, and late-summer constellations. The Milky Way arches overhead, and on clear nights, its silvery trail offers a timeless reminder of our place in the vast turning wheel.

🌕 The Full Moon rises on Saturday 7th September at 19:08, bathing the land in luminous silver and marking a moment of culmination and clarity. Later in the month, the New Moon graces the skies on Sunday 21st September at 20:54, creating perfect conditions for stargazing and quiet reflection beneath the inky blackness.

🔭 Whether you're scanning for the final trails of meteors, tracing constellations, or simply soaking in the silence of the stars, September’s night sky invites us to turn our gaze upward—and within.

🌿 Immerse Yourself in Woodland Tranquillity 🌿

 

Join us for a transformative Forest Bathing session in the stunning private semi-ancient woodland at Harry Edwards Foundation, nestled deep within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This guided nature experience is based on the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, designed to help you slow down, engage your senses, and reconnect with the natural world in all its seasonal beauty.

 

Led by experienced guides Joanna Bristow-Watkins and Katie Robinson, we will take you on a mindful, sensory journey through the woodland. Feel the changes in the air, observe the seasonal colours, inhale the fresh, earthy scents, and listen to the gentle sounds of nature. As the session unfolds, you’ll deepen your connection through:

🌲 Guided Sensory Exploration – Engaging with nature through sight, touch, sound, and smell.
🌳 ‘Treelaxation’ Nature Meditation – A deeply restorative practice beneath the trees.
🍃 Woodland Tea Ceremony – A soothing moment to close the experience.

 

📅 Upcoming Public Sessions:
📍 Harry Edwards Foundation, Surrey Hills
⏳ Duration: 3 hours (2.5 hours Dec–Feb)
💷 Cost: £39.77 (3 hours) | £37.77 (2.5 hours)

🗓 2025 Dates:

📢 IMPORTANT: Booking Within 48 Hours?
Please text 07930 414525 before booking to confirm availability. Book any of the above public sessions at the Harmony Shop

Wokingham Forest Bathing Session

🌿 New monthly event, California Country Park, Wokingham, RG40 4HU 

 

 

This location holds real variety, and while we start and end in woodland, we wander by a lake, heathland, open fields and a boardwalk area reminiscent of a mangrove swamp, each with its own characteristics and sensory charm. Last month's event was fully booked. 

You will need to book this event directly through Wokingham Countryside from a range of events listed:  Book Here   

 

📅 Upcoming Public Sessions:

 

 Our Other venues

We also arrange private bookings and/or corporate sessions at a selection of locations in the Surrey Hills (Guildford, Shere, Woking & Tadworth) and London (SW20, SW14, NW3).  Contact us for details on katieandjo@harmonyinnature.uk

🦊 ✨ A Magical Encounter with a Young Fox ✨

Joanna’s recent experience:
While wandering a familiar path through a local botanical garden (mention RHS Wisley or not?), I came face to face with something utterly enchanting—a young fox cub, poised and alert, standing just metres away. To my astonishment, he didn’t dart away. Instead, he stood perfectly still, watching me with calm, intelligent eyes.

For nearly five minutes, we simply regarded one another in silence. There was no fear, only presence. Then, with soft and measured steps, he began to move—looping gently around the path, still within sight, as though weaving a quiet dance of mutual awareness. It felt like the veil between our worlds had briefly lifted.

Encounters like this carry a special weight—a gift from the natural world that speaks to the soul without words.

🌕 The Spiritual Meaning of a Fox Cub Encounter

Foxes, especially young ones, embody a unique blend of innocence, awareness, and mystic curiosity. They are often seen as messengers from the liminal realms, guiding us to be more alert, intuitive, and attuned to subtle energies.

When a fox cub appears and holds your gaze, it may carry an especially tender spiritual message:

🌿 Innocent Wisdom – Even in youth, you hold deep inner knowing. Trust what you feel.
🌿 Sacred Curiosity – You are being invited to observe, explore, and engage with wonder.
🌿 Presence & Stillness – Stillness is not inactivity—it is a potent space of connection.
🌿 Gentle Guardianship – A reminder that you are protected and being watched over, even in liminal or uncertain times.
🌿 Awakening Senses – Stay alert to subtle messages. You are on the edge of new insight.

To share a moment like this with a wild creature is to be reminded that nature sees us too—and sometimes, she gazes back with a message meant just for us.

Through Harmony Healing, Joanna offers a variety of online esoteric and energy healing courses, including self-empowerment courses and via the Zenpass platform intuitive readings and 1-2-1 energy healing sessions.

 

Joanna also hosts monthly Full Moon Meditations online from 7.30-9.30pm (UK time) and produces a monthly Celestial Forecast, which includes insights on Moon Phases, Asteroid Showers, and Ancient & Modern Festivals.

 

Katie offers intuitive health mentoring and 1-1 places for Nurtured by Nature One-day Reset Retreats (Facebook Link, or message Katie without obligation for details). These retreats are designed for those needing a complete mind and body reset from their usual work and routines. Tailored to your needs, they include a selection from nutrition, breathing awareness, mindful movement, sounding or chanting, essential oils, ‘de-chemicalising’ your lifestyle, natural first aid, Reiki, and sensory nature connection through Forest Bathing.

 

The full day retreat is £366, with half days, or for 2-3 people, available on request. To discuss your ideal retreat, message Katie directly on 07596 830910.

 

 

mob. 07930 414525 Jo
mob. 07596 830910 Katie