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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 into the stillness...
October arrives with a hushed kind of magic—mists clinging low to the fields, cobwebs bejewelled with dew, and woodlands shifting into a patchwork of amber, bronze, and flame. The pulse of summer is long behind us; now the land exhales slowly, preparing for rest.

🌳 Trees are shedding bright leaves, crunchy underfoot as they return their energy to the soil, protecting themselves at the same time from wind damage.  You can't fail to notice autumn's nutty abundance from the acorns, conkers, beech mast and spiky sweet chestnut cases which litter the ground, offering feasts for wildlife stocking up for the lean months ahead.
🌾 Hedgerows glow with haws, hips, and sloes, while fungi rise from hidden networks below— strange, and beautiful. The air itself feels denser, and is a feast for the nostrils with its wondrous earthy dampness, as the plant compounds locked up in the soil are released by rain. Wood smoke may remind us of the natural inclination to move towards finding warmth and more stillness during our daily lives, as well as adapting to the longer nights.
🦉 The natural world quietens further—creatures burrow deeper, birds migrate, and silence deepens in the spaces between. October invites us to slow down, soften our gaze, and walk with reverence through a world gently surrendering.
🌲 Our Forest Bathing experiences this month honour this descent—an invitation to align with nature’s rhythm, finding presence, peace, and renewal amongst the trees.

October takes its name from octo, Latin for “eight”, as it was the eighth month in the old Roman calendar. Though now the tenth, it still carries the energy of endings and thresholds, bridging the vibrant harvest with the darkening winter.

🍂 To the Anglo-Saxons, this was Winterfylleth—the “Winter Full Moon”—considered the true beginning of winter. Fields were emptied, hearths were prepared, and communities turned inward for warmth, ritual, and story. It was also a time for honouring ancestors, a tradition that echoes through Samhain, the great Celtic fire festival at the month’s end.

🌾 In the Celtic Wheel of the Year, Samhain (31st October–1st November) marks both an ending and a beginning: the death of the old cycle and the birth of the new. It was the Celtic New Year, a festival of fire and feasting, when the veil between worlds was believed to be at its thinnest. Ancestors were honoured, guidance was sought through divination, and communities gathered to light bonfires, ensuring protection and blessings for the dark months ahead.

🍏 October reminds us of cycles larger than our own: life yielding to death, growth giving way to rest, the veils thinning between the seen and unseen. Apples sweeten, nuts harden, leaves fall in fiery cascades—everywhere the earth speaks of impermanence and return.
✨ This month calls us to gratitude, not only for what we harvest, but for the wisdom of those who walked before us. October may be seen as a sacred bridge—between outer life and inner journey, between the living and the ancestral realms.

In Robert Graves' Ogham tree calendar, October spans two powerful tree moons: Ivy and Reed, each carrying deep lessons for the turning year.

🌿 The period 30th September – 27th October is covered by the Ivy Moon. This is the flowering month of ivy (deliciously scented), while other plants are shedding leaves and flowers, reminding us of the natural cycles of life, death and rebirth. Ivy lives on after the death of its host plant, showing us symbolically that we also have great resilience.

From 28th October, we step into the Reed Moon (28th October – 23rd November). Reed, rising tall and hollow by the water’s edge, was considered the scribe’s plant—used for pens and musical flutes. It symbolises communication with spirit, guidance from beyond, and the power of clear intention. As the year wanes further, Reed carries messages across the threshold, linking us with ancestors and otherworldly wisdom.

🍂 These moons invite us to move from resilience to receptivity: Ivy teaches us to hold steady through darkness, while Reed teaches us to listen—to words, whispers, and winds. Together, they prepare us for the deep inward journey of winter.

🌿 The Ivy Moon – Endurance, Connection & the Spiral Journey 🌑

As the golden tide of autumn sweeps through the land, we step into the time of the Ivy Moon (30th September – 27th October). Unlike many plants that wither with the season, ivy holds fast—evergreen, enduring, and persistent. It clings to stone, tree, and earth, a living reminder of resilience and connection through even the darkest months.

🌿 In Celtic tradition, ivy (Gort) symbolises determination, fidelity, and the spiral path of the soul. Its winding growth mirrors the labyrinth—an inward journey of self-discovery, weaving us deeper into mystery, magic, and spiritual transformation.

✨ The Ivy Moon invites us to:

Explore our inner spiral—through meditation, labyrinth walking, or journalling

Honour endurance—finding quiet strength in times of challenge

Deepen connection—to community, ancestry, and the unseen threads that bind us

Folk belief held ivy as a protective ally, warding off negativity and strengthening bonds, and may be used ceremonially. Its intertwining nature reminds us that no soul walks alone; we are each part of the larger interweaving of life and spirit.

🍂 As nights lengthen and Samhain draws near, the Ivy Moon calls us to trust in unseen connections, embrace transformation, and walk with resilience into the darker half of the year.

On 28th October, we step into Reed Moon month, a time of listening, guidance, and spirit communication. Slender reeds, swaying in the marshes, were shaped into pens for writing and pipes for music—tools for expressing truth and carrying messages.

🌾 In Celtic symbolism, reed (Ngetal) is linked to clarity, protection, and ancestral wisdom. Its hollow stem reminds us to be empty vessels—open to receive insight and guidance. This is a lunar phase for hearing whispers across the veil, whether through divination, song, ritual, or simply stillness by water.

✨ The Reed Moon encourages us to:

Listen deeply—to intuition, dreams, and subtle signs

Honour ancestral voices—through remembrance and offering

Align words with truth—speaking clearly, writing intentions, or chanting prayers

The Reed Moon bridges Samhain, the Celtic New Year, when the veil between worlds is thinnest. Like the reed flute’s song, it calls us to honour our lineage, clear stagnant energies, and carry forward the wisdom of those who walked before.

🌙 As the year darkens, Reed guides us to stand tall, rooted yet flexible, and to listen out for messages beyond our purely physical world, which may serve us well.

October’s night sky shimmers with both mystery and splendour. As the days shorten and the nights grow longer, the skies reward us with some of the most beautiful meteor showers of the year. With the veil between the physical and etheric worlds thinning towards Samhain, stargazing feels doubly enchanted—each streak of light a message across worlds.

✨ The Draconids (peaking around 8th–9th October) are the month’s first highlight. Unlike many showers, these meteors are best viewed in the evening rather than after midnight, radiating from the constellation Draco the Dragon. Though often modest, the Draconids have been known to surprise with sudden bursts of activity, as though the dragon awakens briefly in flame.

💫 Later in the month come the Orionids (peaking 20th–21st October), born of Halley’s Comet. These swift meteors can leave glowing trails that linger like cosmic brushstrokes across the sky. In the constellation Orion the Hunter, they are best observed after midnight, when Orion rises higher.

🌕 The Full Moon on Monday 6th October at 04:48 illuminates the land with its silvery glow—beautiful, but washing out fainter meteors in the Draconid peak. Joanna's online Full Moon meditation is on 6th October. The New Moon on Tuesday 21st October at 13:25, however, offers a darkened canvas for the Orionids, perfect for spotting their fiery arcs.

🔭 Whether you’re watching dragons flare briefly in the twilight sky, tracing the hunter’s stars, or simply soaking in the stillness of a dark October night, this month’s heavens remind us that the cosmos, like the earth, moves in cycles of revelation and rest.

🌿 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 in the natural beauty of the Surrey Hills. 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

🌿 Monthly events at 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. Previous events have been fully booked. 

You will need to book this event directly through Wokingham Countryside from a range of other 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

🌿 Power of Place - 9th October, Dorking

We were delighted to be invited to the Surrey Hills Enterprises event, Power Of Place, a half-day conference and showcase event at Dorking Halls. The event will shine a spotlight on the Surrey Hills as the go-to destination for sustainable corporate events and hospitality.

 

Whilst holidaying in Kauai, Joanna encountered a sunbathing Monk Seal on the beach. Known locally as Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, meaning “dog that runs in rough water” in Hawaiian.

In the UK, the two native species are:

Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) – big “Roman-nosed” profile, the larger of the two.

Common/harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) – smaller, rounder face, despite the name actually less common in Britain than greys.

If you’re lucky enough to encounter a seal on your travels — whether basking on a rock in Britain or snoozing on a sandy shore in Hawai‘i — consider it a symbolic gift.

Seals are liminal beings, moving with ease between sea and land, the subconscious and the everyday. Spiritually, they invite us to:
✨ Dive into our feelings and trust intuition
✨ Embrace play, curiosity, and joy
✨ Balance practical life with inner wisdom
✨ Honour transformation — like the selkies of Celtic lore who shed their seal-skin to reveal hidden truths

Endangered in Hawai‘i, yet thriving in colder northern seas, seals remind us of both fragility and resilience in the natural world. Their appearance is often seen as a blessing and a call to protect life in all its forms.

Next time you glimpse one, pause and notice what messages it might carry for you.

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