Hi First name / friend,

 

Welcome to our May Beltane Edition.

 

🍂 If you’ve spent time with us before, feel free to wander further down to savour our latest seasonal musings, along with reflections from recent gatherings and a glimpse of what’s unfolding next — including key dates and thoughtfully curated woodland experiences.

 

🌿 If this is your first introduction to Forest Bathing, or you feel called to deepen your connection, you can discover more about the practice, its research-backed benefits, and what to expect from our sessions here: Explore Forest Bathing with us

 

If you are not already a subscriber and would like to be, sign up here. 

🌿 Late Spring in Full Bloom
As May unfolds, the gentle emergence of early spring gives way to a landscape now rich with life and vitality. What first awakened in March, and gathered momentum through April, is now flourishing in full expression — hedgerows deepen into vibrant green, blossoms linger and drift softly to the ground, and the woodland floor hums with colour and movement. Bluebells begin to fade as fresh layers of growth take their place, birdsong reaches a joyful crescendo, and there is a palpable sense that nature is no longer stirring, but thriving in its fullest rhythm.

This spirit of reconnection is beautifully reflected in the newly released publication Wild Self, by Emma Pruen, launching on 1st May. Celebrating our relationship with the natural world, it brings together voices, places, and practices that honour the wild within and around us. We were delighted to contribute to the Surrey section — and having received an advance copy, we look forward to sharing a more personal reflection with you below.

🌿 From Spring’s Awakening to the Fire of Beltane 🔥
We move now beyond the unfolding of early spring and step into the radiant threshold of Beltane — a festival of fire, vitality, and full expression. Where March invited alignment and April encouraged growth into form, May brings a sense of embodiment, warmth, and living energy in motion.

Beltane, traditionally honoured on the eve of 1st May, marks the turning of the Wheel into summer. It is a time when life-force energy is at its most abundant — a celebration of fertility, creativity, and the deepening relationship between land, light, and life.

In ancient Celtic traditions, great fires were lit upon the hills, and people would pass between them for purification and blessing. Livestock were also guided through the smoke, ensuring protection and vitality for the months ahead. These rituals honoured not only the outer landscape, but the inner spark — the fire of inspiration, passion, and purpose.

This is also a time when the boundaries between traditions gently blur. Echoes of Beltane can be felt in later seasonal customs — from May Day celebrations and maypole dancing to the crowning of the May Queen — all reflecting themes of union, joy, and the flourishing of life.

Across cultures, this threshold has long been recognised as a moment of ripening and expansion. What was once seeded is now asking to be lived, expressed, and celebrated.

As you spend time outdoors this month, notice how everything feels fuller, richer, and more alive. The light stretches into the evening, the air carries warmth, and the land pulses with quiet abundance.

May invites us not simply to witness this vitality — but to step into it, to honour our own inner fire, and to move forward with openness, joy, and trust in the unfolding path. 🔥🌿

🌕 Friday 1st May at 17:55 – Willow Flower Beltane Full Micro Moon

At the threshold of Beltane, this Full Moon illuminates the fertile, blossoming energy of the Willow Moon. Where the New Moon invited introspection and emotional clearing, this lunation brings those inner stirrings into gentle expression.

Willow, deeply attuned to water and the Moon, encourages sensitivity, intuition, and flow. Under the Willow Flower Moon, there is an invitation to honour what is beginning to bloom within — to allow creativity, connection, and feeling to move more freely.

Aligned with Beltane’s fire, this is a moment where water and flame meet — intuition and vitality — supporting both emotional openness and joyful expansion.

Joanna is offering an online Full Moon Meditation on Friday evening, creating a space to align with these energies and anchor them within the body and energy field.

🌑 Saturday 16th May at 21:01 – Hawthorn Super New Moon

As the cycle turns, we move into the sacred energy of the Hawthorn Moon — a tree long associated with the heart, protection, and the mystical gateways of the fae realms.

Hawthorn blossoms at Beltane, symbolising union, love, and the weaving together of worlds. This Super New Moon amplifies its influence, inviting us to set intentions around connection — with ourselves, with others, and with the unseen energies that support us.

Traditionally seen as a threshold tree, Hawthorn encourages us to honour both boundaries and openness. It is a powerful time for heart-led intentions, for aligning with what truly calls us forward, and for trusting in the unseen threads guiding our path.

🌕 Sunday 31st May at 09:45 – Hawthorn Blue Full Micro Moon

This second Full Moon within the Hawthorn cycle carries a rare and potent energy — often referred to as a Blue Moon (although it would not qualify under the original definition) — amplifying the themes of fulfilment, realisation, and heightened awareness.

Under the Hawthorn Moon, this lunation deepens our connection to our heart space, inviting both celebration and clarity. What has been initiated earlier in the month now comes into fuller view, offering insight into what is flourishing and what may need rebalancing.

Hawthorn’s protective and magical qualities are especially strong here, supporting emotional courage and a deeper trust in life’s unfolding.

This is a beautiful time to pause, acknowledge growth, and honour the quiet magic that has been at work beneath the surface. 🌿✨
Joanna's online Full Moon Meditation is on Sunday evening, creating a space to align with these energies and anchor them within the body and energy field.

🌱 Step Into the Calm of the Forest 🌱

A short 36-second film, kindly created by Hunter Delves (Community Engagement & Fundraising Manager at Harry Edwards), beautifully captures the essence of Forest Bathing at this special venue. You can watch it on YouTube here.

A small update for Saturday sessions (not affecting the May session):
Saturday start times are now 11:30am, allowing those who wish to attend Qigong with Sue Llewellyn (10–11am at the same venue) to enjoy both experiences, with time to arrive and settle before we begin at 11:20am. For Qigong bookings and other on-site offerings, please visit the Harry Edwards website. 

As we move deeper into May, the woodland takes on a fuller, richer presence. The fleeting bluebell season begins to soften into memory, giving way to lush green canopies, especially from the beeches and oaks, dappled light, and a deeper sense of calm and protection beneath the trees.

The birds are in full joyful song, and we may even see buzzards being chased off by crows. The air carries warmth, and the forest invites us to slow down and truly arrive within it. 

Our guided Forest Bathing session offers a gentle, restorative experience, with a series of sensory invitations designed to help you reconnect — with nature, with yourself, and with the present moment.

✨ Expect:

Whether you are joining us for the first time or returning to deepen your experience, May offers a beautifully supportive energy for this practice — one of presence, openness, and quiet vitality. 🌿

📍 Harry Edwards Foundation, Surrey Hills
⏳ Duration: 3 hours (2.5 hours Dec–Feb)
💷 Investment: £39.77

Sunday 17th May | 11:00 – 14:00
Saturday 13th June | 11:30 – 14:30
Sunday 19th July | 11:00 – 14:00

Saturday 19th September | 11:30 – 14:30

Saturday 10th October | 11:30 – 14:30

Sunday 8th November | 11:00 – 14:00

Saturday 28th November | 11:30 – 14:30

📢 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 

🌿 Wild Self – A Journey Back to Nature & Inner Knowing
Author: Emma Pruen, Wild Self Publishing, 1st May 2026

The newly released Wild Self offers a truly expansive and intriguing exploration of the many ways we can reconnect with the natural world, and with ourselves.

Bringing together an extraordinary range of practices, the book introduces over 350 experiences, therapies, and rituals taking place across Britain today. From ancient Celtic traditions and nature-based healing modalities to emerging approaches grounded in modern science, it weaves together a rich tapestry of wisdom, both old and new.

Within its pages, you’ll encounter a fascinating diversity of pathways — from forest-based wellbeing and outdoor therapeutic work supporting children and communities, to more esoteric and spiritual explorations such as ancestral visioning, trance practices, and symbolic arts rooted in traditions like Ogham. Alongside these are insights into rewilding projects, sacred landscapes, retreats, and spaces dedicated to deepening our relationship with the land.

What makes this book particularly compelling is its breadth. It doesn’t seek to define a single way of reconnecting, but rather opens a doorway into many — inviting the reader to explore what resonates most deeply for them. In doing so, it quietly reflects a wider cultural movement: a remembering of our connection to nature, heritage, and the unseen threads that weave through both.

As one of the first publications to document this growing field in such a comprehensive way, Wild Self offers not only inspiration, but a sense of place within a wider community of practitioners, spaces, and evolving traditions.

We were delighted to contribute to the Surrey section, and having received an advance copy, we look forward to sharing our own reflections and experiences of the book with you shortly. Discover more about Wild Self — or order your copy (£18.99) here.

 Our Other venues

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

Through Harmony Healing, Joanna offers a variety of online esoteric and energy healing courses, including online and in-person self-empowerment courses, intuitive readings and 1-2-1 energy healing sessions. She has an online Chakra Alignment course starting 11th March, see here for details.

 

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, subscribe here.

 

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, away 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. You will take away tips to transmute stress into calm.

 

This is a full day retreat, but half days, or for 2-3 people, are available on request. To discuss your ideal retreat, message Katie directly on 07596 830910.

 

 

mob. 07930 414525 Jo
mob. 07596 830910 Katie