Books

01.

Becoming Forest
A Story of Deep Belonging

This is the story of a young Irish woman called Aishling, who is on a quest to find a way of making a powerful teaching about resilience she has received from her grandfather, Bran, available to young people facing an uncertain future because of climate change. She travels to India to seek guidance by sitting under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya, the place of the Buddha’s enlightenment. There she meets a young monk, Dorje, and they become friends as they walk the roads of India and learn from each other along the way. The final part of the book is set in Ireland, thirty years in the future. When Aishling’s daughter, Tara, arrives to visit her, she asks Aishling for advice on how to support her friends who are overwhelmed and burned out in their work as climate activists. Spanning three continents, and three forests, and three generations of women, Becoming Forest is ultimately a story about the healing wisdom of trees.

Becoming Forest - A Story of Deep Belonging offers inspiration, encouragement, and meditation practices that will be helpful to young (and all) people living in a time of mass extinctions and climate collapse.

Available at: Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

02.

The Nest in the Stream

Lessons from Nature on Being with Pain

The Nest in the Stream is an encouraging and inspiring book for the times we live in. Kearney, a physician whose day job is alleviating the pain and suffering of others, tells us that how we live with our pain matters, hugely, as it affects our quality of living and our capacity to find healing for ourselves, for others, and for our world. By sharing his personal and professional story, Kearney tells of how he discovered a new way of being with pain through a series of remarkable encounters with other-than-human nature and on the Red Road of Native American Spirituality. He has learned that if we remember our deep interconnectedness with nature, and practice openness to our own pain, we can experience deep connection with ourselves, and others, awaken compassion and enrich our lives with meaning and vitality. This is a book for everyone who longs to be awake, alive and of service in our heart-achingly beautiful world.

Available at: Parallax Press, Indiebound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble

03.

Mortally Wounded

Stories of Soul Pain, Death, and Healing

Originally published by Marino, Dublin, 1966, it was also published in North America (Scribner 1996), Germany (Herder 1997) and Sweden (Natur och Kultur, 1999). This book, which was a best seller in Ireland, addresses the nature of existential distress or “soul pain” and healing in those living with serious illness and those approaching the end of life. It offers a theory and technique of inner care using image-work using guided and evocative imagery that can complement the physical or outer care of the patient.

Available at: Amazon

04.

A Place of Healing

Working with Nature & Soul at the End of Life

Originally published by University Press, Oxford, 2000, this book explores the mythology and practice of the ancient Greek healing rituals of dream incubation and examines their contemporary relevance in healthcare and education. This psychospiritual model of care, which can be summarized as working with nature for the healing of suffering, involves listening to and working with patients’ dreams as a complement to conventional medical approaches. This whole person approach is relevant for all those caring for and living with serious illness.