Last month, we hosted our first Nature & Art as Therapy workshop at our Pāpā Forest. We crafted windchimes and connected with each other, with ourselves. What was most memorable: witnessing nature’s both uniquely individual and strikingly universal effect on each person. When experiencing the Earth, sensory and emotional experiences are highly varied from person to person, but moments of deep calm, awe, and belonging are common to the entire human collective.
A few highlights:
-Rosemary of Hawaii’s Adult Mental Health Division and her client paused to listen to and follow the birdsongs in the tree canopy.
-A brief forest walk with Mona of CARE Hawaii and her client. We ran our fingers through the soft moss on rocks and let the cool forest air fill our lungs.
-One participant shared about his Irish ancestry and crafted a green, white, and orange windchime to honor his roots. In our nursery, he noticed what looks like a 4-leaf clover. The plant is actually the endangered, native Hawaii fern, ʻihiʻihilauakea. A lucky encounter nonetheless!
Mahalo to Katie Graham of Becca’s Farm, Vibrant Hawai’i, Lester Gebin, and ʻāina for making this possible. And an extra thank you to those who showed up, created, and gave feedback.
Interested in joining next time?
