A new monthly circle with Wendy Wuyts ( world forest )

You can register via the contact form or this Google Form .

Let us know if you want to attend the entire series or just the next session.

Introduction: Where Did You Take Root?

In the past, people were born wherever they would grow up. Being born then meant taking root. An almost physical bond had grown between man 'and the earth that saw him come into the world'. There was not only a relationship between the individual and the community, but also a relationship on an even deeper level between the individual and the ancestral soil, the region from which one came. Now most people are not born at home. Now people no longer live in the same place. And that's ok. Yet it is often seen that people like to say where they live and where they come from. These are two of the first questions that are asked of a new acquaintance.

Loneliness isn't about being alone, it's about feeling like you don't belong. One reason may be that you don't know where your roots are. Maybe you belong - like me - to different places, because you have lived in different places and have given and taken from that place and the people there (knowledge, energy, money…).

A Healing Journey: Rediscovering Your Roots

I myself have been working on two passions, or two 'medicines' for years: storytelling and storydoing. After living in Thailand and Japan for years, I returned to Belgium at the end of February 2020. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, I stayed longer than I expected in my 'home': the Kempen. I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown myself: the workload in Japan had worn me out. I then applied my two medications to myself. Last year I mainly wrote and shared retellings of Flemish folk tales, European fairy tales and Japanese myths on my Instagram account , often inspired by observations during forest baths and other nature experiences. Through these experiences I deepened my journey and rediscovered Flemish nature: the beauty, but also the problems. I sought refuge in retelling old stories, old enough to contain a certain wisdom. By working with those stories and even rewriting them and calibrating my own experiences and observations, I found grounding and comfort and got to know my authentic self better.

My search is not over yet: such journeys are spiral. In this second year I want to bring others with me. I am going to organize monthly meetings, where we think about what a post-heroic story or retelling can mean for our Flemish and Dutch landscapes, where we can dream and share together.

So I am looking for like-minded souls in the Netherlands and Flanders, who would like to meet each other online every month and want to deepen their creative energy and critical reflections by means of forest bathing, writing and / or drawing.

In this experience, I combine my two medicines to dig with you what we can learn from the old stories of our region / regions to stand more firmly in the present and the future, regardless of the ecological, social and personal crises. This means that together - for each participant - we will find out to which old region / regions we belong today.

When?

21 February to 21 December 2021 + 1 follow-up in 2022

• 10 monthly online sessions of 2.5 hours

• Dates: Third Sunday of the month, except July

• Time: 7 pm-9.30pm.

• 1 online follow-up session in 2022

• possibly a physical meeting with forest baths and creative work during a weekend or midweek in a beautiful location in Flanders

The (temporary) goal?

A journey never ends and some of the effects of such connections and processes are sometimes only visible after a long time, but after ten months we want some 'tangible' gifts that we can share with others in the next dreamtime. I hope that each participant has rewritten or 'redrawn' at least one Flemish or Dutch folk tale - that affects him or her, perhaps because this story comes from his / her region or because it touches the core - into a post-heroic story.

I am also curious about other goals to weave in this project: if you yourself are engaged in a quest or a project around creativity, place, connection between traditional ecological knowledge and a more sustainable future for your community and / or yourself ... there is for sure place for.

My own goal?

You will also receive an invitation to give monthly feedback on a chapter from my new book, where you will have the opportunity to integrate your ideas or reactions. Each chapter is about the nature observations of that month, a retelling and the reflections in my own life in 2020 and 'Taxandria'. I have already finished a first version, but it does not feel ripe enough yet, as if the alchemy has not yet been completed. I myself hope that this book will grow more through the wisdom of this circle.

What do we do?

Each session consists of a welcome, introduction and a short sensory invitation (20 min.).

In the second part, we look back on the past month. What have you experienced? What's wrong? What made you happy? What have you learned about the nature around you? We pass on (the virtual) talking stick so that everyone can share his story with the circle briefly and concisely (30 min.).

The third part is more technical. I keep a short knowledge transfer, during which I briefly share something about storytelling. Each session also has a theme. Provisional monthly themes are 'structure of a heroine journey', basic ecolinguistics, women in supporting roles (eg the belly goddess, the seer), descent into the underworld ... You will also have the opportunity to ask questions or share comments afterwards (30 min. ).

After a break (10 min.) We do an individual creative exercise (20 min.) And we hold a group reflection (20 min.).

I call the last part 'wisdom of the circle'. For example, in the first session I will ask which local old story appeals to you and why (20 min.).

At the end I give 'homework' for the next month: an invitation that you can try outside and a short creative task. This experience is therefore more than just the monthly meetings.

Dates and Content

Sunday evening, from 19.00-21.30 (Belgian time)

February 21: The preparation of our 'digging'

• Introduction of the hostess and this program

• The alchemy of old stories and experiences of nature

• When a hazel is calling you

• Reflection on a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (sent together with the zoom link)

• Which old story appeals to you and why?

• Why do some old stories stay with you?

March 21: The spring storm

• What does the sky look like?

• Heroine Story (Maureen Murdoch, Clarissa Pinkola Estes)

• Reflection in Psyche and Eros

• The Frog Prince, the Black Alder and the Flood

• Which local heroine stories appeal to you?

April 18: The Healing Question

• What question would you like to hear?

• Post-Heroic Stories in Times of Social / Environmental / Individual Crisis (Sharon Blackie)

• The Question the Fisher King Needed

• Mary and the lime tree

• The Silsombos: a feminine landscape?

• Which post-heroic stories do you find in your own area?

May 16: Wispy lights and intuition

• Which signals are you following on your path?

• Vasalisa and Baba Yaga

• Reflection on retelling of 'St Dimpha and the thrush tree'

• Mental health

• What local stories helped your inner journey?

June 20: My moemoe is a pollarded willow woman

• Why too good mothers always die in fairy tales

• Ancestral knowledge and family curses

• The Kempen willow

• Demeter, Persephone and especially Baubo

• Which stories make you laugh?

August 15: Gnomes and the regenerative economy

• The Minnebron, the last drinkable source in Flanders
• Dealing with drought and climate depression
• When the beech leaves
• Retelling 'Kastelse Gnomes'
• What old stories comfort you?

September 19: The pine tree and other migrants

• What does carrot, to be rooted, to root mean?

• A palimpsest and landscape biography

• Reflection in retelling of 'the witch tree'

• Do you know local place names with an old story?

October 17: Bass squares and poisonous plants

• Which local poisonous plants do you know?

• What stories can those plants tell you?

• Mie Broos, the folk healer

• Barbed wire and other borders

• Bass squid and nightshade

• What local stories scare you?

November 21: Immersion in language and forest

• Which expressions speak about nature-man relationship?

• Principles of Ecolinguistics (Stibbe)

• Winter rain and morning mist

• H-Eik-u

• Which local story do you want to rewrite?

December 19: The Dream Song

• Where does Sinterklaas come from?

• Why do we need dreams? - Cassandra & Olav Astesson

• Skipper, can I sail over?

• The Three Wise Women and the Spruce Tree

• The descent - and the return; spiral travels

• Which song are you going to dream?

Please note: there is no session in July.

Included in the price:

• content and guidance via monthly zoom and email

• monthly: pdf with ideas, inspiration and invitations

• monthly: chapter of the beta version of “Wortelwijs” (provisional title)

• creative vibes, a new 'tribe' and other 'things' that are priceless

Not included:

• physical meeting

Cost price:

Price per session: € 12

If you register for all 10 sessions: € 90

The ticket price may not be a threshold (contact us via the contact form ).

Part of the money is used for the charity of Robur op Den Eik vzw.

The other part is for a zoom subscription and the volunteer contributions.

Preparation

To prepare for the start of the circle, make sure you have:

• A good stable internet connection.

• Have Zoom installed on your device. If necessary, you can download it for free here: https://zoom.us/download

• Make sure Zoom has been updated to the latest version, otherwise you may experience problems logging in.

• If you are unable to attend part of the live event, recordings will be available.

Register:

You can register via the contact form or this Google Form .

Make sure to let us know if you want to follow a session or the entire series.

After confirmation, participants will receive an email from Wendy.

Participants then send the money to Robur's account at Den Eik vzw to receive the zoom link.

Notice: month + “root-wise” + email address

Robur op Den Eik vzw

IBAN: BE82 5230 8087 7968

BIC: TRIOBEBB

Battlefield 11

2550 Kontich

Belgium

What is Robur op Den Eik vzw?

Robur op Den Eik ( www.roburopdeneik.org ), charity recognized by the King Baudouin Foundation ( www.goededoelen.be ), is a place of CONNECTION, through peace, nature, healing and creativity, and specifically for people with a burn -out and for the prevention of burnout. Nature plays a decisive role in this. The hobbit-like silence house Robur wants to be present in a small-scale, modest way (under supervision!).

As a meeting place where people can share together, Den Eik supports the web of connectedness.

Robur also wants to be a place for artists: finally write that book, finish that CD, etc. Creativity is also a necessity of life that has to do with peace, nature and healing.

In addition, there is the strongly present ecological aspect. Robur appeals to awareness in the choices we make, including the use of (drinking) water and electricity. Because we need less than we often think.

Registration for the first session (Sunday February 21) is possible until February 18. Do you know people who would like not to be a hero in 2021 and who want to dream and create together with me in a virtual cave?