Welcome to Emergence Magazine's podcast. I'm Emanuel Vaughn Lee, host of this show,

an executive editor of Emergence Magazine, located on the unseated ancestral lands of the

Coast Miwok people in present-day Marin County. Each week, we feature interviews, stories, poetry, and author-narrated essays,

exploring the threads connecting ecology, culture, and spirituality.

When we step into a forest, aware and listening to what surrounds us,

remembering that the living world is just as aware of our presence,

a relationship of reciprocity can take root.

How might such a quality of attention change our ability to see, feel, and give ourselves to the

landscapes around us? In this week's special episode, we're inviting you to participate in a

forest walk practice, led by writer and certified nature and forest therapy guide, Kimberly Ruffin.

Entering a space where faith and earth can intertwine,

Kimberly takes us on a sensory walk to meet the soil, sky, smells, and sounds of the forest.

Encouraging us to be part of the music of a place, this practice beckons us to witness

and be witnessed by the living world.

During this walk of faith, the working definition of faith is a continuous exchange of belonging.

The exchange occurs among you, an outdoor place you determine, and the other elements of nature there.

In essence, it's an opportunity to let nature support you and to give a little of yourself in the support of the rest of nature.

Here are a few suggestions for getting ready. The walk will be about 45 minutes long,

including the time when I am speaking and the timed silence included for you to connect with the

natural world through your senses. I'll let you know

good places to pause if you'd like more time. Connection to the ambient noise around you is important.

So I recommend that you disable notifications on your phone and use the speaker feature so that my voice can

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