In forest therapy, we remind participants that the guide is not a therapist—the forest is the therapist. This non-hierarchical aspect of being a guide is what I like about the role. We are equal participants, no more or no less than others in the group. We guide because we have been initiated into the purpose of the gathering.
While I am trained in forest therapy, my scope of work is outside of the forest. The guide archetype and its role within the gathering of humanity is how I see life. Life on Earth is the gathering of souls in the pursuit to remember our shared sacredness, an unconditional state of love that is beyond descriptions and actions. We are all equals regardless of how much money we make, where we were born, the circumstances of our lives, our achievements and our failures.
How the details play out are the illusions, like metaphorically, the fashionable clothing we put on each day, to make living as humans more fun or challenging. The only levels we will find ourselves in is in the mastery of being a spiritual being in human form. Our progress is determined by how far we’ve been initiated into holding pain, seeing beauty, and living from the heart.