Community and Connection

In 2022 I left San Francisco for a more sustainable and community oriented lifestyle. It was the middle of Covid, and if there’s anything that Covid taught us, it’s the importance of friends and community.

While I still love and adore San Francisco and all of my loved ones there, I’m finding a pace in Asheville that better suits my needs as I grow into a newer version of myself. The small town village vibe feels more community centred and less of a concrete jungle, where neighbours actually know one another’s names, not to mention I love my backyard! It’s been a lovely experiment to watch my new sense of belonging unfold, both through the slower pace of life, quicker access to nature, and a thriving community.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that Community becomes even more important when you are deeply steeped in medicine work. Doing an internal deep dive can feel quite isolating at times. As we shift and expand to incorporate more of our whole and true selves, it’s important to surround ourselves with a community that understands and helps us hold our process. As well, It’s important to also be immersed with others who are growing at a similar rate, and who understand the myriad ups and downs and twists and turns! However, most simply put it’s just nice to have a hand to hold and a friend to talk to sometimes.

As my love for newfound friendships take root, so does my love and adoration for nature grow. I have always loved the redwoods of California and I love the deciduous trees that populate the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. I am constantly reminded of how intelligent Mother Earth is and how plants and organisms naturally understand the real inner workings of reciprocity, which is the bedrock of community.

I read an article in the Smithsonian recently that shared how “trees of the same species are communal, and will often form alliances with trees of other species.” It went on to say how “ forest trees have evolved to live in cooperative, interdependent relationships, maintained by communication and a collective intelligence similar to an insect colony.” Imagine a world in which humans followed suit and looked to nature for inspiration? The war in Ukraine would never exist, capitalism would be absurd, and millions would not be suffering from isolation or mental illness. This is a great reminder to us all to look to nature, because she is YOU!

An amazing resource I’d love to share with you around the mystical world of trees and the mycellial network is the movie The Fantastic Fungi. It is a powerful piece about waking up to nature’s intelligence and how we can learn a thing or two from the plant species who have been here for much longer than we have been. I will be hosting a watch party on February 15th at 7pm EST. Come join me!

Here are some other ideas to help you get connected to or strengthen your access to this community moving forward:

Join my gratitude group where we share daily gratitudes as well as get to see and experience others. It creates momentum!

**My New Year’s Gift to YOU — schedule a free 30 discovery call to help you get clear on your health and healing for 2023!!** Schedule that here!

In health and healing,

Shane (aka your local tree hugger

Community and Connection