The Forest and Bruce Sweet

Rev. Bruce Sweet. a "green man with a Green Man"

When I work in and around our garage I often turn on the radio and listen to whatever happens to be on the CBC. The other day it was the program Tapestry and I came in part way through an interview with a retired United Church minister. He gently explained that his ministry had moved outside as a companion and guide to those who find solace and spiritual meaning in the natural world. He spoke about the expansion of the congregation to other living beings, a "family reunion" to use his term.

I discovered that this was the Rev. Bruce Sweet, a kind man who visited my curmudgeonly father in the final stage of his earthly life, and eventually presided at Dad's funeral. Later I found the interview online so I could listen to all of it and found this description and transcript of a portion: 

It was only later when he was reading a copy of the United Church Observer that he saw an article with the title 'Forest Bathing.' "And immediately I thought, now I know the United Church is a very progressive denomination, and very open-minded, and liberal and accepting, but FOREST BATHING? I thought this time, oh, they've just gone too far."

That's when Sweet realized that forest bathing is another term for a Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku, which means to 'take in the forest atmosphere.' It was developed in the 1980s and has been linked to benefits such as reduced stress, improved mood, increased ability to focus, increased energy levels and improved sleep. 

"Look at that, they stole my idea before I had a chance to invent it myself," Sweet jokes. "Not only did I not invent anything, there was training available for this." Sweet took the training with Forest Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. He says the book, The Hidden Life of Trees helped reshaped his view of trees. "I no longer say I'm going for a walk in the woods. I now say I am in their presence."

"Nature is celebrated throughout scripture… I like to think that we're rejoicing with nature.  I tell people at times that what I'm really doing is organizing family reunions. We're reconnecting with another part of the family of earth - humans and nature together.

I have written about our positive experience of Forest Bathing and I'm impressed that Bruce has undergone the rigour and expense of becoming certified. I hope our paths cross some time because I know I would enjoy talking about being a "bewildered outsider" after decades of insider ministry.