Our inner cycles mirror Mother Nature’s cycle of seasons. Inner and outer climates are very connected. You probably feel this already, in the changes in your energy or mood as the weather alters, the weakening of your immune system in the transition from one season to the next, or perhaps you notice it in the plants growing in your garden. I feel it as a powerful surge of energy and passion during the start of summer, the scratchiness at the back of my throat during the trans

Everything in Nature, all plants, all animals, all beings, are made of the Five Elements. The Elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Spirit, make up the core of your being and have molded the world around you. So many human societies and cultures around the world have arrived at the same understandings and Elemental teachings, before even sharing this with one another. Ancient traditions from all directions, that didn’t have Google or YouTube to exchange information, have cr

We live immersed in nature... deep in green Umbria in a rich oak forest. Hence, we have regular encounters with the majestic wildlife of Europe - deer, fox, wolf, porcupine, boar, squirrel, marten, weasel, badger, owl, night swallow (who sing at night!) bats, hawk, eagle, and more. I sometimes half joke that Umbria is the "Amazon of Italy". The best time to view the animals is early in the morning or later in the evening; dawn or dusk. If you move quietly and calmly, you ca

The co-founders of Tara Nature Retreat are also the permanent writer's in residence. Please welcome them to the blogging world :).