Remember your first encounter with someone who is now very close to you. You probably had an impression of them. Perhaps you liked them immediately. Perhaps you didn't. Either way, that first impression probably bears little resemblance to how you know them now, after countless conversations, shared experiences, misunderstandings, laughter, difficult moments and all the ordinary time spent together. It takes time to really know someone. And even after many years, there is

I still remember the first time I encountered fireflies. It was about thirty years ago, climbing Wollumbin in the darkness of night. I had never seen them before, and there was something almost mystical about those tiny lights appearing and disappearing amongst the trees. Like little sparks of magic floating through the forest. These days, unfortunately, fireflies are becoming harder to find. Their numbers are believed to be declining in Australia and around the world, as the

The other day I was sitting beneath my favourite Moreton Bay Fig, not far from home, when I noticed one of its fruits lying on the ground. Curious, I picked it up and opened it to look at the seeds. I was surprised. The seeds were tiny. Yet somehow these tiny seeds have the potential to become one of the largest trees in the forest. One day they will spread a canopy wider than a house, shelter birds, insects and animals, drop thousands more seeds, and still be standing long a

One of the things I love most about our home on Kombumerri country is its aspect. It was designed with the path of the sun in mind. In winter, the sunlight reaches deep into the house, bringing warmth into the living spaces. In summer, when the sun rides much higher, the eaves keep that same light outside. It’s a simple design, yet living with it has made me far more aware of the rhythms of the sky. The large windows also give me a front-row seat to the changing heavens. I ca

Nature is wired for extraordinary abundance. Sometimes, however, it's easy to forget that. We live in a world that constantly reminds us of scarcity—there are times where it seems there's not enough money, not enough time, not enough resources, not enough to go around for everyone. Yet whenever I step outside and observe nature, it tells a very different story. Recently, I came across something that really fascinated me. In a 2015 study, Anna Armstrong and her team estimated

The course I'm doing with Grasstree Fellowship is inviting me to reflect deeper upon my connection with nature & wildlife around me. Here are some of my musings of the birdlife around where I live.... The longer I spend here, on Kombumerri country in the Currumbin Ecovillage, the more I notice. Especially the sounds. Before dawn, the melancholy call of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo drifts through the trees. Then as the sky becomes lighter, the Kookaburras celebrate the start of ano

The opening of Gidjuum Gulganyi reflects a growing global trend in the popularity of multi-day walking experiences. People are...

We often live as if we are separate from the world around us, but true peace comes from realising we are part of one "entangled continuity". When we step out of that dualism—the idea of "us" versus "nature"—we begin to feel a deep, cosmic resonance with the rhythms of the sun, the moon, and the ecosystems that hold us. We start to see that "family" includes not just our neighbours and friends, but the forests and the life within them. This sense of belonging awakens us to the

Rome is a city of fountains. Around every corner there seems to be a magnificent monument to the sacred qualities of water. Apparently,...

While walking through the beautiful & vibrant Umbrian countryside, my imagination went back in time to visualize these hilltop villages...

Goal setting has always been a valuable exercise in my life. It typically involves a process of envisioning a desired future outcome,...

Returning home after a retreat or spending time in the sacred has always been an interesting challenge for me. After being deeply...

"Look deep into nature, and you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein These days many of us may start our day with a...