Ways with "WOW" in the Autumn

Picture of a boy looking inside a dry flower stem asking "what is inside?"

A few days ago I went for a walk through the housing estate near where I live and came across a grass verge covered in Conkers. I was with my young children, age 7 and 10, and both ran up the bank and stood underneath the Horse Chestnut trees. In unison they said "wow" and began to gather the shiny chestnut coloured seeds as quickly as they could, squirreling away the treasure into pockets whilst on their hands and knees. It was as if they had been born with the compulsion to collect and I wondered what would happen if I asked a group of children what made them say "wow" and whether others would behave similarly to my children if I showed them a Conker. 

I'll remember the reaction forever. A group of over 30 people had just enjoyed a ‘cuppa soup’ around the camp fire and I decided to make a simple invitation: to go out into the woods and find something that made them say "wow" and, if they wanted to, show someone else. With excitement everyone stood and disappeared into the trees. Some walked a distance and others stayed close; the forest filled with the sound of gasps and chatter. Eventually the group drifted back to the campfire and jostled to share their wow with the rest of the group.

I was amazed as objects were lifted up, handed around, hugged and discussed. We had moss, a leaf in the process of turning from green to red, a bucket of mud, a tiny fungi growing on a dead branch, lichen, an entire tree, pinecones, a small snail and several Conkers. It didn’t take me long to realise that what people were experiencing wasn't simply "wow", they were awestruck by their discoveries and the feeling was good for them individually and collectively.

These people were immersed in their discoveries and were compelled to share not only what they had found, but how their discoveries made them feel with others. I felt inspired by their energy for the small and interest in texture, colour, form. After a while I realised that I too was seeing these every day forest finds as if for the first time.

Recently reported in the Guardian (Oh wow! How getting more awe can improve your life – and even make you a nicer person, October 2022) awe is becoming understood. Research suggests that goosebumps, dropped jaws, caught breath – the physiological signals when we feel amazed by something is good for our physical and mental wellbeing. When we are struck by something smaller than us we are likely to be feeling compassion; when we take time to notice the subtle changes in colour or texture of bark on a tree we are stimulating our critical thinking. In the words of psychology professor Dacher Keltner, co-founder of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, awe “sharpens our brains”.

We know that natural spaces are restorative but what happens when we slow down to take notice is profound and now more than ever we owe it to ourselves and our planet to engage with green spaces.

This Autumn I have framed sessions for young children, teenagers and people well into their middle age to discover their "wow", encouraging them to build on their experience by focusing at greater depth on something they have been moved by. What I have observed reveals a reconnection to creative thinking, acts of kindness and play.

If you are reading this blog you may wish to experiment with the simple ideas that follow. In all cases the only stuff you will need is the environment. If you really want to extend some of these ideas maybe a little cord and a needle would be helpful and a notebook.

Build a leaf book

Create a colour palette

Build a leaf book

If you have been noticing the changing colours of leaves through the Autumn consider collecting a few to turn into the pages (leaves) of a book. Either pinch them together to tell a story or slot into place between a small piece of folded paper. Hand stitch them together if you like, sit back and let the stories begin.

Create a colour pallet

Find a flat surface and gather leaves that have fallen and try to order them according to how the colours change, for example moving from green to yellow. If you want to prepare in advance you could cut card to the shape of an artist's pallet.

Look

Awe can stop us in our tracks. Rather than move on, encourage groups or individuals to stay with the feeling for a while. Simply be with the awe moment for as long as feels comfortable.

Go on a mindful walk

There is an art to walking mindfully and it requires some practice. If your group is new to slowing down encourage a new way of walking by agreeing on something to go in search for. The example here is a fungi walk but it could easily be animal tracks, bark, berries or bird song. Start the session by demonstrating how to walk mindfully, treading softly. Begin to notice as you walk remembering to pause and look in detail but leaving what you find where it is. Remember the general rule, 'no lick, no pick' as many species contain harmful toxins.

Go on a mindful walk

Adventures in pattern and texture

Adventures in pattern and texture

Leaves, tree nuts, husks and seeds often have remarkable patternation and focusing on the waves, spikes, spirals and waves created by ripples and pits often absorbs the mind. Extend the interest by taking a simple print of a favourite object using clay, if you have it or even better, mud found whilst you're out and about.

Weathervane

We can increase our experience of awe by training our senses to a heightened awareness of something happening in the natural world. Consider using your body as a weathervane in this simple, grounding activity. Begin in a seated position, ideally with eyes closed and hands resting on your lap. Focusing on breath for a few moments begin to shift awareness to the weather conditions around you. Can you feel the wind on your cheeks or hands? Perhaps you can feel the sun warming part of your body. Move your body towards the sensation and sit with it for a while. When it feels right to do so, slowly open your eyes and look at the space as if for the first time. What can you see, smell, taste on the air? What does the earth feel like in your hands?

It might be appropriate to walk towards something you have noticed and take a closer look.

Leaf art

Leaf art can be quick and simple, or methodical and slow. It can be an individual activity, or completed with others and sometimes in large groups. It can be ground based, something that hangs or clings to branches and roots. Whatever your preference it is an enjoyable, captivating, funny and sometimes mesmirising act that brings us closer to the seasons change upon us in the Autumn.