Linda Lombardo - A Wabi-Sabi Woman
The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing wax; of cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot. And whether pigs have wings.
Linda Lombardo is A Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Life Coach & Sacred Activist. She finds wonder in the worlds-within-worlds of the forest; seeing nature as a regenerative culture, in which nothing is wasted, nothing is without purpose.
Wabi-Sabi refers to an embrace of imperfection; a quieting of the mind, revealing a bareness and vulnerability to be seen. It is a naturally flawed beauty that creates a reverence for authenticity. This is where it begins.
"The forest is the therapist; the guide opens the door" is the philosophy Linda teaches, leading public and private walks on Long Island, NY as well as adding value to the retreats of her coaching and leadership colleagues along the East Coast. “Everyone is on their own journey even though we walk together with nature.”
Walking with nature, not through it, not in it; with it. That’s the intention of forest therapy or forest bathing. Linda shares the history of forest therapy beginning with its roots in the Japanese Shinrin-Yoku and the intention of the US-based Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, where she studied and was certified.
Her work is simple. We are disconnected from our roots, from the natural world and from each other. In order to reconnect, we need to have the freedom to explore without being made wrong. Forest Therapy is designed to be a pleasant, enjoyable experience, from which often comes deep emotional release, including fear and grief. Nature is the ultimate Wabi-Sabi. Ultimately, connection is made in a way that speaks to each of us as individual beings.
In addition to forest therapy and coaching, Linda produces and hosts Voice of Evolution Radio,
sharing the voices of those creating a more compassionate and sustainable world. Her eleven-part radio drama series, In the Souls Waiting Room, chronicles her own spiritual journey to create a story about who we are as Humans today and why the world is the way it is. She uncovers and explores deep wounds that we no longer remember or accept as part of our collective stories that continue to create polarity in us as a species. The radio drama series led to Linda publishing her pre- and post- production notes and the scripts as a book, now available on Amazon.
Linda’s activism is a quiet, sacred activism; opening doors to a deeper connection with the more-than-Human world; making nature personal again because we act on what's personal and she believes that now is the time to act; not always with waving arms and angry protest. Sometimes, action comes from that which we love the most and yearn to preserve and share with others.
Wabi-Sabi refers to an embrace of imperfection; a quieting of the mind, revealing a bareness and vulnerability to be seen. It is a naturally flawed beauty that creates a reverence for authenticity. This is where it begins.
"The forest is the therapist; the guide opens the door" is the philosophy Linda teaches, leading public and private walks on Long Island, NY as well as adding value to the retreats of her coaching and leadership colleagues along the East Coast. “Everyone is on their own journey even though we walk together with nature.”
Walking with nature, not through it, not in it; with it. That’s the intention of forest therapy or forest bathing. Linda shares the history of forest therapy beginning with its roots in the Japanese Shinrin-Yoku and the intention of the US-based Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, where she studied and was certified.
Her work is simple. We are disconnected from our roots, from the natural world and from each other. In order to reconnect, we need to have the freedom to explore without being made wrong. Forest Therapy is designed to be a pleasant, enjoyable experience, from which often comes deep emotional release, including fear and grief. Nature is the ultimate Wabi-Sabi. Ultimately, connection is made in a way that speaks to each of us as individual beings.
In addition to forest therapy and coaching, Linda produces and hosts Voice of Evolution Radio,
sharing the voices of those creating a more compassionate and sustainable world. Her eleven-part radio drama series, In the Souls Waiting Room, chronicles her own spiritual journey to create a story about who we are as Humans today and why the world is the way it is. She uncovers and explores deep wounds that we no longer remember or accept as part of our collective stories that continue to create polarity in us as a species. The radio drama series led to Linda publishing her pre- and post- production notes and the scripts as a book, now available on Amazon.
Linda’s activism is a quiet, sacred activism; opening doors to a deeper connection with the more-than-Human world; making nature personal again because we act on what's personal and she believes that now is the time to act; not always with waving arms and angry protest. Sometimes, action comes from that which we love the most and yearn to preserve and share with others.
Banner photo: See WIth My Heart Photography, https://www.seewithmyheartphotography.com/
Bottom photo: A self portrait by Linda Lombardo
Bottom photo: A self portrait by Linda Lombardo