Nature Matters by Jini Reddy

Jini Reddy, freelance writer, shares her story one year on from Findhorn’s New Story Summit….

My week at Findhorn was a gift, no question. Just being among people from around the globe who are bringing heart to their lives and work was pretty profound. There was much inspiration and food for thought. I’m still in touch with friends I made there. I loved the dunes and found great peace on the beach – I still carry that peace with me.

Exciting things have happened for me since then. Six months after the New Story Summit, my first book was commissioned. It’s on the theme of experiences connecting with nature, in Britain. It’s due to be published next year.

I am convinced that my time at Findhorn, whether consciously or not, instilled within me the courage to find my own voice and say (to my kind and supportive mainstream publisher): ‘Yes, this nature stuff matters.’ To be able to share the nourishment there is to be had in experiencing a relationship with the natural world – and to empower others to explore this too is a good feeling, and my way of honouring the earth.

I am researching the book now and my deadline is looming! It’s intense – logistics, planning and (slow) travel are a big part of it all, never mind the writing. Finding space to just “be” is a challenge but it’s all a great lesson in trust and self-care.

Personally, I’ve grown too: when you realize you have (non-human) friends in the natural world your whole perspective on life shifts. You no longer feel you are alone. And the deeper you go with it, the more enchanting life’s journey becomes. This is how it feels for me.

As a writer I’m increasingly fascinated by the power of intention and how we might transmit a healing energy on to the page when we sit down to write. I’m also interested in co-creating with nature, as a means of deepening my writing on nature. I want to explore all of this more.

Leading a small workshop during the New Story Summit was a big deal for someone not given to public speaking but I had some lovely supporters on the day. (Thank you Ed Posey and Jonathon Porritt!)

Thanks to that experience, I now run short ‘Nature of Writing’ workshops, usually outdoors, on writing from a more connected space. They’re evolving and I hope to do more.


The more I connect with the indigenous way of looking at the world, of being open to wisdom from many sources, human and otherwise, the more life, with its challenges, feels meaningful.

At the same time, the world feels like it’s in a dark place and I despair. Is this part of the earth’s journey, a monumental cleansing? I don’t know. All I do know is that whenever I read of some action fuelled by kindness or courage which counterbalances the horrors, it’s as though some kind of thirst has been quenched. Personally I hope a heart-centered, earth and people honouring movement gathers steam and becomes an unstoppable force.