Our Story
For many years I have tried to use my platform to campaign for climate action, economic equity, and wellbeing for all. Whilst some of that work has been effective and meaningful, I always felt there was more I could be doing to better the lives of people who find themselves adrift in the chaos of the 21st Century (with its social and economic pressures and mental health crises), and to help in the fight against climate change.
My intuition has long told me that these two causes are intrinsically linked, one leading into the other. By honouring and connecting with nature we can regain our wildness, and awaken spiritually. By spending time in woodland spaces we lower our cortisol levels and blood pressure, improve our mental health, and even reduce the chances of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
By slowing down and allowing ourselves to witness the rhythms and complexity of the natural world we can arrive at a peace that has become virtually impossible to achieve with the incessant and often exhausting pace of modern life.
I can’t really say what brought me to Rhydoldog House first, in November 2020; just having a nose, I guess. What I can say is that I was awestruck by the wonder of it: the vibrant energy of the land; the epic depths of the forests; the mythic fantasy of waterfalls and rocks and caves; the nourishing, life-giving water, seeping from every nook and cranny. I had no idea what a big part of my life it was going to become.
It put me in a spin. I was obsessed, insatiable, like a lovesick teenager. An inescapable vision of an integrated healing centre in line with my most deeply held values filled my waking hours, and even entered my dreams.
And so with my baby on my breast in February 2021 I signed a piece of paper that tied my life savings to the bricks and mortar of Rhydoldog House, which set me upon a journey that has completely changed my life, and continues to do so. If you allow it to, The Dreaming could change your life too.
Over the next 18 months my life was a-whirl with renovations and design, construction and creativity. With the help of hundreds of talented collaborators, working in unimaginably diverse fields (from plasterers to indigenous tribal elders, sound healers and conservationists), I manifested The Dreaming from the land.
And now we are ready to welcome you, soul-voyager. The Dreaming is a place for healing through experiencing beauty and wonder. It is a place for everyone: affordable and inclusive, where anyone can learn to heal and even become the healer that their community needs. By learning how to create meaningful and magical experiences that make people remember what is possible, we can transform our relationships, communities, and even wider society. The beauty we all are capable of creating is accessible. It is our birthright. It is within us as part of our ancestral memory. And our mission is to remind you of it.