We all eventually return to nature!
I love the magic and mystery of woodlands, from my childhood through to later life. Smells, sounds, the whole woodland experience is seductive. I like those evolutionary claims that we find our peace in woodlands because centuries earlier we largely inhabited and belonged in the woodlands.
In recent years I have been reading about the magic and mysticism of earlier centuries. Woodland processes of leaf fall and tree decay nourish new growth. The alchemy of the natural transformation from old into new fills me with hope, as well as, providing a constructive metaphor for the human life cycle.
My final academic role was as a Reader in Organizational Change, having worked as an academic for over three decades. Please see Publications page for further information. That work is reflected in many of my posts on this site over the years. Today, my focus is shifting to change and transformation within nature and culture.
In his autumn before the winter comes man’s last mad surge of youth (Sophocles)
I could pretend that I am well versed in Greek mythology, but I am not. This quotation was sampled at the start of the Chameleons album Script of the Bridge. It offers optimism, tinged with the realism that our decay is inevitable. At the very least it gives license to write a few more polemical, yet autumnal posts!
Mark Hughes (Saltdean, 2022)
@woodlanddecay for recent tweets on the natural world and @MHughesAcademic archives my more academic adventures.
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