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The Spiritual Forest

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The Forest and the City

Part of the book series: Future City ((FUCI,volume 9))

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Abstract

This chapter looks at the spiritual meanings of forests, and particularly of city forests, over time. The spiritual values of something do not only relate to religion, as explained by Schroeder (2001). ‘Spiritual’ refers to the experience of being related to, or in touch with, an ‘other’ that transcends one’s individual sense of self and gives meaning to one’s life at a deeper than intellectual level (Schroeder 1992). Spirituality thus includes our need to be connected to something larger than ourselves, from divine beings to a forest, as well as how we make meaning in and from our world and our sense of wonder and awe that lies beyond rational understanding. Spirituality also relates to aspects of personal growth and self-reflection (Anhorn 2006, p. 19). A spiritual experience is an intuitive and emotional kind of experience in which a person feels caught up and carried along – or alternatively filled and inspired – by a feeling, an idea, an image or a creative impulse. This can be through religious rituals and disciplines, but also through contact with forests or other parts of the natural environment. According to Holloway and Valins (2002), religious and spiritual matters form an important context through which most of the world’s population live their lives, forge a sense of self, and make and perform their different geographies.

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  1. Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Cecil C. Konijnendijk

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Konijnendijk, C.C. (2018). The Spiritual Forest. In: The Forest and the City. Future City, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75076-7_2

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