Discover the wonder of the sentient forest. Immerse yourself in the natural and cultural heritage of Finnish Lapland. Connect with the spirits of the forest and learn techniques that foster creativity, imagination, and spirituality.
At the fourth retreat at Äkäslompolo, Northern Finland in September 2025, Dagmara Maslowska led a group choreography exercise. Click the image above to view the recording. More about Mara's work on somatics and forest sentience is available here.
About
Francis Joy is a photographer, researcher, and Druid based in Rovaniemi, Finland, with an interest in pareidolia (the recognition of meaningful patterns, shapes and forms in nature). John C. Ryan is a poet and researcher based in New South Wales, Australia, who focuses on the senses, plants, and creative writing.
Project
Gifts from the Sentient Forest is a collaborative, international. and interdisciplinary research project involving the University of Lapland Arctic Centre, Finland, and Southern Cross University, Australia with support from the Kone Foundation, Finland, 'In the Woods' Funding Programme (2024 --26).
Events
Take part in our 2024-26 programmes. Attend a free online seminar on forest sentience. Or become a member of our two-year cohort, meeting twice a year for residential intensives in Northern Finland to explore methods of connecting to forest sentience and intelligence.
Resources
Interested in learning more about intelligence, sentience, and perception in plants and forests? This is an exciting new area of interdisciplinary research that involves the arts, humanities, and sciences. We've curated a selection of readings and videos for you to browse. Come inside and have a look.
