Earth Letter Feb 2025
‘To adjoin the instinctual nature does not mean to come undone…
It means quite the opposite.
The wild nature has a vast integrity to it.’
Clarissa Pinkola Este Women Who Run with the Wolves.
In January, I returned to Kangaroo Island (KI) with my family—my fourth visit to this wild sanctuary at the southernmost edge of South Australia. Once known as Ultimate Thule—a place beyond the known world—KI holds a mystery that still lingers. Not long ago, such a place truly existed - the end of the known world.
Standing at the island’s edge, senses tuned deeply to the land and sea, I felt both awe and unease in its profound isolation.
The thought of crossing vast, unpredictable waters as my ancestors did in the 1830s from England to NSW, stirred something deep within me. My fascination with these early seafarers pulled me back, time and again, to the Kingscote Museum, where I pored over accounts of those who ventured—by choice or by fate—to the edge of the Earth. Stories of civilized men turned wild, ships swallowed by merciless swells, and the harrowing journeys of Aboriginal women who fought to return to their mainland clans after being stolen by sealers.
Each day, I walked barefoot along the high cliffs, letting the island’s raw energy sink deep into my bones. The crashing waves below carried my unspoken questions—the stories of the brave and the lost, the restless and the forgotten—out to sea, where some would fade into history, never to be answered.
The most remote places on Earth reflect the untamed landscapes within us. They stir fear and solitude, yet summon the courage to explore the unknown depths of the soul. To bend with the wild southerly winds, to stretch the mind across the vast Southern Ocean, and to remember—I am a part of this rugged, untamed beauty, and all this rugged, untamed beauty is a part of me.
Flinders Chase National Park Kangaroo Island South Australia - expressions of interest welcome to join DLTN wild nature immersion retreat January 2026 on Kangaroo Island.
Crossing Backstairs Passage at dawn with my partner to the mainland from KI.
Deep Listening to Uluru. Places available for retreats in May and September. (See Below)
Reconnect with nature and yourself
Learn about Indigenous culture at Uluru
Journey inward for deep healing
Awaken your senses through the land’s wisdom
Walk barefoot on the red sand and rediscover balance
An immersive retreat for reflection and renewal
Kata Tjuta kapi. When we quieten the mind and listen deeply to Nature together, we hear so much more.
DLTN Guided Tours & Retreats 2025
BINNA BURRA Overnight Camp-Out | 15th-16th Feb |
BUNYA MOUNTAINS Retreat |7th-11th March |
ULURU Camp-out for women | 7th-13th May | Fully Booked
ULURU Camp-out for women | 18th -22nd camp out at Uluru |
ULURU Camp-out for women | 29 May - 2nd June organised by Ella Rose Goninan on behalf of Umi Organistaion. For more information on this unique opportunity please contact Ella on 0456204018
NOTHERN RIVERS Day events at the Wildernest, Koonyum Range March 23rd & July 6th
BINNA BURRA Glamp-Out Retreat | 15th-18th August |
ULURU Retreat for men and women | 7-11th September |
BUNYA MOUNTAINS Retreat | 28th Nov-2nd December |
PLEASE NOTE: I am available for a discovery zoom call at any time you would like to hear a little more about my deep listening practice before investing in a retreat experience. Also I am available for private sessions and group bookings facilitating a deep listening practice day or overnight stay for you, your work and/or social group.
Deep Listening to Bunya Mountains an immersive retreat for reflection, renewal & healing.
Loving Nature and feeling loved in return is a profound and beautiful experience. When I am deeply connected with Nature, I feel relaxed, calm, and free of fear. In this peaceful state, insights arise—one of the most powerful being a deep sense of belonging. I feel connected to all of life, from the depths of the Earth and sea to the vastness of the Milky Way. I understand that I am an intricate part of the great web of life—a continuous cycle with no beginning and no end. And just like Nature, I, too, am in a constant state of change. This realization is deeply comforting. There is nothing to fear.
Uncle Bob, from Uluru, called this state of awareness oneness. In oneness, I align with ours rather than mine. I become more humble, capable, confident, and generous with my time and care. In this state, I don’t just feel close to Nature—I know that I am Nature, and Nature is me.
I see this same realization spark in my guests during retreats and day walks. Their eyes light up as they awaken to their own deep connection. It’s a joyful and often teary homecoming!
Trying to control the force of life in an effort to feel safe and mitigate threats, I notice my shoulders curl forward, my neck stiffens, my jaw clenches, my toes grip, my brow furrows, and my patience and kindness drains away. I lose sight of Nature within me. I feel separate and I suffer. How do I meet my suffering?
Raised in a culture that often fosters individualism and disconnection—from self, land, water, spirit, and one another—it is up to me to practice skills that restore my belonging to Nature. And in those moments, I return to the practice of Deep Listening to Nature (DLTN). It is always there, like a tool resting on top of my toolbox—I simply need to reach for it and put it to use.
Practicing together makes this journey easier, for when we listen together, we hear so much more—especially in the silence of places of extreme power, like Uluru.
I hope this year you will nurture your relationship with Nature and welcome the many gifts it offers. Whether tending a garden or immersing yourself in the wild, every moment spent present with Nature is healing—for body, mind, and spirit. And what nourishes us, nourishes our children and all life on Earth.
See you somewhere along the track dear friend.
With love and kindness,
Iris and the DLTN Team
"Relaxed, calm and content adults are what the children need right now." iris
