Author Event: Beth Norcross & Leah Rampy - Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees

Pulling from the Center for Spirituality in Nature organization's coursework, Norcross and Rampy offer us guidance and practices based on their experiences leading walks, retreats, and pilgrimages for over two decades. Having witnessed the profound healing and restorative power of trees, they offer us the wisdom of trees as wordless ministers to weary souls. When we learn the ecology of the forest and how to be present in nature, our eyes are opened to the awe and wonder of our world, deepening our sense of sacred oneness.

With training in spirituality, ecology, and forestry, Beth Norcross founded the Center for Spirituality in Nature, which offers opportunities to deepen spirituality through nature and to nurture loving relationships with Earth and Spirit. She speaks, writes, and leads programs that encourage people to open to the natural world for delight, wonder, guidance, and spiritual deepening. She co-founded the Green Seminary Initiative, which infuses Earth care into theological education. An adjunct professor at Wesley Theological Seminary, where she earned a master of theological studies and a doctor of ministry, she has created and taught classes related to faith and ecology. She lives with her husband in Virginia. 

Leah Rampy is a writer and retreat leader who weaves ecology, spirituality, and stories to encourage deeper connections to the natural world and strengthen the ties between Earth and the human soul. She is the author of Earth and Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos. She has led spiritual pilgrimages, retreats, and seminars and is founder and leader of Church of the Wild Two Rivers. She holds a PhD in curriculum from Indiana University, has taught in public schools and universities, held leadership roles in Fortune 100 companies, and headed a nonprofit organization dedicated to contemplative living and leadership. Rampy resides with her husband in a cohousing community in West Virginia.