Ruth Wilson

Ruth Wilson, Ph.D., is a retired educator who now works with the Children and Nature Network as curator of the Research Library. 

She also devotes her time to writing and consulting, especially on issues relating to children and nature. Wilson has written several books and numerous articles on these and other topics relating to the way humans interact with the rest of the natural world.

Photo of Ruth Wilson

Founder of Good Grief Network LaUra Schmidt on Climate Trauma and Grief

We spoke with author LaUra Schmidt about climate grief, healing personal trauma,…

Susan Bauer-Wu on Creating a Future We Can Love

Clinical scientist and mindfulness teacher Susan Bauer-Wu shares her thoughts on…

Book Review: Travel Light

Meditation teacher Light Watkins’ new book Travel Light is no repeat of the self…

Book Review: How to Live in a Chaotic Climate

The first few pages of How to Live in a Chaotic Climate may seem ominous: You’ll…

Annabelle Sharman On Journeying Into Oneness

How can we become future ancestors and utilize the power of hope and ceremony to…

Rebecca Fogg on Finding Beauty Amidst Trauma

How can we learn from our traumatic experiences, and what can be gleaned from th…

Book Review: A Future We Can Love

“It’s a tense time to be alive,” says Susan Bauer-Wu in A Future We Can Love. We…

Rev. Wendy Van Allen on Healing Earth With Nature Spirituality

We chatted with interspiritual minister Rev. Wendy Van Allen about how the persp…

Book Review: The Future Ancestor

Annabelle Sharman—an Aboriginal woman of the Mutti Mutti tribe—describes herself…

Book Review: Relighting the Cauldron

Take a moment to envision the core of the Earth as a cauldron bubbling over a fi…

Book Review: Beautiful Trauma

Beautiful Trauma by Rebecca Fogg is rich in philosophical insights, humorous sur…

Chief Dr. Robert Joseph Offers a Path to Reconciliation

Unity and healing are at the center of Chief Dr. Robert Joseph's teachings. We s…

Book Review: Koshersoul

Reading Koshersoul can make you hungry—not just because it talks about food, but…

Book Review: Namwayut

Sometimes the path to peace is through a struggle with self. This was so for Chi…

Matt Kahn on the Importance of Holding Space

What does it mean to truly love other people, and how can we transform pain into…

How Awe Narratives Can Transform Your Life

Want to be more loving and caring, with better health and enhanced wellbeing? Tr…

Book Review: All For Love

Matt Kahn’s new book, All for Love, is both poetic and practical. The poetic par…

What’s in Jo Dunbar’s Herbalist Garden?

Jo Dunbar’s holistic approach combines herbal medicine with hypnotherapy, diagno…

Dr. Susan Sands on the Pleasures of Living in an Aging Body

“Not letting ourselves age is a way of not letting ourselves live.”…

Book Review: Secrets From a Herbalist’s Garden

From the title, you might think Secrets From a Herbalist’s Garden is about garde…

The Good Noise: Sound Medicine Works

While researchers are still exploring the mechanism of sound medicine, studies s…

Book Review: The Inside Story

AS LONG AS WE’RE LIVING, we’re aging. For some, this is cause for concern, and a…

What’s Good About Them?

Adapting “Three Good Things” to People in Your Life

Dendrolatry and the Spiritual Meaning of “Treeness”

Should we worship something that isn’t perfect or can harm us, or are we missing…

Unearthing Ecstatic Memories

A Tool for Healthy Aging

4 Ways to Be Wise

Beyond “knowing best,” wisdom is a process one must tap into.

Walking the Tree Labyrinth

Create your own labyrinth, finding the trees amidst the cactuses and bushes. …

Do You Have a Spiritual Wellness Plan?

What is spiritual health and how can you improve yours? Try this spiritual healt…

Spiritual Wills & Legacy Projects

A legacy project or spiritual will allows you to pass on your values to loved on…

Balancing Your Life Calendar: Appointments & Disappointments

Kahlil Gibran said, “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy…

Never Stop Playing

Creativity and play go hand in hand. Cultivating both of these natural instincts…

Aging With Humility (We’re Not Indispensable)

Think of yourself as a leaf on a tree. Contributing what we can while realizing …

A Dependable Strength Sticks With You Over the Years

Relying on your dependable strength allows you to live a happier and fuller life…

Resilience While Aging

Resilience is even more important when aging. Luckily, it’s a skill that can be …

Is Beauty the Only Necessity?

What is beauty? Why is it important? “Perhaps we should think of beauty not only…

Think Verb, Not Noun

Breath action into everyday words. “You might be surprised at how many nouns in …

Ecotherapy: Nature Is Good Medicine

Taking time to engage with nature is as close to a cure-all as you’ll find. Ecot…

Longings and Belongings: Gift-Giving Reflections

The gift-giving season is almost here, but that doesn't mean purchasing more “st…

Rate Your Pain

Let Go of the Little Stuff

Celebrating the Failure of My Spiritual Journal

Keeping a spiritual journal may seem like a good way to record your spiritual pr…

How Letting Go of Expectations Enables You to Live Better

Expectations can lead you astray, and hanging on to them can lead to disappointm…

How to Forgive Yourself by Practicing Restorative Justice

“Learning about and trying to practice a form of restorative justice can help yo…

Combat Loneliness by Expanding Your Circle of Concern

“As your circle of concern becomes larger, the field of loneliness for yourself …

Breathe, Don’t Plead: An Idea of Prayer

“Prayer, to me, is more about silence than words—or as Jefferies says—it’s about…

Replace Worry With Wonder

If we dig deep, we can unearth wonder(ful) ways to survive and even thrive throu…

Aging With Wiggle Room, the Great Glory of Life

“I turned 77 on my last birthday and now recognize some of the effects of aging.…

A GREAT Place to Live

Magnets attract you to a place and anchors keep you there. What are your magnets…

Eat With Grace to Deepen Your Connection With Others and the Earth

Eating with mindfulness and awareness may be one of the clearest pathways to und…

What My Puppy Teaches Me

Puppies can teach us a lot about how to respond to frustrating and difficult sit…

Fish, Freedom, and Fate

“Are we freer when we let go of the need to own, to control, and, sometimes, eve…

Following the Spiritual Path of the Coyote

“I’m in awe of the way coyotes practice mindfulness in their day-to-day lives. T…

Are You Plant Blind?

Just by occasionally focusing on the natural world, you can bring more joy, peac…

Ways of Knowing

Intuitive ways of knowing go beyond conscious thinking and guide us to truths th…

Imagineering the Soul

Look to innovative thinkers like Walt Disney’s Imagineers to revitalize your spi…

You’re in Charge of Celebrations

“A true celebration is never passive. Celebrations aren’t about being amused or …

Want to Be Happier? Nurture Your Ecological Self

Do you have a relationship with Planet Earth—your home? Taking time to focus on …

Philosophy and the Good Life

Philosophy isn't just for professors. Embracing a philosophical attitude can mak…

The Power of the Smile

Intentionally smiling can be part of your spiritual practice.

Find Your Theme – Tell Your Story

Have you found your theme?

Finding Joy in Simple Things

Two questions to ask yourself for leading a simpler life.

How to Encourage Contemplation With a Zen Garden

If you’d like to develop a Zen garden of your own, follow these suggestions.…

Discovering Your Dependable Strengths

Identify and understand your strengths as a path toward self-discovery.

Start a Meditation Group

If you’re interested in starting a meditation group, here are several tips you m…

Real Relationships in a Virtual World

How to create deeper connections in a virtual workplace.

We Don’t Have to Be Perfect

A lesson learned: be true to yourself and to be grateful for who you are.

Out to Lunch

Having a mindful lunch is not the same as eating lunch.

Nurturing Creativity Through Nature

Here are 5 suggestions on how you might look to nature to enhance your own creativity.

My Heart Is…

Discover what’s in your heart, rather than what’s in your head.

Building Relationships One Step at a Time

Walking can be a path to a better understanding and appreciation of each other.

Nourishing Self and Others

Clean eating can be more than a health practice; it can be a spiritual practice.…

Letting Go of Solitude

Caretaking gives this writer an opportunity to enter a new kind of sacred space – not a place of solitude, but a place of wholeness and holiness.

What’s on Your List?

Do the items on your list reflect your true self?

The Merging Effect

Relationship building beyond our own homes.

What We Yearn For

If you’re thirsty, you crave water. If you’re hungry, you want food. If you’re l…

To Die with a Song in My Heart

How deathbed singers infuse comfort and a sense of the sacred to the dying

Caring for the Earth as a Spiritual Practice

When it comes to my relationship with the Earth, I sometimes ask, “Should I save…

The Building Blocks of Calm

I remember my mother saying, “It’s a sin to worry.” When pressed to explain what…

Dusting off the Mind

Turn everyday activities into a mindful practice

A Natural Longing, A Holy Longing

I was only fourteen years old when I left home to become a Catholic nun. I thoug…

Deepening an Emotional Attachment to Nature

I was fortunate to grow up in a family where sensitivity to nature was nurtured.…