In August 2024, Scattered returned to Bishop’s University for an evening workshop unlike any we had hosted before. The 2024 Bishop’s Forum Outdoor Event took our practice outside — literally — onto the expansive lawns of the campus as the sun went down.
Both returning participants and first-timers joined us. Everyone came curious. Everyone left changed.
As twilight settled over the campus, we began with an extended mindfulness meditation. But this time, nature was part of the experience. The rustle of leaves. The cool evening breeze. The soft chirping of crickets. Gentle meditative music played softly in the background. Together, it created an atmosphere that was deeply calm and completely immersive — the kind of stillness that’s hard to find anywhere else.
From that stillness, we moved into automatic writing. Participants sat on the grass, journals in hand, and let the natural surroundings guide their words. Something about being outside — open sky above, earth below — seemed to unlock a different kind of honesty in the writing. Participants later described feeling more grounded, more open, and more willing to go to places on the page they might not have reached indoors.
The session closed with a reflective sharing circle. One by one, people described how the outdoor setting had shaped their experience. Many said nature made them feel more connected to their emotions — that the openness around them created openness within them. The writing that came out of that evening was raw, honest, and deeply personal.
The response was clear: people want more of this. And for Scattered, the message was equally clear — natural settings don’t just complement our methods. They amplify them.