Becoming Forest: A Story of Deep Belonging

Becoming Forest openswith Aishling-the young Irish woman at the heart of this story-as she visitsher grandmother in California following her grandfather's death. Aishling findsher grandfather's journal and reads about a trip he made to India years ago tovisit the original Bodhi Tree, the place where the Buddha found enlightenment.  At the end of the journal, she finds a letter addressed toher from her grandfather asking for her help passing along his message of "deepsecurity" to her generation as they deal with the climate crisis and theuncertain future ahead. Aishling goes to India to follow in her grandfather'spath to find a way of responding to his request. There she meets and falls inlove with a young Buddhist monk, who is also on a quest. As they walk together alongthe roads of India, they gather unexpected and invaluable insights from eachother and come closer to the answers they both seek.  Thirty years later, Aishling's daughter Tara isvisiting her in Ireland. Tara is grieving the death of her father and also thedestruction of the forests from drought and fire. She is also searching for a wayto heal the burnout she and her friends are experiencing while working tocombat climate change. Becoming Forestweaves together threads of Native American and Celtic spirituality withBuddhist understanding and connection to the natural world, creating a tapestrywhich holds both the despair and awakening of Aishling

List of contents

Dedication

Foreword

 

2021

Chapter 1: Forest

Chapter 2: The Gift

Chapter 3: The
Buddha and The Bodhi Tree

Chapter 4: A
Conversation with Greta

Chapter 5: Muir Woods

 

2023

Chapter 6: Bodhgaya

Chapter 7: The
Bodhi Tree

Chapter 8: Dorje

Chapter 9: On the
Road

Chapter 10: Under
the Banyan Tree

Chapter 11: On the
Road Again

Chapter 12: Vulture
Peak

 

2053

Chapter 13: Forest

Chapter 14:
Headland

Chapter 15: Back at
the Cottage

Chapter 16: Full
Moon

About the author

Michael Kearney has worked as a palliative care and hospice
physician for forty years, sitting at the bedsides of people who are seriously
ill and dying. He has published three books, Mortally Wounded: Stories
of Soul Pain, Death, and Healing, which was a bestseller in Ireland; A
Place of Healing: Working with Nature and Soul at the End of Life; and The
Nest in the Stream, a nature-based spiritual memoir. Becoming Forest is his first novel.

Michael Kearney lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his
wife, Radhule, and their four-legged friends Lucy and Kitty. 

 Tess Leak made the drawings for Becoming Forest. She is an artist and musician living and working in West Cork, Ireland. She is a graduate of both the BA in Visual Art on Sherkin Island and The Curious School of Puppetry in London, cocurator of the Museum of Song project, and a cellist with The Vespertine Quintet. She is part of the Irish Hospice Foundation's Compassionate Culture Network and works with groups in hospitals and community settings on projects incorporating music, nature, conversation, and poetry.

Summary

Becoming Forest opens
with Aishling—the young Irish woman at the heart of this story—as she visits
her grandmother in California following her grandfather’s death. Aishling finds
her grandfather’s journal and reads about a trip he made to India years ago to
visit the original Bodhi Tree, the place where the Buddha found enlightenment.

 

At the end of the journal, she finds a letter addressed to
her from her grandfather asking for her help passing along his message of “deep
security” to her generation as they deal with the climate crisis and the
uncertain future ahead. Aishling goes to India to follow in her grandfather’s
path to find a way of responding to his request. There she meets and falls in
love with a young Buddhist monk, who is also on a quest. As they walk together along
the roads of India, they gather unexpected and invaluable insights from each
other and come closer to the answers they both seek.

 

Thirty years later, Aishling’s daughter Tara is
visiting her in Ireland. Tara is grieving the death of her father and also the
destruction of the forests from drought and fire. She is also searching for a way
to heal the burnout she and her friends are experiencing while working to
combat climate change. Becoming Forest
weaves together threads of Native American and Celtic spirituality with
Buddhist understanding and connection to the natural world, creating a tapestry
which holds both the despair and awakening of Aishling

Product details

• Authors: MD Kearney, Michael Kearney, MD Michael Kearney
• Assisted by: Tess Leak (Illustration)
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 16.11.2023
• EAN: 9781632261045
• ISBN: 978-1-63226-104-5
• No. of pages: 248
• Illustrations: black and white drawings
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; FICTION / Dystopian, FICTION / Visionary & Metaphysical, FICTION / Buddhist