Michael Kearney's Becoming Forest is a handbook for psychological and spiritual resilience in the face of imminent climate collapse.
The book 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.
Tara is also searching for a way to heal the burnout she and her friends are experiencing while working to combat climate change.
“Becoming Forest is a bold, imaginative tale that serves as a
handbook for psychological and spiritual resilience in the face
of imminent climate collapse. It is a moving vision for new
ways of dwelling on the earth. Combining Michael Kearney’s
professional experience as a palliative care doctor and his
Irish cultural background as a lover of nature and all living
things, he invites us to embrace the wisdom of the forest. This
engaging and timely work is a must for all readers committed
to radical environmental change.”
The novel 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.
As Michael Kearney explains: “We can open to the pain of the world by staying rooted in what is not afraid and does not die.”
The book’s publication marks the launch of the Becoming Forest Project, a community-based initiative to offer deep resilience training.
For more about the book and the project, visit michaelkearneymd.com.
Michael Kearney
Michael Kearney was born in Ireland and has worked for 43 years as a palliative care physician at the bedsides of those seriously ill and dying. He studied with Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement, and is a student of Native American traditions and Mahayana Buddhism.
Michael and his wife, psychologist and author Radhule Weininger, live in Santa Barbara.
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