Hugging Trees in Los Angeles
The experience of communing with Nature
by Ari Hahyar

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When Ari Hahyar set out to learn to commune with nature, he knew little about botany or the mysticism of plants; he knew only the happiness he felt when he would leave his Santa Monica condo for a walk in the woods. In Hugging Trees in Los Angeles, Ari explores his neighborhood, the parks and mountains of the city, and natural areas as far away as the Philippines. He attends workshops, plants trees, listens to teachers steeped in the wisdom that comes from the wilderness, and takes inspiration from Thoreau’s Walden as well as modern writings—some scientific, some environmental, some more spiritual in tone. He hopes to reach a level of direct communication with nature, and although that connection often eludes him, he discovers something even more profound: how the gift of exploration and wonder opens his heart and brings him access to his humanity.

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Ari Hahyar, a retired certified public accountant and a science teacher to students with special needs, wrote this book in conjunction with his master’s in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. As a teacher, he encouraged his students to always be curious, always ask questions, and always explore. He has taken his own message to heart, exploring the natural world all around him. Ari does not hold any special credentials that make him an authority on nature or poetry, but this is steeped in his message: Exploration and curiosity belong to everyone, and he encourages his readers to take the time to turn their interests into a commitment born of the heart and fired by their desire to learn.

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Contributors

Author

Ari Hahyar

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