Nature Retreat 9/2027

Teacher

Riikonen Juha

I am TT Juha Riikonen, a permanent teacher at Valamo College. I teach theological subjects. My main courses are related to the Orthodox way of life, such as “Get to Know Orthodoxy” and “Should I Become Orthodox?”. I also teach retreat courses. My special expertise lies in church history. By profession, I am also a historian. My doctoral research focused on the canonical, or church administrative, dispute between the Finnish Orthodox Archdiocese and the Moscow Patriarchate in 1945–1957. The topic is very timely again, as the political situation in Europe has escalated with the war in Ukraine. My home region Ilomantsi and Karelian identity are an important part of my identity.

Teacher

Koistinen Minna

I am Minna Koistinen from Heinävesi, a nature guide, a Forest Mind guide, a Master of Theology and a Bachelor of Arts, and I am also currently studying to become a natural product advisor. I work as a textile work guide for people with intellectual disabilities and mental health rehabilitation and do nature guidance as a light entrepreneur.

Graduating as a nature guide in the spring of 2023 was a great way to combine everything I had done in my life up until that point and everything I had accumulated over the years. Nature is a diverse treasure trove, which already serves as a place of refreshment and recovery for us. In addition, nature offers many craft materials and ingredients for natural cosmetics - nature supports human well-being in many ways.

Nature offers people the opportunity to stop in the present moment. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about why it is so difficult for people to ground themselves in the present moment, the mind likes to tinker in the past or the future. In nature, orientation to the present moment happens automatically, which is why when walking on forest paths, the mind calms down and the feeling is peaceful, then you can tell yourself that with every step I have already arrived, being is here and now.