The Sisterhood of the Enchanted Forest: Sustenance, Wisdom and Awakening in Finland's Karelia by Naomi Moriyama

Finland's forests- and its women- had inspired and changed me in many ways. I had glimpsed the power of Nature, sisterhood, and food to nourish the spirit and the soul. 

– Naomi Moriyama

There has never been another book that has spoken so directly to my soul than this one. I felt as if it was written for me- or actually, for you, the members of The Circle. Afterall, it was the women and the forests of Finland, specifically my Karelian grandmother, that shaped my life and ultimately inspired the work that I do here.

Spending summers (and some winters) growing up in Finland, I experienced a way of life that felt so much more alive, free, wild, sensible and deeply connected than life in the US. I spent my whole life searching for this feeling and eventually decided to cultivate it inside of me, rather than continue searching for it outside of me. On this path, it is no surprise that I found Tea because it turns out that so many of the values ingrained in life in Finland are also taught to us by Tea. There are no coincidences!

In The Sisterhood of the Enchanted Forest, Naomi Moriyama goes from feeling daunted by the idea of living in Finland and afraid of the long dark, cold winters and perceived imminent loneliness and boredom that she would experience there to uncovering the magic of this place! In these pages, you see how the virtues of silence, stillness, simplicity, community, Nature connection, quality over quantity, respect and cleanliness (those which are also classically attributed to a tea lifestyle) are ingrained in a Finnish lifestyle and how you can embody them in your life.

Our annual retreat, Mystic Finland, and the book of the same name (coming soon!) were created so share this lifestyle with you. Each year on that retreat, I get to see the way that Finland changes women, just like it did Naomi Moriyama. It is part of the enchantment of the place and something that is hard to put words to.  Since not everyone can travel to Finland, this book offers a relatable perspective on and awakening to the Finnish lifestyle, which can also be attained through Tea and all the related practices and ethos that we share here at The Circle.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from the book:

On women:

My Finland journey was nothing short of a revelation to me on the subjects of gender equality and the power of strong, brilliant, confident women to shape society.

On life:

I had lived inside the Manhattan symphony of joy, anger, love, beauty, conflict, relentless competition and individual achievement for so long that by now it seemed perfectly normal. But it was dawning on me that an entirely different way of life was possible, and in many ways I was starting to admire it more.

On Nature:

I began to realize that in Finland, Nature is the ultimate personal luxury and it was everywhere, available for absolutely anybody to enjoy.

On school: 

School should be a child's favorite place. We offer them an environment where they understand, 'This is a place where I am highly respected. I feel safe and comfortable here. I am a very important person' - Professor Happonen

On architecture:

Architecture is not just to fulfil man's need for shelter buy also to fulfill man's belief in the nobility of his existence on earth" -Eero Saarinen

And, the publisher's overview of the book:

What would happen if you built one of the world’s most advanced societies inside a forest—and strove to make women full partners in power?

After living for twenty-five years in New York, Naomi Moriyama moved with her husband and co-author William Doyle and their seven-year-old child to the vast forest of Finland's Karelia, a mysterious region on the Russian border that helped inspire J.R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth fantasies.

She entered a life-altering zone of tranquility, peace, and beauty, the spiritual heart of the nation ranked as the happiest nation on Earth, with among the world's most empowered women.

Finland is also the country with cleanest air and water and the best schools, a country where motherhood and fatherhood are championed by law, childhood is revered, schoolchildren are required to play outdoors multiple times a day, and trains contain mini-libraries and mini-playgrounds for children to enjoy.

It was here in the Karelian forest that Naomi found a culinary symphony of succulent wild edibles, herbs, berries, mushrooms and fish, all freshly plucked from the moss-carpeted forest and sparkling clear streams.

She also found something that changed her life—a tribe of invincible women who became her soul-sisters.

As an idyllic summer and fall gave way to a sub-Arctic winter of mind-bending darkness and cold, Naomi faced her fears and her future. Over the course of six unforgettable months with her family and her new “sisters”, she found her life transformed, and discovered the power that lay within her all along.

Then she tried to leave. But she kept coming back.

Come, take a journey deep into Europe's most distant, magical wilderness, and join the sisterhood of the enchanted forest.