Becoming Nature Podcast, body, articles
Carina Lyall
Mothership, wonder & crisis with Greg ...
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Becoming Nature: How Loss Inspired a Podcast and Deep Conversations /33

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The tables have turned in the episode.

Last year my good friend Rich Skrein asked if he could interview me, for my own podcast. This became a deeply personal conversation through the themes I usually invites guests to explore. 

Rich and I have learned together as mentees, write together in our own little writing group and in May collabing around retreat in the Swedish Forest. It felt like the perfect interviewer to guide me deep into the why of it all. 

We had asked listeners for questions, Rich had asked mutual friends for some and he brought his own. I feel very moved by this conversation. For the opportunity to talk about my friend, who's passing started this whole thing. To talk about what shapes and forms us and the harder parts of life that become important thresholds. 

It feels raw and very honest to share this with you. 

In this epsiode we talk about: 

  • Becoming Nature and how it started

  • Becoming vs. we are nature

  • Honoring teachers

  • No BS as a superpower

  • Belonging and cultural identity

  • Practices for grief and connection

  • Dying and the beauty of being alive

Also mentioned in this episode:

“When she died, a talking partner died too, and a philosophical wonder died.”
— Carina

The best way to support the podcast is to listen, share, leave a review, rate and comment. 

Thank you to all of those who have listened and supported Becoming Nature until now.

There is so much more to come. 

This was a conversation between Rich Skrein

and myself, Carina Lyall

Rich can be found in the woods of Europe and England and is a Forest School trainer, storyteller and author with a profound and enduring passion for the natural world. He works with groups of all ages, building community and long-term opportunities for learning, growth and healing in the outdoors.

For the past 15 years I, Carina have guided people to come closer to nature, their inner and outer wild. I has worked with groups and retreats and has years of experience in holding space for inquiry and connection. The focus has been on community, nature, storytelling and rewilding in a modern world. This podcast is a heart project.

Join us in the Swedish woods !

Find out more here

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From Concrete to Wilderness with Jon Conradi. Ep 32

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Land remembers. This is the heart of many rewilding activities happening across the globe, as people work to restore depleted ecosystems.


My guest today, Jon Conradi, founder of Wild Mosaic, is one of those people, working to rewild parts of the UK.

One of the important learnings from my conversation with Jon was that while human intervention in nature restoration is needed, we aren’t nature’s sole saviours. We also need to find ways of stepping back so that ecosystems can recover through their own ‘remembering’ of their natural state. 

What’s more, Jon spoke about how we are a part of this remembering; we are part of these ecosystems, not separate from them! Rewilding nature is also about rewilding ourselves, as of nature. Through storytelling and reconnecting with wildness, we can remember alongside and with the land.

And so, join us for this week’s episode, and become a part of nature’s ‘remembering’. 

In this episode, we talk about:

  • Reconnecting humans to ‘wildness’

  • Wildlife and humans co-existing

  • What it takes to rewild and restore land 

  • The impacts of humans separating ourselves from nature

  • Some of the legal constraints of land use

  • Pigs! 

“It’s almost like a desire to be small again, to be just awestruck and to feel part of something that’s bigger than us”
— Jon Conradi

About Jon Conradi

Jon founded his start-up – Wild Mosaic – in 2023 to catalyse restoration of land and reconnection to wildness. 

He has an MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation from the Centre of Alternative Technology, and a postgraduate certificate in Biodiversity Conservation and Management. He is a 2021 Fellow of the Social Innovation programme 'Year Here' and has just started a fellowship with the Bio-Leadership programme.

He spent fifteen years in business education specialising in supporting student-led learning and sustainability. He still supports sustainability leadership courses for London Business School.


Connect with Jon: 

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Mothership, wonder & crisis with Greg Wrenn. EP 31

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In this episode I sit down with author and professor Greg Wrenn. We dive into an engaging conversation about healing, childhood trauma and ayahuasca. I came to the this conversation with skepticism, but also curiosity and lack of experience with this approach to healing. As we navigate the complexities of healing, Greg reflects on the roots of his journey, tracing it back to childhood. Tune in for an insightful discussion that blends humor, vulnerability, and profound insights into the healing path.

In this episode we talk about:

  • Childhood trauma and healing

  • Ayahuasca as last resort medicine

  • Trust and psychedelics in ceremony

  • Personal and planetary healing

  • Reciprocity in healing practices

There was so much more we could have to and about. Let’s continue the conversation here.

As a discretion, there is a mention of un-detailed childhood abuse in this episode.

“What do you have to lose by putting out a message straight from the heart? What do you have to lose? Nothing. And what could be gained? A lot”
— Greg Wrenn

About Greg

GREG WRENN is a former Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford University and author of Centaur, which National Book Award-winning poet Terrance Hayes awarded the Brittingham Prize. Greg's work has appeared in The New Republic, Al Jazeera, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. As an associate English professor at James Madison University, he weaves climate change science into literary studies.

An Advanced PADI Nitrox diver, he has been exploring coral reefs around the world for over 25 years. He lives in the mountains of Virginia with his husband and their growing family of trees.

Greg’s Website

Instagram

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Why the Body is Our Wisest Compass with Stefana Serafina. EP 30

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My dear friend and mentor Stefana Serafina is our guest today. Her work has transformed my life. The way I live in my body and what I experience because of the intimate relationship with its language.

It became a very rich conversation about body, culture body, deep body and listening to the language of.

A conversation and reflection about how we can trust the information coming to us, what world we would have and live in, if body led was an option.  

I’m so excited to share her work with you! We would love to hear what you take away from this episode.

In this episode we talk about:

  • The body and cultural perceptions.

  • The body speaking the truth.

  • Body movement and self-expression.

  • The intelligence of the body.

  • Deep body intelligence and movement.

“Will we transform the culture into something more restful, more sane, more just? I truly believe we would”
— Stefana Serafina

About Stefana

Stefana Serafina, M.A., is an embodiment educator, transformative movement facilitator and trainer, and the founder of the Deep Body Institute in California. Recognized for her unique body– and movement–based approach to personal and collective growth, Stefana has worked with hundreds of women and non-binary people in the U.S., Europe, and around the world since 2009, and has trained practitioners and facilitators in 12 different countries. 

Stefana developed the Deep Body Movement Method, which empower people in restoring embodied wholeness, interconnectedness, and personal–collective growth. Her work weaves together movement journeys and expressive arts approaches, nature- and soul-centric body practices, women’s sensuality & mystery traditions, embodied archetypal psychology, and dance, Her facilitation and teachings have been called "life-changing and life-giving",  "deeply penetrating and rekindling", a "masterful invitation to the timeless remembrance of who we are''.

Weekend Immersion in Copenhagen, Sept 13-15 2024

https://www.deepbody.org/sensual-root-denmark

Embodiment and Movement Facilitator/Educator Training - October 2024-2025 

https://www.deepbody.org/facilitator-training

(as a listener you get a discount on the training by mentioning carinalyall at sign up)

More about Stefana's work and all her offerings: 

www.deepbody.org

Mandagens Bog: Alt er den samme sang, af Tina Sakura

Dagens bog giveaway i symposiet ‘Bølger, Bevægelser, Bjerge’ er denne smukke bog skrevet af min veninde Tina Sakura og udgivet af Forlaget Uro.

Sjældent er jeg blevet så bevæget af en bog, derfor måtte jeg give den som en del af denne uge.

Om bogen:

lt er den samme sang er en fortælling om at rejse gennem nætterne med et kronisk sygt barn, om at leve med skammen ved stress og depression, og en åndelig søgen igennem det hele.

Om kærlighed og lydmeditation. Om langsomhed og en blød revolution. Om naturens kraft og yoniens sang. At klinke sine skår med synligt guld – et kintsugimenneske – og om at huske, at vi må findes som vi er.

En sang om livets yderpunkter og vendepunkter, fortalt gennem et smukt og poetisk sprog.

Tina Sakura (f. 1975) har siden 2004 skrevet for børn og unge. Hun har blandt andet vundet Kulturministeriets Forfatterpris (2022) og modtaget Statens Kunstfonds tre-årige arbejdslegat (2015).

Alt er den samme sang er hendes første roman for voksne.

Følg Tina Sakura her

Forlaget Uro

For at deltage i lodtrækningen skal du skrive en kommentar nedenfor med dine tanker om en af dagens samtaler.

Hvad satte den igang hos dig? Hvad var spændende, udfordrende, lærerigt?

Hver kommentar får et nummer og jeg trækker lod dagen efter. Vinderen får besked i kommentar feltet.

Bøgerne bliver sendt ud i uge 34.

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Re-imagining our future through food and hunting with Danny Christensen. EP 29

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The illustration for this weeks podcast Is made by beautiful artist Cille Vengberg

This week I speak to Danny Christensen, a hunter among many things. And also a man with a passion for nature, animal welfare and health.

I learned a lot from my 1 and a half hour conversation. One that rolled with me for days after. New questions arrived, New threads and a real desire to have more conversations around the way we consume, produce and honor the food we eat.

There are many questions still. We both want to keep this thread alive, as it is something we need to have a serious look at.

As for hunting there are many opinions and feelings attached. Should we eat meat? Should we hunt as modern people. Or should we think differently about the system as a whole?

Please listen in and bring your thoughts and questions!

In this episode we touch on

  • Food production and consumption.

  • Rejecting the general food system.

  • Consuming and harvesting wildlife.

  • Ethical dilemmas in food consumption.

  • Ethical consumption and environmental impact.

  • Veganism and connection to nature.

  • Environmental impact of avocados.

““I don’t want people to wash their hands with the organic labeling and say, well, then everything is okay. It’s not, it’s not. You still have an enormous environmental footprint.”

”
— Danny Christensen

About Danny

He shares about his path “I grew up on a small farm in Denmark, close to a metropolis city. I spend most of my youth dreaming, fishing, hunting, and talking to trees.

As my world evolved, I developed a strong interest and appreciation of the design, architecture, fashion, art, and the food that were always all around me.

I met the most amazing and inspiring people in the world but the ones that I really admire and remember are the passionate men and women that live their lives to the fullest with a burning fire in their heart for everything they do. I like to think I'm one of those men.”

 

Find Danny here

Instagram

Website

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Conversation with Tom Hirons: Exploring Poetry, Love and Hope. Ep 28

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Art made by Cille Vengberg

In this episode we explore the power of poetry and the thing about hope. This episode is a conversation with poet Tom Hirons. I first discovered Tom's poetry on Instagram and it has a certain way of grabbing me.

We discuss hope, Whiskey, fires, love and activism. Tune in to the beauty of Tom Hirons' inspiring words and ways in a World, with hope not fueled by optimism but love.

Known for ‘In the Meantime’ and ‘Once a wild God’ Tom writes in ways that brings you to far a way land and the earthly muddy ‘here’.

 

In this episode we touch on:

  • The impact of poetry

  • The reputation of poetry

  • Poetry as expression of soul

  • Poetry as activism

  • The power of poetry

  • The importance of love

  • Unexpected occurrences and hope

  • Whiskey and storytelling traditions

“ “poetry has a power to speak to things and open doors in us that the language of everyday conversation, or, you know, especially kind of political discourse, whatever, just doesn’t have””
— Tom Hiron

Tom Hirons was born and raised on the Suffolk-Norfolk border in East Anglia, but lived in Scotland for almost twenty years before gravitating to Dartmoor in the Southwest of England. T

om has been storytelling publicly for over 15 years and writing for much longer.

He now teaches storytelling for Hedgespoken and has been known to mentor a writer or two.

 

Find him here

Website

Instagram

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Tara Lanich-LaBrie - Donuts, Nettles and Culinary Herbalism. Ep 27

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Art by beautiful Cille Vengberg

Tara Lanich-LaBrie is an Instagram star loved by over 110.000 followers, for her colorful and joyful way of sharing her craft - Culinary Herbalism. She was also fun, real and we got into the deeper side of this work. Connection, eldership, playfulness and having fun with what you do.

I adore this woman and what she has to offer. Please enjoy this conversation, I did!

From nettle donuts to rose syrup, Tara's cookbook is a colorful journey into the world of plant-based cuisine. We talk about the magic of connecting with nature through food. Tara as she shares her insights on the ancient wisdom of plants.

In this Episode we talk about: 

  • Connecting with nature through art.

  • Plants as elders and allies.

  • Connecting with Elderberries.

  • Deep connection to plants.

  • Chamomile tea's lasting power.

  • The power of plants.

  • Building connections through humility.

  • Discovering nature in your backyard.

““If you can get someone to taste the carrot that was grown by them or grown by a local farmer. It’s like what you said, like that can change the way that they meet the world.””
— Tara Lanich-LaBrie
 

About Tara

Tara Lanich-LaBrie is a culinary herbalist, finding a love of cooking and plants at an early age, and after a series of health issues began farming, foraging and baking professionally.

She created her business, The Medicine Circle, to share colorful, seasonal recipes, and to build a bridge between people and the natural world.

Foraged & Grown: Healing, Magical Recipes for Every Season, is her first book.

 
 
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Sam Lee - Singing in Dark Times and places. Episode 26

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Art donated by Cille Vengberg

I first came across Sam during a leadership training I did with Emergence Magazine. I was captivated by his work and story. It is with great honor that I got to sit down and talk with him.

We explore his work of collecting songs and time with traveller communities, and the honoring of elders. It became a deep look at bridging what was known once into the current. I had to go for a long walk after this conversation to just be in some of the magic of his words… and humor. He is an artist that can’t help but pull you in, to listen, learn and be.

About singing in the dark times and places.

 

In this episode we talk about

  • Singing with Nightingales.

  • The importance of old traditions.

  • Last of the Scottish Travellers.

  • The urgency of preserving culture.

  • Discovering elders from different communities.

  • Unusual encounters and creativity.

““I saw something that will never be seen again.””
— Sam Lee

Sam Lee is a highly inventive and original singer, folk song interpreter, passionate conservationist, song collector and successful creator of live events. Alongside his organisation, The Nest Collective, Sam has shaken up the music scene breaking boundaries between folk and contemporary music and the assumed places and ways folksong is appreciated.

Sam’s helped develop its ecosystem inviting in a new listenership interrogating what the messages in these old songs hold for us today. Sam released his debut novel ‘The Nightingale, notes on a songbird‘ telling the epic tale of this highly endangered bird and their place in culture folklore, folksong, music and literature throughout the millennia.

 

Find Sam Lee here

Website

Instagram

Spotify

 
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Richard Skrein - Reciprocity, Play and Thank You as foundational skills. Episode 25

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Art by Cille Vengberg

Today I speak with a really good friend of mine, Rich Skrein. We’ve been in the same storytelling mentorship for nearly a year now. We share many different interests and I’ve been curious about his work with nature, children and educators since first getting to know him.

It became a heartfelt conversation about our place, as humans, in the greater eco system.

Rich shares about his work, about returning to England, being a primary school teacher and started taking his students outside to experience nature. He observed the transformative effect it had on the children, witnessing them coming alive in ways that couldn't be fully expressed within the confines of the classroom. A transformation happening in him as well.

We get into the more personal wonder about and in the world and how we as adults need this just as much as the children.

“How much awe and wonder was there when I was able to take them to the beach? How much awe and wonder was there when I took them to the deep forest? It’s right there. They were able to grow in ways that I couldn’t give them in the classroom.”
— Richard Skrein

Richard is a Forest School teacher trainer, ecological educator, storyteller and author. He can be found in the woods of Europe and England and is a storyteller and experienced educational professional with a profound and enduring passion for the natural world.

He worked for many years in the classroom as a primary school teacher before swapping four walls for the magic of natural environments.

He is the author of three books: 5o things to do in the wild. 50 things to do with a stick and 50 things to do in the snow.

Find him here

Instagram @richardskreinoutdoors

His website

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Erica Berry - Wovles and the stories we tell about fear. Episode 24

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Art by Cille Vengberg <3 - Check her work out here

In this episode I have been so blessed to have a conversation with Erica Berry, author of the book ‘Wolfish- Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear’.

This is a brilliant book that I highly recommend. Ever since putting it down, I knew I had to talk with her some how. And here we are.

We dive into the impact of consuming a constant stream of fear-based stories. From the overwhelming amount of news and information focused on fear and trauma that bombards us in today's world. But also the stories that are ancient. The ancient fear stories that we told, and heard, for many reasons.

We talk about wolves and the history of out of proportion fear that has existed around this beautiful animal.

All of this conversation centered around Erica’s study with wolves, collective and personal fear and what emerges with that - love.

“I think there’s something beautiful in actually thinking about the idea of a lone wolf as someone looking still for connection and actually being vulnerable.”
— Erica Berry

About Erica Berry

Erica  is a writer and teacher based in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Her essays appear in publications such as the Guardian, The New York Times, Yale Review, The Atlantic, and Orion, and her first book, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell about Fear, was published by Flatiron/Macmillan in 2023.  She is currently an Associate Fellow at the Attic Institute for Arts and Letters and a writing instructor with Literary Arts in Portland.

Find her online

Instagram @ericajberry  

www.ericaberry.com.

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Woniya Thibeault - Never alone. Episode 23

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Artist: Cille Vengberg - find her here

In this episode, I speak with Woniya Thibeault who appeared on the show "Alone" and was the first woman to win a season.

Woniya joined two seasons of the show. First lasting 73 days alone in the wild on the brink of starvation. And won the second season ‘Frozen’, as the first woman in ‘Alone’ show history. It felt even more special to speak to her, as she won the show on my birth land of Labrador.

We talk about shares her experience in Labrador and the similarities and differences between that location and the Northwest Territories. Woniya reflects on the importance of self-care and the societal pressures around winning and money.

She has such a special way of speaking about the land and how it held her through her time there.

I hope you enjoy what she has to offer as much as I did.

““Usually big, tough men with bulging muscles with a bunch of military training. I was that small woman coming at it with a really, really different perspective””
— Woniya Thibeault episode 23
 

Woniya Thibeault is a naturalist, craftsperson, and ancestral skills instructor, whose passion is inspiring and empowering people to live their wildest, freest, most abundant lives. She accomplished this through teaching land-based living skills such as those our ancestors used, and nature connection practices. While never describing herself as a survivalist, she is best known for being the first woman to win a solo survival wilderness challenge on the History Channel’s Alone.

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Why knowing your story matters, when holding space

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The first thing we look at in The Art of Holding Space is our stories about being in relationship, community, together. What we bring with us into the spaces we create or participate in. The old, the new. The family ones, the School ones, the others. 

The stories about our place, roles, expectations, assumptions, wounds and longings.

There are the obvious ones and sometimes the more subtle threads. But they can have a lot to say about how safe we feel. Or the way we connect inward and outward as we take a seat. Without feeling we have to play a part, to be worthy. 

A new edge for me is becoming more visible and it is really shining in relation to motherhood. I feel my old stories poke as I witness their interactions and school yard challenges. It takes a lot of consciousness to remember what is mine and what is actually their experience.

I am meeting them A LOT at the moment! Even though many carried threads have found some ease, they will probably never leave my system completely. It weaves in. 

Knowing our history of togetherness, the in the light and the ‘in the shadows’ can support us in creating a safer container for not only participants, but also ourselves. We can tend to ourselves with intention and care in a different way. It can become easier to get proper supervision and plan curriculum and content that we can actually hold in a responsible way.

Having this perspective and insight with us, I feel, it’s important. The things we often think set apart, are the stories that truly connect us.


The art of holding space begins February 8th - read more here

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When we compete, we can't connect

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image by inuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok

For 7 years I’ve offered a course on the art of holding space. When I first started out I had listened to a Ted Talk with Chitra Aiyar. In the talk she mentions her work with communities with minorities on campuses in the US. She states in the talk ‘When we compare, we can’t connect’. 

The more I’ve worked with the content and people, that statement has changed for me. I think it’s more a case of ‘When we compete, we can’t connect’. 

Of course in many ways they are linked, the ‘compare and compete’. We compare all the time, it’s natural. When it takes over, the energy can change. I’ve been down the spiral so many times. The compete element feels more intense. It’s not one that brings the heart to heart feel. It’s been a key learning of mine I think. To feel safe enough to let the story of having to fight my way through to get anywhere, rest. 

It’s also something that often gets glossed over in the spiritual settings. We pretend it doesn’t exist and we stick to the love and light. We stay with the all positive feels and suppress what also exists when people come together. I think most of us have, well I think all of us have. In business, in all kinds of groups - the spiritual is no exception, the competition has a certain effect on how we connect. I’ve seen it in the yoga world, the meditation world, the shamanistic the the the. And as mentioned in myself. Something we don’t talk a lot about. It’s not really pretty and comes with some level of shame or ick. Which makes it grow in intensity. 

I work with this a lot. Relearning how to be in ‘it’ with fellow humans, myself. And it is a huge part of the foundation of my work. 

As a people we are increasingly recognizing the importance of coming together in a different way. To heal our stories of being in community and the ways we walk this Earth. 

AND we meet edges here. That may surprise us at times. Wounds and past experiences that were not easy and are brought into the room with us. 

Creating space for all of that and the chance for us to witness the brilliance in ourselves and others is powerful. Healing a story and experiencing the ability to be here as a whole entire being. I love this work so much. The honeymoon and the chaos. 

READ MORE ABOUT ‘THE ART OF HOLDING SPACE’ THAT BEGIN FEBRUARY 2024

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{Conversations with the Earth} A Letter to Mother Earth, by Angela Moon

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Dear Mother,

You are the most enduring mother of all -- the bedrock of all. You are the soil, the water, the wind in the trees, the fire erupting from within.

Without you, where would I be? 

Earth, you hold me in embrace without reproach. My worries live in my head, I realize this when I press my cheek to your ground. Your energy is soft and pulsing. And I fear I will forget your embrace, calming and still, when I head back to the computer screen. I want to stay. I see my self centeredness waving again at its reflection in the mirror. I don't want to be trapped in my own reflection. 

I am just sitting, lying here right now, looking at the grass that covers your ground. The world is quiet here. For now. I might just drift off, into the land of dreams.

Let me tell you this, I love you. I want you to know love can feel like abundance. But love can also feel like a clear absence, a clearing of immense space. It's not always about filling up to the top. Love can be like an empty shelf, cleared just for you. Love can be a pocket of silence. This space, it looks empty and it holds so much. 

I dream of being in peace with you more often. I dream of being like this even when I am not lying here with you. When I'm frantic and hurrying, I dream of settling back into contemplative presence with you. I want to greet your blue oceans and your mountain terrains, your children - the animals, plants, all.

But I either fall behind, stay stuck in my head, or send all my senses into the vortex of my screen. Removed from you, I seek comfort and relief from you -- perhaps it is a heavy burden for you to bear, along with other things you carry.

You don't engage me in my rabbit hole of abstractions, my spiraling staircase of 'what-ifs'. You neither validate, nor affirm, nor criticize. You just hold me and then they somehow fade away, to be replaced by birds chirping and a sense of peaceful awe.

It feels like an external force, and yet I felt the shift happen from within. Have you absorbed my deepest fears and self criticisms? Have they seeped into your ground? Or did they disappear when you didn't help me feed them? I have now slipped out of the room of thoughts. I'm now in this moment with all of your children, all of your creation, with the tangible feeling of you holding me. 

I feel a wave of guilt when I reflect on how we are poisoning you. Humans. I'm one of them. How do I listen for you more deeply, Mother Earth? How do I do that without relying on the speech of humans, the speech we have carved out only for our kind, our kind that now seeks to destroy the balance you set?

A language of feeling and earth based tending. I am learning and growing. You are always there, present. You are with us all, and I hope you are listening. I won't forget you. I'll remember to spend time with you. Stay well, until we converse again, in love.

By Angela Moon

Bio:

Angela Moon strives to practice mindful living and express her deepest imaginative self. She appreciates time to observe nature, meditate, learn from others, read, and write. She enjoys connecting to our inner wildness, nurturing trust with clear communication, tapping into creativity, and getting in touch with nature and spirit. Sharing authentic experiences, thoughts, and connections is one of her aspirations and joys.

Follow Angela on her Medium page: https://medium.com/@angelamoon

{CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EARTH} OFFERING TO SOURCE

THE SERIES 'CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EARTH' IS A COLLECTION OF ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE WILD.

THEY EMERGE FROM THE MINI COURSE 'HOW TO BECOME INVISIBLE IN A WORLD THAT DEMANDS TO SEE EVERYTHING'

IN THE COURSE THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SPECIAL NATURE ENCOUNTERS THROUGH ESSAY, PICTURES, POETRY OR OTHER EXPRESSIONS. THEY ARE CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHED HERE ON THE WEBSITE.

OFFERING TO SOURCE, by Sofia Kaloterakis

i offer my song 

to earth mother source

for air we breathe 

and it breath us back

we are reciprocal


i offer my song 

to earth mother source

for land we walk 

and it walk us back

we are mutual


i offer my song 

to earth mother source

for life we shape 

and life shapes us 

we are elemental 


hear us singing back to you,

for songs you offer 

and we offer them back 

we are eternal 

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To Mentor with the Wild; with Sophie Strand

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It’s been a long time coming, but I am so excited to share this interview with Sophie Strand.

Sophie Strand is a writer based in the Hudson Valley who focuses on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. But it would probably be more authentic to call her a neo-troubadour animist with a propensity to spin yarns that inevitably turn into love stories.

Her first book of essays The Flowering Wand: Lunar Kings, Lichenized Lovers, Transpecies Magicians, and Rhizomatic Harpists Heal the Masculine is forthcoming in 2022 from Inner Traditions. Her eco-feminist historical fiction reimagining of the gospels The Madonna Secret will also be published by Inner Traditions.  

She is currently researching her next epic, a mythopoetic exploration of ecology and queerness in the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde.

In this episode we talk about:

  • Storytelling

  • What it is to root our spirituality

  • Activism

  • What it is to be in awe

and so much more

You can listen to the episode here on your favorite podcast platform

You can also find it on Spotify

Find out more about Sophie, her books and writing here:

Read more about her new book here

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{CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EARTH} RIVER SPIRIT

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THE SERIES 'CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EARTH' IS A COLLECTION OF ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE WILD. THEY EMERGE FROM THE MINI COURSE 'HOW TO BECOME INVISIBLE IN A WORLD THAT DEMANDS TO SEE EVERYTHING' IN THE COURSE THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SPECIAL NATURE ENCOUNTERS THROUGH ESSAY, PICTURES, POETRY OR OTHER EXPRESSIONS. THEY ARE CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHED HERE ON THE WEBSITE.

River spirit

Spirit of the river, clear and pure, flows with ease and beauty. No obstacles too difficult for her to overcome and she does so firmly but tender. Her gentle sounds are soft and soothing, whispering “let go”.

She welcomes me with joy and laughter, playfully caressing my naked body as I step into her cleansing, fresh waters.

Here I fell at home, a daughter of the river.

by Sigrid Fay

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{Conversations with the Earth} A Story by Clara Pagliaro

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A story: 

The rain slowly moved in,

the ocean calling her name.

Finding herself walking down nearly bare,

perhaps showing up to be.

Hesitation encompassed her mind as she stood upon the waves 

gently showing her her own currents. 

"Do not fear" sang the sea.

She sat, surrendering and immersing her body in the vast and salty milk of the mother. 

Every hair on her body stood, her breath deep. 

Her mind whispering prayers to the universe,

"Don't let me go, keep me right here"

The ocean pushed her small body back and forth like a child being rocked. 

Her body frozen, desperate to shut

yet every breath releasing discomfort and opening her soul. 

The rain slowly moved in, 

It is only here she can see herself in all her wholeness. 

Mind still, body numb, lost in nature's power. 

It is here she listens. 

Clara Pagliaro

Conversations with nature in an urban city park, by Neha Kaul

I now live in Brooklyn, the ancestral lands of Lenape and Canarsee people. Today, it is a tree-lined, diverse neighborhood of townhouses converted to rental apartments where you can hear the range of music all the way from local artists rapping out beats to the words of Richard Marx playing loudly from cars passing by. A neighborhood where West Indies cuisine, notably their jerk chicken, is a local favorite and where there is also a small community garden to bring our weekly compost.  To me, this is a fully alive neighborhood with sirens of cops cars zooming past, cussing on street corners, and very loud Friday night block parties. I like it here, even with its edgy and gritty vibe it feels very human and very inclusive to live here unlike some of the other manicured neighborhoods where there is a monotony of tone and color.

 

There is a neighborhood park close to where I live that is a typical urban city park and does not appear to be remarkable in any way. It has the usual features of any urban city park – there is the kid's playground, courts for shooting hoops, and the unmarked stretches of ground where dogs and their friendly owners get together for some chit-chat and playing catch. As this park is only down the street from where I live and I like to walk there regularly. This is an attempt to sketch out my conversation with this urban city park. 

Spring has come alive in this little neighborhood park of ours. Nannies with babies in strollers are out again, as are the buds and flowers on star magnolias and cherry plum trees.

The trees that form a canopy are especially pretty at this time against the evening sky. Today was just another walk in the park, the air was still cold and brisk. On my way to the park, I always greet the little green man figurine standing proudly in the pit of one of the trees on the sidewalk. Who are you? He asks as I pass by. I ask him the same question too and am yet to receive my answer. The little green man appears to have aviator goggles on which makes me think of him as a human figure, or maybe he’s a goblin or a gnome? Was he someone who lived here in the past?

Musing on these questions I reach the park, I see there’s a big group of boys hanging out in the courts today with music and hoodies, taking selfies or perhaps making their next viral Instagram reel. I keep walking around the big park. The star magnolia trees have a subtle scent as I pass by, ironically they are planted right outside the public facilities. I pick up my pace and turn around the bend where there’s a giant old tree which looks more like a piece of art placed in the center covered by a perimeter of cobblestones to add to the old world aura of this tree. The layers of the bark are smooth to touch and a delight for the eyes! So much character! Sadly, I still don’t know the name of this tree and yet it always beckons me with his anonymous charm. I continue walking to satisfy my inner urge to go further, passing other trees, standing there strongly rooted in the earth claiming their territory with their striking roots. Their many resident squirrels have sheltered in their trunks for the winter.  A few dogs are playing on the unmarked stretch of ground with their owners. I pass them and arrive near the canopy of trees with little white flowers. I know this canopy of trees. A few weeks ago on my usual evening walk, I rested against one of them that was at a slant and heard my own beating heart and gushing flow of blood. Or did I hear the tree’s beating heart and the gushing sound of sap flow? I couldn’t actually be sure. I leaned against the tree and placed my ear on the trunk of the tree. The sound was very loud I remember, and although the origin of the sound I heard is still a mystery to me, when I first noticed it I thought, my god - you’re alive! I couldn’t help but feel remorse that I had considered this tree to be just another pretty object so far. In that fleeting moment, I realized the real possibility of this tree being alive, just as alive as I was, and I asked for forgiveness.

 

Today, there’s a songbird on one of its blooming branches. I look up and find her perched and signing out loudly. I stopped and kept watching her. It seemed to me that she too looked down on me a couple of times and continued her singing. I focused on her song till the noise of the group of boys in the courts behind almost faded out. Just then one of the dogs playing nearby came to greet me with a nudge taking me out of my trance-like fixation on the songbird. I turned my glance to this doggo and his wagging tail, and he seemed happy to be there. I noticed that the sweet bird had stopped singing and she was now just quietly perching on the branch. I found a gentle peace in my heart as if letting me know that the song of her heart had been heard. I felt my walk for today was complete and headed back home.

On my way back home, I found a neighbor gardening and I stopped to talk to her only to find that some folks from our block were planning to meet soon to care for the trees on our block that needed some extra TLC. She invited me to join, and I can’t wait! 

 

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