Lupa is a strong advocate for connecting with animal or plant totems as allies to enhance our spiritual life and help us reconnect with nature. They can provide a “bridge” between us and the rest of the natural world. She cautions us to understand that totems, whether they be animal, plants, or fungi, are not simple one-dimensional helpers limited to stereotyped meanings from dictionaries. They are vibrant, intelligent, dynamic beings sharing the world with us as much as anyone else, and while we may have forgotten what it is to be in nature’s community, they have not. Lupa is a neo-shaman, artist and sustainability geek. She has been working with animal magic for more than 20 years and has developed a self-created and spirit-directed neoshamanic path. She possesses a master’s degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis on eco-psychology. Her books include New Paths to Animal Totems: Three Alternative Approaches to Creating Your Own Totemism (Llewellyn 2012), Plant and Fungus Totems: Connect with Spirits of Field, Forest, and Garden (Llewellyn 2014) and Nature Spirituality from the Ground Up: Connect with Totems in Your Ecosystem (Llewellyn 2016) 

Interview Date: 2/16/2016    Tags: Lupa, ecosystems, watershed, bioregion, totem, totems, hard fascination, soft fascination, totemism, water, rivers, grey wolf, Yellowstone Park, Never Cry Wolf, fungi, plant blindness, The Private Life of Plants, David Attenborough, Bill Mollison, trees, practice of place, practice of action, practice of celebration. Grounding, power spots, sleep, mammals, hugging, gravity, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Spirituality, Philosophy, Science, Spirit Guides/Angels/Spirit, Personal Transformation