In this week’s episode we celebrate 100 episodes of Wildheart podcast, alongside our usual conversation about how we can approach the word ‘honour’ with a wilder perspective.

Why have we chosen to talk about honour?

* To recognise and celebrate everything we’ve achieved in our work up to this point - The Wild Academy, the book, and most importantly the amazing community we’ve all built together. We’ve been so lucky to have so much support for everything we’ve been doing - all along the way, but particularly recently - and it means so much to us. So we want to share our gratitude for all of you!

* In a more general sense, we’ve also chosen the word because, as we’ve been talking about recently, autumn is the season of the soul - a time to reconnect with our inner worlds and our emotions and intuition - so it’s naturally also a time when we turn back towards the idea of ‘soulfulness’ and the things that feel meaningful.

* ‘Honouring’ is deeply connected to valuing, expressing and upholding meaning in this way.

What do we chat about?

* The different between the ‘knight in shining armour’ vision of honour, and our own wilder version

* ‘Honour’ as an act or process of sacred devotion

* Making and upholding promises to self - valuing ourselves and taking the time to follow through on what we say we want or need

* An ecosystemic version of ‘honour’ that speaks to capacity and an interconnected view of the world

In this week’s episode we chat about expression, authenticity, and being able to voice our truth.

Why have we chosen to talk about expression?

* As we move further into autumn, we reconnect with our soul, which invites deeper connection to our emotions and inner world

* We are then faced with the process of communicating those emotions (our inner self) with the world (our outer self) in an authentic way

* This kind of expression calls us to both shed or release the ‘shoulds’ or inauthentic ways of communicating, in favour of a more truthful, soulful communion

What do we chat about?

* Bringing what’s hidden to the surface, and making the invisible visible

* The tension between our inner and outer worlds - who we are on the inside versus who we present ourselves as on the outside

* Why courage is required for aligned expression

* Overcoming the fear of using our voice, speaking up or sharing our true thoughts and feelings

In this week’s episode we chat about what it means to wane, and why this part of the cycle is so essential to embrace in the world right now.

Why have we chosen to talk about waning?

* Not only is the moon currently waning as this episode goes out, but so is the energy of the season overall: our arrival at the Autumn Equinox marks the noticeable descent into the darker months and the lower energy (or at least more lunar - reflective, introspective) phase of the year

* In other ways, though, this part of autumn can actually feel really full and busy (especially for us), and it can be difficult to balance that with the overall sense of slowing and fading - so we thought that tension would make it an interesting idea to explore

What do we chat about?

* The ongoing process of waning (rather than a one-time action)

* Imagining time in a cyclical rather than linear way - the idea of waning (and waxing) emphasises the ebb and flow that is missing from the usual rigid conceptualisation of time

* The important of turning inwards (reflection, introspection)

* How the concept of waning helps us both as individuals, and might support you too

In this week’s episode we chat about richness, and why this feels so apt right now, both in the wild world and in ourselves.

Why have we chosen to talk about richness?

* The season of autumn is full of richness! Think jewel-like colours (flowers, berries, fruit), hearty soups and stews, and deep orange sunsets

* There’s an invitation at this time of year to ‘sink in’ to life - deepening into our inner world

What do we chat about?

* The abundance of harvest season, and materiality of a very different kind - a sensuousness and earthyness

* The contrast between wealth and power, and this wilder version of richness

* The process of enriching the quality of existence or experience

* Recognising the ways in which we are rich, even if we don’t feel like it

In this week’s episode we chat about gathering, the continuation of harvest season, and how / why we might welcome in a more reflective month.

Why have we chosen to talk about gathering?

* It’s the guiding word for September in our Rewilding Wheel framework

* There is a strong association with the harvest theme that continues from August into September (and even October) - ‘gathering’ from the land

* We might also think of ‘gathering in’ after the drifting of summer - reintegrating, realigning, reconnecting with our rhythms and routines

What do we chat about?

* Gathering as a way to help us ground and re-centre

* Gathering as an act of recalibration; seeking wholeness again after the dissolving that can happen during the summer months

* How the Weaver archetype encourages us to consider where our lives or our sense of self have ‘come loose’ or become knotted, and how we might work towards the process of re-weaving or untangling

* Coming back to self, and actively, intentionally engaging in this process

In this week’s episode we chat about the concept of the ‘edge’, and what it means to embrace this in our lives.

Why have we chosen to talk about edge?

* The sense of an ‘edge’ symbolises the threshold between summer and autumn

* There’s a sense of blurred boundaries within ourselves at this time of year, and often we can struggle to find and hold our ‘edges’ when everything feels fluid

* Autumn usually tends to bring quite a lot of reflective energy, which can cause us to push up against our edges in terms of self-exploration and self-development

What do we chat about?

* Outer limits and boundaries

* Blurred or fluid edges vs. a hard or sharp split

* Edging towards something - inching, moving gradually

* The idea of using or embracing your edge; what makes you unique

In this week’s episode we chat about what it means to pause and still in the liminal month of August, and in our lives.

Why have we chosen to talk about lingering?

* It captures the liminal feeling of August - the sense of it being a month that almost exists outside of the usual rhythm of life, when our relationship with time can often feel a bit different.

* However you feel, when we look to the wild world at this time of year, there is a real sense of slowness and intention: grains, nuts, fruits, berries, seeds are all biding their time, ripening, waiting to be ready - just taking the time they need. The process can’t be rushed, it will happen when it happens - and meanwhile they’re all just existing; absorbing what they need.

* Combine this all seems like an important lesson in ‘being here now’.

What do we chat about?

* What aspects of a season / situation we can take with us on our onward journey - what do we want to linger in the air as we move into the next phase that will be helpful or pleasurable to carry with us?

* Being present in the moment and not wishing away the current phase / season

* Connotations of softness, caressing - being gentle and compassionate, connecting with the senses

* The value of lingering vs the stagnancy of lingering

In this week’s episode we chat about the magical, golden, transformative process of alchemy.

Why have we chosen to talk about alchemy?

* Our seasonal symbol for August within our Rewilding Wheel framework is golden fields - gold is a colour that’s very present in the British landscape at this time of year as all the grain and grasses dry and mature, and on a breezy day the rippling movement through these fields can resemble liquid gold.

* Alchemy, of course, is traditionally associated with the idea of turning base metals into gold, so it feels like a concept that is very connected to the land in this season - not only for its link to gold, but also for its essence of transformation, which is one of the key themes of autumn.

* When we think of alchemy, we might also think of actions like melting, dissolving, mixing, combining - all things that are present in August.

* Alchemy is also considered by some to be connected with seeking the elixir of life, and that feels relevant to the vibrant, vital Leo energy that guides us through much of August from an astrological perspective.

What do we chat about?

* What deep transformation really means

* How and why we might chooose to transform instead of release

* Holding uncertainty as part of alchemical transformation

* Trusting in magic

In this week’s episode we chat about making a conscious choice to soften, especially as we navigate the shift from late summer into harvest season and beyond.

Why have we chosen to talk about softening?

* ‘Soften’ is our word for August within our Rewilding Wheel framework

* It reflects the slowing of the wild world throughout this month - the mellowing as green turns to gold, the ripening rather than growing, the noticeable dimming of the light at the end of the day

* Much like ‘drift’, the final word we explored last series, it encapsulates the blurring of time and structure that can happen at this time of year

* It reminds us to be kind and gentle with ourselves as we navigate the remainder of summer, and to replenish ourselves where we can before the bustle of autumn

What do we chat about?

* Subverting the cultural narrative that ‘softness is weakness’

* Holding and sharing our tender parts without shame

* Flow, fluidity and the wisdom of the incoming water element (being flexible, moving with life rather than against it, allowing rather than forcing)

* How the Alchemist archetype of August can support us to soften

In this week’s episode we chat about what it means to drift, both in terms of the season and in our lives.

Why have we chosen to talk about drifting?

* We’re now moving into late summer, whcih can be a time of year when all our structures and routines start to stretch, loosen or even dissolve completely.

* It can feel very much like a season of floating or flowing, especially when the weather is as hot as it has been across much of the UK recently!

* There’s something quite soothing about the word ‘drift’ - as though it’s a slower, softer state of being; a kind of loosening that feels good rather than scary.

What do we chat about?

* Whether drifting is aimless, rooted, or both

* Drifting as a phase of change and transformation, and its essential role in the wider cycles of the year and of our lives

* How drifting can help us to loosen our grip and trust the unfolding of our lives

* Why drifting is connected to rest without (or with less) guilt, as well as dreaming, imagination and re-invention