Wildheart

In this week’s episode we chat about what it means to ‘embody’, and why exploring embodiment in the winter is so powerful.

Why have we chosen to talk about the word ‘embody’?

* As we talked about last week, winter is the season of the earth element - roots, foundations, the tangible/physical world

* As we look ahead, we’re approaching Capricorn season (from the Solstice), which is an earth sign - the sun is in Sagittarius at the moment (fire sign) but we’re moving towards a more grounded energy that will carry us through the heart of midwinter

* The earth element (and winter) is very much associated with the body - felt perception, lived reality, rootedness, practicality/materiality

What do we chat about?

* The importance of nourishing our bodies in the winter

* An embodied approach that doesn’t neglect soul or spirit

* Embodiment as living: bringing life to an idea, making something real or true in some way

* How embodiment connects with animism

In this week’s episode we explore the process of unearthing, especially in relation to the wild self.

Why have we chosen to talk about the word ‘unearth’?

* Winter is the season of the earth element, and autumn the season of the water element - throughout November we’ve been moving away from the swirling energy of change towards something more grounded and steady.

* Now that we’ve reached December, we’re arriving into the heart of ‘earth season’ - a time to connect with our roots and our foundations.

* This idea of ‘earthiness’ connects to the process of unearthing - going beneath the surface, revealing, bringing to light.

What do we chat about?

* Unearthing the wild self and the process of rediscovery (or remembering)

* Why unearthing requires trust and faith - and how you might find both

* What the unearthing process has looked like for us

* Why winter is a good time for unearthing the wild self, and how you can practically begin this process

In this week’s episode we explore the concept of remembrance, and discuss what it means to remember the wild within.

Why have we chosen to talk about the word ‘remember’?

* Remember, remember the 5th of November! We’re a long way past the 5th, but November always seems like a month of remembrance with this rhyme for Guy Fawkes night, Remembrance Sunday, and the lingering themes of Samhain (honouring the past, welcoming ancestral wisdom).

* It’s finally getting colder now and the darkness has well and truly set in, and when we start to tangibly feel the return of winter in these ways there can be a sense that we need to remember how to navigate it - both in terms of our physical needs and routines, and our mental or emotional relationship with our inner and outer worlds.

What do we chat about?

* How remembering is an act of resistance or revolution

* Why reconnecting with the past enriches our present

* How connecting to ancient ways of being challenges societal norms

* What it means to remember our wild self within

In this week’s episode we explore what it means to invoke - and why it can be so powerful to make this intentional choice.

Why have we chosen to talk about the word ‘invoke’?

* This week’s word was chosen more from a sense or feeling rather than anything specific

* There is, however, something quite magical or liminal about the word, which connects with the lingering Samhain energy and the current lunar cycle

What do we chat about?

* The distinction between invoking and inviting

* Invoking the elements - or other wild symbols - for a deeper, richer connection to the cycles and seasons

* How invocation is connected to magic, reverence, respect and ritual

* Why a reciprocal exchange is essential in the act of invoking

In this week’s episode we explore the connection between soul and spirit, the nourishment of the soul, and the impact of our actions on the more-than-human world.

Why have we chosen to talk about the soul?

* We think of this time of year as ‘soul season’:

* Samhain is a festival of honouring the souls of the dead (and there are many other similar festivals around the world)

* But more widely: the incoming darkness, the remembrance of ancestral wisdom, the pull to retreat within, the invitation to reflect and release. It’s a time of year that guides us to connect with our inner world, our sense of self, our vision of who we’re becoming and what we need or want for the next cycle through the year.

What do we chat about?

* The transition into winter and its invitation for reflection and preparation

* How the essence of the soul is intangible and deeply personal

* How soul and spirit are interconnected yet distinct concepts

* What it means to nourish the soul - both for ourselves, and also kin of the wider web (that includes the more-than-human world)

In this week’s episode we’ve chosen to talk a little bit about how the Academy came to be, and what have been the biggest markers in our personal rewilding journeys.

Why have we chosen to re-introduce ourselves?

* The festival of Samhain arrived a few days ago, marking the end of one cycle through the Wheel of the Year and the beginning of another - it’s an ideal time to pause and reflect before beginning the next phase.

* We’ve had lots of lovely new followers and listeners joining us since the recent release of our book (hello!) so we thought it would be helpful to share a bit more on who we are and what the Academy is all about.

What do we chat about?

* A little bit about ourselves and how we came to work together

* What The Wild Academy actually is!

* What we offer in the ecosystem of our work

* Why we do this work - what we’re passionate about

In this week’s episode we explore the concepts of magic, joy and beauty through the lens of enchantment.

Why have we chosen to talk about enchantment?

* We’re coming into witching season - this is a time of year that’s strongly associated with ‘the otherworld’; with magic, mystery and phemerality. For the next few months, we’re invited to connect with our intuition and with ways of knowing and being that transcend logical thought or material presence - to feel into things, and to trust that we know how to find our way through the dark. (To believe in magic!)

* In our Rewilding Wheel framework, our archetype for October is the Enchantress - the part of self that can support us with this process, and who can help us to tune into our own unique magic - our gifts, our stories, our spells.

What do we chat about?

* Enchantment, magic and the figure of the witch

* The mythic imagination - the interconnected stories and patterns that weave through life, both around us and within us.

* What it means to live an enchanted life

* Enchantment as a guide to help us participate more fully in life rather than to seek ways to disconnect from it

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