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If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a naturalist and cyclical being.

I have been finding it really difficult to write these days, so I thought recording a podcast would be easier. Well, it was! And then I realized that I needed to write a description to go along with it, that was the hard part, but here it is now.

I recorded this on August 1st, the day you might call Lughnasadh or Lammas. I did find and eat my first wild blackberries this season! But I feel really disconnected from the energy of abundance and harvest. There is enough food in this world for all of us to be fulfilled, yet so many go without, whether by force, by design, by systems rooted in greed and control. How do we celebrate abundance while others starve?

I feel more fear and hopelessness, than I do abundance at the moment. After recent ICE raids in my community (literally 2 blocks from our house), I’m on edge and not even slow walks through the woods seem to be easing my nervous system.

Here are some of the things I process in this episode:

* musing on why making this podcast is easier than writing a post

* my cycle check-in from day 16, inner late summer

* feelings of discouragement with my body

* a hillside of baby trees (which I totally misidentified!), I now believe they were northern spicebush

* annoyance with the mosquito buzzing in my ears

* how I feel spiritually disconnected

* all the dried up crusty mushrooms

* the ICE raid in our community with large support by the local police

* the fear and nerves I feel for my spouse when he goes out everyday

* learning from the mushrooms how to decompose

* my experience at a recent forest bath

* forced disconnection from the Land

* the starvation in Gaza

* reflecting on trees that blew down

* how life feels the opposite of simple

* what it means to have a high reward food system

* talking about the book I’m absolutely in love with right now!

* musing about how much I’ve learned being a naturalist over the last two years

* a sad fern story

* first blackberry harvest, fitting for this Lughnasadh season

* holding on to hope

Photos from recent wildwood wanderings…

Thank you for witnessing me today and being open to slow walks in the woods. I would love to hear what you are noticing around you these days? What are the stories nature is telling you?

holding it all, together, with you

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If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a cyclical being.

I recorded this on April 24th, when I was close by my favorite local park and spring was just beginning to look like spring. As you’ll hear in this episode, I have been underwater and overwhelmed, so it has taken me almost a month to get from recording to uploading. 🫠 Not surprisingly, I’m in the same point of my cycle today as I was when I recorded this: inner late summer/early autumn. Sometimes it feels like I only have two or three days in my cycle when I can actually complete a task. ufff…

But no more dwelling on how I feel disappointed in myself for taking so long to upload this episode and more celebration that I finally got it out there! Thanks for coming with me on my walk and having patience along the way.

Here are some of the unfurlings in this episode:

* nature observations on this warm spring day in Pennsylvania

* the slow growth of the trillium

* playfulness of the jewelweed

* how I am actually unsure of my cycle day at the moment

* struggling without a routine

* stress of home renovations

* all the busyness that has kept me away

* my new injury that has put a dent in regular life

* how disrupting it is without sleep

* the lack of butterfly observations this year

* making impulsive choices with adhd

* short-term pleasures with long-term ramifications

* cycles of overwhelm, numbing, and recovery…repeat

* pondering on how these cycles overlap with my inner seasons

Photos from this wildwood wandering…

Thank you for wandering with me, and for being open to noticing the land beneath you—even in the midst of overwhelm, delays, and everyday life.

What’s stirring in the nature around you these days? What’s it reflecting back to you?

together in the unfurling of life,

Get full access to Root & Rhythm at meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a cyclical being.

I visited a new park for this wandering and had a short timeline before making it to my rain water catchment workshop, yet I managed to connect to the land and myself. Here are some of the tidbits I share in this episode:

* my cycle check-in for day 14

* nature observations on this late winter/early spring day in Western PA

* joining the Western PA mushroom club

* what is phenology

* finding black bear scat

* traipsing in the mud

* gamifying my spiritual practices

* healing from a bad ankle sprain and the disappointment of not being able to complete some goals I had set this year

* what are vernal pools

* my work in the world and how my purpose matters in the political climate we are in here on Turtle Island

* being authentic and how the revolution needs all of us to show up in who we are

Photos from this wildwood wandering…

Thanks for listening along with me and opening yourself up to more awareness of the land beneath your feet and the connection within you.

What are you noticing in the nature around you? What is it teaching you?

may you move through the mud with grace,

Wildwood Wanderings is a listener-supported podcast. To support this work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Get full access to Root & Rhythm at meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

Here we are again for another episode of WildWood Wanderings!

On a recent walk through the woods, on cycle day 2, I came across a field of wildflowers struggling to live in this drought we are experiencing. I felt a deep kinship with these echinaceas, black eyed susans, and milkweeds, together, as we struggle amid this dry season.

I was hesitant to take out my phone to record this episode, because I was afraid that I was going to be very negative with how I was feeling. Yet, I felt the pull of the invitation to just press record and process what I noticed through the walk. This turned out to be one of the most magical hikes I’ve ever been on, with lessons from the amethyst deceiver mushroom to hold on to hope and a snake that has shed their skin reminding us that we are capable of transformation. If you listen to the whole episode you will hear the seismic shift in my energy from the beginning to the end!

I would love for you to share down in the comments:

* Where you are in your cycle and how you are doing. You can also share with us over in the chat as we are on day 19 of our 30 day ritual!

* How do you nourish yourself when you are experiencing a dry season?

* What lesson is nature teaching you today?

You can support this podcast by become a paid subscriber at $7/month.

Root & Rhythm is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Get full access to Root & Rhythm at meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back for another episode of WildWood Wanderings!

In this episode, I am sharing some recent failures and how I am moving through them. It can be really defeating to set a goal and not be able to reach it. I don’t think enough of us share those moments when we fail, so I hope that by sharing it will open up the space to normalize failure. It happens to all of us!

I would love for you to share down in the comments your moments of failure and how you have moved through those tender feelings. This helps us all know that we are not alone.

You can support this podcast by become a paid subscriber at $7/month.

Root & Rhythm is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Get full access to Root & Rhythm at meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

Here again for another episode of WildWood Wanderings! In this wandering, I am sharing the superpower of the inner autumn to hold tension, especially in liminal times of transition. I talk about my current transition time and what is coming up for me as I contemplate next steps. I hope that this talks lets you know that you aren't alone if you are experiencing the same.

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Back again for another episode of WildWood Wanderings! In this wandering, I am sharing the sacred liminal time between winter and spring, both in our menstrual cycle and the earthly seasons. I talk about my own experience struggling with pacing as I move into spring and ideas on how we can slow down.

Make a donation to support this podcast:
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Here we are at episode 6 of WildWood Wanderings! In this wandering, I am sharing about the different self-imposed pressures I have put on myself since the beginning on the year and what I am doing to help alleviate the pressure. I am wandering and wondering around the season of Imbolc and what it means to prioritize and focus for our ability to find ease as we move from winter to spring. Enjoy!

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Welcome back to episode 5 of WildWood Wanderings! In this wandering, I am sharing what is present here at the end of 2023 and moving into 2024. The theme of rhythm came through in this episode. I am talking about how rooting into a rhythm is very grounding and how difficult it is when our regular rhythms are disrupted. At the end, I share some guidance into how to set up healthy rhythms for yourself in the new year. Enjoy!

Make a donation to support this podcast:
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