The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sara Jolena Wolcott
A mathematician sets out to participate in the study of evolution... and ends up engaging in some fascinating research about social cooperation and the queerness of evolution! In this episode, Sara Jolena sits down with her old college friend Ben Allen, a mathematician whose work models how cooperation evolves — from iron-sharing bacteria to communal-nesting birds. They consider what this research might illuminate about cooperation in human communities. They then turn towards some of Ben's current research on queerness in evolution. Same-sex behavior has now been documented in more than 1,500 species... and it just keeps getting more interesting!
Key Topics & Timestamps
- 00:00 — Intro: welcome to ReMembering and ReEnchanting
- 01:05 — Meet Ben Allen: mathematician, old friend, and a researcher on evolution
- 02:56 — From pure math to evolutionary biology: how Ben's path unfolded
- 04:26 — Why organisms cooperate — and why "survival of the fittest" is an incomplete story
- 06:27 — The bacteria that share iron with their neighbors
- 08:18 — Modeling evolution mathematically: networks, neighbors, and cooperation
- 09:13 — From microbes to mammals: what changes (and what doesn't) when culture enters the picture
- 11:03 — Local connection as a strategy for large-scale engagement (including activism)
- 12:52 — Other paths to cooperation: kin selection, reciprocity, and reputation
- 14:26 — What evolution actually means: reproduction, inheritance, and mutation
- 16:53 — A parallel to religious traditions: continuity and change in tension
- 17:42 — What "reproduction" really means across the tree of life (sexual, asexual, horizontal gene transfer)
- 19:37 — What biologists actually mean by "male" and "female" — and why the definition breaks down
- 23:04 — Evolution "finds a way": clonal fish, sex-changing clownfish, and the limits of a human template
- 25:45 — Sex beyond reproduction: play, pleasure, and social bonding across species
- 26:43 — The 2019 paper reframing same-sex behavior in animals
- 31:28 — Ben's current research: could early marine life not even "see" sex at all?
- 33:15 — Deep-sea squid, imperfect filtering, and why indiscriminate mating can be an evolutionary advantage
- 36:37 — Two evolutionary strategies: cost of mating vs. population density
- 38:36 — Connection, yearning, and sociability across species
- 41:10 — Individual variation: why generalizing about any species misses the truth
- 42:16 — "A very queer evolutionary story"
- 43:20 — Darwin's Victorian assumptions that we are still unlearning
- 44:40 — The perspective of the scientist shifts the questions and analysis that the scientist does. We need many, many different perspectives for these big complex questions!
- 45:31 — Situated knowledge, Donna Haraway, and the case for multiple vantage points
- 46:23 — Closing reflections and thanks
Ben Allen is a Professor of Mathematics at Emmanuel College, Boston, MA. Their research focuses on mathematical modeling of evolution—in particular the evolution of social (other-directed) behavior. Their work has appeared in Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and The Atlantic.
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this episode, we are uplifting some of the ideas in Elspeth Hay’s remarkable book, Feed Us with Trees: Nuts and the Future of Food. After starting with Sara Jolena offering a summary of some of the big ideas in the book, we move into a conversation with author Elspeth Hay and a few of the many people whom Elspeth has mentioned in the book: Ron Reed, Karuk tribal member and cultural biologist; Joanna Brooks, settler scholar and author of Why We Left; and Gale Pettifer, commoner and scholar of the New Forest in England. Together they trace a set of histories that turn out to be deeply entangled: Indigenous land dispossession in California, the enclosure of the English commons, the suppression of cultural burning, the erasure of ancestral foodways — and the folk songs, forest laws, and buried memories that survived all of it.
Timestamps
0:00 — Welcome & introduction: Sara Jolena introduces the episode, inspired by Elspeth Hay’s book Feed Us with Trees, and the “no farm, no food” myth it challenges.
2:51 — Guest introductions: Elspeth introduces Ron Reed (Karuk Nation, cultural biologist), Joanna Brooks (Why We Left), and Gale Pettifer (New Forest commoner and commons scholar).
5:44 — Ron Reed’s opening story: childhood memories of harvesting acorns, mushrooms, and salmon; the Klamath Dam removal; and the ongoing fight to restore Indigenous fire practices with public trust objectives.
9:20 — Gale Pettifer on the New Forest: a thousand years of contested common rights, Norman forest law, and what it means to still practice ancient commoning in the 21st century.
12:58 — Joanna Brooks on settler scholarship and song: tracing her European ancestry through folk ballads, a grandmother’s lullaby, and a plate of hazelnuts at the British Museum that the curators couldn’t explain.
18:29 — Fire across continents: Elspeth connects her experience of gorse burning debates in the New Forest to Ron’s work on cultural burning — the same argument, on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
30:58 — Dragons, sacred fire, and colonial memory: a discussion of how fire moved from sacred to feared in Anglo-Saxon and English tradition, illustrated by the New Forest dragon legend and the introduction of Christianity.
34:31 — Songs of grief and displacement: Joanna traces the emotional record of enclosure through English murder ballads — songs about hazel trees, beaver hats, and families starving off the land — and what they reveal about why colonial settlers “lost their minds.”
43:12 — Magna Carta, common law, and the 1877 New Forest Act: Gale traces how brutal Norman forest law paradoxically became the foundation of commoners’ rights, and how public outcry saved the New Forest from privatization.
47:33 — The allotment parallel: Elspeth draws a striking connection between English allotment gardens and the U.S. federal allotment system used to break up Indigenous tribal lands — the same word, the same colonial logic, on both sides of the ocean.
1:10:42 — Cycles of colonization and reverse transmission: Sara Jolena traces how colonial practices — from plantation timekeeping to fire suppression — were exported back to Europe, and the importance of distinguishing imperial forces from common people’s forces within every culture.
1:16:11 — Closing round: guests share what is shifting now — prescribed fire training in Wellfleet, MA; intergenerational transfer of fire ecology knowledge; the joy of reconnecting with the New Forest through free-roaming ponies — and an invitation to listeners to bring these ideas into their communities.
Elspeth Hay
Book: Feed us with trees
Website
Bio
Insta
Ron Reed
Article about Ron Reed - How Karuk ceremonial leader Ron Reed used Western science to take down the Klamath dams
Interview featuring Ron - Fire is Food: A Virtual Brown Bag Discussion with Ron Reed and Kari Norgaard
Joanna Brooks
Book: Why We Left
Website
Bio
Gale Pettifer
Bio
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this episode of the Remembering and ReEnchanting podcast, Sara Jolena Wolcott sits down with filmmaker and spiritual innovator Nova Scott James to trace the profound arc of her film journey.
The journey begins with an exploration of Nova’s origins—from the influence of Harlem and childhood memories to the transformative power of cinema as a spiritual practice. We delve into the creation of her film 'Wild Darlings Sing the Blues' and the personal healing journey that informed her creative vision.
The conversation then transitions into a deep dive into the collective’s latest work: a land-based healing documentary. Nova shares the visceral experience of honoring ancestral land, navigating the energetic weight of filming on former plantations in Virginia, and the serendipitous rituals guided by spirits. This is a story of building a Black queer women’s collective through trust, patience, and the labor of collective transformation.
00:00 - Podcast Intro
01:30 - Introduction to the Wild Darlings Collective
03:18 - Exploring Origin Stories and Childhood Memories
07:56 - Understanding Lineage and Spiritual Innovation
17:06 - Cinema as a Temple: The Spirituality of Film
25:05 - The Healing Journey Behind 'Wild Darlings Sing the Blues'
28:19 - Healing Through Psychedelic Therapy
30:13 - The Birth of a Creative Vision
33:34 - Exploring Ancestral Lineage
37:11 - Confronting Family History and Trauma
40:06 - Introduction to Day 2 Recording
40:28 - Introduction to the journey of creating a land-based healing documentary
42:33 - The initial visions and spiritual downloads that inspired the film
44:38 - The healing and spiritual practices of the Darlings Collective
46:48 - Building community through workshops and shared spiritual work
49:23 - The significance of land and spirits in the collective’s rituals
52:43 - Challenges faced with facilitators and group dynamics
56:58 - Rebuilding after adversity and seeking an elder for guidance
1:01:13 - Connecting with land in Virginia and the impact of sacred sites
1:05:38 - The serendipitous process of land selection and the role of spirits
1:12:28 - Filming on plantations: rituals, ceremonies, and the energetic environment
1:25:30 - The immersive experience of land-based ceremonies and prayers
1:32:48 - Observations of healing and collective transformation during the process
1:35:28 - The importance of compassion in ancestral healing work
1:38:38 - Personal reflections on integrating trauma and ancestral memories
1:41:48 - Deepening trust and love for the land, spiritual practice, and creativity
1:43:58 - Final thoughts: upcoming release and ways to support the project
Movie Trailer: Wild Darlings Sing the Blues
Fundraising page
Website
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this special episode of the Remembering and Reenchanting podcast, hostess Reverend Sara Jolena Wolcott is joined by her friend, former student and collaborator, Gayano Shaw, for a reflection on the year of 2025. Going beyond our normal format where Sara Jolena uplifts other people’s work or shares some of her own, she invites Gayano to help her hold her own reflection. The process is loosely modeled after Sara Jolena’s circular time rituals.
Standing in the beginnings of 2026, Sara and Gayano look back at a year marked by profound personal and collective shifts—from the literal birth of a new family member to the mourning of six significant deaths in six months as well as immense political change. They explore what it means to "take down the altar" in times of upheaval of cosmovision, the power of indigenous-led rematriation, and letting life help us learn to refine our own practice.
Timestamps
00:00:03 – Introduction
00:01:40 – Purpose of Reflection: Sara explains her "Circular Time" reflection process, which she has practiced for eight years.
00:04:01 – Gayano shares her experience with Sara's circular calendars and the somatic nature of her teaching.
00:08:52 – January 2025: The start of the month-by-month and thematic look back at the past year.
00:10:46 – Family and Birth: Reflection on the birth of Krissy's grandchild and the "liminal space" of birthing.
00:13:15 – Work and Radical HR: Discussion of Krissy's new full-time job and the implementation of a three-month paid leave policy.
00:15:04 – Environmental Impact: Reflections on the Los Angeles fires and lessons from previous disasters like the fire in Paradise.
00:17:15 – Political and Indigenous Learnings: Sara discusses the presidential inauguration and learning from indigenous elder Pat McCabe.
00:37:26 – Cultural Revitalization: Observations from a gathering focused on indigenous healing and cultural strength.
00:58:29 – Public Speaking and Learning: Sara reflects on her growth and the challenges of stepping onto larger stages.
01:06:17 – Consistency and Improvement: Reviewing the year's progress in writing and teaching the "Remembering" course.
01:21:17 – Rituals of Death and Grief: Discussion on the importance of creating authentic rituals for death and loss.
01:31:30 – Societal Structures: Reflections on binary thinking, Christian nationalism, and the lack of processing time in modern society.
01:47:35 – Personal Challenges: Sara shares struggles regarding her mother’s care and the loss of insurance due to climate risks.
01:56:00 – Closing Thoughts: Final reflections on the richness of the current times and an invitation to "hold those seeds with care".
More about Gayano Shaw:
The Center for Nonviolent Communication
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this episode, Sara Jolena talks with Meda Dewitt, a Lingit traditional healer, ethno-herbalist, educator, and artist from the Tlingit culture. Together, they explore themes of the perception of time in western and Indigenous cultures, the importance of storytelling, and the impact of seasonal changes on life. This includes the contrast between Native time and what Meda refers to as "managed time," emphasizing the need for balance. The episode concludes with reflections on the personal and the collective in a rapidly changing world.
Subsections
00:00 - Introducing Meda DeWitt
02:11 - Cultural Identity and Language
05:40 - Understanding Time in Indigenous Cultures (with a focus on Tlingit)
10:09 - The Nature of Storytelling and Memory
18:40 - Cycles of Life and Nature
25:31 - Native Time vs. Clock Time
27:47 - Navigating Between Clock Time and Organic Time
31:04 - The Impact of Managed Time on Well-being
35:28 - The Reckoning of Time in a Capitalistic Society
38:12 - Finding Balance in a Modern Context
43:05 Embracing Mortality and the Value of Time
51:39 - Moving Between Times
Websites:
Wilderness.org/imago
SanctuaryAnimism.org
medaforalaska.com
Facebook.com/sanctuaryanimism
YouTube.com/@sanctuaryanimism
Note: Tlingit culture is a matrilineal society from what is now referred to as Southeastern Alaska. "Tlingit" means "people of the tides." Alaska has 229 federally recognized Alaska Native tribes, more than any other U.S. state, representing distinct indigenous cultures including the Yup'ik, Inupiaq, Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida, Eyak, and Aleut (Unangax/Sugpiaq). These peoples are deeply tied to their ecosystems. The major Alaskan ecosystems include: tundra, taiga (boreal forest), coastal rainforests, marine ecosystems (including the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea and the Aleutian Islands), mountains/glaciers; and wetlands and freshwaters.
The image used is from Fairbanks, Alaska, on the winter solstice. It depicts the short height and the narrow range of the sun on the winter solstice, when Fairbanks receives 3.5-4 hours of sunlight. Photo: Todd Paris courtesy of University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Feminist scholar and artist Max Dashu joins hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott to delve into matriarchal societies and the rich breadth and depth of histories of the divine feminine and various forms of female leadership. Max shares how to navigate colonial and patriarchal narratives in your own cultural lineage as part of uncovering the rich heritage of women's leadership, spiritual power, and cultural contributions that have been systematically erased or minimized. Don't miss Max's 56 years of research into suppressed women's histories!
Key Topics Discussed
Decolonizing Historical Narratives [04:21 - 12:26]
- How mainstream history gatekeeps women's stories
- The bias of written records from "elite men of dominant societies"
- Why we must look beyond Western Civilization narratives
The Archaeological Evidence [08:08 - 15:12]
- Ancient female figurines across continents
- How women's representation changes from Paleolithic/Neolithic to later periods
- The contrast between female self-representation and the male gaze
Women as Inventors and Culture Creators [10:16 - 13:09]
- "Mother tech" - women's innovations in agriculture, tool-making, and language
- Women's role in creating the "life support matrix for humanity"
- Grinding stones, basket weaving, and the origins of agriculture
Matriarchal Societies and Mother Law [26:02 - 36:38]
- Characteristics of matriarchal/egalitarian societies: matrilineal descent, matrilocal residence, social motherhood
- Non-aggression codes and communitarian ethos
- Women's public spiritual leadership across cultures
Global Examples of Women's Power
Africa [19:02 - 26:02]
- The Saharan rock art and the "Lady of Aouanrhet"
- Rain goddesses and rainbow beings in African traditions
- Pre-dynastic Egyptian ceremonial practices
Ancient Near East [16:48 - 19:02]
- Asherah in Hebrew tradition - the suppressed goddess who stood in the Jerusalem temple
- Mother of the Gods figures across Mesopotamian cultures
- Linguistic connections between Asherah, Athirat, and Ashtoreth
West Africa [36:38 - 38:42]
- Market women's economic power
- Yorùbá priestesses
- South African isangoma (diviners/medicine women)
The Complexity of Patriarchalization [45:14 - 53:31]
- Patriarchy as historical process, not inevitable human condition
- The case of India: layers of patriarchy from Indo-European invasion to colonization
Goddess Traditions in Patriarchal Societies [48:59 - 55:31]
- Why India maintains goddess worship despite extreme patriarchy
- Sanskritization and cultural appropriation of indigenous goddesses
Reclaiming European Ancestral Practices [56:14 - 01:04:08]
- Pattern recognition vs. cultural appropriation
- Spinning, weaving, and the distaff as women's spiritual power
Sacred Technologies
- Spinning and weaving as spiritual practice
- The distaff and drop spindle across cultures
- Songs and chants that accompanied women's work
Medicine for Our Times [01:03:01 - 01:10:42]
- The power of lamentation as ritual and political practice
- Why we need to grieve collectively for current atrocities
Follow Max on:
Instagram: @maxdashu
Facebook: @max.dashu
Website: www.suppressedhistories.net
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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This conversation, with Sheikh Adeyinka Mendes and hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott, explores the themes of remembering, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of humanity. We delve into the significance of ReMembering Divine Love in spiritual practices, the role of land in shaping identity, and the importance of forgiveness in personal and collective narratives. Through the lens of different religious traditions, especially Islam, we discuss the journey of self-discovery, the importance of continuing to stand for justice across ecosystems especially in the face of horrific genocides, and America as a gathering place for diverse cultures. The conversation culminates in the powerful story of Joseph, illustrating the transformative power of trials and the necessity of forgiveness.
00:00 - What are you ReMembering?
09:27 - Transcendent Experiences and Spiritual Awakening
27:04 - The Role of Land in Spiritual Journeys
38:12 - Reclaiming Cultural Roots and Reciprocity
40:58 - Justice... and Prophecies of America
49:01 - Gathering of Nations: Crafting Collective Consciousness
57:10 - The Role of Forgiveness in Healing
01:00:02 - The Story of Joseph: Lessons in Transformation
Follow Adeyinka on:
Instagram: @adeyinka.mendes
Facebook: @imammendes
Website: www.adeyinkamendes.com
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this conversation, Sara Jolena Wolcott and Hilary Giovale explore the themes of interconnectedness and the healing journey of decolonization. Beginning with one of their shared Nordic/Anglo-Saxon heritage's understandings of the web of life, known alternatively as Orlog/Wyrd, they inquire into the purpose and nature of ReMembering as participating in the web of life. They then move into Hilary's journey, which often echoes Sara Jolena's journey and might resonate with many listeners, including the importance of facing ancestral truths and the role of discomfort in personal growth. Hilary shares her experiences in writing her book, 'Becoming a Good Relative,' and the significance of feedback from diverse voices. How do we go between the spiritual and the practical? How do we build community among philanthropists and help philanthropists do our own work? How do we see the decolonial movement growing? We end with celebrating the incredible importance of music and the revitalization of ancestral languages.; The episode ends with some music by Carolyn Hillyer.
Grab your copy of Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers toward Truth, Healing, and Repair
Good Relative Website
Hillary's Instagram
Book mentioned:
For Indigenous Eyes Only: A Decolonization Handbook
Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance
Orgs mentioned:
Decolonizing Wealth Project
Magnolia Mother's Trust
Music played: Sago An Snijo
Artist: Carolyn Hillyer
More about Carolyn's music
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Music Title: Both of Us
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In this episode of the Remembering and Re-enchanting podcast, hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott speaks with John Seed and Niamh Murray about deep ecology, the interconnectedness of all life, and the importance of community and ceremony in fostering ecological identity. They explore personal journeys, mystical moments, the significance of indigenous wisdom, and how deep ecology plays a role in the broader need for a cultural reclamation project to reconnect with nature and with one other. The discussion emphasizes the critical role shifting consciousness to address the ecological crises we face today, highlighting the role of spiritual traditions and collective practices in this transformative process.
Towards the end of the podcast, John Seed leads the listeners in an experiential exercise, and we invite our listeners to engage with it.
01:33 Introduction to Deep Ecology
03:40 John Seed's Journey and Awakening
07:36 The Evolution of Connection to Nature
11:52 Ceremonies and Practices in Deep Ecology
18:29 Cultural Reclamation and Community Practices
26:52 Engaging with Indigenous Wisdom
41:19 The Journey of Seeing Differently
42:43 The Great Unraveling and the Great Turning
48:37 Crisis in Consciousness
54:00 The Power of Community and Connection
59:47 Experiential exercise: Breathing with the Green World
01:04:32 Poetry as a Path to Deep Ecology
01:10:36 Intergenerational Wisdom and Responsibility
01:19:09 Honoring the Web of Teachers
John Seed:
Website
Help protect the Koalas! - The Great Koala National Park
Niamh Murray (Enviro Mentality)
Website
The Emotion Code
Newsletter
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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This episode features a conversation between host Sara Jolena Wolcott and guest Jessica Intermill, a lawyer and land history consultant. Jessica highlights the significance of land history in revealing the complex relationships between Indigenous cultures, settlers, and the land. She also discusses the emotional and practical aspects of land return and repair, stressing the need for respectful use of power and resources to support Indigenous goals.
01:31 - Introduction to Jessica Intermill
02:49 - What does land history evoke for you?
08:56 to 10:28 - On working with tribal nations
10:29 - Do you think the American Culture is a culture of running or a culture of place?
26:01 - On working with different generations
42:21 - Rugged individuality
Jessica's website
Socials: Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Sara Jolena and Aubrey Chaves discuss the importance of understanding one's family history, faith, and its impact on personal identity. More than most of our episodes, this one resembles the kind of conversations that sometimes arise when Sara Jolena does 1-1 spiritual direction work with people. It is tender and exploratory. We aren't talking "about" something so much as going "into" it in a very personal way.
The two women explore the intergenerational transmission of trauma and resilience, emphasizing the role of social and cultural contexts. Aubrey reflects on the somatic experience of making decisions and the anxiety sometimes associated with aligning personal desires with societal expectations. They highlight the significance of prayer and community support in navigating these challenges and finding inner peace.
As this is an unusual episode, I want to share more about how it came about:
Sara Jolena met Aubrey at that podcasting conference they both participated in at BYU in Salt Lake City. Aubrey has her own podcast, Faith Matters, which highlights aspects of the Mormon faith. She is an immensely bright, cheerful, and bubbly person. I had mentioned something about my work with legacies and inheritances in one of the sessions. She came up to me during a break, and started asking me questions about multi-generational emotional patterns. As we started talking, it was a clear that this could be one of those really important conversations for her - a conversation that could make a difference. I asked if she'd be open to recording it. She was ecstatic.
Given how vulnerable the conversation ended up being, I asked her at the end of our recording: are you sure you want this to go out there into the world?
And she said, "Sara Jolena, this is the kind of conversation I've been wanting to listen to for years. I crave being able to listen in to these kinds of conversations. If I had heard this a few years ago, it might have helped me. So I want this out there, because maybe another woman, another person, might find it helpful, too."
Well. I can't say no to that!
It's a conversation about working with intergenerational trauma on the feminine/female line; about her grandmother's letters; about what it means to be a woman of her faith; about embodied yeses and nos, about what it means to grow up and to listen to God and to trust her own inner wisdom. About learning to be ok with who she is, even when that's different. Yes, there's tears. And insight. And a lot of beauty.
I hope you enjoy it!
As always, if you appreciate this episode, please do remember to give us a like, leave us a kind review and to share this episode with others.
Listen to: Faith Matters Podcast
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Sara Jolena and Robert Monson discuss their shared experiences with disability, the importance of communal care and mutual support, and the need to imagine a new world beyond the constraints of capitalism and able-bodied norms. They explore the intersectionality of race, class, and disability, as well as the challenges and resilience faced when claiming disability identities. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize the power of spiritual listening, rest, and remembering.
Three Black Men podcast
Black Coffee and Theology podcastSubstackEnfleshed
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this episode of The Remembering and Re Enchanting podcast, host Sara Jolena Wolcott and guest Lisa DeLay reflect on their experiences at BYU's Elevate: A Faith and Spirituality Podcasters Summit in Provo, Utah, where they engaged with a small group of podcasters dedicated to exploring spiritual themes. They have also highlighted key insights from Krista Tippett's keynote conversation, emphasizing the importance of fostering genuine dialogue over traditional interview formats to explore deeper human experiences and spirituality. They also touch on the challenges faced by podcasters from marginalized communities, advocating for truth-telling and justice within their work.
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this episode, Sara Jolena Wolcott and Lisa Colón DeLay have an engaging discussion about the inner landscape, drawing on wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers of early Christianity. They explore how our internal worlds are deeply shaped by cultural influences, trauma, and the dynamics of community.
Lisa shares insights from her book "The Wild Land Within," describing the "eight afflicting thoughts" identified by the Desert Father Evagrius as common challenges on the spiritual journey. The conversation also delves into the rich but often overlooked Coptic Orthodox Christian tradition and the importance of developing personal "rules of life" with spiritual practices.
Throughout, Sara and Lisa emphasize the need to balance an awareness of our wounds and struggles with a remembrance of the blessings, beauty, and sources of safety within our inner landscapes. Their dialogue offers listeners a thoughtful, holistic perspective on navigating the complexities of the soul.
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Get a copy of her book The Wild Land Within: Cultivating Wholeness through Spiritual Practice
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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This episode features a conversation with Sara Jolena Wolcott, Josh Schrei, and Andrew Dunn about history and technology. It was originally part of the Embodied Ethics in The Age of A.I. course offered by the School of Wise Innovation.
Links:
Andrew Murray Dunn
Andrewmurraydunn.com
Substack
Medium
X
Instagram
Facebook
Josh Schrei
The Emerald Podcast
Instagram
Facebook
Advaya Course
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Scottish writer, Academic, and Spiritual Activist Alastair McIntosh sits down with Sara Jolena Wolcott to talk about his work on land reform, waterways and housing; the importance of Community Gardens, and the current state of America amidst the coming US election. This includes reflections from the island from which Donald Trump's maternal family comes.
1:33 - Introduction to Alastair Macintosh
5:38 - About Dark Mountain
12:00 - Land of trust and land ownership
20:40 - History
24:20 - On Trump and the American definition of "success"
33:00 - On Community Gardens
36:40 - Archetypes - Trump
41:20 - Divisions in America
48:00 - Paying attention to waters: Rivers and Oceans
58:00 - Possible American Futures
Referenced material:
Other Books mentioned in the episode:
- Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump
- Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Alastair's books:
Soil and Soul
Riders on the Storm: the Climate Crisis and the Survival of Being
Poacher's Pilgrimage: an Island Journey
Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service
Parables of Northern Seed: Anthology from BBC's Thought for the Day
Island Spirituality: Spiritual Values of Lewis and Harris
Alastair's website
Featured Music:
Music: The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomondby Marie Narelle
Publication date 1906
Source: Archive.org
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Author, social entrepreneur and the co-founder of a School Called HOME and The Dark Mountain Project - and a long time friend - Dougald Hine sits down with Sara Jolena Wolcott to talk about (adult) education, which leads to so many other things, because education is connected to so many things.
1:27 - Introduction to Dougald Hine
5:04 - When you know society has run to the end of its own story.... A question from a friend and student
16:19 - On education and carrying a message
21:38 - Education, Religion, and learning from what comes before us
42:17 - Learning and unlearning as adults
58:53 - Ethical Dilemmas in running our own schools
1:14:00 - Divestment and disinvestment in culture and place
1:21:51 - “Our world has not always been made for us and yet we do / we are actively part of creating what's arising”
Dougald Hine:
Website
Dark Mountain
Dougald's book: At Work in the Ruins: Finding our place in the time of science, climate change, pandemics, and all the other emergencies
Further Adventures in Regrowing A Living Culture: A five-week online series
with Dougald Hine start of May 23rd and 24th, 2024 - Learn more
a school called HOME
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Learn more about Sara Jolena Wolcott and Sequoia Samanvaya
Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Peacemaker, business consultant, and advisor Maija West joins us to talk about her former work as co-founding the Healing and Reconciliation Institute and her journey in honoring the land.
1:34 - Introduction to Maija West and her work at Healing and Reconciliation Institute
23:58 - Tools that help Majia in her work as a facilitator and peacemaker.
27: 58 - Bringing the land in to engage in peacemaking
31:58 - What does it mean to honor sacred land? Sacred Land, Retreat Centers, and indigenous homelands
55:8 - How do you support listening between groups who are not seeing each other?
1:17:14 - What are you remembering?
maijawest.com
Bylaws toolkit for worker self-directed nonprofits
Leadership embodiement
hricommunity.org
Our Shared Humanity Podcast
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
SoundCloud
Clarification from Maija: At around 43 minutes- I say “at best” is a comanagement agreement, but of course, full land return is a goal for many Nations. What I was meaning, but didn’t say, is that this option can be “best,” if the title to land will not transfer (land return) to a Tribe/Nation, then a co-management agreement can be a strong tool. Especially in California, because some Nations we work with have shared that they would prefer sharing the responsibility with a trusted third-party partner, like a land trust, as long as the written agreement is culturally appropriate and has a strong set of protocols for addressing issues or challenges through peacemaking.
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Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this special easter episode, we look at the curious intersections of a Goddess of the Dawn, the turning point of the Christian calendar and cosmovision, and the way in which time itself was reconceptualized in early medieval Europe, with reverberations and implications for today.
This is an audio essay, not a conversation, and it picks up on threads from some of our earlier work around circular time, the transition into Christianity in Europe, ecclesiastical history, and our ongoing inquiry into the eco-spiritualities necessary to both interpret, respond to, and find faithfulness in the midst of a changing climate.
Article Version: The Goddess of the Dawn and Reckonings with Time(s)
Written by Sara Jolena Wolcott:
Lady Pancakes the Rabbit and related Spring Metaphors… Between metaphors and reality: suggestions for Seasonal Inquiry
References mentioned in this podcast include:
Bede, The Reckoning of Time
CS Lewis - The Discarded Image, an introduction to medieval and renaissance literature
Goddess of the Dawn podcast by Fairfolk
George Musser - The Paradox of Time: Why it can't stop, and must
The ReMembering Course - Registrations are accepted through April 8.
Click here to learn more
Learn more about Circular Time
Background music title: Gregorian Chant
Background music by: KevinMacLeod.
Thank you for listening - please "like" the podcast! :-)
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Learn more about Sara Jolena Wolcott and Sequoia Samanvaya
Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Osprey Oreille Lake talks about her vast work at WECAN International alongside many Indigenous leaders and her newly released book The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis.
0:26 - Introduction to Osprey and WECAN International
4:28 - How did you learn how to listen?
7:32 - Story that opened Osprey’s heart in different way. (Her relationship with Nature)
14:00 - What does it mean for a worldview to be an entryway into something?
19:10 - "It is a time to listen to indigenous leadership:"
26:10 The story is in our bones
29:00 - Re-finding the Lorelei
36:48 - The right of nature movement
53:45 - Why do you keep showing up?
1:01 - How can we change the worldview of our government?
1:04:25 - What do you ReMember?
WECAN International
Osprey's Instagram
Get your copy of Osprey's new book: The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis
Sara Jolena's ReMembering Course (which engages with so many of these themes!)
Support the show
Learn more about Sara Jolena Wolcott and Sequoia Samanvaya
Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Join us on a journey in and around and through the relationship between time and place. We cover circular calendars, the nature of time, progress, colonization, and consider the question, "What would a liturgical calendar for a regenerative economy look like?"
We hear a lot about how people are separated from place. Much less discussed is how separating people from place leads to a different kind of relationship with time.
This information comes from years of engaging with time, particularly via our Circular Time course, as well as our ReMembering Course.
This audio was made possible through the support of Nik Kemmer. The flute music and bells throughout the episode is played by your hostess, Sara Jolena Wolcott. The music at the end of the episode is from Wild Revival.
Other resources that inform this episode include:
Do We Really All Have the Same 24 Hours? What Works Podcast
Dark Mountain Project issue 12, SANCTUM
Your Consciousness comes from the Moon, by The Emerald Podcast
Raj Pandya, Indigenous communities adapt as climate change upends traditional ecological calendars
Support the show
Learn more about Sara Jolena Wolcott and Sequoia Samanvaya
Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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Indigenous poet, scholar, musician, and community organizer Dr. Lyla June Johnston joins Sara Jolena to share about her dissertation, "Architects of abundance: indigenous regenerative food and land management systems and the excavation of hidden history".
1:33 - Introducing Dr. Lyla June
3:38 - Introducing Lyla's PhD dissertation - Architects of abundance: indigenous regenerative food and land management systems and the excavation of hidden history.
13:48 - "What are the value systems that you found throughout multiple indigenous communities of turtle island?"
21:00 - Stories, myths, and values
44:34 - Return land. Return land management control to indigenous communities.
53:00 - "Land back is a way to not only heal the soil but to heal the soul of our country ."
1:08 - On joy
1:16:06 - Living in Celebration
Further resources
Download - Lyla June’s thesis Architects of abundance: indigenous regenerative food and land management systems and the excavation of hidden history
Watch- Architects of Abundance: Indigenous Regenerative Food Systems and the Excavation of Hidden History: UC Santa Cruz Arts, Lectures, and Entertainment
Watch- 3000-year-old solutions to modern problems | Lyla June | TEDxKC
Visit - Lyla June's website - includes articles, music videos, and related updates
Follow - Lyla June on Instagram
Follow - Lyla June on Facebook
Listen - Lyla June's podcast, Nihizi
Support the show
Learn more about Sara Jolena Wolcott and Sequoia Samanvaya
Music Title: Both of Us
Music by: madiRFAN
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In this episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast with host Sara Jolena Wolcott and guest Dr. Alexis Bunten, we:
- Start with history, the colonial gaze, and its impact on today's tourism and travel ‘explorations’
- Look at the dangers of "Disneylandification"
- Consider both 'sides' (the tourist and the native) experience of cultural tourism
- Go into some basic (but often not followed) things to consider when you are the one doing the tourism/traveling
- Alexis gives some suggestions for native-led tourist organizations
Timestamps:
1:37 - Introduction to Alexis Bunten
5:48 - What Alexis learned from tracing the history of tourism and how she sees those histories shape tourism today
15:50 - What’s the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation?
19:08 - What does it mean to “Explore”?
24:03 - Disneylandification vs. Deep Cultural Learning
29:44 - Tourism today vs. tourism 20 years ago.
46:38 - How can they engage in the native-owned tourist experience?
55:00 - How can tourist guides facilitate visitors in connecting with the local culture?
Books written/co-written by Dr. Alexis:So, How Long Have You Been Native?: Life as an Alaska Native Tour Guide
Indigenous Tourism Movements
Join Bioneers in their next gathering on March 28-30, 2024 in Berkeley, CA
Prof Carole Cusack, a professor in Religious Studies at The University of Sydney, shares from her research on the shift into Christianity and the loss of indigenous European traditions, which were then referred to as "pagan" traditions. We explore some of how Christianity was brought, sometimes violently, to Europe, and the subsequent shifts in spiritual, cultural, political and geographical imagination. This is immensely significant in understanding subsequent patterns of colonization and christianization.
1:35 - Introduction to Prof Carole Cusack
2:35 - What got you interested in the early period of medieval history?
7:30 - Conversion then vs Conversion today
17:50 - The parallels between the moment of the Christianization of Europe, and the colonization and attempted Christianization of indigenous peoples around the world in modern times.
33:00 - How much did this shift to Christianity change peoples’ life?
37:28 - “The template for conversion and for conquest and for colonization is a very ancient one.”
51:46 - Suggested resources from Dr. Cusack Books from Dr. Carole Cusack:
The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom
Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements
Invented Religions: Imagination, Fiction and Faith
The Sacred Tree: Ancient and Medieval Manifestations
Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality
Other resources mentioned on the podcast:
Popular Religion in Late Saxon England: Elf Charms in Context - Karen Louise Jolly
European Paganism - Ken Dowden
Bio of Prof Cusack
Carole M. Cusack is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and English Literature from the University of Sydney in 1998. In 1996, she obtained her PhD in Studies in Religion, and in 2001 she earned her Master of Education (Educational Psychology).
She has published research and books on medieval European religion, modern paganism, alternative spiritualities, etc.
Read her full bio
Indigenous elder Ron Goode and Pastor Katerina Gea join hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott to talk about an indigenous approach to fire management, frequently referred to as Cultural Burning. We delve into the sacred use of fire, how these kinds of preventative burns play a critical role in preventing wildfires, and fire's sacred connection to water and land.
Timestamp:
1:30 - Introduction
4:46 - What do we mean by cultural burn?
21:27 - Fire shapes Water
29:34 - Linking the four elements
34:22 - The forest plan: recreation sustainability and economic sustainability
49:09 - How the State's fire agency shifted its decision from prohibiting to promoting cultural burning
58:23 - Pastor Katerina's experience in cultural burning
1:04:45 promo - "The spirits are here and the spirits are listening to us"
In this episode of the Mythcasting section of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast, hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott tells a story of one of the forgotten goddesses of the greek mythology.
Baubo (and her Boar), a peculiar deity who is most certainly older than the Greek pantheon, but who still manages to survive the agricultural revolution in the Fertile Crescent and plays an absolutely essential role into one of the most important Greco-Roman stories, that of Persephone's theft by the God of the Underworld, Hades, and her (eventual) rescue by Demeter, the Earth Goddess whose mourning of her daughter leads the whole Earth into Winter and whose ability to find her and bring her back leads to Spring.
Background Music by: Nik Kemmer
Author and founding pastor of the first Church of the Wild Rev. Victoria Loorz join Sara Jolena Wolcott to talk about being an edgewalker, the possibility of Christianity, what it's like to be a parent of a climate activist, and her latest book: Church of the Wild.
3:42 - Delving into some beautiful writing: the prologue to Victoria's book, the church of the wild
9:33 - Experiencing a call
11:13 - Victoria on the book, ‘Restoring a Kinship worldview’ by Darcia Narvaez and Wahinkpe Topa
14:59- Being an edgewalker
31:11- Learning the process of transformation
37:05 - Bringing people into the wild
44:03 - Delving into the word “Logos” : the conversation
47:07 - What does it mean for the conversation / Sermio to be at all times?
50:48 - What is possible within Christianity…. and life?
52:24 - Raising children in the age of climate change?
Grab a copy of the book Church for the Wild.
Visit Victoria’s website to learn more about her work.
How can an organization with values of equity shift away from its own embedded hierarchy? In this conversation, we speak with Robin Cook Roth who was recently the CEO of the UK company, Traidcraft to talk about how he led his organization out of the hierarchy. We discuss how holacracy's process of self-management, distribution of power, roles, and responsibilities led him to experience a level of freedom and joy in his own work, and how it has helped the company live out its values. We get into some of the spiritual dimensions of this work, and some of what it means to remember and reenchant the organizations where so many people spend so much time.
1:37 - Learn more about Robin Cook Roth
5:25 - What is self-management?
12:51 - Who decides what’s the appropriate distribution of power?
18:10 - Tradecraft's transition to Holacracy
25:00 - Sara Jolena on The Dawn of Everything
30:46 - What is the role of power as it relates to spiritual power displaying itself in an organization?
34:50 - How was it like to give up power?
38:30 -Relinquishing power in the work of decolonization
43:45 - How does Holacracy intersect with suppliers?
52:38 - What are some initial steps and resources to self-management?
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
Nina Simons, Co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer of Bioneers and the author of, Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership, joins hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott to discuss the healing work of bringing people together and leaning into feminine leadership. Of the many titles that she has been given, "culture doctor," is one of her own favorites, and it seems to fit many of the women leaders whom she has learned from and with over her decades of working to weave together ideas, people, and actions for a more compassionate and ecologically sound world.
1:13 - Introductions
3:33 - How do we create 'connective tissues' between people, ideas, and various forms of dismembering?
7:00 - The spark of bringing people together
17:14 to 24:20 - What does it mean to be a culture doctor?
28:56 - Balancing the masculine and sacred feminine
34:44 - Can the skill of weaving be taught?
35:43 - The importance of stepping aside with grace
40:00 - What has Nina learned from being of service to the BIPOC community?
44:34 - How white folks in leadership can support indigenous leadership
53:00 - Lifting up leaders/culture doctors
1:06:57 - The greatest gifts that Nina can offer
Nina's socials:
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Nina's book:
Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership
Bioneers' socials:
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Podcast
As we move through the time of year when the night is long and the day is short, let us contemplate those mysteries that can be unveiled in the dark. This podcast offers a contemplation of circular time, ancient temporal technologies, Circular Time, and why it is valuable to vitality itself in the modern age.
4:00 - Invitation to Circular Time
5:47 - To know the Dark by Wendell Berry
7:03 - The "Light" in Darkness
14:15 - Ancestors in the Dark
18:33 - On God, time, place, and seasons
21:24 - Temporal traditional ecological knowledge
28:10 - How do we get away from such valuable ecological calendars?
32:25 - Work and leisure in the modern calendar
33:46 - How does western society come to be so dis-membered from Earth?
40:15 - Separated from temporal realities
45:07 - Linear time, never-good-enough, hyper-productivity and burnout
52:46 - Reclaiming the night; embracing rest; and returning to Earth Time
Join one of Sara Jolena's Circular Time sessions! Or sign up for a private session (just email us and we can set up a time!)
This podcast has quite a lot of references! Here are a few:
What Works by Tara McMullin
Waking up to the Dark by Clark Strand
The American Indian Mind in a linear world by Donald Fixico
A Brief History of Time by Steve Hawkins
Between ecology, economy, and the elevated self: a conversation with Rama Subramanian
Emerging from the Pandemic: fear and curiosity/confidence
Wendell Berry, Go Dark - Music by Katie Hicks. Here's a lovely interpretation by Hannah Fogg
Sara Jolena's thesis: ReMembering the Origins of the Anthropocene Age
Our earlier podcast with Ramasubramanian
Recommended podcast that totally resonated with and in some ways inspired this podcast: The Emerald
Is there a new-ancient ecologically-centered spirituality erupting into different spheres of life around the world? Professor Bron Taylor's decades of research suggest that, yes, a diverse spiritual movement that values and experiences a spiritually informed and often infused connection with nature is rapidly growing. In this conversation, we look at many dynamics of this movement, from the global environmental milieu to surfers to scientists to indigenous activists and intellectuals.
1:55 - Getting to know Bron
7:20 - Bron's early work with the park service and thinking about organizational change and organizational development
11:57 - How Earth First inspired him to think about religion and the climate crisis differently
15:16 - How looking at social and ecological activists were working with and cultivating an eco-spiritual lens
18:58 - Global patterns of spiritualities of belonging and connecting with nature
20:15 - "Dark Green Religion"/Spiritual-ecology through the lens of science, popular media, and art
29:20 - How terms and definitions are changing
32:15 - Can global religious traditions become 'green' (as many people want them to be?)
46:00 - Where do you see the ideas and actions around decolonization intersecting with the dark green religious movement? (Which gets us into a conversation about animism)
55:20 - What does it mean to go deeper and learn the spiritual path of 'Dark Green Religion
1:06:17 - Language, Identity, Appropriation, and Practice
1:12 - There is going to be awkwardness, and it's okay.
About Bron Taylor:
Dr. Bron Taylor is one of the leading voices and academics tracking the intersections of religion/spirituality and nature. For several decades, he has been tracking the rise of what he sees as an international spiritual/religious movement, arising in many different places and across multiple traditions and positions. His book Dark Green Religion has been translated into multiple languages, often serving to help the eco-spiritual communities see themselves and each other in a broader perspective. He currently is the Samuel S Hill Ethics Chair at the University of Florida, where he anchors the world's first graduate pram focusing on religion and nature. He founded the Journal for the study of Religion, Ecology, and Nature edited the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, and helped found the International Society for Religion, Nature, and Culture.
Taylor's youth was spent on and in the ocean in southern California. While simultaneously working in the park system, he earned his academic degrees, including his Ph.D. in Social Ethics from the University of Southern California (in 1988). His contributions to writing about the spiritual dynamics of surfer culture have been much appreciated. Along the way, he engaged in social and environmental activism and took on his most important role as a husband and father.
Website: www.brontaylor.com
Insta: @Bron.Taylor
Books:
Dark Green Religion
Avatar and Nature Spirituality
Affirmative Action at Work: Law, Politics, and Ethics
Ecological Resistance Movements: The Global Emergence of Radical and Popular Environmentalism
Check out other links to the resources from Bron Taylor on our website
How do we move from 'cycles of suffering' to 'cycles of resilience' in ways that intertwine the personal and the collective dynamics? Anjuli Sherin, LMFT, shares with us her insights as a therapist and a person who has experienced and is witness to these intersections in her clients' lives. We discuss uncurling, polyvagal theory, activism, how individual and collective healing are intertwined, and engaging joy and laughter amidst adversity and suffering.
1:34 - Introductions and starting with practices of Joy
6:01 - Moving out of the silo of individual healing in the context of a hurting society (Your problems are not just about your parents)
17:03 - Explaining the Cycle of Suffering (developed by Sherin)
24:50 - Social and institutional aspects of neglect, criticism, and vulnerability
30:07 - The cycle of resilience - How do you change the cycle of suffering
36:02 - Looking at the inner and the social critic
47:55 - What has your work taught you about what it means to build a more resilient society?
1:00:28 - Returning to joy
Learn more about Anjuli Sherin and her work at www.anjulisherinmft.com
Get a copy of her book: Joyous Resilience: A Path to Individual Healing and Collective Thriving in an Inequitable World
Follow Anjuli on Instagram and facebook at @AnjuliSherinMFT
Ben Yosua-Davis, Director of Applied Research, The BTS Center, sat down with hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott to talk about some of the learnings from their learning community, which is asking questions from a spiritual lens towards a climate changed world. We start with death, which is a critical element of any kind of ecological and spiritual framework, and move into some of the different aspects of learning that the BTS learning community, representing seven different organizations in the northeast, is exploring and finding.
00:45 - Ben's introduction, What is the BTS Center; the BTS center as a parable
4:21 - The question of endings as the beginning of theological education
7:03 - What does it mean for an organization to die well?
10:54 - The role of applied research in the BTS center
14:00 - The danger of the (ongoing) "savior" mentality
18:38 - The word "Apocalypse" and the various unveilings of our times
20:52 - The critical importance of creating space in organizations
21:38 - What have you been learning in the co-learning community?
31:33 - The importance of rest for organizations, as well as individuals
42:00 - Organizations are not machines but are living ecologies needing tending
55:24 - What are you ReMembering?
BTS Center offers a variety of (mostly free) programming and various offerings to spiritual leaders engaging with a climate-changed world. Check out their Climate Changed Podcast, which Ben hosts.
Ben Yosua-Davis serves on The BTS Center staff team as Director of Applied Research. For five seasons, Ben produced and hosted a podcast called “Reports from the Spiritual Frontier" which chronicled the day-to-day lives of leaders innovating new forms of spiritual community. Previously, he lived in Haverhill, MA, where he co-planted a new church called The Vine, one of the earliest mainline missional church expressions, which gathered in homes and coffee shops. Ben is a Maine native and now lives on Chebeague Island, Maine, with his family. When not spending time with his family, he directs the community chorus and delivers tins of cookies to unsuspecting neighbors.
If you liked this podcast, don't forget to leave us a high review, and please consider listening to more episodes of the ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast!
Listen to Climate Changed podcast hosted by Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis.
Learn more about The BTS center by checking out their website.
Check out Ben's Facebook author page.
Follow The BTS Center on Instagram and Facebook.
1:33 - Introduction
2:38 - What are you ReMembering these days?
6:52 - The journey with the Rosary
18:23 - Yelling at the Divine
33:50 - What makes an object a sacred object?
44:16 - Chaos and setting up boundaries
46:01 - What does it feel like to enter the field of a deity or a particular energy?
Learn more about Gladys Garcia Neroda by going to www.glagar.com
Follow her on instagram
This conversation starts with ritual and craft. Then we move into Katherine's background in The New Thought Movement, a movement behind the philosophy "your thought can change your reality." We delve into some of the history of the New Thought Movement and its ramifications on a society that emphasizes that "you can become anything" while at the same time ignoring societal injustice, systemic injustice, the gifts of sickness and suffering, and various forms of limits to growth. Interwoven in our conversation, Katherine shares pieces of her spiritual journey away from focusing on "manifesting" and towards become a witchy person living in an already enchanted world.
This podcast is recorded in Autumn of 2022.
Beginnings - first offerings; rituals as embodied practice
6:57 - The New Thought Movement: the backdrop of 'manifesting'
13:00 - "Vibrating at the frequency of health" - New Thought Moves across the country
15:00 - Prosperity Gospel
20:00 - Acknowledging the power of the New Thought Movement and the limitations and 5-step affirmative prayer
23:30 - Relationship between New Thought and New Age
29:00 - Incompleteness and challenges of "manifest your vision" philosophies
33:00 - The importance of knowing where we come from and how this shifts our visions
41:38 - Initial restating of some of the main insights that have arisen in our conversation
44:00 - Learning with and alongside suffering
48:00: The importance of engaging with anger; a ritual for anger
55:00 - Mars in Retrograde, and the firey parts of ourselves
Ending with appreciation, remembering, the importance of going into the depth of who we are
Further links:
Katherine works with individuals, teams, and organizations. She is highly responsive to people reaching out to her! You can learn more about her work crafting rituals at www.katherinenewell.com.
Katherine's social
Instagram
Facebook
Matariki takes us on a journey of ReMembering the enchanted forests and rivers of Aotearoa, known on most maps as New Zealand, and the continuing journey of the Maori peoples and the pakeha (settlers) who colonized and have enacted grave violence on their land and their people. Her narration of the history becomes a narration of the history of a movement and a set of legislation that has inspired people the world over: recognizing the inherent sovereignty and personhood of forests and rivers. Often known as part of the Rights of Nature Movement, this narration lightly touches on rights-based language, stemming instead from the complex and often immensely challenging relationship between the Maori and the New Zealand government; sovereignty, freedom, and finding ways to be a part of an animate, living world. This episode infuses poetry and fable, legal constructions and historical struggle, contemporary learnings, and the complex endeavors of some hard-core innovation between two vastly different cosmovisions. Listen to a story by one whose family and whose life is shaped by and for it: Matariki uses her training and expertise as a lawyer to be in service to her forest.
Timestamps:
5:05 - Remembering, ReEnchanting, and coming back to life in Aotearoa New Zealand
12:04 - Treaty of Waitangi (Settlements negotiation and settlement process) legislation
14:50 - The Crown - what is this government, anyways?
18:10 - “Settlement” process: the journey of understanding colonial pasts differently
30:49 - How do you shift away from a national park?
42:00 - What does it feel like to stand before the Forest as your mother?
46:20 - The great law of peace, Sara's ancestors and working with democracy differently
1:02:15 - From the Ocean
1:11:24 - Some of Matariki’s current work and artistic journey
We all do belong to earth.
Matariki's bio:
Erin Matariki Carr: (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa). Matariki was raised in Whakatāne and currently lives in her home rohe of Tāneatua, just north of Te Urewera rainforest. She completed her studies at Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Spanish. Matariki’s work has been in the Māori law arena, including a focus on post-Settlement iwi governance and structuring at Chapman Tripp and policy writing for Te Urewera legal personhood at Te Uru Taumatua. She is now an independent contractor providing legal research, management and wānanga facilitation services. Matariki is co-lead of RIVER Aotearoa Charitable Trust, a Research Fellow for Associate Professor Claire Charters at the University of Auckland, co-director of Te Kuaka NZA Incorporated Society, and a facilitator with Tūmanako Consultants with a focus on helping to bridge worlds in Aotearoa, so we can build a society which actively enables both Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā to thrive.
References:
- River
- Te Kawa o Te Urewera
- Matike Mai Aotearoa report
- Matike Mai – lecture by Prof Margaret Mutu
Follow Erin:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Follow Sara Jolena and Sequoia Samanvaya
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Facebook
Website
Guided by the season of equinox itself, we are starting Season 2 with a reflect on Equinox: Balance and Change
In this episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast, Sara Jolena sits down with social entrepreneur Ramona Ferreyra. In this conversation, Ramona shared the importance of following her intuition and listening to the voice of her ancestors as she sought to be of service to her community and to a changing planet. From working with the FBI and the Department of Defence in community engagement and environmental resilience to being inspired to go deeper into her own indigenous Taino heritage to starting her Onesies company Ojala Threads to, now, revitalizing sacred sites.
Follow and purchase Ojala Threads baby and adult apparel. Definitely sign up for her newsletter!
Donate and share to her Go Fund Me Campaign to help the locals of San Cristobal, the Dominican Republic, develop La Cuevas de Bibiana de la Rosa.
Follow Sara Jolena and Sequoia SamanvayaSequoia Samanvaya's Website
Sequoia Samanvaya’s Instagram
Sequoia Samanvaya’s Facebook
Sequoia Samanvaya’s LinkedIn
Sara Jolena’s LinkedIn
Follow Ramona and Ojala Threads
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ojalathreads/
Instagram:
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LinkedIn:
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In this mythcasting episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting podcast, your hostess, Sara Jolena, renarrates the ancient myth about a seal who becomes a woman... and the man who steals her skin. This is a story about belonging to multiple worlds, how climate change is impacting our oceans, what it means to belong to the depths, the loss of innocence... and the a cautionary tale about the importance of guarding one's protective skin.
Like many of our mythcasting episodes, this myth is inspired by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes's book, Women Who Run With the Wolves.
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Brewing, folk arts, circular time, fermentation, and revitalizing regenerative cultures.... we delve into the magic and complexity of brewing with herbalist, singer and folk artist Heather Wolf.
About our conversation partner, Heather Wolf:
Heather Wolf is an herbal brewess, folk herbalist, teacher, singer & performing artist from an island in the Salish Sea. Her work is devoted to reviving folk wisdom traditions, and a remembrance of our ancestral heritage and sacred relationships. With decades of study and craft of herbal brewing traditions, Heather most recently launched The Brewess Underground, a private brew club centering on dry herbal meads and botanical honey liqueurs, released on the Equinoxes and Solstices.
Her herbal brews, including her honey-kombuchas, have been much beloved throughout the American Northwest. In addition to brewing, she is re-learning her own Sephardic Jewish & British Isles ancestral songlines and partaking in the revitalizing of folk traditions. She writes of folk traditions, "Folk wisdom is carried by the collective, belongs to the whole, is the vital foundation of every healthy culture. These arts relate us directly with our own beings, each other, and the sacred world from which our existence is emergent and interdependent."
About this show:
00-3:40 - Introductions and initial music
5:28 - How does brewing enable us to unwind in time?
6:50 - What is inebriation?
8:18 - What is mead?
10:48 - What actually happens in fermentation?
11:39 Heather’s process of fermentation; thinking about alcohol
15:50: Culturing the culture
23:41 How is time interfacing with the creation of a brew?
28:40 Some revitalizations in our time
32: 10 Brewing and circular time
50:38 Fairytale time
45:00 Heather Wolf reading and singing the song, Old Growth Fairytale, that she co-created with Nicholas Moon and their band, Wild Revival
54:30 Brewing Brewess, and suggestions for your practice
Relevent links:
Join our upcoming Circular Time course
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Heather’s website (which includes links to her music)
Buy the song Old Growth Fairytale by Wild Revival:
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In this Mythcasting Episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast, your hostess, Sara Jolena, shares the ancient myth about a young fisherman who fished out a skeleton of a woman. The woman's skeleton comes alive, and chases him home.
This story is about finding love, and sitting with what is uncomfortable, some of the damage that climate change is doing to our oceans, and what it means to be safe and secure with one another.
Like so many of our Mythcasting stories, this is inspired by the Estes' book, Women Who Run with the Wolves.
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An electric conversation between midwife and herbalist Krystina Friedlander and Rev Rhetta Morgan, a minister and spiritual midwife. We discuss the mysteries of accompaniment and birth giving, the violence enacted by the patriarchy including practices of modern medicine, trusting bodies, communal possibilities of spiritual midwifery, and trusting our center.
Check out Krystina
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In this Mythcasting Episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast, your hostess, Sara Jolena Wolcott renarrates the story of the Greek goddess Demeter searching for her daughter Persephone, who had been seized by the Lord of the Underworld. Along the way, she encounters one of the spirits of Eros, who helps her move through her grief enough to find the help she needs.
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In this episode, spiritual activist, singing healer, and interfaith minister Reverend Rhetta Morgan shares music, poetry, and conversation with Reverend Sara Jolena Wolcott . On the even of the winter solstice, we enter the dark, meandering in its many meanings.
Some key points:
1:39 - Introduction of Rev Rhetta Morgan
2:20 - Sara and Rhetta recite and sing Rilke’s poem on darkness; they let themselves wonder and wander around Rilke's insights.
11:55 - Rhetta’ shares some of her work and insights about the Dark
14:50 - The (false?) dichotomy between the light and the dark
23:00 - What have we projected onto the dark? Colonization and racial injustice
31:50 - The testimony to the multiplicity and the wonder that is possible in the dark.
53:40 - How do we engage with darkness differently? Practices
58:09 - We acknowledge the power of Circular Time Calendars for helping us engage more deeply with darkness
If you've enjoyed this podcast, here are some other offerings that might be of interest....
Another episode with Rev. Rhetta Morgan and Midwife Krystina Friedlander
Circular Time Course
Rhetta's upcoming in person retreat at Pendle Hill, just outside of Philadelphia, USA, on Feb 4-6, Blessing Darkness
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Follow Rev. Rhetta Morgan
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Rev Rhetta's bio
Reverend Rhetta Morgan is a singing healer, spiritual activist, and interfaith minister who has been gathering tools for healing and inspiration for over 40 years. Through her gifts of prayer, poetry, facilitation, and sermonizing she cultivates hope and nurtures connection in her community as a pathway back to belonging and wholeness. As a facilitator and coach, Rhetta is known for her ability to support others to be bold, heal their self-limiting beliefs, and integrate their internal healing with their social movement work. This support is essential to cultivate the powerful spiritual activism that is needed in these times.
As an active facilitator in the Philadelphia region and beyond, Reverend Rhetta currently works with the Unitarian Universalist National Ministers Association, the Center for Contemporary Mysticism, the People of the Global Majority in the Outdoors, Nature, and Environment and more. She also founded and leads the Ecclesia Spirit Interfaith Community as well as Ritual for Change Makers, an 8-month program for activists seeking to renew their spiritual connection to the transcendent and to land.
Midwife Krystina Friedlander and Death Worker Michelle Acciavatti join hostess Sara Jolena for our first episode in this season to discuss the ways in which the most significant transitions of our lives, being born and dying, are shifting during COVID-19 and the subsequent global quarantine.
Their friendship and companionship as healers and doulas at opposite ends of the spectrum shines as they find many similarities in the way in which their intimate work with our bodies is changing. In what promises to be the first of several conversations around topics of birth, death, suffering and celebration, we here deepen our understanding of what their work actually entails, the importance of unspoken intimacy, and the communal importance of both entering and leaving this precious life we share together.
Yes, we are talking explicitly here about dead bodies, blood, and grief; all of which are topics we often rather leave to the murder mysteries on our television than to frank conversations amidst ourselves. If discussions of dead bodies makes you squeemish, you might want to leave this one aside, but I invite you to journey with us.
Please feel free to visit Krystina's website (www.barakabirth.com) and Michelle's website (ending-well.com); though their work keeps them closely bound to their place (New Jersey and New Hampshire, respectfully), they both welcome conversations. I'm confident we will be hearing more on these topics and from these two gracious, loving guides as we move forward together.
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We dialogue with Professor Mark Wallace (Swarthmore College, PhD from U. Chicago) about his recent eco-theological book, "When God was a Bird: Christianity, Animism, and the ReEnchantment of the World."
It is a beautiful exploration of viewing the Bible not only through "green" eyes but through an "animist" lens.
We cover:
- God did not only "enflesh" (Him/Her)Self, but S/he "enfeathered" Themselves
- The queer, animist nature of the Genesis Creation story
- The Serpent God told the Hebrew People to look at for healing
- Jesus working in 'shamanistic' ways when he works with the highly potent dust/earth at his feet to perform his healings
- The Fluidity of the Divine
And wonder at the extent to which it is time to lay to rest some of the divisions between "animist" practices and the Judeo-Christian tradition that has caused so much riff over the years.
It's a bit long, but I hope you find it is worth the time it takes to listen to it!
Purchase When God Was a Bird: Christianity, Animism, and the Re-Enchantment of the World (Groundworks: Ecological Issues in Philosophy and Theology)
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In this Storytelling Episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast, Sara Jolena shares how her father's death launched her into a convergence of different aspects of her spiritual, national, cultural and familial ancestry. This ancestral convergence transformed her, and led her to do the ReMembering work that she does today.
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“All must die to die. And those who live must live.”
In this Mythcasting episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting podcast, Sara Jolena retells a classic myth of La Loba, inspired by Clarissa Pinkola Estes in her best selling book, Women Who Run With the Wolves.
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Is it possible to come to know Spirit better through engaging deeply with the Hebrew Bible? Certainly, the long traditions of students in Judaic and Christian traditions suggest so.
Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev has long been a friend and teacher of mine. I am delighted to be able to bring his voice and wisdom to you. Our conversation is all about justice, love, and G*d's journey with his people, especially the Prophets, in the Old Testament.
He recently wrote a beautiful book, The Liberating Path of the Hebrew Prophets: Then and Now. I encourage folks to buy it, especially anyone who is actively engaging with Old or New Testament, but also those who want to better understand a way that social justice is continually revealed as critical to the G*d of the Old Testament's relationship with his beloved People.
This conversation starts with Rabbi Nahum's translation of the Hebrew word YHWH, (often translated into English as Jehovah) into "the Living Presence." This beautiful translation speaks to the continually becoming and dynamic nature of the Divine. We go from there into Genesis... and onwards. It is a rich conversation, shimmering with symbolic meaning for our times.
Cover art used for this: An Imperfect Ally (Pharaoh’s Daughter Adopts Moses)By Lisle Gwynn GarrityFollow Sara Jolena and Sequoia SamanvayaSequoia Samanvaya's Website
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In this episode of The ReMemembering and ReEnchanting podcast, hostess Sara Jolena Wolcott sits down with sustainability expert Ramasubramanian to share his thoughts on the economic, environmental, societal, land, and water transition in his home Indian state Tamil Nadu.
Check out Rama Subramanian on:
Samanvaya's Website
Ram's Instagram
The Sustainable Livelihood Institute's Website
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In this Mythcasting Episode of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting hostess, Sara Jolena Wolcott narrates her journey from a social scientist working for major international organizations to becoming a singer in India. She includes stories about her family's history and finding an elixir.
1:00 3 types of recordings of The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast
2:17 Sara’s family history: Religion, Oliver Wolcott, and her education.
9:06 Moving to India: work, climate change... and falling in love.
14:22 Becoming a singer: turning people’s stories into songs
17:20 Learning what is ReEnchanting and DisEnchanting
23:40 Re-engaging with our own cultures
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Sara Jolena gives an overview on what you can expect from the 14 episodes of the first season of The ReMemembering and ReEnchanting podcast.
The song featured in this episode is titled, Song for the Winter written by Maggie O'Connor and was performed in a cave in Wales by some of Sara Jolena's students. The singers include: Gayano Shaw, Jerome Flynn, Emma Collins, Jason Stewart, Diane Lester, Clara Clay, Jude Butler, and Lis O’Kelley.
Released Earth Day, 2022.
For more episodes that did not make it into this season, please visit our podcast's website, located at our home website.
Uncertainty: a consistent theme since Covid-19 became a Global Pandemic and societies went into various forms of lockdown. Those of us in Western countries and more affluent spaces are largely unfamiliar with and often afraid of this level of uncertainty. However, there has been decades of research into how humans can live with uncertainty to create reliability. Dr Ian Scoones from the STEPS (Social, Technological, and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) Centre at the Institute of Development Studies joins us on this podcast to discuss his decades of his research on uncertainty grounded in the lived realities and experiences of pastoral communities in East Africa as well as the experience of disease outbreaks including Ebola and the Avian Flu. We inquire into what can be learned - and what has not been learned from other countries. I studied with Dr Scoones and Dr Melissa Leach and his team many years ago, and it was wonderful to reconnect at this time.
Much is revealed, especially the deep divisions between different ways of thinking about and living with uncertainty. While we are critical of simplistic, top-down approaches to attempts to control deeply complex situations such as pandemics and recognize the limitations of scientific models, we also are in no way dismissing the importance of epidemiology. Instead, working with uncertainty requires a wide array of knowledge bases: a process that requires integrating social and cultural knowledge alongside of the knowledge formed by scientific models. Unfortunately, we are really lacking the mid-level people who can help integrate the community based understanding and the meta-knowledge to enable varied, safe responses. Without such approaches and people, we lapse into an either-or mentality. We flounder without the skills of actively creating reliability out of uncertainty, especially those of us who are used to a predictable lifestyle.
Resources that we mentioned:
The IDS's current work on the Pandemic
The STEPS' Centre backlog of work on pandemics and the social dimensions of pandemics
The Pastres Program: Pastoralism, Uncertainty and Resilience: global lessons from the margins
Ian Scoones, Melissa Leach and their team's new book on the Politics of Uncertainty (the open access version will be available from May 20 onwards)
Paul Richards' book: How A People's Science Ended an Epidemic
Richards' recent article on Ebola and Covid: What might Africa teach the world?
A long-yearned for ancient alternative is, with the Pandemic, now becoming mainstream.
In rural communities across India, an ancient economic imagination is becoming a contemporary lived local economy. This tremendous moment is happening almost spontaneously, as producers, shut off from global markets and consumers, in need of locally sourced and accessible foods, are finding one another.
Our friend Ram Subramanian from Tamil Nadu, South India brings us the big-picture story, from memories of pre-colonial memories local economies embedded in agricultural, religious, medicinal and governance institutions to the past fifty years of small scale attempts at local economies that were always considered “fringe” to the sudden and dramatic growth of local economies due to the Pandemic and the recent government initiatives, including the most recent state-wide stimulus package, to support and grow this emerging new food, health, and lively livelihoods of an ecosystem.
You can find more information, including some of the early initiatives that led Ram and his team to co-develop state-wide policies supporting the same, on his blog. Much work is still needed in this space, including mapping, learning, and giving funding to these local initiatives; and one should not listen to this and think that 'everything is great in India right now' - the ramifications of both the pandemic and the lockdown are far more complex! Nevertheless, this is a hopeful story that could absolutely be a marker on the turning point towards regenerative economies.
The Shape of this Episode:
1:50 – ReMembering pre-colonial local economies – an origin story
National identity defined by fear and security systems vs by identity defined by culture and fearlessness
24:00 – We have known and discussed local economies for the past 50 years, but the people discussing them were too abstract from the situation and were not the actors who were able to make the change or they were seen as fringe.
30:30 – what changed
Is that the producer could not reach the far away market and so looked around and saw the local consumer, and the local consumer could not reach the far away market looked around and saw the local producer, and they said, oh! We can connect here. And the local government said, oh, we don’t have to wait for the lockdown to be over, we can support the local people here.
39:00 Local government paying attention and working towards internalization
44:00 (ish) Increased acknowledgment and promotion of herbal practices by officials
55 – potential future contributions spiritual /religious contributions and moving towards fearlessness
The image for this episode is of traditional seeds from south India, placed together as a Ragoli decoration during a seed exchange festival for farmers that Ram's team organized in Auroville; photo taken by Ram and used with his permission.
After Sara Jolena Wolcott and Ramasubramanian (Ram) traveled to Quito, Ecuador for the NEXUS global conference, they were immediately caught in political unrest as the country began to convulse in a strong reaction against the IMF agreement the President had signed the day Sara and Ram landed in Quito. after several days of increasing political uncertainty, they decided to leave the country earlier than scheduled. They flew to California, Sara's home, and quickly found themselves in another state of Emergency: the "planned" power outages of PG&E. The combination of these two experiences back to back in different parts of the world led them to host conversations discussing what it means to move into a State of Emergency.
This is not a "normal" podcast - it is a recording of a live discussion hosted at Shelley Tanenbaum's house in Albany, California. Shelley is the Director of Quaker Earthcare Witness. The first part is Sara and Ram sharing about their experiences and then group discussion. The recording devices were shifted early on in the conversation and so the first 5 minutes, when Sara gives a background summary of why Ram was denied entry to Ecuador because the rules for visa requirements for Indian nationals had changed at the last minute, and the eventual need to call in the Secretary of State of Ecuador in order to issue him a last minute visa, is absent. At this point, the first 18 seconds are quiet.
Beautiful conversation with Scottish Quaker elder Alastair McIntosh included poetry, power and presence. We start with some theology, discuss Scottish spiritualities and decolonization, including land reform.
It's the first episode of our new ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast! I'm Sara Jolena Wolcott, the creator of Sequoia Samanvaya, an ecotheology community connecting the disconnected in our amazing and precarious times. We are delighted to have you join our sacred learning conversation!
I am joined for our first series of conversations by my dear friend, ecotheologian, and fellow ReMembering teacher Christopher Fici. Chris is a soon-to-be Ph.D in ecotheology and is an avid explorer of the practice of anticipatory community.
In this first episode, we explore and deepen the term "remembering", which is both an everyday term and one that can invite us to delve deep into who we are, where we come from and why we are here.
In this podcast we seek multiple forms of ReMembrance: to re-ground ourselves in the body of the earth, our ancestors and the Spirit; to re-integrate the history of climate change into the history of colonization; to reconnect stone and bone, to rejoin people and place; to re-integrate body wisdom into our collective wisdom.
Join us for these spiritual journeys through time and space. Dig into the root causes of violence against people and place which manifest as inequalities, injustice, and ecological traumas. From the remnants of (more) truthfully rendered traumas can arise life: abundant, glorious, transformational.
Of course, we could not have this podcast without our many ancestors, mentors, spiritual guides and teachers. Chris and I met through our studies at Union Theological Seminary, and we give particular appreciation to the ethicist Dr. Larry Rasmussen, whose work on Earth Honoring ways of being has been deeply inspirational, and the late Dr. Cone, the grandfather of black theology, and whose capacity as a teacher has significantly influenced our work.