Growing up in Asia, I always believed there was a rabbit on the moon assisting the Goddess who passed the time grinding dried medicinal herbs into an elixir of immortality. However, only recently did I discover that this trio of associations (rabbits, the moon and divine feminine) is an ancient archetype, stretching across a diverse array of cultures, landscapes and centuries by way of the Silk Road.
Read MoreOwl Eyes Goddess Sight: Where Wisdom Holds Intellect and Creaturely Intuition in Sacred Balance
What sacred knowing might we remember if the human mind dared to meet the wild gaze of nature, not in conquest, but in kinship? In this exploration, we turn to the myth of Athena and her owl, a symbol of wisdom born from two intertwined perspectives, inviting us to reconsider the nature of knowledge itself. By acknowledging both the rational and the mysterious, the human and the more-than-human, we open ourselves to a deeper, more holistic understanding of the world. This myth calls us to honor the ancient wisdom of balance, urging us to seek insight through relationship rather than dominance, and to remember that true wisdom is always a dance between worlds.
Read MorePolar Bear Son: in Kinship with the Wild
Polar Bear Son is a deeply moving Inuit folktale with themes of reciprocity and interdependence. An elderly woman who raises an abandoned baby polar bear as her son. When she grows too old to care for herself, he hunts for food for her.
Read MorePhoto of a gorgeous scene from the North Woods Lake Umbagog and Androscoggin River region where I spend several; days each summer immersed in pristine wilderness . . . .along with all the rustic charm and quirks and inconveniences that come with truly getting off the grid! Every corner of this lush landscape carries the spirit of Sky Woman, from the Haudenosaunee creation story of Turtle Island—North America.
Sky Woman’s Seeds: A Myth to Grow What Matters
What if creation wasn’t just something that happened once, long ago—but something we’re still a part of? In this reflection on the Haudenosaunee story of Sky Woman, I explore themes of reciprocity, balance, and the quiet power of tending what we love. With insights from Robin Wall Kimmerer and Ilarion Merculieff, this piece is a love letter to the enduring relevance of ancient myth for our contemporary moment.
Read MoreRewilding the Self through Story
“Who Cooks For You?” is an African American folktale about rewilding the Self to live a more authentic life. It is inspired by Virginia Hamilton’s retelling of this story in her book Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales.
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