Today on the show, I'm in conversation with Sophie Strand, the mistress of mycelial masculinity and author of The Flowering Wand. Healthy masculinity has been a passion of mine for years and it was an honor to learn from this neo-troubadour animist and her poetic insights.

During our discussion, we discuss the androgynous rockstar Dionysus, modern misunderstandings of Odysseus, and the theriomorphic archetype of masculinity. Sophie elucidates why healing is always relational and the role of the festival in helping to "wed our wounds to the earth." Sophie's central thesis is that the trouble with masculinity is that it is like a gut dysbiosis and what we need is to give the masculine a big probiotic hug.

Sophie Strand is a Hudson Valley-based writer who explores the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. She has authored a collection of essays titled “The Flowering Wand: Lunar Kings, Lichenized Lovers, Transpecies Magicians, and Rhizomatic Harpists Heal the Masculine.” She also wrote “The Madonna Secret,” an eco-feminist historical fiction that reimagines the gospels.

Links

Timestamps

:06 - Androgynous rockstar Dionysus

:13 - Modern misunderstandings of Odysseus
:21 - Why healing is relational
:27 - The role of the festival in healing
:34 - How we “wed our wounds to the Earth”
:39 - How do we heal masculinity
:45 - Theriomorph (half man half human) - rich inheritance of masculinity
1:02 - How to learn like Sophie

Sophie Strand: A Mythic Probiotic for Masculinity