The Crisis and the Call: Journeys through Species-Wide Soul Initiation with Sara McFarland

34 snips

Sep 3, 2025

Sara McFarland, a Soul Initiation Mentor and Death Doula, dives deep into the transformative power of crises. She discusses how personal and collective upheavals can lead to profound change, emphasizing the need for letting go of outdated identities. The conversation navigates the intricate dance between ego and soul, revealing the potentials of embracing grief and love for growth. Sara also highlights the importance of ecological consciousness and authentic connections, urging us to reclaim our relationship with the natural world for true healing.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Crisis And Readiness Must Align

Sara McFarland frames threshold-crossing as needing both crisis and personal readiness.
We must grieve and build inner resources before stepping through the liminal door.

INSIGHT

Personal Initiation Mirrors The Collective

Soul initiation mirrors collective patterns: crisis and call recur at both scales.
The species-level shift requires moving from human-centric to Earth-centric consciousness.

ADVICE

Start By Building Resource And Longing

Begin by tending longing for authenticity and connection rather than forcing immediate rupture.
Build coherence and resources so you can safely enter a transformational journey.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

As the old system is splitting apart, a few brave souls are already working to hospice this old system, acting as Death Doulas to the Great Dying—as well as helping people to awaken the seeds of a new world within. One of these is our guest this week. Sara McFarland is a Soul Initiation and Wild Mind Mentor and Guide, Artist of Consciousness and a Death Doula for the Great Dying.

Their website says, 'I believe Earth is always moving towards transformation and renewal—to our eyes, it may look like rupture or being stuck, a dead end or a tragedy. And, like Earth, we are always Whole, regardless of the part we are currently stuck in. Resiliency is part of (our) nature. I do not offer the solution to your "problem" - what are often labeled problems, I understand as symptoms of disconnection from the Web of Life and the Trauma of Civilization. Both blessing and curse, they are the place where our gold is buried and shaped. I use all of the tools-physical, energetic and spiritual- I have learned and received, to support you towards wholeness and the building of inner resources in order to reduce your stress level, to learn to love yourself and to stand in your power. '

I came to know Sara earlier this year when I was invited onto the Starter Culture podcast. We talked for an hour and it felt like about 3 minutes and that we could have talked all day and not run out of avenues to explore, rabbit holes to excavate. Our conversation today took entirely different routes but was felt just as generative to me. Sara lives right at the emergent edge of the transformation of our world, helping to midwife the Soul Initiations of people who are called to ask them for help, and stepping into the Mystery at all its levels to act as a guide, mentor, healer in a world in transition.

Sara's website https://www.saramcfarland.com/

What we offer: Accidental Gods, Dreaming Awake and the Thrutopia Writing Masterclass

If you'd like to join our next Open Gathering offered by our Accidental Gods Programme it's 'Dreaming Your Death Awake' (you don't have to be a member) it's on 2nd November - details are here.
If you'd like to join us at Accidental Gods, this is the membership where we endeavour to help you to connect fully with the living web of life.
If you'd like to train more deeply in the contemporary shamanic work at Dreaming Awake, you'll find us here.
If you'd like to explore the recordings from our last Thrutopia Writing Masterclass, the details are here