The Rewilding Podcast w/ Peter Michael Bauer

Seven in ten Americans identify as Christian. For a movement like rewilding to gain more traction, it must intersect with the belief systems of the culture at large on some level. I am not a Christian, though I am interested in the intersection of rewilding and christianity. Since I live in the United States, I feel it’s important to understand enough about the dominant cultures here and where to find common ground in rewilding narratives. In this episode I chat with two friends of mine who are both pastors. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin and Aric Clark. Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin is an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church, a spiritual director, grief coach, writer, author of the book: What is the Way of the Wilderness: An Introduction to the Wilderness Way Community, and co-editor and contributor to A Grounded Faith: Reconnecting with Creator and Creation in the Season of Lent. Solveig helped found EcoFaith Recovery, and founded and pastored the Wilderness Way Community for eleven years. She and her husband Peter are raising two teenage boys in NE Portland.Rev. Aric Clark is pastor of Mt. Home and Sherwood United Methodist Churches. He is also a writer, a speaker, and an activist who lives in Portland, Oregon. He is the co-author of Never Pray Again: Lift Your Head, Unfold Your Hands, and Get To Work, a book which challenges readers to embrace a concrete other-centered spirituality, and editor of Faithful Resistance: Gospel Visions for the Church in a Time of Empire. When not pastoring, writing, or protesting he is parenting two teenagers and indulging a love of tabletop gaming.Our conversation topics range from anarchism, feminism, death, grief, decolonization and the histories of the church, the challenges of working in institutions and much more. Notes:Christian AnarchismBread Not Stone: The Challenge of Feminist Biblical Interpretation by Elisabeth Schussler FiorenzaIshmael by Daniel QuinnCatholic Worker MovementThe Smell of Rain on Dust by Martin PrechtelFinisia Medrano Hildegard Von BingenBelievers: Making a Life at the End of the World by Lisa WellsRewilding the Way by Todd WynwardChed MyersWatershed DiscipleshipEcofaith RecoveryBecoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth by Randy WoodleyA Grounded Faith: Reconnecting with Creator and Creation in the Season of LentThe Leaven CommunityWhat is the Way of the Wilderness?Support the show

In this conversation, writer Sophie Strand explores the vital connection between myth and rewilding. A passionate advocate for blending ecology, spirituality, and storytelling, she delves into the significance of place-based myths and their role in maintaining ecological knowledge. Sophie shares insights on the Dionysian archetype as a transformative force against rigid societal norms, and discusses the impact of microbiology on behavior and identity. Practical rewilding practices, including engaging with ecosystems and understanding dietary taboos, round out this enlightening discussion.

Recently one of my patrons asked me what my day to day rewilding looked like. This is a glimpse into some of that, but also with perspective on what it might look like for others. Support the show

My guest today is Jason Godesky. Jason is an old friend and colleague of mine. We met in the early 2000’s on an internet chat board called “Ish Con” short for Ishmael Conference. It was a place to discuss the ideas presented in the books by Daniel Quinn. It was here that I gave Jason the nickname, “The Machine Gun” for his ability to remember and rapidly deploy facts, journals, studies, ethnographies, and more to back up many of the positions in what we would later call Rewilding. When ishcon closed down in 2006, I bought the domain rewild.info and invited Jason to help create a new online chat board specific to rewilding. Jason is well known for his essays on his now defunct blog, The Anthropik Network. A few years ago when Rewild Portland acquired rewild.com, I asked Jason to write the content to help people describe what rewilding means. These days his main focus is on using storytelling and gaming to promote the concepts of rewilding. Though, every once and a while he’ll post a new essay on a particular topic of interest. It’s his latest essay, entitled “Overpopulation” that we’ll be discussing here on the rewilding podcast today. Notes:Jason’s ProjectsOverpopulation by Jason GodeskyThe Fifth WorldThe Fifth World PatreonMentionsIshmael by Daniel QuinnMaking Kin Not Population Perceptions of the Environment by Tim IngoldPopulation Growth Daniel QuinnLotka–Volterra equationsLaw of Limited CompetitionEurope & The People Without History by Eric WolfThe Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph TainterAgainst the Grain by Richard ManningAll Things Being Equal: A Review of The Dawn of EverythingOvershoot by William CattonThe Neolithic refrigerator on a Friday nightWhy These Bears “Waste” FoodJevons Paradox: The Efficiency DilemmaDisinterpretationDegrowthSupport the show

In this episode I return to the theme of this podcast: rewilding. It's used in so many contexts now, from video games to outdoor clothing to lifestyle branding. But what does it really mean? Where did it emerge? How can we stay authentic to the meaning as it gets absorbed by mainstream capitalism? This is a good refresher for those familiar with my work, as well as a nice starting place for those who have recently come across the podcast. Notes• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn• Against the Grain by James Scott• The Maya Forest GardenSupport the show

I’ve lived with depression for most of my life. I’ve learned to manage my symptoms in order to function and live a more fulfilling life. I’ve dedicated this episode to working through some of the areas of overlap between depression and rewilding. This is a very personal topic that lives close to my heart. I was originally planning on doing this one solo, but I realized that it would be more impactful if it were in conversation with someone who shares similar but different experiences with depression. My guest on this episode is Sheila Henson. Sheila received her BA in History and an MA in Education, spent twelve years as a behavioral respite worker for children with special needs, working for many of those years at the Serendipity Center in Portland. Today she is an ADHD Coach, and is a well known and respected educator on tiktok. The drive to understand how to be kind, collaborative, and restorative within our social and ecological communities led her to Rewild Portland, where she now serves on the board of directors, heading up our transformative justice committee. Sheila and I also co-teach a Rewilding Your Health class through Rewild Portland. Notes:List of National Suicide Hotlineshttps://support.google.com/websearch/answer/11181469Sheila’s Websitehttps://www.sheilahenson.com/Sheila’s Tiktokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@adhdcoachsheilaSleep & Depressionhttps://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/depression-and-sleepExercise & DepressionThe Challenges of Treating Depression with Exercise: From Evidence to Practicehttps://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2006.00022.xMeditation & DepressionAn update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depressionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3500142/Diet & DepressionDiet and Depression—From Confirmation to Implementationhttps://www.anp3sm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/jama_berk_2019_ed_190008.pdfMusic & DepressionMusic therapy for depressionhttps://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004517.pub3/fullGreen Spaces and DepressionGreen spaces deliver lasting mental health benefitshttps://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_349054_en.htmlGardening & DepressionGardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysishttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5153451/Soil Microbiome & DepressionDirt has a microbiome, and it may double as an antidepressanthttps://qz.com/993258/dirt-has-a-microbiome-and-it-may-double-as-an-antidepressant/Crafting & DepressionAntidepressive response of inpatients with major depression to adjuvant occupational therapy: a case–control studyhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12991-016-0124-0Plant & Fungi MedicinePsychedelic Support the show

Lisa Wells is the author of Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World, The Fix, and winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize. Her essays have been published by The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, Granta, The Believer, n+1 and others. She lives in Seattle and writes a column for Orion Magazine called Abundant Noise. She’s also one of my oldest and closest friends. In her latest book, Believers, she sought out many different people all seeking to find a way to live sustainably in the world, as we sit on the precipice of a collapsing civilization. In this conversation, we chat about the book, some of the subjects (including myself), the writing process itself, the role of storytellers as culture building, and much more.Notes: • Lisa Wells Website• Instagram Account• Believers: Making a Life at the End of the WorldSupport the show

In this episode I converse with someone who has greatly inspired me, Delia Ann Turner. Delia co-owns and operates The School of the Greenwood: For Creative Rewilding. Delia is an amazing craftsperson and educator. Our topics wandered from making hand crafts, living off the grid, traveling to learn from communities where hand made crafts are barely holding on, integrating what we learn back in our own communities, to her philosophy in carefully crafting adventure and fantasy camps for children, to running a small business and the contradictory aspects of living a wild life but also utilizing tools like social media to increase the reach and impact of her work. It was a wide-ranging conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Delia's Links:Delia Ann Turner InstagramSchool of the Greenwood WebsiteSchool of the Greenwood InstagramMentions:Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with NatureThe Art of Not Being GovernedMushroom at the End of the WorldNancy BasketsEoin Donnelly (Timber Framer)The Bear and the NightingaleSupport the show

In this episode, I answer three questions from my patrons on patreon:1.  What is your advice for people just beginning on their rewilding journeys?2.  What is your favorite part of rewilding?3. What are your favorite books for rewilders to use for help rewilding?Support the show

Today I’m chatting with Clementine Morrigan, a prolific writer and podcaster covering a range of topics. In this conversation we talk about “cancel and call out culture” and the challenges of transcending punishment and imprisonment, in order to move toward a more egalitarian, transformative justice process when conflict arises–as it inevitably does–in our communities.Notes:Clementine Morrigan's Work• Lnk.bio• Instagram• Fucking Cancelled Podcast• Fuck the Police Means We Don’t Act Like Cops to Each Other ZineOther Mentions:• So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed• Conflict is Not Abuse• The Sociopath Next Door• Cursed Cancellations InstagramSupport the show