I’m so pleased to be sharing a conversation with one of my all-time favorite writers, Sylvia Linsteadt.

Sylvia's words have been a deep salve to my heart and sense of wonderment in this work of re-enchantment with the wild. She has such a deep understanding of the living land, a term I really appreciate. Because for so much of my life, I couldn’t see nature as alive and living. And, if I did, I would often feel scared.

In my work of reconnecting to the land, Sylvia’s writing has been a boon of courage to my soul—particularly when engaging with the grief of loss and extinction of the wild. Her words have helped me look at it with a strong and resilient heart, and I’m just so thrilled to introduce you to her.

In this conversation, we talk about so much! From finding + expressing deep connection to a place that is not ancestrally yours, to connecting to land through connecting to the animals, to navigating “fact” vs. ancestral knowing, to learning to trust your intuition when your mind has been colonized, to her work in Crete uncovering the ancient goddess-worshipping culture that once thrived there.

"We’re just socolonized in our brains—even those of us whose ancestry is of the colonizer." -Sylvia Linsteadt

Resources:

• Silva spoke about Marija Gimbutas, the late anthropologist who was ridiculed for her work on goddess worshipping pre-Christian old Europe
• The Civilization of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas
• The Language of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas
• The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe by Marija Gimbutas
• Max Dashu is the historian who defended Marija Gimbutas and has also done a lot of important work in women's history and culture.
• Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir is a seer, artist, and a friend of the elves and huldufolk in Iceland (but not an official Icelandic Parliament advisor)

More from Sylvia Linsteadt:

• SylviaLinsteadt.com
• Tatterdemalion
• The Wild Folk
• The Wild Folk Rising
• Our Lady of the Dark Country
• Sylvia Linsteadt's Patreon
• @sylviavlinsteadt on Instagram

What is something you've observed and trusted your intuition to learn for yourself rather than being told as fact by someone else?

Credit for the phrase "be a good ancestor" goes to Arianna of Quw'utsun' Made